Wednesday 2nd November (Twitch, Twitch; Twitch Twitch)


Mr. Kite looked out of his bedroom window into a threatening grey sky. The nearly bare lime tree was struggling to hold onto its remaining leaves in the breeze. Today Mr. Kite had a plan.

Now Mr. Kite firstly set out to Polemere via The Quarry where he stopped to watch mute swans, black-headed gulls and two goosander being fed by old ladies with stale sliced white bread. Cycling towards Polemere was a little tough in the headwind but wood pigeons flew overhead and corvids fed in the fields. Mr. Kite arrived at Polemere to see a large flock of greylag geese lazily sitting around the waters edge. Mallards, teal and lapwings were in the shallows. Redwings and fieldfare fed on the hawthorn and elderberries in the surrounding hedgerows. So Polemere was busy place; so busy it attracted the attention of Mr. Red Fox who appeared and looked enviously at the ducks and geese who had of measure of Old Raynard as they kept a wary eye on him. Whilst some birds kept their heads down enjoying a kip others quacked and croaked informing Raynard that they knew his tricks.

In the brisk wind Mr. Kite cycled through Lea Cross and into Condover where he rode through the ford and headed to an unnamed small pool that is hidden from the road. Today on this pool the colour scheme was black and white with a flock of canadian geese and a few tufted ducks. Snipe Bog and Berrington Pool were empty and finally Monkmoor Lagoon is becoming home for an increasing number of birds including grey herons, moorhens and coots. Colourful bullfinches popped over the boundary fence to add red, blue and grey to the colour. At one o'clock Mr. Kite arrived home following a good morning watching birds.

Time for a Twitch
At two-thirty Mr. Kite's birding companion arrived at The Residence and The Incapacitants set out for a twitch; not just a twitch but a mega twitch. Today mode of travel was The New Car although given more time and a favourable wind The Incapacitants would have cycled there.

Thirty minutes later The Incapacitants walked from a temporary grassy car park with cow muck and sheep turds dalloped out around a few cars at Wall Farm Telford. Following a well trod track The Incapacitants walked along a hedgerow past a hide, over a wooden bridge and into a wetland field where a group of 'twitchers' had gathered on the far side. Today the quiet wetlands and pools had been invaded and the bird sanctuary forgotten about because of the mega twitch.

On reaching the group of twitchers Mr. Kite set up The Super Scope so as to focus on a hedgerow about one hundred metres away. A minute later the cry went up, "There she blows", or something similar and Mr. Kite saw a dark shape with some white patches on its wing drop down behind the hedge. Now that could not be counted as a 'tick in the book'.

Two mintues later The Twitchers sprang to life and equipment was focused on 'The Phallic shaped Tree'. Sitting on the right hand side was a blackbird sized bird with a white breast, grey back with some black streaks. The Incapacitants had a good view for about ten seconds before the bird dropped down, revealing long narrow wings with largish white patches on its wing.

At that point most of The Twitchers put a 'lifer tick' in their book and set off to the country car park decorated with turds. Now Mr. Kite could put a tick in his book but decided that he wanted a better view; so The Incapacitants stayed on with 'Two other Twitchers'. The light was fading and a large murmuration of starling appeared on the skyline and 'The Target of the Twitch' came to life. Sitting here, sitting there, moving left, moving right, dropping to the floor, flying to The Phallic Tree, resting here and resting there the bird was viewed in much more detail.

Slightly shorter than the grey grey shrike and with a lighter beak and with a shorter streak over the eye; and showing more white this was a mega twitch. The bird in The Superscope was a steppe grey shrike; LANIUS MERIDIONALIS PALLIDIROSTRIS: wow.

The show continued and the 'mega lifer tick' was put in the book just as a few unfortunate working twitchers arrived after a frustrating day in the workplace waiting for the minute that they could take off their shackles and do what Mr. Kite can do any time; watch birds. Their visit was also rewarded.

So a quarter to five The Incapacitants called it a day and returned home. Mr. Kite settled down to a celebratory tipple of Tetley tea. Cheers from a happy Mr. Kite who is colouring in his 'mega lifer tick'.