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David

Dabchick catching a fish

Dabchick catching a fish

A male little grebe fishing in the canal under the Tettenhall Road bridge.

Dabchick catching a fish

Vigorously shaking its head to stun or kill the small fish he has just brought up.

Dabchick catching a fish

Puts it back into the water.

Dabchick catching a fish

Begins to eat the fish.

Dabchick catching a fish

Back into the water again.

Dabchick catching a fish

All eaten up, and on the point of diving again after fresh prey.

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David

Northycote pond, lightly frozen with bubbles

Northycote pond, lightly frozen

The pond at Northycote Farm with a thin cover of ice last week.

Bubbly ice, Northycote pond

Uneven surface to the ice near the edge of the pond. Perhaps from gasses given off by rotting vegetation in the pond, the surface of the bubbles frozen before they burst.

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David

Snowdrops, Northycote

Snowdrops, Northycote

Heavy rain must have splashed mud onto these snowdrops, growing in the woods behind Northycote Farm Country Park.

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David

Happy as a pig in muck

Happy as a pig in muck

The recent wet weather had left it very muddy under foot at Northycote Farm Country Park last week. Most of the farm animals seemed happy with the conditions, especially the pigs.

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David

Turkeytail fungus with algae

Turkeytail fungus with algae

Turkeytail is one of the commonest of the bracket fungi. It grows on dead wood, such as this East Park tree stump.

The green colour here is algae growing on the fungus – the upper surface of turkeytail fungi have bands of different colours, which sometimes include green.

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David

Bandstand base, East Park

Bandstand base, East Park

The bandstand at East Park has been temporarily removed for some much-needed TLC. While it is gone, the base is left looking forlorn.