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David

Coot with very young chicks

Coot with very young chicks

One of a pair of coots with very young chicks on the Birmingham Canal. Three chicks, and one of the birds sitting on the nest possibly brooding an as yet unhatched egg or eggs.

The distinctive nest recycling rubbish thrown in the canal had been noted only one or two days previously by Agnus Dickie from the Smestow Valley birders.

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David

Wood anemones, Berry Brook wood

Wood anemones, Berry Brook wood

Patch of wood anemones flowering in a sunlit spot in Northycote Farm wood. Berry Brook and its marshy banks stopped me getting any closer.

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David

Greens (shield bug on a leaf)

Greens (shield bug on a leaf)

The green of this shield bug wasn’t effective in giving it camouflage against the greens of the leaf it was resting on.

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David

St George’s mushrooms, just emerging

St George's mushrooms, just emerging

St George’s mushrooms, so called because they appear around this time of year. These were just beginning to emerge on an embankment of the Smestow Valley Railway Walk ten days ago. Their caps hadn’t yet spread out to take on “mushroom shape”.

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David

Grebe with a scruffy crest

Grebe with a scruffy crest

Pair of great crested grebes, the male with a rather scruffy crest.

Grebe with a scruffy crest

He was spending a lot of time preening as they swam along.

Grebe pair

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David

Tortoiseshell on dandelion

Tortoiseshell on dandelion

Toroiseshell butterfly eating from a dandelion in an overgrown garden.