Halloween Kiwi (and two fuzzy things)

O.k. so I've been away for along time, but a while ago I found a kiwi's skeleton at the Smithsonian natural history museum in Washington, DC.

Now what about the pictures here on the left and right? I don't know why these things are even in MY house. The thing on the left looks blue and furry. BUT, on the other side, on the right, it looks like the blue furry worm has a pink or red little furry wormy friend. I named the blue one buddy. I named the pink or red one(guess?)buddy ... junior!

How creative, right... or am I left! (ha ha ha ha ha, get it?) So I will see you next kiwi post, good bye 'til then. BYE!

The Historical Kiwi

Having a dad who knows a thing or two about research can sometimes be a good thing. Take for instance this article we found today in a 1935 Argus (one of Melbourne's oldest newspapers). Turns out, much to my dad's delight, that the National Library of Australia has digitized nearly all the newspapers and magazines published Down Under between 1803 and 1954. A search there for "kiwi bird" turns up 4,098 articles! So far, this is my favorite. New Zealand's wonder bird. With all that was going on in the world in 1935, it's nice to think that at least some people were thinking about and admiring our favorite bird.

Answering JR's comment to my last post, "Kiwi in the Woods" (in which he asks, "do kiwis eat fish?"), here is a little poem I've written:

The Sea

Seagulls flying through the air
snails on rocks,
I watch a boat sail by.

I see a jellyfish glide unseen
like a phantom of the sea.
But there is more than that
which I cannot see, O down in the sea.


You may be wondering how this is related to JR's question. The answer is: seagulls eat fish, and kiwis do not. Kiwis eat insects, seeds, worms, roots, fruit, berries, and... crayfish. I don't think crayfish are really fish. They are freshwater crustaceans that resemble lobsters.

Another poem I have composed is about the kiwi:


The Kiwi

Its feathers soft like fur,
Its beak long and thin,
It burrows deep to make a nest,
And only lays one or two.
But chick fully grown when born.

Kiwi in the Woods

This week I was in North Carolina, where I stayed in a trailer. Amazingly, it was a KIWI trailer!

It was nice and cozy. During the day, when we weren't in the trailer, we went to the beach and to a creek across the road. I fished and caught a pinfish (just a small one), a red drum, and I almost caught a crab. I also learned another way to bait a hook: in one eye and out the other! It's also best to keep the bait alive, so its wiggling attracts other fish. The head of a fish works best as bait.

The picture above is of a kiwi in a New Zealand forest.

more cartoon kiwis!

As I said I would post different kiwis each time, I am proud to present my kiwi hunting at night.

If you wonder why a kiwi fruit is called a kiwi, it is because a kiwi has a brown furr like texture and the fruit has a brown fuzz coated "skin".

Cartoon Kiwis

This week and the one before I was in an art camp at MICA. One of the classes I took was a computer drawing class, and I would like to share some.

Welcome to Kiwi World

You know, one of the interesting things about kiwis is how many strange images pop up when you google "kiwi." Like fruit. What's up with that? And shoe polish. There's even a handbag, canteen, and purse. But those of us who know a thing or two about the lovable bird beg to direct your attention to more flattering images, such as the one I'm attaching here. Admire that adorable beak. Look into the eye of the fuzzy little thing and behold its calm innocence. As the first post for this blog, I now offer you a poem on a kiwi, the first I hope of many.


Kiwi

You cannot fly,
But why?
What stories might you tell,
What epic yearnings?

In your far southern hemisphere,
Feeding by night
On worms,
Noble bird of New Zealand.

Does your long beak weigh you down?
Why are you nocturnal?
Have you wanderlust, or the wish to fly?