Yella Yorlin’ (emberiza citronella) 

Judith Anderson

IUCN conservation status: a bird of least concern

Yellowhammer sings to me from barb-wire
Yellowhammer sings against the hammering train
Yellowhammer sings out of the yellow whin
Yellowhammer sings against the grunting tractor
Yellowhammer sings and pecks at the deil
Yellowhammer sings from a shivered ash tree
Yellowhammer sings against the blind of yellow rape
Yellowhammer sings down the track to Scurdiness

Yellowhammer sings
and asks for nothing

The Science

This poem records a coastal walk in North East Scotland and plays on the repetitive and well-known song of the yellowhammer, often characterised as a little bit of bread and no cheese. Analysis has shown that while the opening song-phrases are often similar, individual birds produce varied song rhythms, and that neighbouring (male) birds sing in the most dissimilar rhythms. While yellowhammer populations are assessed as “of least concern” at global levels, in the UK the population declined by an estimated 61% between 1967 and 2020 due to a lack of food and nesting habitat.

The Poet

Judith Anderson is a new poet. She is interested in the broad overlaps between natural and cultural heritage and has published in Poetry Scotland. 

Next poem: A Wisdom of Wrens by Clare Seal