Black-headed gulls standing in long rows on the railing at the edge of the lake in West Park, and on the remains of a fallen dead tree. In one or two of the pictures, a coot had insinuated itself among the gulls.
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Turkey tail fungus from above and below
Turkey tail is a common bracket fungus growing on tree trunks and fallen wood. It appears in long-lasting clusters, with each “tail” a little less than an inch across.
I broke off one of the fruiting bodies in what proved to be an unsuccessful attempt at getting a spore print. One picture of fruiting bodies on a tree; then of both upper and lower surfaces.
The spores emerge from the underside, from pores rather than gills.
Once again a duck with mixed parentage ending up by the lake in West Park. This one had pale plumage, but looked rather small to have been a mallard x farmyard duck cross.
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Snow with blackbird footprints
Recent snowfall makes it likely that there will be animal tracks, where something has wandered round in search of food. These footprints were made by a blackbird. Their outline is already blurred after a bit more snow fell.
There seem to be several cross-bred ducks (mallard x unidentified other) turning up on the lake in West Park recently. Most of them just put in a brief appearance, but this one with dark plumage has been handing round for longer than usual.
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Snow with camelias
Snow in March. The flowers on a camelia bush weighed down with snow earlier this month.