#Bardspotting
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bookamatic.bsky.social
“Swallows have built
In Cleopatra’s sails their nests”

#Bardspotting

Scarus.
Antony and Cleopatra, Act 4 Scene XII
Highlighted text from William Shakespeare’s play Antony and Cleopatra. Text reads “Swallows have built in Cleopatra’s sails their nests” A swallow feeding chicks in its nest. It is clearly in a wooden box, nowhere near Cleopatra’s sails
March 11, 2026 at 9:11 AM
bookamatic.bsky.social
“If he paid for them, let it suffice that I possess them. Beefs and brewis* may serve such hinds. Are pigeons meat for a coarse carpenter?”

#Bardspotting #Pigeons

CAVALER
Sir Thomas More
Act I

*brewis - Arden notes is bread soaked in broth
Highlighted text from the play Sir Thomas More. Text reads “If he paid for them, let it suffice that I possess them. Beefs and brewis* may serve such hinds. Are pigeons meat for a coarse carpenter?” A couple of pigeons stood on a wall.
September 25, 2026 at 8:47 AM
bookamatic.bsky.social
“I’ th’ city of kites and crows? What an ass it is! Then thou dwell’st with daws too?”

#Bardspotting #Kites #Crows #Jackdaws

3RD SERVINGMAN
Coriolanus
Act IV, Scene 5
Highlighted text from the William Shakespeare play Coriolanus. Text reads “I’ th’ city of kites and crows? What an ass it is! Then thou dwell’st with daws too?” A kite wings outstretched high in the canopy of blue sky A crow squawking whilst on the grass nowhere near the canopy A jackdaw perched on a dead branch wondering why a serving man thinks he dwells with kites and crows.
September 26, 2026 at 8:50 AM
bookamatic.bsky.social
Book #13 of 2026 finished.
Double Falsehood by @shakespeare.lol (edited by Brean Hammond).

Okay. Technically this wasn’t on my #TBR pile but I was looking for a particular quote for #Bardspotting and realised I’d not yet scoured DF for potential bird-names.

Now rectified.

#Booksky #Tsundoku
Arden Shakespeare paperback of Double Falsehood. A towering pile of books to be read piled high on top of a white metal stand.
March 20, 2026 at 4:17 PM
bookamatic.bsky.social
“The throstle* with his note so true,
The wren with little quill.”

#Bardspotting #Thrush #Wren

BOTTOM
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Act III, Scene 1

*throstle - Arden notes, thrush.
Highlighted text from the William Shakespeare play A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Text reads “The throstle* with his note so true, The wren with little quill.” A throstle on a branch. A wren on the pointy end of a branch singing
September 27, 2026 at 8:10 AM
bookamatic.bsky.social
“The finch, the sparrow and the lark,
The plainsong cuckoo gray,
Whose note full many a man doth mark,
And dares not answer nay.”

#Bardspotting #Birds #Finch #Sparrow #Lark #Cuckoo

BOTTOM
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Act III, Scene 1
A finch The sparrow And a lark The plainsong cuckoo gray
July 21, 2026 at 8:02 AM
bookamatic.bsky.social
“Nay, you shall fight your hearts out ere I part you. The falcon as the tercel, for all the ducks i’ the river. Go to, go to.”

#Bardspotting #Falcon #Ducks

PANDARUS
Troilus And Cressida
Act III, Scene 2
Highlighted text from the William Shakespeare play Troilus And Cressida. Text reads “Nay, you shall fight your hearts out ere I part you. The falcon as the tercel, for all the ducks i’ the river. Go to, go to.” A falcon, wings and talons outstretched, against a green leafy background A duck, head submerged in the water.
September 24, 2026 at 8:10 AM
bookamatic.bsky.social
“O, spite of spites,
We talk with goblins, owls and sprites!”

#Bardspotting

DROMIO OF SYRACUSE
The Comedy Of Errors, Act 2, Scene II
Highlighted text from the William Shakespeare play The Comedy Of Errors. Text reads “O, spite of spites, We talk with goblins, owls and sprites!” An owl. Perched on a gloved hand. It has tilted its head to one side. Possibly as it tries to remember if it is a striges or not.
March 23, 2026 at 8:57 AM
bookamatic.bsky.social
“ and some keep back
The clamorous owl, that nightly hoots and wonders
At our quaint spirits.”

#Bardspotting #Birds #Owl

TITANIA
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Act II, Scene 2

A bonus Bardspotting as I have now been made aware that today is International Owl Awareness Day!
Highlighted text from the William Shakespeare play A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Text reads “ and some keep back The clamorous owl, that nightly hoots and wonders At our quaint spirits.” An owl, head cocked in wonderment, that you weren’t aware of International Owl Awareness Day
August 4, 2026 at 8:21 AM
bookamatic.bsky.social
“All furnished, all in arms,
All plumed like ostriches, that with the wind
Bated like eagles having lately bathed,
Glittering in golden coats like images
As full of spirit as the month of May”

#Bardspotting #Ostrich #Eagle

SIR RICHARD VERNON
King Henry IV, Part One
Act IV, Scene 1
Highlighted text from the William Shakespeare play King Henry IV Part One. Text reads “All furnished, all in arms, All plumed like ostriches, that with the wind Bated like eagles having lately bathed, Glittering in golden coats like images As full of spirit as the month of May” An ostrich giving you the side eye at the suggestion of being “all plumed” An eagle coming in to pick up its prey (not shown) with talons and wings outstretched
September 23, 2026 at 8:06 AM
bookamatic.bsky.social
“O Cressida! But that the busy day,
Waked by the lark, hath roused the ribald crows,
And dreaming night will hide our joys no longer,
I would not from thee.”

#Bardspotting #Lark #Crows

TROILUS
Troilus And Cressida
Act IV, Scene 2
Highlighted text from the William Shakespeare play Troilus And Cressida. Text reads “O Cressida! But that the busy day, Wakes by the lark, hath roused the ribald crows, And dreaming night will hide our joys no longer, I would not from thee.” The lark wakes the day from its perch A crow, turns its head to the right, thinking murderous thoughts toward that noisy lark.
September 29, 2026 at 8:21 AM
bookamatic.bsky.social
“As wicked dew as e’er my mother brushed
With raven’s feather from unwholesome fen
Drop on you both. A southwest blow on ye
And blister you all o’er.”

#Bardspotting #Birds #Raven

CALIBAN
The Tempest; Act I, Scene 2
Highlighted text from the William Shakespeare play The Tempest. Text reads - With raven’s feather from unwholesome fen Drop on you both. A raven walks across an unwholesome fen, looking for a lost feather.
May 22, 2026 at 8:17 AM
bookamatic.bsky.social
“This outward-sainted deputy,
Whose settl’d visage and deliberate word
Nips youth i’ th’ head and follies doth enew
As falcon doth the fowl, is yet a devil:”

#Bardspotting #Falcon #Fowl

ISABELLA
Measure For Measure
Act III, Scene 1
Highlighted text from the William Shakespeare play Measure For Measure. Text reads “This outward-sainted deputy, Whose settl’d visage and deliberate word Nips youth i’ th’ head and follies doth enew As falcon doth the fowl, is yet a devil:” A falcon in full flight about to nip something i’ th’ head. A fowl stood upon a tree stump in a farmyard crowing about the lack of falcons nearby
September 28, 2026 at 8:32 AM
advantage87.bsky.social
What a beautiful pairing of Shakespeare and the robin, that gentle ruddock image is one of his loveliest. Wonderful bit of bardspotting.
June 21, 2026 at 10:35 AM
bookamatic.bsky.social
“Let the birds fly and like the famous ape
To try conclusions in the basket creep
And break your own neck down.”

#Bardspotting #Birds

Hamlet
HAMLET
Act III, Scene 4
Highlighted text from the William Shakespeare play Hamlet. Text reads “Let the birds fly and like the famous ape To try conclusions in the basket creep And break your own neck down.” A bird, mid-flight, wings outstretched. It seems to be looking at an ape in a basket falling to the ground (not shown)
September 21, 2026 at 8:12 AM
bookamatic.bsky.social
“Out on you, owls, nothing but songs of death?

#Bardspotting #birds

RICHARD III.
King Richard III, Act 4, Scene IV.
Highlighted text from the William Shakespeare play King Richard III. Text reads “Out on you, owls, nothing but songs of death?” An owl, tilting its head to the side, trying desperately to remember the words to the songs of death.
March 14, 2026 at 10:13 AM
bookamatic.bsky.social
“Which pries not to th’ interior, but like the martlet
Builds in the weather on the outward wall”

#Bardspotting #Swift

ARRAGON
The Merchant Of Venice
Act II, Scene 9

Arden notes, martlet] swift, often confused with the swallow and house-martin.
Highlighted text from the William Shakespeare play The Merchant Of Venice. Text reads “Which pries not to th’ interior, but like the martlet Builds in the weather on the outward wall” A swift, not to be confused with a swallow nor the four band members from Hull.
September 18, 2026 at 7:41 AM
bookamatic.bsky.social
“‘Fly pride’, says the peacock; mistress, that you know.”
[Exeunt Antipholus/Dromio of Syracuse]

#Bardspotting #Birds #Peacock

DROMIO OF SYRACUSE
The Comedy Of Errors; Act IV, Scene 4
Highlighted text from the William Shakespeare play The Comedy Of Errors. Text reads “‘Fly pride’, says the peacock; mistress, that you know.” [Exeunt Antipholus/Dromio of Syracuse] A peacock. Thinking ‘Fly Pride’ but not saying it.
May 25, 2026 at 7:45 AM
bookamatic.bsky.social
“Every jack-slave hath his bellyful of fighting, and I must go up and down like a cock that nobody can match.”

#Bardspotting #Birds #Cock

CLOTEN
Cymbeline
Act II, Scene 1
Highlighted text from the William Shakespeare play Cymbeline. Text reads “Every jack-slave hath his bellyful of fighting, and I must go up and down like a cock that nobody can match.” A cock that nobody can match.
June 17, 2026 at 7:45 AM
bookamatic.bsky.social
“Thou art the damned doorkeeper to every
Coistrel* that comes enquiring for his Tib.”

#Bardspotting #Birds #Kestrel

MARINA
Pericles, Prince of Tyre
Act IV, Scene 5

* J E Harting notes in The Ornithology Of Shakespeare (p.56) that Coistrel may refer to a hawk owned by a low ranked peasant.
“Thou art the damned doorkeeper to every Coistrel that comes enquiring for his Tib.” A kestrel on a thin branch
August 2, 2026 at 9:27 AM
bookamatic.bsky.social
“‘Tis unnatural,
Even like the deed that’s done. On Tuesday last,
A falcon, towering in her pride of place,
Was by a mousing owl hawk’d at, and kill’d.”

#Bardspotting #Birds #Falcon

OLD MAN
Macbeth; Act II, Scene 4
Highlighted text from the William Shakespeare play Macbeth. The second block of text reads “‘Tis unnatural, Even like the deed that’s done. On Tuesday last, A falcon, towering in her pride of place, Was by a mousing owl hawk’d at, and kill’d.” A falcon, towering in her pride of place, wonders what the mousing owl (not shown) is hawking toward her for
May 24, 2026 at 10:25 AM
bookamatic.bsky.social
“ let me be deem’d
A tame, pale coward, whom the night owl’s hoot
May turn to aspen leaf;”

#Bardspotting #Birds #Owl

JULIO
Double Falsehood, or The Distressed Lovers
Act III, Scene 2
Highlighted text from the alleged William Shakespeare play Double Falsehood. Text reads “ let me be deem’d A tame, pale coward, whom the night owl’s hoot May turn to aspen leaf;” An owl perched on a leather glove in front of greenery.
July 26, 2026 at 8:49 AM
bookamatic.bsky.social
“What is the jay more precious than the lark
Because his feathers are more beautiful?”

#Bardspotting

PETRUCCIO
The Taming Of The Shrew; Act IV, Scene 3
Highlighted text from the William Shakespeare play Taming Of The Shrew. Text reads “What is the jay more precious than the lark Because his feathers are more beautiful?” A precious jay, perched on a thin branch, with his feathers more beautiful than the lark’s (lark not pictured).
April 12, 2026 at 9:18 AM
bookamatic.bsky.social
“More pity that the eagles should be mewed,
While kites and buzzards play at liberty.”

#Bardspotting #Birds #Buzzards

LORD HASTINGS
King Richard III; Act I, Scene 1
Highlighted text from the William Shakespeare play King Richard III. Text reads “More pity that the eagles should be mewed” Highlighted text from the William Shakespeare play King Richard III. Text reads “While kites and buzzards play at liberty.” A buzzard, in full wing-extended flight, at play
May 20, 2026 at 9:02 AM
bookamatic.bsky.social
“Renege, affirm and turn their halcyon beaks
With every gale and vary of their masters,
Knowing naught, like dogs, but following.”

#Bardspotting #Birds #Kingfisher

EARL OF KENT
King Lear
Act II, Scene 2
Highlighted text from the William Shakespeare play King Lear. Text reads “Renege, affirm and turn their halcyon beaks With every gale and vary of their masters, Knowing naught, like dogs, but following.” The kingfisher (halcyon) perched on a thin branch.
June 16, 2026 at 8:08 AM