Leybourne on Boxing Day

Very enjoyable walk through to Brooklands, quite mild and sunny.

The pair of Muscovy Duck were still at the feeding area of the Ocean. The colour of the water has been slightly enhanced here by reducing the brightness/exposure of the photo. I hadn't realised these ducks originate from Central America, and are escapes from captivity in UK or Europe. This pair have been around this corner of the Ocean for about a week. Their colouration is very variable within the taxon, but their overall jizz is quite characteristic, and the black/white pattern with the reddish colour and bumps on  the bill are diagnostic. The tail feathers of the other bird that I assume to be the male have a mallard-like quiff, so this should be the female.

This Black-headed Gull is probably an adult because of the colour of its bill, good grey back and just visible) half moons on the folded primaries, due to their white tips.



 This Black-headed Gull is probably a 2nd cy bird. It is the yellow-orange bill of a young bird. but its tail feathers are in partial moult, with the two outer ones new: now with no dark tips and perhaps still just growing into place. The two middle ones have been moulted as well.



The Black-headed Gulls are always ready to be fed, and to fight noisily over the proceeds. Its a bit tricky to get the action shots, but here goes.

The bird below, probably an adult from the colour of its bill clean white tail and wings, has a good dark outer edge to the outer web of the primary P9 feather, echoing the this dark edge so often seen on p10 - the last feature might be universal, I don't know.

There is a good range of other birds, including this Mute Swan,

And this heron was a long way away when the picture was taken:

There are woodpecker holes in the trees where I saw woodpeckers nearly a year ago I think.

There is also quite a lot of downed timber around, and here is a close-up of some of the moss on a fallen tree trunk. There is a pleurocarpous species, perhaps Hypnum cupressiforme, and a solidly acrocarpous species, apparently with old setae from previous fruiting, and possibly some other species.

The area here used to include some ornamental trees and shrubs, perhaps part of a large garden. Here are the odd old inflorescences of Rhus typhina, the Stag's Horn Sumach.

On a big tree by Brooklands Lake I suspected these tiny whitish mushrooms growing on the bark of what I think must be an old willow may be Mycena pseudocorticola