Thursday 12th January (A Mild Winters Morning)


Mr. Kite looked out of his bedroom window into a grey sky. Winter has yet to start and perhaps will not. Soon it will be spring. Berries are till on the shrubs. In the garden a pair of blackbirds courted amongst the ivy.

Today Mr. Kite was meeting his birding companion for a bird-watching and spotting competition. On the way to meet his birding companion Mr. Kite cycled past berries of every colour, yellow flowers, seeds dangling from twigs and every shade of green on leaves.

At ten o'clock The Incapacitants were watching birds and the competition had began.

Meole and The Rea Brook


Starting with jackdaws the number of birds increased as the common town birds appeared. Stopping on the bridge over The Rea Brook The Incapacitants looked for birds around the brook and in the trees. A few minutes later the corvids 'crowed' and started to fly. Looking around Mr. Kite noticed that they were flying to mob a Little Egret. Now that was a surprise because in Shrewsbury Little Egrets are not common. This 'little white heron' then perched in a fir tree and put it's head down to avoid further mobbing. At interval the little egret popped up it's head to search for the 'mobsters'. Then it was time to move onto Sharpstone Quarry.

Sharpstone Quarry

In the quarry flocks of farmland birds flew from trees to the ground and back to the fields. Included in the flocks were yellowhammers, chaffinch and linnets. In a corner of one field a large gathering of redwing, fieldfare and starlings moved across the ground feeding and then like a swarm of bees flew into a tree filing every branch and bough. Just as they settled a peregrine falcon flew fast and low where they had been feeding. As it passed The Incapacitants the falcons black mask resembling, a 'cat burglars', showed clearly making the raptor look ominous and determined. Seconds later it's partner in crime passed by looking equally business like. The flock in the tree then returned to the ground to feed.

Rooks, carrion crows and jackdaw occupied a field with the sheep. Then the falcons returned over the flock of feeding ground birds in a flash; one bird banked to the right and kept low and the other gained height and flew over The Incapacitants before dropping into the quarry.

Betton Pool


With all the birds in the quarry accounted for The Incapacitants followed the public footpaths and headed to Betton Pool. Down tracks, over fields and through farmyards The Incapacitants stopped to watch wrens, pheasants and many more. Betton Pool was a busy bird place today that included goosander, grey heron and cormorants. In the surrounding trees and bushes little birds moved around including a treecreeper that moved spirally up the trunk of an oak showing a neat curved beak.

Back to Sharpstone


Once again it was over fields and through muddy farmyards to Sharpstone Quarry to be reunited with The Beast that was chained to a fence. Over the quarry a raven flew.

On leaving the quarry The Incapacitants competition was a draw as the number of species spotted was many more than predicted but to increase the tally they headed to Springfield Mere where five more species were spotted. With forty-three species spotted a good day out ended.

Mr. Kite returned home to enjoy a tipple of Tetley tea. Cheers from Mr. Kite following a 'grand day out in Floreat Salopia'.