Wolves Wild

A male blackbird searching under frosted leaves in one of the short grass areas of West Park, finding things to eat.

One of the small brooks which form tributaries of the Smestow. Within the boundaries of Wolverhampton, most of them flow mainly underground, hidden in culverts. This one makes a brief appearance by an open green space between Warstones Road and Pinfield Grove. Seen here as it’s just about to disappear again, at the back of Warstones Library.

Just one heron in West Park on the day these pictures were taken. It was once again standing on the willow which gets the best of the morning sun; standing so still it looked like it was deeply pondering some profound problem.

More from a frosty early morning. Ribes leaves, and once again the ice crystals mare concentrated along the edge of the leaf.

Like tufties, shovellers have only a token presence on the West Park lake except in winter. This year, once again, it’s been one pair which spend their entire time close to the shelter of an island.

Numbers have started to rise again. The day these pictures were taken there were five birds: three brightly coloured males and two females. If the previous patterns are a guide, that will be rising to ten or just over, males slightly predominating.

As the numbers have risen, they have also been getting bolder in coming closer towards the shore to eat.

Neither shovellers nor tufted ducks take any offerings from the people who come to feed the ducks. Tufties dive down to the bottom. Shovellers have a bill which broadens and flattens at the end. That’s what gets them their name. They swim round the water in a tight circle, often in pairs or slightly larger groups, with their bills just under the surface, patiently sifting the same small patch of water for food.

The now desiccated seed pods of a St John’s wort bush, lightly sprinkled with ice crystals early on a frosty morning.