THE WARMING UP AT ALCESTER & THE INTRUSIVE MAGPIE AT TEMPLE BALSALL...

 The Warming Up At Alcester & The Intrusive Magpie At Temple Balsall…

It had been a strange day.

A riverside walk in Alcester had become warm

And as nettles sought my shins in the haze,

A kingfisher flashed its sheen as it flitted away,

Then zig-zagged deep into foliage to avoid my gaze.

It became a stranger evening.

The dull, damp copse in Temple Balsall was cool

And as badgers sought nuts and scraps between the trees,

A magpie thrashed its careless flight, wavering

And scattered the brocks in a crude and monstrous tease…   

Pete Ray

23rd July 2022 

The weather became rather warm in Alcester and although the kingfisher was visible on three flitting occasions, I was unable to capture it on film. 

It was unsettling in the copse, where half-a-dozen badgers emerged to feed on pieces of chicken and peanuts.

Suddenly, a magpie crashed through the trees and totally dispersed the badgers, my cue to leave but although a robin also made the brocks feel uneasy, loud airliners overhead caused not a jot of concern… 

Had the magpie sensed the scattered meat, I wondered…