Another species of inkcap mushroom. This time it’s common inkcaps (Coprinopsis atramentaria) growing on a fallen tree trunk. They were almost directly across on the other side of the Railway Walk from yesterday’s glistening inkcaps.
I arrived at the West Park lake just as this pair of swans were coming to the end of the co-ordinated routine which is their pre-mating ritual. For perhaps a quarter of a minute, the cob mounted the pen, his weight half submerging her in the water.
Then a brief reprise of the pre-mating ritual as they paid attention to one another. Necking takes on new meanings when performed using necks as long and flexible as these.
By the platform near Cupcake Junction tearoom (the former Tettenhall station on what is now the Smestow Valley Railway Walk) a group of mushrooms growing on dead wood. These are glistening inkcaps (Coprinellus micaceus). These look as if they have already attracted the attention of some slugs or snails.
The dead wood they are growing on can’t be seen: it’s probably dead tree roots. Lots of fungi grow on dead wood, and play a vital role in recycling its constituent elements.
Ever on the alert, watching and listening, a magpie stalks on a patch of short grass in West Park, occasionally stooping to pick off another insect.
The Perton post-box crocheter had been at it again, with another seasonally-themed cosy. This one was for Easter, with lots of eggs and chicks. It was already after Easter when I spotted it some weeks ago, so it might have been replaced by something more topical.
Over the winter, West Park lake attracts twenty or so tufted ducks each year. Come the spring, most of them are off. Sometimes a few still hang around. This year, there seem to be two pairs. This is one of them. The drake, black and white, was asleep on the water, but still had an eye open watching out for danger. The black and brown female was swimming nearby.