Category: David

Comma butterfly, probably newly emerged as an adult at the end of last month when this picture was taken, spreading its wings to warm itself in the morning sunshine while it ate from a thistle flower.

This year’s lone West Park greylag gosling sitting and preening by the edge of the lake. Its down was increasingly being replaced by feathers, e.g. on the wings.

The parent birds were keeping close guard just out of shot, as usual.

There were masses of ladybird larvae, possibly the invasive harlequin ladybirds, on the nettles by the Compton Park pool. A few of them, like this one, had strayed on to the footbridge fence.

This year’s four cygets in West Park, here taking a break by a puddle near the edge of the lake. The parent birds were, as ever, close by and watchful.

A couple of days ago I came out of New Cross after a successful double bypass operation.

To celebrate, a small series of pictures of a carrion crow bathing in a puddle in West Park, then walking away when it noticed my attentions.

It’s going to be a little while yet before I can get out far enough for taking fresh pictures, so posts will continue to use images I already have waiting.

For the moment I’m just glad to be gradually walking a little further each day. All thanks to the efforts of Mr Luckraz and his team in the operation itself, and all the staff of the Critical Care and Cardio-thoracic wards of the Heart and Lung Centre. I should be back to more up-to-date subjects before the summer gives way to autumn.

Two of the coot chicks which have hatched this year from the birds nesting on the lake at West Park. There have probably been more young coot that chicks from all the other poolside birds together, but many have disappeared before getting even as big as the pair shown here.