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David

Small buzzard taking off

Small buzzard taking off

Small buzzard, possibly one of this year’s birds. It was sitting in the alders by the Compton Park pool, when it decided it didn’t like me crossing the footbridge, and headed off for a quieter spot.

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David

Cygnet bubbling along

Cygnet bubbling along

Someone was giving the birds bread. This cygnet was so eager to get to the party that it was raising a mass of bubbles as it swam powerfully.

Cygnet bubbling along

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David

Common inkcaps growing inside a tree stump

Common inkcaps growing inside a tree stump

Common inkcap mushrooms growing in the hollow in the middle of a tree stump, as well as among the roots.

Common inkcaps growing inside a tree stump

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David

Dead trunk with bee holes

Dead trunk with bee holes

The remains of the upstanding trunk of a dead tree in Himley Plantation. A close-up at about eye level shows the wood where the bark has fallen away marked by depressions, the ends of excavations made by bees or other burrowing insects.

Dead trunk with bee holes

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David

Spider seeming to be hovering in mid-air

Spider seeming to be hovering in mid-air

Tiny spider which seemed to be hovering unsupported in mid-air. The threads of the web it was hanging from were little easier to see by my naked eye than in these pictures.

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David

Castle grounds December fungi: miscellany

Castle grounds December fungi: miscellany

Four of the other species growing in the Castle Grounds on the day of my visit. While many fungi come in variations of the standard mushroom or toadstool shape, others such as the coral fungus and stemmed puffball featured here don’t.