Brilliant place - but take your wellies

After a litter pick down White Lion Meadow, I spent a fantastic couple of hours in Whitchurch Country Park. The Water Vole/Shropshire Wildlife group has done some really useful work in the area, installing wooden steps, and a cattle drinker to stop banks being poached, and an extra pond to encourage the voles. It is, however, incredibly muddy, so wellies and a stout stick are a must.

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I'm not seeing any definite water vole prints at White Lion Meadow yet, but I think there were some in the Country Park. The problem is, rats' prints are pretty similar - it's rat directly above, and the starrier water vole in the two above that (I hope).

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Under the bridge I found some more otter spraint, but I don't know whether it was fresh. Then I walked the length of the path, seeing coal tits and long-tailed tits and a fieldfare and, to my shock, a huge buzzard which launched itself from the bushes a few paces in front of me. I've never seen one so close - boy, are they big!