From India to the Fens: Poetry, Prose... and Cuckoos

Lantern Tower, Ely Cathedral, UK

The latest annual edition of Metverse Muse, edited by Dr. H. Tulsi, has just arrived from India. It contains a small selection of my poems, including one about a Cornish mining valley and one set in the very different landscape of the Fens. 

Ship of the Fens rising from the Isle of Ely

I am currently reading a splendid book about the Cuckoos who breed on Wicken Fen. Years ago we lived in a village poised between the edge of Cambridge (on the one hand) and the edge of the Cambridgeshire fens (on the other). Wicken Fen, in the care of the National Trust, was always a favourite haunt, and indeed remains one of our top destinations for a day out, despite the fact we have a bit further to travel these days.

Cuckoo by Nick Davies (Bloomsbury) bears the subtitle 'Cheating by Nature'. It is, in effect, a fascinating detective story, revealing how the Common Cuckoos at Wicken Fen 'cheat' on their Reed Warbler hosts, ensuring that the Cuckoo egg is given the best chance of survival. Nick Davies is Professor of Behavioural Ecology at Cambridge, and what I particularly appreciate about the book is the clarity with which Davies writes, enabling those of us without backgrounds in science to journey with him in his discoveries. His enthusiasm is infectious, and although I knew little about Cuckoos at the outset, my eyes are steadily being opened to their strange place in our ecosystem. This is an exquisite book of lucid and compelling prose. The field drawings by James McCallum are a delight. 

Writing Poetry at NT Wicken Fen with Dr Charles Bennett

We spent a wonderful afternoon at NT Wicken Fen Nature Reserve, gathering inspiration for the set task in a stimulating poetry workshop, led by Dr Charles Bennett, the Writer in Residence. 

What could be better on a late summer afternoon than the chance to be immersed in nature and poetry beneath the wide fenland skies? We shared our draft poems at the end before adjourning to the adjacent tea room for a National Trust cream tea.

There were still good numbers of Common Lizards and Emperor dragonflies about. We reflected on a number of sample poems before sharing our own drafts. The two hours passed rapidly and it was soon time to adjourn to the tea room for Earl Grey and a National Trust cream tea. 

Watery reflections: Southern Hawker on the lode

• Evenlode by Charles Bennett
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