A very busy crow was throwing freshwater mussels onto stones when I visited last week. It was behaving as the gulls do by the sea, picking the mussel up, flying high and then dropping it onto a stony surface with the hope of it smashing. It gave up in the end and flew off to find something easier.

The robin in the small wood was as friendly as ever, and is getting very close. When the weather gets colder, I will bring some mealworms and see how near it will get.

Lichen is growing in abundance on a tree at the edge of the lake:

They don't harm the tree at all and there were quite a few patches on this mature tree.

The mute swan was by itself today looking lovely with it's reflection:

and was joined by just 2 swallows skimming for midges and water. There were a lot of reed buntings in the scrub by the Thames and a calling willow warbler, chiffchaff and a garden warbler. An Egyptian goose was playing king of the castle on a log:

Autumn is coming quickly with the hawthorn berries a gorgeous red colour:

and the hops turning as well:

I've been looking out for fungi on my visits but not much luck as yet. A huge bracket was on a tree between the carpark and the Thames:

This may well be a Southern bracket which is a perennial fungus and parasitic.