Peregrines and other pictures in shrewsbury

Much sunnier day today all day, it even felt warmer at dinner time when I went out. the drive in to Shrewsbury was bright overhead with pockets of mist and fog lingering on the motorway the fields either side. stopping is not really an option, I suppose I should get out earlier and make the effort, may be in the new year as the days lengthen. Today it did not cloud over. From what I have seen of the weather forecast it will remain settled for the next few days at least.

About 1:00 I went for my walk and it was still sunny, there was some cloud but it was bright. I took my camera and left my coat, (bright yellow, but warm ). as I got to the river by the english bridge I could see the river levels had not really gone down in the last 24 hrs. So walking downsteeam along the bank was not really an option. May be next week.

I am enjoying just doing the walking it gets me out of the office and although it is not much it is doing some "physical" activity. I do feel better for it I think and I can get quite competitive with my pedometer trying to beat yesterdays and the all time record. There seems to be a "target " of 10,000 steps this seems to be well beyond me and the time I have to walk during the day.

So I walked along the river Severn working my way upstream and saw lots of Gulls and a pair of swans and the cormorants from yesterday, I assume that were the same ones fishing in the stretch upstream from Greyfrairs bridge. To be honest I was not inspired to take any thing, though on reflection I could have looked at the small birds in the hedges and trees lining the path.

I was walking along and out the corner of my eye saw something that did not fit in one of the willows growing on the bank। I looked again and began to work out what the blob in the bush was. It was quite a large bird and once I worked out it what I thought it was I got quite excited. So in the middle of Shrewsbury sitting not 30 feet away from me was a Peregrine Falcon. I had seen them in displays and speeding past on the way to somewhere else, but never sitting there so close. I got a couple of pictures. took 10 steps forward and took some more including this one. It had by now deigned to notice me and after a few seconds more decided that I had taken enough thank you, and departed the scene.

I walked on feeling very smug, not only had I seen a peregrine, but I had managed to take a picture of it.

On the way back I went passed to the Abbey and was amused to the activity around a van from Hometyre. The "driver" was in the process of changing a tyre, so far so good. However he was being followed by a man with a serious video camera obviously recording him for some promotional video. The pair in turn were being followed by a man with a stills camera from the video production company further recording the action.

I had a brief chat with one of the Hometyre team, but his attention was diverted when a very attractive blond pulled up behind us. I decided to head back to the office