On Saturday 13 May, we gathered to discover what edible delights the park has to offer! Experienced, self-taught, and local forager, Kevin Godby from GCDA led us around the park, introducing us to lots of plants, bushes and trees that have edible parts.
Kevin had a great list of tips to share, including not foraging at a low level, to avoid contamination, never consuming too much of one kind of forage, being mindful of the time of year and ripeness of plants. As a general rule of thumb, younger seeds, buds and leaves are juicier and tastier!
We look forward to welcoming Kevin back to the park in another season to learn more!
The Dawn Chorus walk was a magic experience, once we all rolled into the park to meet Tim, our leader, for the 5am start.
We heard several species vying for attention, and the parakeets didn’t interfere too much. We could hear the tiny firecrests in the open area of the woods on the bird ID app but while everyone searched to see them, a sparrowhawk was spotted! The pair are nesting in a tall tree maybe 25 m into the woods from the small field. And then the female caught something for breakfast bringing reality of the natural world into focus.
Many thanks to Tim. And to Karen who captured the sparrowhawk on her camera.
In case you haven’t been in the park in the last week, go up the path for between the old and the new allotments and soak up the hawthorne blossom tunnel.
And the bird app mentioned is called MERLIN, free and easy to use on your phone.
Formed in 2006, the Friends of Shrewsbury Park encourage the use of Shrewsbury Park and support the development of facilities for recreation, education and amenities for local people and to encourage a sense of community around the park.
