Category: David

Distant views of alders, bare of leaves for the winter but the branches given a reddish tinge from the colour of the catkins. The trees were on the islnad in the West Park lake, and by the pond in Compton Park.

During January’s cold spell, the West Park lake was half frozen over. At the times when I visited, there was enough open water left to accommodate all the birds, if swimming rather more closely together than usual. But a few of the more adventurous, or perhaps anti-social, gulls were standing or walking on the ice instead.

My first attempt at filming with a hand-held camera, with the lens at quite a high zoom setting. Need more practice holding the camera steady!

A male blackcap taking sunflower seeds from a feeder. Directly below, a male blackbird on the snowy ground, picking up the seeds the blackcap and others have let fall.

Mistle thrush standing near to one of the winter flowering cherry trees in West Park, tilting its head in different directions as it appeared to be listening intently for something.

I approached it steadily but indirectly after closer pictures. It was aware of my presence, but carried on giving its main attention to whatever it was trying to hear.

Spider, probably one of the cellar spider species. The picture was taken with a mobile phone camera on its “macro” setting, in poor lighting conditions.

A female duck on the lake at West Park. A cross. One parent a must have been a mallard. What was the other?

The following day I couldn’t see any sign of the duck, nor on subsequent visits.