A walk in the woods - part 2

There's something very restful and peaceful about being beside a rushing stream. Even though it was a cold day, I found a convenient log to sit on for about 10 minutes just to take in the tranquility of the winter wood.Sunlight on a mossy log is always an attraction to me. The rich colours really stand out at this time of year.

I love the holes created at the base of trees, I always find myself wondering what creatures might use them for shelter.A home for fairies maybe? (-:There wasn't much birdlife apparent, but I was entertained by this Treecreeper for a while as it flitted from tree to tree and gradually got closer to me. In the end it was investigating a birch trunk right above my head so this shot below was made with a cricked neck and my favourite baseball cap abandoned on the floor!I was desperately trying to get a photograph with it's head in, but it was not to be. Most of the time it had it's head stuck down a crevice in the bark.

This is the only shot I got of the whole bird and I nearly didn't post it as it's not the best shot in the world! (-: It does show that lovely fine decurved bill though.The only other fungus I found on this walk was this one called King Alfred's Cakes. Click on the brown link to find out more about the 'Great' King Alfred.Here's a close up of this inedible fungus.A mossy macro........I don't know what this plant is, but I loved the lovely rounded leaves lined with frost.Well, that's the end of my woodland walk. Thanks Evie for giving me the inspiration to get out there and start clicking!

Thanks also to all of you who are kind enough to have looked at and commented on my blog this last year. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all.

A walk in the woods.

'Fraid I've been in the blogging doldrums recently, but was inspired by a recent 'walk in the woods' post by Eve at Sunny Side Up.
I went to a favourite local wood at Edford just 15 minutes drive west of Frome. The Mells stream runs through the wood and there is a lovely streamside path to walk along.

Here are some of the things that I observed during an hours wander..... some lingering leaves.

Clinging Ivy root......Magnificent mossy trunk.....Another.....Tree skeleton.....Another......Streamside path......Ferns finding the north facing side of this fallen tree.....Fantastic fungus.....I'll have some more photos from Edford wood in my next post.

First Frost - part three.

While it was a wintry frosty morning, there were still plenty of warm tones to be found around the reserve. The bare twigs of the Purple Loosetrife edging the lake that had given such a show during the summer months was now giving a much more subtle golden brown show in the winter sunshine.Certainly during the summer the purple/pink flowers of Purple Loosetrife were a haven of nectar for various insects. I'm not sure whether there is any benefit to birds from seeds of this plant at this time of year, but even if not, the coppery colour certainly added to my enjoyment while walking round the lake.The bulrushes also added warm colour as well as their distinctive seed heads to the scene.There is something very photogenic to me about these seed heads, the way the winter light falls on them.Even these didn't escape the frost! (-:Every now and then the Black-headed Gulls would get skittish and fly around the lake. I kept looking up for some raptor that might have been the cause, but couldn't find one.This Black-headed Gull is in it's winter plumage. In summer their head is covered by a chocolate brown hood.

These male Mallards showed up well against the dead Purple Loosetrife, not so the female. If you click to enlarge, she should become more apparent.There was still a touch of green in the foliage which picked up the green of the male Mallards head. The female continued to do her 'wallflower' act.These Alder catkins showed up beautifully in the sunshine. Unfortunately they were quite high up and I couldn't get any closer for a more macro look at them.It was great to get out for an hour with the camera. Hopefully I'll get another opportunity soon!

First Frost- Brrrrrrr!

This second post on my early morning walk around Rodden Reserve is the more 'shivery' one! I guess I wasn't out long enough for my extremities to get uncomfortably numb, but it was cold enough for thermals!(-:
I've shot this scene before when there was beautiful autumn colour in those two trees. I think they're pretty beautiful nude too!This shallow area of the lake was semi frozen which gave me an opportunity for some lovely icy photos.As you can see from the following photos, there were some beautiful patterns created by the icing up around the edges.

A couple of these close ups I decided to make black and white. I'm not sure which I prefer.

How amazing the way the ice has formed around the dead stems! Beautiful!Here are some close up of the frost on flower seed heads and leaves.

These Hazel catkins have a way to go before they'll open out in February!I'll have a slightly warmer, toasty tone to my last post from Rodden Reserve.