A plant with a lot of aliases: mugwort, common wormwood, felon herb, chrysanthemum weed, wild wormwood, old Uncle Henry, sailor’s tobacco, naughty man, old man, St. John’s plant, and for those who want to get technical Artemisia vulgaris.
A group of eight or ten house sparrows were arguing over which should have the best position on a twig overhanging the Straford Canal not far from the centre of Stratford.
When one of the birds stood near the end, its weight bent the twig just enough to dip the bird’s legs and belly feathers in the water. Sparrows further up the twig had to stretch carefully to wet themselves.
Cross spider, a common spider in autumn in gardens and the near outdoors (sheds, garages and the like). It’s one of those species where the female is larger than the male, and much more likely to be noticed. They get bigger still as autumn passes and egg-laying time gets nearer.
Thistle seeds with their feathery attachments, still attached to the plant but almost ready to be carried away on the breeze.
More usually seen climbing up the trunks or along the underside of branches of trees, this nuthatch was perched at the very top of a willow recently.
Kingfisher (possibly one of two) earlier today. It has recently been seen quite often in the wetland area in Compton Park.
The bird has a habit of perching on the fencing or the decking of the footbridge over the pond (as in the two smaller pictures) and seems fairly relaxed about the joggers, walkers and their dogs frequently passing by. It will fly off when a dog (main picture) or human gets too close, retreating to the reeds or a nearby tree.
To avoid disturbing the bird, I kept my distance, so it only shows as a tiny patch of blue and orange even in these cropped pictures.