Author: David

Frothy elder flowers, seen close up. In one of the pictures, a tiny sprig of privet flower has also managed to intrude.

This used to be a regular sight at this time of year, but no longer. A young swallow rests on a telegraph wire, pausing in its flying practice. Soon it would have been setting out on its first long flight across the Sahara, arriving in time for its second summer of the year, now in the southern hemisphere.

These pictures are from a dozen years ago, no swallows since.

California poppies growing on a pavement, up against a garden wall. A bee was methodically visiting each flower.

Coot chicks on the lake at West Park. Although they’re well-grown enough to dive to get food for themselves, they still insistently demand to be fed by their parents.

One of the yuccas planted in a shrubbery bed in West Park, with its tall flower spike rising above the other neighbouring plants.

A mother mallard and her well-grown ducklings heading rapidly  ahead of me on the lake at West Park. There were five ducklings altogether, though I only managed to get four in shot at once.

We’d never noticed the ducklings on previous visits to the park. In these pictures, they had already outgrown the downy feathers they hatched with. All looked like half-sized replicas of the mother duck.