29th September – Near Walsall, my attention was snagged on a bright, sunny morning by a small family, apparently living in an open, junk-cluttered garage just off a main street. They seem healthy, happy and don’t look malnourished. Clearly wary of humans, but mum, who was attentive and nervous of me, stood her ground and watched her kittens closely.
A rare treat. I have passed this with the location to the Cats Protection branch as I strongly suspect these cats are feral.
June 16th – This poor, out of focus photo shows something I was very surprised and quite lucky to find – a lapwing chick.
There were two of these long-leeged wee birds in the middle of Bullmoor Lane, and my approach scattered them into the margins of the road. The shrieking above alerted me to the presence of the parents, and after a quick phot, I left well alone.
These curious, ground-nesting birds will be fine and it’s hard to believe these lanky, spotty wee balls of fluff grow into the elegant, wheeling aerial acrobats that their parents are.
A treat on a warm summer afternoon.
March 30th – I spotted this grumpy looking cove behind the railings of the church on Scarborough Road in Pleck on my way home – I think the people of the church feed him. He’s actually a lovely, friendly boy but for some reason he really didn’t like the camera much at all.
Lovely to see the urban cat population waking up after winter and taking the air – especially older cats I’m familiar with, like this lad. There’s something delightful about an old cat, warming their bones in the spring sun, feeling the stirring of the season, dozing and surely dreaming of past triumphs.
So glad to see an old cat feel the warmth of another spring sun once more.
April 11th – Also in Shelfield. A reminder that the local issue of stray horses really is becoming a problem.
December 22nd – It was a day of silly observations, really. I have no idea whatsoever why anyone would need to point out with some permanence where the roof to their stable was. But they did. Odd.
A couple of hours later, I spotted this stray, lost pumpkin, beside the London Road in Canwell. Unharmed but clearly aged, I have no idea how it got here; there are no shops or even houses nearby. What’s even more troubling is it isn’t the first such vagrant gourd I’ve featured on the blog, there was the one I found in Acocks Green…
Some days are just bloody weird.
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