Thursday 3rd February (Long Beaks, Water and a Gourmet)

Mr. Kite looked out of his bedroom window to see a sky of blue and salmon pink; the sun was creeping over the horizon. The road was quiet and a few people were walking towards the town.

After breakfast Mr. Kite set out towards Venus Pool using the country lanes. With the sunshine and warm air he was hoping to hear a Skylark ascending. Now as Mr. Kite entered a traffic island on the A5 two cyclists also entered making three cyclists. Mr. Kite tucked in behind the second rider and was pulled along in the slipstream. Turning off the main road Mr. Kite spoke to these riders; one he knew and the other he didn't. These were serious riders with racing bikes, helmets, boots and lycra. They cycled along for about ten minutes before they went separate ways. Due to the conversation Mr. Kite did not hear a Skylark.

Now before Venus Pool there is a place called Cound Stank with one house. Nearby is a bridge over a stream and Mr. Kite often stops on it and looks for Water Ousels, or Dippers. Today on the bridge there were twenty tourist cyclists having a break. So the Dipper had probably been scared off. Mr. Kite looked around for the Dipper but it was not there. These tourist cyclists were heading towards a country pub for lunch and beer. This made Mr. Kite drool and saliva as the thought of a cool pint of best bitter made his lips water.

This was a serious day cycling and bird watching so Mr. Kite bade his farewells and rode to Venus Pool.  Mr. Kite had a slight dilemma; should he go to the hide or walk into the field and enjoy the warm sunshine. He decided to go to the hide first and walked inside. Scanning the pool he noticed the usual Mallards, Teal, Coots and the less common Shelduck. Then he noticed an Oystercatcher. These pied birds always remind him of penguins; it is the black and white, although they have little in common. Oysteracatchers are colourful with their long orange beck, long red legs and an red-ringed eye. They also have a pleasant whistling thrill but today this Oystercatcher was using his beck to pierce the ground in search of grubs. Every now and again the bird became tense and focused as it looked closely at the ground before jabbing it's long sharp beck into the soil. Suddenly the Oystercatcher pulled and tugged and grappled before it's beck emerged with a long wriggly brown worm that curled around the bird's beck. Using it's long legs it sped to the waters edge washed the worm violently by submerging it into the clear crystal waters of Venus Pool, stepped backwards from the water and swallowed the wriggling worm. Like all good food it needed liquid to complement the taste so the bird had a sip of water. A gourmet meal of Venus Pool worm with Stank Water.

Soon after Mr. Kite noticed another long-billed bird; a Common Snipe. This bird was resting with it's long bill on it's back. Against the green grass this brown and black bird stood out and occasionally it would raise it's head and look around. After about ten minutes it started to fed by prodding the damp ground with it;s long bill. The Snipes actions were more gentle than the Oystercatcher; probably because the worms were not so long and the ground on the waters edge softer.

After watching waders Mr. Kite strolled in the sunshine along a hedgerow looking at Yellowhammers, Reed Buntings and Chaffinch before sitting on a bench in the sun. When the sun disappeared behind a cloud Mr. Kite cycled to Atcham Bridge. Looking over the parapet Mr. Kite saw a Mallard standing in the river pecking at an eel. At first he was unsure whether the eel was dead or alive but soon realised it was dead. The Mallard seemed to only eat the skin of the dead fish. Keeping the fish in the water the Mallard often washed his mouth in the water. Mr. Kite thought about the Oystercatcher washing the dirt from the worm but the Mallard washing his beak seemed different. Generally when a bird has food others will try and muscle in and grab it or take pieces off; but this was different. Although Black-headed Gulls were flying overhead and Mallards, Canada Geese and Goosander were nearby they left the Mallard alone to enjoy his meal.  Mr. Kite concluded that this was a dead eel the Mallard had found and not killed and was a gourmet speciality equivalent to the gourmets of China in the Donkey Restaurant in Harbin or the Dog Restaurant in Hangzou.

For the last part of Mr. Kite's trip he cycled through Attingham Park then to Upton Magna. Knowing many roads of Shropshire he knows places to sit and enjoy the views or sunshine or both. Today Mr. Kite stopped to sit on a grit container to view the landscape towards Telford and the Wrekin in the warm sunshine. As the air warmed and the breeze blew gently Mr. Kite smelt a hint of spring; that slight salty tingling sensation that reminds you of earth. From the comfort of a green plastic grit container Mr. Kite felt pleased with his day and as a finale a Hare lolloped effortlessly across the field.

Mr. Kite returned home to read a few bird poems and enjoy a tipple of Tetley tea. Cheers to all those Shropshire Cyclists on the road today, and the Oystercatcher who washes the worm.