A frosty visit to Cranford Park

There was a hard cold frost on my mornings visit to Cranford Park, which made most things look quite magical......

 

 

Although the River Crane wasn't frozen over, the flooded area at the back of the river alongside the A312, was covered in a thin layer of ice.

I lingered there for some time in the hope a Water Rail would appear out in the open, but to no avail.....

 

Cranford Woods was probably the only part of the park that had escaped the white icy covering.....

 

By the M4 sluice on the River Crane I found an unusually marked male Mallard.....

 

 

This bird has a form of leucism.

Leucism is an abnormal plumage condition caused by a genetic mutation that prevents pigment, particularly melanin from being properly deposited on a bird’s feathers. As a result, the birds do not have the normal, classic plumage colors listed in bird ID books and instead the plumage have several color changes, including:

• White patches where the bird should not have any
• Paler overall plumage that looks faint, diluted or bleached
• Overall white plumage with little or no color discernable

It seemed happy enough though and was mixing with several normal plumaged male and female Mallards, but it will be interesting to see if it stays at Cranford Park.

 

The usual Little Egret that hangs around by the M4, was first found on the grassy patch behind the river....

 

 

and then re-found in one of the trees on the far bank.....

 

before eventually flying down to the river and hiding behind the sluice bars.....

 

After a lot of patience and hiding behind several tree trunks by myself, the Egret eventually appeared out in the open and gave me some lovely views......

 

Whilst I was waiting for it to brave the open, I noticed another bird hanging around the sluice.

A stunning Grey Wagtail......

 

 

This could either be a female or a winter plumage male. In summer the male generally has a black bib, but this fades in the winter. This bird could also be a first year juvenile. At time of writing I don't have my Collins Bird 'bible' to hand, so cannot say for certain.

Either way, it was a joy to watch this little beauty hunting for insects in the mud, and even better when it emerged from the shadows for some better photos....

 

 

No sign of either of the Kingfishers this morning, nor of the Little Grebe.

 

My next stop was St Dunstans churchyard. There's a bench under the huge old Yew by the gate, that I like to sit on. It's sheltered and I've found before that it appears to provide cover as the birds often feed on the ground just feet away. Today it proved handy to sit on and drink my flask of coffee whilst watching a 'marmite' Parakeet....

 

 

an inquisitive Robin.....

 

and a Wren investigating the bark of one of the ornamental trees....

 

and it was really nice to see the first snowdrops have started to emerge amongst the gravestones......

 

 

I had just finished my coffee and had turned slightly to my left to re-pack my rucksack when a largish bird flew down by the furthest bin......

 

 

A Green Woodpecker. A handsome male one with his red 'moustache'....

 

 

Despite the ground being mostly frozen, he had found a thawed out muddy patch that obviously contained plenty of ants for him to feed on.

And because I kept so still and quiet sitting under the Yew tree and partially in shade, he didn't spot me at all until someone walked through the church gate and flushed the bird to the nearest tree....

 

 

On the way in to Cranford Woods I counted seven Mistle Thrush in the mistletoe laden trees by the wooden bridge. They didn't seem to be enjoying each others company though, and there was a lot of chasing and calling going on.......

 

 

On the bridge itself, I found these very small orange blobs. I think, and its a 'big' think, that this might be coral fungus, but I could be wrong........

 

 

Elsewhere in the woods the cold snap hadn't deterred other fungi from fruiting.

The Jelly Ears below, which are normally soft and squidgy, were frozen solid.....

 

Only the one patch of Candlesnuff fungi remains on one of the log piles I watch.....

 

and this frozen beauty below is I think one of the Chanterelles........

 

The last remaining Golden Stagshorn appears only to have survived so long because it's fruited inside a trunk hollow...

 

So a very cold visit to the park, but certainly worth it for the close up views of the Little Egret, Grey Wagtail and Green Woodpecker.