Wolves Wild

More waterfowl hatched in West Park in the last few days. Coot chicks are often the first to arrive, or at least the first which can be spotted from the shore. This nest, in the lee of one of the islands and catching the sun from early each day, tends to be the one where the first coots hatch.

Five chicks altogether. Three were already very active, following the parents and demanding food. They must have already been out for a day or two. The others were staying on the nest. Possibly they had only hatched earlier that morning.

A green shield bug on the wall of a house. The next day. what was presumably the same shield bug was walking across the lid of a dustbin. The bin, as it happened, was quite a good colour match for the bug itself.

The first of this year’s waterfowl hatchlings on the West Park lake, by a short head, are these four greylag goslings, here feeding near the Conservatory.

They are being watched, very carefully, by three adults: two females and a male. The second female will be a close relative. Perhaps one of last year’s goslings, perhaps a sister of the mother.

Two snails touching as they rested on a garden wall. No sign of movement, but I thought the feet were sticking out more than usual for when they were still, so that’s what I zoomed in on.

looking directly down on a sow thistle, the buds of the flowers at the top of the plant still tightly closed.

A few more shots of the wisteria flowers on the front of the Mermaid Inn at Wightwick. For most of these shots, I put my lens on its highest telephoto setting, to focus on the flowers themselves.