David

Turkey tail is a common bracket fungus growing on tree trunks and fallen wood. It appears in long-lasting clusters, with each “tail” a little less than an inch across.

I broke off one of the fruiting bodies in what proved to be an unsuccessful attempt at getting a spore print. One picture of fruiting bodies on a tree; then of both upper and lower surfaces.

The spores emerge from the underside, from pores rather than gills.

Once again a duck with mixed parentage ending up by the lake in West Park. This one had pale plumage, but looked rather small to have been a mallard x farmyard duck cross.

Recent snowfall makes it likely that there will be animal tracks, where something has wandered round in search of food. These footprints were made by a blackbird. Their outline is already blurred after a bit more snow fell.

There seem to be several cross-bred ducks (mallard x unidentified other) turning up on the lake in West Park recently. Most of them just put in a brief appearance, but this one with dark plumage has been handing round for longer than usual.

Snow in March. The flowers on a camelia bush weighed down with snow earlier this month.

Snow-white feathers and feathered bootees mark this pigeon as an exotic domesticated variety, doubtless an escapee. It wasn’t getting any noticeable hostility from the usual West Park pigeon denizens. Nor did it seem to be getting any positive responses from what looked like attempts to be amorous.