Wednesday, 4 September 2024

THE SCARER, THE GLOOM & THE SQUABBLE... (My new poem about the badgers at Temple Balsall...)

 The Scarer, The Gloom & The Squabble…


A farmer’s bird scarer cracked like rifle shots fired

By a sniper, as a calm evening began to fall

On the damp copse and some disturbed honking geese flew

In scrambled formation overhead, an irritated flock,

Their vocal annoyance vying for prominence with traffic noise,

 Occasional aircraft overhead, tuneless crows squabbling 

And the rattling throats of invasive magpies foraging on the dank ground… 


A cete of badgers soon appeared, their appetite fired

By morsels of food laid down and like an army, the moving wall

Of approaching, chewing, chomping mammals grew

In number, though in the gloom it was tough to take stock.

Two of them ventured very near and were poised

Near a gouged hole, investigating and scrabbling,

Until an interloper was seen off with a vicious, snarling sound…


Pete Ray

4th September 2024…




Temple Balsall’s badgers came out in numbers to feed as the light faded in a copse.




Two younger ones discovered food near a dug out hole and I was able to capture their activities, including when an intruder was snapped at…




No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.