A small flock of shovellers overwinter each year on the West Park lake. They’re the most reclusive of the ducks there, spending most of their time loitering or feeding in the water close to one of the islands. For once, a pair swam a little closer to the shore where I was standing.
Bright yellow flowers in front gardens in January: winter aconites hugging the ground; gorse at eye level on their spiky bush.
Canada geese standing round in one of the puddles which form near the West Park lake in wet weather, with the surface of the water giving very slightly distorted reflections of them.
When they are at their height, catkins hanging from hazels look like the streaks made when light catches heavy raindrops during a short heavy shower.
Three magpies on the ground looking like they are up to something. There again, magpies in groups on the ground usually look like they are up to something
Flowers on with hazel bushes: yellow and the less commonly found orange. Some of the yellow flowers are from one of the bushes in West Park. The others, and the orange flowers, are from a front garden across the road from Bantock Park.