claws!

formidable claws on show here from a male great spotted woodpecker.
he watched me for a moment then he was off (-taken 21.11.07)

also on site worthy of note: a sparrowhawk worrying the crows by the riverbank and later hunting across the Mere, also a grey wagtail and a kingfisher.

from far too long ago, during a strangely uneventful summer,
a female blackcap, hiding in the bog area
(-taken 31.07.07)

New arrival today - a lovely Little Grebe (Dabchick) fishing on the Mere.
Will try and get a photo later and see if it is one of a pair!

Activity on site Sunday morning. Most creatures naturally adopt a pose to reduce the effects of the prevailing wind.

About a month ago (early October) we noticed this unseasonal growth on a Ribston's Pippin. Our first sign of spring?

It has managed to develop one stage further. Tasting not recommended.