Back on Patch 1

The safari was gazing idly out of the bedroom window enjoying a hearty bacon, mushroom, tatty scone toasty with lashings of brown sauce and a red hot cuppa when a Woodcock flew past at eye-level...wow garden tick! Not many birds on our 'seen whilst eating bacon butties' list but that one takes the biscuit...or the bacon.

We were left home alone when Wifey went off to hit the shops with 'eh-up-muvver', the last thing we heard as the door closed was that dreaded word synonymous with expense - Christmas! After yesterday's marathon two and a bit hour session at then nature reserve the hand was playing up summat rotten this morning despite having OD'd on Ibuprofen so we couldn't really go far. The day was too good to waste so we took Frank a short meander round Patch 1 at lunchtime, our first full visit to the patch in well over a month!

Not a lot about, on the way in by the little field the large conifers hosted what sounded like a small number of Long Tailed Tits and in the park proper it was just about dead, unlike yesterday when PL got some nice pics.

We had go all autumnal and arty with this selection...

This Cotoneaster tree is laden with berries just waiting for an influx of Waxwings - well that happened last year and none arrived on the Patch to take advantage. In fact they might have been quite vile as nothing ate them despite the horrendous weather conditions last winter.

Along the main path a low sun highlighted the bronze leaves still clinging to this young Beech tree.

Down in the dingly dell at the bottom the winter sun rarely reaches and some of the older trees, like this Willow,  have a thick coating of moss...totally missed the opportunity for some macro pics of the fruiting bodies...have to go back tomorrow - you have been warned.

Best pic is saved for last...an arty shot rather than an ID shot of a bracket fungus on a cut stump. When we first spotted it we didn't notice the drips of dew...or are they something exuding from the fungus itself?...nice spider's webs too...

That's about it for today, we tried to get a bit of video of the antics of a Magpie trying to get on the suet feeder for you but the dang thing is far too wary and saw us pick the camera up.

Where to next? Tomorrow is D-day...we're going to try driving...if all goes to plan we may get a little further afield later in the week.

In the meantime let us know what inspired you to come over all arty-farty in your outback.