Category: David

Clump of mushrooms, species unidentified, growing where the towpath meets up with the brickwork of Meccano Bridge – Staffordshire blue bricks of course.

One of the jays at Bantock Park, making a rapid retreat back to the obscurity of a tree top.

One of the West Park cormorants was sitting at the top of their usual tree. A second bird flew in and tried to land on the nearby branch.

The first bird squawked violently, and lashed out with several bites aimed at the newcomer. After a short period, the second bird flew off again. It looked like some of the feathers on its wing might have been damaged or disarranged.

It circled the lake three times, then came in to land again. This time, it settled a little lower in the tree, perhaps a yard lower that the other bird.

Incumbent seemed to be getting ready for another go, then acceped the other’s presence now it was in a more subordinate position.

West Park squirrel which was coming down the trunk of a tree, in its mouth a peanut which it had got earlier.

Fly agaric mushrooms grow in association with trees, almost always birch trees. This one (and several others which had been kicked over) was growing under a Scots pine, with no birches nearby.

More pictures of shovellers feeding by filtering just below the surface of the water they are swimming in, while moving quite fast in thght circles..

These birds, too, are on the West Park lake. This time one male-female pair, and a nearby male-male pair.