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Railway viaduct crossing a frozen canal

Railway viaduct crossing a frozen canal

Picture taken heading up the Birmingham Canal towards the city centre during the cold spell last month.

The viaduct is carrying the railway to Shrewsbury and beyond. Through the viaduct arch is the Stafford Road, and, in the far distance, the other railway viaduct carrying the line north through Stafford.

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Coral reef under frost

Coral reef under frost

Ok, the coral reef was formed millions of years ago, when the future Black Country was covered by a tropical sea. It’s now in the Wren’s Nest Reserve in Dudley.

Coral reef under frost

This part of the reserve gives the best chance of finding small fossils in the scree which is weathered from the one-time reefs.

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Carrion crows on a street light

Carrion crows on a street light

A pair of carrion crows standing on the same street light.

Carrion crows on a street light

The nearer bird seemed to be grooming the other, beak probing feathers

Carrion crows on a street light

Taken looking down on the birds from the walk by Bridgnorth castle park.

Carrion crows on a street light

The guano on the light – and the corrosion it has caused – shows that it is a regular perch.

Carrion crows on a street light

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Big bunch of ash keys

Big bunch of ash keys

Ash tree seeds with the wings used to disperse them.Presumably the reason they are called “keys” is the way they hang in a bunch.

Sadly, this is likely to become a rarer sight in the future.

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Muskrats in and by the Gironde

Muskrat

Muskrats originally came from north America, but have become established after being introduced in many parts of Europe and Asia.

Muskrat

These were part of a large group of muskrats living by an outlet leading into the Gironde estuary, on the edge of Bordeaux city centre.

Muskrat

As well as everything else they found to feed on, they were given a steady stream of scraps by locals of all ages – a diet which also supported populations of rats, large mice of a species I have never seen before, and pigeons.

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Walking on (frozen) water

Drake on an icy canal

Ducks standing on a just-submerged section of frozen water during the cold spell in the middle of this month.

Ducks on an icy canal

They were on a section of the Birmingham Canal not far from Wolverhampton city centre.

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Snowy waxcaps in the sun

Snowy waxcap

A rare period of bright sunshine on the ghostly paleness of a pair of snowy waxcaps.

Snowy waxcap

This small species is fairly common in autumn. It is usually seen growing in short grass, which may still, as here, be higher than the mushroom caps.