Wolves Wild

Heron standing out on a fallen tree extending over the West Park boating lake, a regular spot showing signs of use as a heron toilet. A short time later, after I’ve had a stroll around both arms of the lake, the bird has moved. It’s still on boating lake island. But now at a less prominent place, under trees but still in the position to catch the morning sunlight on a frosty day.

Tiny fungus, about a centimeter tall, growing in a small patch of moss on the top of a garden wall.

Male muscovy duck on the gravel by the Penk inlet to Perton Pool, just standing there, occasionally preening briefly.

Autumn leaves, on the ground or still on the tree, lightly coated in frost. Seen in the Donington and Albrighton Local Nature Reserve.

Another visit to Bridgnorth. Severn, as so often this autumn, high: footpath on the left bank between the bridges just passable, the river only encroaching half way across the tarmac for one short stretch.

Clear skies above, but at ground level a mist, thickest in the valley, adding to the autumnal effects.

The “unsettled” weather is persisting, but the river not now as high as it was when these pictures were taken in mid-November.

Bed of nettles, their leaves decorated with the frost left behind after a cold night.

A late-blooming passion flower plant. Its flower buds survived the first frosts of the winter, and one opened fully last month. But later, the flower and buds under the first harder frost of the season.

Stunted and dingy fly agaric mushroom growing in a flower bed by Chapel Ash roundabout. The cap is possibly coated in mud thrown up by this autumn’s frequent heavy rains.

Glistening inkcap mushrooms and turkey tail bracket fungi growing close together by the base of one of the trees in West Park.

Shovellers, another species of ducks where a small flock gather on the sheltered municipal lakes like this at West Park for the winter. They feed by swimming round in tight circles, their beaks just under the surface of the water.

Mistle thrush searching one of the patches of short grass near the West Park bandstand, after tasty morsels.

Parasol species mushroom, just emerging in then shadow of one of the hedges in Bantock Park. It was too soon to see what type of parasol it was.