Seeds nestling in the seed cases of a winter aconite. The plant, growing in the churchyard of Holy Trinity, Stratford on Avon, flowered in January.
Magpie amid daisies
One of the West Park magpies, searching for things to eat in short grass with daisies by the boating lake.
Whitebeam flower bud bunches
As yet unopened buds of whitebeam flowers, bunched together on twigs, here of one of the trees in West Park at the end of April.
Canada goose nest, Stratford on Avon
Looking down from Stratford’s Tramway Bridge to a Canada goose nest on a small island in the Avon. The bird sitting on the four eggs (the female?) left the nest briefly to eat in the river. Its mate stood near the nest, calling until the sitter returned to position. As it sat back on the eggs, it began plucking feathers from its chest to add to those lining the nest.
Cloud of midges, Wightwick Lock
A sunny spring morning recently and midges were out in clouds. They seemed to prefer to congregate above the side weirs of canals, here by Wightwick Lock.
Recently hatched coots take an outing on the Avon
Brood of seven coot chicks, still all present and correct three days after I first pictured them, now venturing rather further out on the water of the River Avon guarded by both parents. They were still demanding to be fed by the adults, but some of them had already also learned to serve themselves from algae growing on brickwork just above water level.