The last remanants of a one-time fence next to the Birmingham Canal, frost-decorated during the cold spell in the middle of last month.
Pampas grass, lightly frosted
Pampas grass in a front garden, with a sprinkling of frost on a cold morning recently.
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.
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.
This part of the reserve gives the best chance of finding small fossils in the scree which is weathered from the one-time reefs.
Carrion crows on a street light
A pair of carrion crows standing on the same street light.
The nearer bird seemed to be grooming the other, beak probing feathers
Taken looking down on the birds from the walk by Bridgnorth castle park.
The guano on the light – and the corrosion it has caused – shows that it is a regular perch.
Hart’s tongue fern, frosted
Hart’s tongue ferns like the soil on the Wren’s Nest Reserve in Dudley. This one’s leaves had a dusting of frost on a cold December morning.
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.
Muskrats in and by the Gironde
Muskrats originally came from north America, but have become established after being introduced in many parts of Europe and Asia.
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.
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.
December vibernum flowers, East Park
Flowers already opening on one of the viburnum bushes in East Park in the middle of last month.
A Happy New Year to everyone!
Walking on (frozen) water
Ducks standing on a just-submerged section of frozen water during the cold spell in the middle of this month.
They were on a section of the Birmingham Canal not far from Wolverhampton city centre.