Wolves Wild

Candlesnuff fungus growing deep in hollow of a tree stump by the Railway Walk at Newbridge.

heron which had been right down by the River Sow on Doxey Marsh, probably fishing. It spotted me before I noticed it, so it took off heading for less disturbed parts of the reserve.

Flower bud on the end of a horse chestnut twig. Before the bud opens, it will develop a sticky coating. Just below the bud is a prominent leaf scar, left where the stem of one of last year’s leaves was attached to the twig.

Female tufted duck on the smaller pool at Perton a few days ago. The only other ducks on the water were mallards.

My handful of visits this winter to Doxey Marsh Nature Reserve on the outskirts of Stafford city centre have been less successful than usual.

Work on construction of a new access road to the city has made pedestrain access to the reserve a little more awkward. The monomonous thump of a pile driver boom out all across the site.

But worst has been the effects of this persistently wet winter. The entire site has become swampy, footpaths included. The view is one of desolation, though the background noise is of road building, mainline railway and busy motorway.

Pair of mistle thrushes with a territory near the West Park bandstand. Busy, as they often are, on the short grass, holding their heads to one side, listening for worms to catch.