Hello goodbye bird

My Petchary

Did you know? I have been writing a blog for the past 16 years. It is named after a bird, which is my “spirit bird” if you like - one that I have always had a great attachment to. It’s called a Grey Kingbird and its local name is Petchary.

So, my blog is at https://petchary.wordpress.com Please subscribe/follow me, if you would like.

I write mostly about environmental issues (things like biodiversity, threats to the fragile Caribbean environment, not only in Jamaica); I also write about human rights and health issues, and when I have time I give some news updates. I tend to throw in sarcastic comments about politicians.

Sadly, I have not had much time lately to collect my thoughts and write. And at this point, I am not sure which direction my blog will be going in. The majority of my writing has been Jamaica-focused; however, I am now, physically, heading away from Jamaica. Will I still write about Jamaica, people ask me? Honestly, I don’t know.

The Petchary is a migratory bird; Jamaica is an island where birds come and go. This is one of the few summer arrivals. It’s a survivor; Cornell University’s amazing “Birds of the World” website describes it beautifully: It seems to have thrived as native forests have been destroyed, and its petulant voice and feisty disposition have given it almost folk-hero status. It breeds in Cuba, Jamaica, and Florida, and seems to be a year-round resident in all the other Caribbean islands. The Jamaican version flits down south to northern South America for the winter, it seems - although the august Cornell University says it’s not really clear how they move around. They haven’t been studied enough.

I do know the Petchary is a loud and confident bird. When it arrives, it lets the whole neighbourhood know. Its piercing twitter, ringing and persistent, sometimes goes through the night as it feeds on insects attracted to street lights. I was attracted to this bird, and named my blog after it. Now it has become my “pen name”; sometimes when I am out, someone will say to me, “Oh - you’re Petchary, aren’t you.” I am happy to answer to that name; so, I am @petchary.bsky.social too (Bluesky). Please follow me!

So, on Good Friday, the Petchary told me it was around. I welcomed it, and hope to see a nest here and there (they waste no time, and like to nest amid tangled wires on light poles).

We will not be keeping company for very long. It will be rather like the old Beatles song, “Hello Goodbye” - not particularly inspiring lyrics, but it’s both things at the same time. I have greeted the Petchary, and then, before the end of the summer when he flies off southwards, I will be gone.

So, I might as well say hello and goodbye now. I am doing a lot of that, lately. I enjoy a quiet sunset, and say goodbye. I see the last of our winter migratory warblers, still in the yard, and say goodbye. I won’t see her again next time around, either. I see the pink poui trees flowering in our neighbours’ yards, and say goodbye.

The seasons pass, and we will move with them.

Seen from a distance, but heard all around the yard; I think in this photo the Good Friday Petchary is considering a suitable nesting site.