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8400 Miles Nonstop

The bar-tailed godwit
caught birddom by surprise
When word got out
just how far this bird flies

A juvenile Limosa lapponica,
satellite tag 2-3-4-6-8-4
flew nonstop from Alaska
to the Tasmanian shore!
13,560 kilometers nonstop,
eleven days and nights
A new world record for
marathon bird flights

"From Alaska to Tasmania?
The devil, you say!"
cried ravens and crows,
"Every bird knows,
claiming to fly 8400 miles
To the Tasmanian isles—
is the height of audacity!
No bird has the capacity
We protest with pugnacity
Demanding veracity!"

The godwits conveyed
a very chill groove
They had, after all
nothing to prove
having set the prior
world records in '20 and '21
A controversy was brewing
Would their achievements
be undone?

A commission was appointed
for a bird's-eye review
into the facts of the matter
the truth to pursue
Wise owls were chosen
to adjudicate this claim
To settle once and for all
who deserved the acclaim

Only item considered
had scientific backing
Since satellite data
Allowed accurate tracking
Of the tagged young bird's
ultramarathon flights
The facts indisputable
No need for bird fights,
ending investigation into
this migration gyration

Bar-tailed godwits awarded
the Oiseau de Plume
for being the farthest nonstop
flying bird in the room
The Arctic terns too
received acclamation
For flying the farthest
In their migration—pole to pole,
24,000 miles each year
causing most birds present to
stand up and cheer
in spontaneous applause—
But not all birds were willing
To concede their cause

Displaying proclivity
to resist the festivity
The crows and ravens
As they stormed out the door
vowed in unison, wings clenched,
"Nevermore!"

Please Login to post a comment

thriveni c mysore Date: 1/31/2025 7:01:00 PM Well, crows and ravens always storm out from time immemorial, they are staunch parliamentarians! Lovely report dear poet. Login to Reply Mark Toney Date: 1/31/2025 7:30:00 PM Much appreciated, Thriveni. I’m so glad you liked it.

The Situation Date: 7/24/2023 6:48:00 PM Sometimes we are forced to use our poetic licence. This indeed is one of those times. It's called a desire to be a reporter. Or in this case sports caster. Login to Reply Mark Toney Date: 7/24/2023 8:53:00 PM Great comments! Nice to make your acquaintance, The Situation. Thanks for stopping by. The Situation Date: 7/24/2023 6:50:00 PM Talk about poetric licence. How about having the name "godwit" in it's title.

Andrea Dietrich Date: 12/15/2022 12:51:00 PM wow, this is sure something, Mark!!! I never even heard of this bird before, but how amazing it is!!! Fun rhymes too. Thanks for my placement in your last contest, btw. Login to Reply Mark Toney Date: 12/16/2022 8:25:00 AM I, too, had never heard of the bar-tailed godwit before. I appreciate your comments, Andrea, and continued support of my 2022 Poetry Marathon.

Valsa George Date: 11/25/2022 8:13:00 AM Beautiful narration of the nonstop long distance flight and the controversy brewing up among jealous birds. I am glad Godwit was finally given the due recognition by the expert committee. I love birds and everything about them ! A very absorbing narration with a pinch of humor. Much enjoyed, dear Mark. Login to Reply Mark Toney Date: 11/25/2022 8:05:00 PM Valsa, I appreciate your gracious review of my light verse tribute to the bar-tailed godwit's awesome achievement. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Sand Blown Date: 10/30/2022 4:51:00 PM ...bird photography is a hobby of mine.... but wow....to be able to ride the winds so far must mean....there is a felt and innate pleasure within of being....as what it is.... far out.......stans sand Login to Reply Mark Toney Date: 10/31/2022 4:12:00 AM That’s a good point and such a cool thought, stans. What blows my mind is what the National Audubon Society article states: “Unlike albatross or other long-flying seabirds, godwits are active flyers, not gliders—their wings are moving the whole time.”

Harry Horsman Date: 10/29/2022 1:11:00 AM Well, this deserves so many plumes, Mark, One amazing poem, factual with spice, yes indeed, an epic journey, flew a few miles/kilometres in my time, without lifting an arm, so hail to the bird, 'Godwit' and the poet for the record of such deed..Harry Login to Reply Mark Toney Date: 10/30/2022 7:23:00 AM Harry, thank you for your kind encouragement, I shared your comment with my wife, and she replied “Even his comment sounds like poetry.” ;)