The early bird gets the breakfast

It’s far more likely you’ll find me going to bed at 4.30am than waking up at that hour, but if mornings like this are waiting outside, then count me in.

‍

We were led by local bird enthusiast, birdwatching expert, and photographer Dave Barnes, and as we wandered across the farm to hotspots for our feathered friends. Along the way, Dave shared stories of how his fascination with birds first began. Mainly influenced by his father!

‍

At just seven years old, he found an injured baby owl and begged his father to let him care for it at home. How could he refuse? The owl seemed rather fond of young Dave and the family welcomed the feathery patient in. As the owl grew stronger and closer to being released back into the wild, it became quite the companion. It would perch on Dave’s shoulder, and eventually even on top of his head, before swooping down dramatically to hunt for bugs and worms. In time, Dave and his owl went their separate ways, but hearing a story like this only made us admire his passion for bird seven more.

‍

We meandered through the farm spotting pairs of mandarin ducks, while the soundtrack of the morning chorus echoed around us. The males were especially vocal, puffing themselves up, singing loudly to protect their patch and, of course, attempting to impress a potential mate or two. Nature, it seems, is a theatre of performance and I’m buying all the tickets. We caught the Dawn Chorus at exactly the right time and rounded off the morning with a proper hearty Shropshire breakfast together at Arthur’s. Plates piled high with our own free-range Gloucester OId Spot sausages and bacon, alongside all the usual breakfast accompaniments, disappeared very quickly after a few hours of birdwatching bliss.

‍

Bring on next year!

Ashleigh Buick, Marketing andCommunications Officer