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David

Recently hatched coots take an outing on the Avon

Recently hatched coots take an outing on the Avon

Brood of seven coot chicks, still all present and correct three days after I first pictured them, now venturing rather further out on the water of the River Avon guarded by both parents. They were still demanding to be fed by the adults, but some of them had already also learned to serve themselves from algae growing on brickwork just above water level.

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David

Iris flower and buds, Bancroft Gardens, Stratford on Avon

Iris flower bud, Bancroft Gardens, Stratford on Avon

Iris, flower buds and an opened flower, overlooking the basin of the Stratford Canal and the Avon, Bancroft Gardens, Stratford.

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David

Swan pair sleeping

Swan pair sleeping

Pair of swans, their necks curled back over their bodies, asleep in what may be there nest.

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David

Bee sunbathing on sycamore leaf

Bee sunbathing on sycamore leaf

Early on a sunny but chilly spring morning, a bee resting on a sycamore leaf to get warmer. A few galls can also be seen on the leaf.

Bee sunbathing on sycamore leaf

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David

Mangalitza pigs, Mary Arden’s Farm, Wilmcote

Mangalitza pig, Mary Arden's Farm, Wilmcote

They look like very old carpets have been brought to life, but these mangalitzas on Mary Arden’s Farm at Wilmcote have more character than either of the other two types of rare breed pigs there, Tamworths or Oxford sandy and black.

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David

Blackthorn blossom, Barley Field

Blackthorn blossom, Barley Field

Blossom on the blackthorn hedge on the side of the Smestow Valley Nature Reserve’s Barley Field. By the time I had got out to visit the spot, the flowers were beginning to go over.