Our woodland friends

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Verse and illustrations by Beryl E Organ

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To Ellie, James, Jack and Holly My dear great-grandchildren With all my love

from Grandee 2011

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Published by Memoirs Books

Memoirs Books 25 Market Place, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 2NX www.memoirsbooks.co.uk info@memoirsbooks.co.uk Copyright ŠBeryl Organ February 2011 First published in England, February 2011 Edited by Chris Newton Book jacket design and layout Ray Lipscombe ISBN 978-0-9565102-4-2

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of Memoirs Books.

Printed in England

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The fallow buck has antlers grand In shady glades for hours he’ll stand Among the trees in woods so dim We humans hardly notice him His favourite foods are all around Growing lush upon the ground Chestnuts, acorns, grass so sweet Roots and shoots and young green wheat.

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The nimble stoat with golden coat Comes out to hunt at night As she stands tall to catch the scent Small creatures flee in fright She dances to attract her prey Then sleeps all through the summer’s day.

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Red squirrel digs into the lawn Hiding nuts from night till morn All through winter she’ll sleep fast When spring arrives, she’ll wake at last And then, with hunger on her mind Her hoard of nuts she’ll go and find.

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The lively otter loves to play Where sparkling rivers make their way When daytime comes he goes to ground To dine upon the fish he found The woodland streams run cold and fast But now he’s caught his meal at last.

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The water vole lives by the stream His bankside home is rarely seen He paddles like a little boat Then quickly dries his glossy coat.

Don’t let him know that you’re around He’ll vanish at the slightest sound!

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From dark green woods to wide blue skies Watch the noble buzzard rise High above the trees he’ll soar To gaze down on the forest floor His sharp eyes soon will find the prey He’ll swoop upon to eat that day.

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This rabbit found a carrot patch And goodness he is happy But he will have to hurry up And make his visit snappy For if the farmer comes this way He won’t feel quite so happy!

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The woodland leaves are turning gold Winter’s on its way This wily fox hunts all around For furred or feathered prey Winter days are grey and cold And food is getting short So he must keep on hunting Till something tasty’s caught.

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Grey squirrel sleeps away the hours Cosy in his drey When hunger calls he goes to find His nuts from yesterday He finds a tree stump, sits on top And with his tiny paws He strips the shell and eats the nut Without a moment’s pause.

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The bank vole hides away by day Beneath the woods and hedges At night he hunts for fresh green shoots Along the woodland edges He gnaws the bark from off the trees Leaves little marks on branches When Mr Fox is on the prowl The bank vole takes his chances!

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The woodpigeon’s a handsome bird With feathers grey and white His beak and legs are chestnut red He makes a pretty sight He coo-coo-coos all summer long High among the trees Then takes off with a clap of wings If one of us he sees.

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The harvest mouse loves cornfields But the tractor scared him so He’s made a new home in the reeds Beside the river’s flow He plays among the waving stems Hanging by his tail And builds a nest above the ground For safety must prevail.

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Badger leaves her sett at night And hunts for food while moon is bright The young ones think it’s all great fun She shows the cubs just how it’s done When all are fed it’s time for play Then off to slumber through the day

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This mother rabbit’s heard a sound Something rustled on the ground Her babies hide away in fear Perhaps the fox is coming near!

She keeps a lookout, ears a-twitch To warn them hiding in the ditch.

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This roe deer fawn is not long born He tiptoes out to play What fun to find his way around, Enjoy the summer’s day He knows his mum will soon be back And with him she will stay.

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Among the woods the ponies trot Nibbling at the grass They love to chat about the news With each new friend they pass When playtime’s over for the day They find a place to rest And settle down to sleep in peace As the sun sinks in the west.

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Who scurries through the fields and woods And by the water too?

Whose pointed snout sniffs worms and grubs?

It is of course the shrew!

By pond and stream she bustles on Her babies follow, one by one.

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The bright brown hare has speed and grace He’ll match the rest in any race His legs are lithe and fast and strong Through field and dell he bounds along Then lies so still down in the grass You’ll never spot him as you pass.

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Hedgehog needs to build a nest So she’ll have somewhere safe to rest Soon her babies will be born They’ll need to hide from dusk to dawn So she can leave them safe from sight While she goes hunting food each night.

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The weasel, tiny and so quick Is deadlier than she seems She’ll catch her prey by night or day By woods or fields or streams No burrow can be safe from her No hole can be too small No mouse or vole is rat is safe From weasel’s teeth and jaws.

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This fallow doe has heard a sound Perhaps she’d better go to ground!

Shy and timid, quick to run To deep green woods away from sun She waits until the danger’s past And comes out when it’s safe at last.

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The tawny owl sits in his tree Waiting out the day When darkness falls you’ll hear his call It’s time to hunt his prey His eyes are keen, his ears are sharp He hears each vole and shrew On silent wings he swoops to kill Too wit, too wit, too woo!

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Beryl Organ was born in Bristol in 1928 and soon developed a lifelong love of nature and a fascination for animals and flowers of all kinds. She has also had a lifelong passion for painting in both oils and watercolour. For many years she ran a modelling agency. In 1972 she decided to try her hand at writing books about nature for children. © Concept Photograhy

Since then, at her home in Gloucester, she has written several books telling stories about animals and flowers, some in prose, others in verse.

After publishing Tiggy’s World and Benjy’s Magic Mantle in 2010, Beryl has now

completed Tales of Mr Winkle, the story of a garden gnome, and is working on three books of verse for children entitled Animal Antics, Our Woodland Friends and ABC of Flowers.

Tales of Mr Winkle is about an old garden gnome who watches the comings and goings of his many animal friends and neighbours from his seat beside the pond. When the winter nights start drawing in Mr Winkle is sad to watch the squirrels, frogs, hedgehogs and songbirds disappear until next spring, but he has many other visitors to keep him company, particularly his friend Rudi the Robin – and he is soon joined by some unexpected friends to cheer him up.

Acknowledgememts: Les for his valued help. Dear daughters, Karen and Janet for their assistance on this and other books. Tiggys world, Benjys Magic Mantle 2010 Photograph courtesy of Mark , Concept Photograhy

memoirs

ISBN 978-0-9565102-4-2

Published by Memoirs

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25 Market Place, Cirencester Gloucestershire GL7 2NX TEL: 01285 640485 www.memoirsbooks.co.uk