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David

Carrion crows on a street light

Carrion crows on a street light

A pair of carrion crows standing on the same street light.

Carrion crows on a street light

The nearer bird seemed to be grooming the other, beak probing feathers

Carrion crows on a street light

Taken looking down on the birds from the walk by Bridgnorth castle park.

Carrion crows on a street light

The guano on the light – and the corrosion it has caused – shows that it is a regular perch.

Carrion crows on a street light

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David

Hart’s tongue fern, frosted

Hart's tongue fern, frosted

Hart’s tongue ferns like the soil on the Wren’s Nest Reserve in Dudley. This one’s leaves had a dusting of frost on a cold December morning.

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David

Big bunch of ash keys

Big bunch of ash keys

Ash tree seeds with the wings used to disperse them.Presumably the reason they are called “keys” is the way they hang in a bunch.

Sadly, this is likely to become a rarer sight in the future.

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David

Muskrats in and by the Gironde

Muskrat

Muskrats originally came from north America, but have become established after being introduced in many parts of Europe and Asia.

Muskrat

These were part of a large group of muskrats living by an outlet leading into the Gironde estuary, on the edge of Bordeaux city centre.

Muskrat

As well as everything else they found to feed on, they were given a steady stream of scraps by locals of all ages – a diet which also supported populations of rats, large mice of a species I have never seen before, and pigeons.

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David

December vibernum flowers, East Park

December vibernum flowers, East Park

Flowers already opening on one of the viburnum bushes in East Park in the middle of last month.

A Happy New Year to everyone!

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David

Walking on (frozen) water

Drake on an icy canal

Ducks standing on a just-submerged section of frozen water during the cold spell in the middle of this month.

Ducks on an icy canal

They were on a section of the Birmingham Canal not far from Wolverhampton city centre.