David

Snow after Christmas, then lying for several days. A male chaffinch gathering up seed fallen from a feeder. As far as I know, this was the first visit to the garden by a chaffinch in the whole year.

Rhododendron bush by one of the entrances to West Park, starting flowering in late December. The bush flowers early every year.

Collared earth star growing outside one of the car dealerships on Penn Road. The central hole is where spores spurt from the fungus, powered by raindrops landing on its surface. The dark smudges near the hole are spores which didn’t dispeerse.

Among the wild birds which head for the West Park lake to pass the lean days of winter, there’s usually a handful of shovellers.

Here’s one of them in the middle of the water, feeding using its beak to skim the surface. Two others doze in the lee of the island.

Coal tit clinging on to a branch while it checks out whether it is safe to make a quick foray to a bird seed feeder.

Three different species of lichen growing on the big erratic in West Park.