David

Heavy rain before Christmas left several big puddles on the lawns of West Park. A new feeding opportunity for some of the resident Canada geese, and the odd mallard or two.

The water of West Park lake was almost dazzling as they reflected the bright sunlight and the pale colours of the first signs if the coming year’s growth of the trees on the island. On the water, a handful of tufted ducks.

A late December day with dramatic lighting. Heavy, dark and threatening rain clouds, with a few breaks giving brief periods of bright sunshine. Views across West Park lake to one of the islands and to the Conservatory.

The overwintering shovellers on the lake at West Park. As usual when not sieving the surface of the water for food, they were resting up in the lee of the island.

Signs that another of the mature trees in West Park will need to be felled in a few years: honey fungus growing at the base of the trunk.

Yet one more fungus from the highly productive small area under a pair of beech trees. This netted crust was growing on a fallen branch, presumably from one of the beeches.

Rat searching short, damp grass in West Park for something to eat, finding quite a bit. It was in the most popular area where people put down peanuts for squirrels, likely getting lots of leavings.  There was no sign it was disturbed by my presence.

It’s the twelfth day of Christmas, or twelfth night, or Epiphany (for those churches which use the Gregorian calendar). Traditionally, the day the three wise men reached Bethlehem.

The camel was outside a shop in Oberammergau. The elaborate gold chest is behind the high altar of Cologne cathedral, holding the supposed remains of the three wise men. It looks like there was a lot more gold used in its construction that in the original gift.

The small patch of grass under a pair of beech trees which produced several species of fungi this autumn showing one more. The beech milkcap is, as the name implies, a specialist in growing in association with beech trees.

The second of the West Park interacting herons (see previous two posts). The bird had already landed, settled, and started watching the other heron when it first came into view. It didn’t seem to move very much at all for the ten minutes or so that we carried on watching them.