Shropshire Day 1

After a hard morning of travelling, we arrived in Shropshire for a few days. Since it was only lunchtime we decided that after lunch we would head off. Given its success last time we decided to head to the local arboretum, though I don't know what it was called. Last time it was brimming with Fungi, so was hopeful that there would still be loads. Also last time there was a dragonfly on the main pond, which given the time of year was almost certainly a migrant hawker, so I was eager to try and see if anything had stuck around.
However a 10min scout round and I realised that it was nothing like last time because it had been too dry. There was no fungi anywhere, but there were a few more birds than last time, which is always a good thing. At the final pond I spotted a jay and grey wagtail hunting along the water line.

-Jay

-Grey Wagtail
After walking around the main part of the arboretum I headed up a small alleyway that I had not been up before. Up there I flushed a few blackbirds and also found my first fungi-a fly agaric. Unfortunately it had a rather unfortunate notch taken out of it, right on the only angle that you could get a photo, given it was surrounded by brambles. I had a look for other fruit but with no joy.

-"Notched" fly agaric
After walking around I found my dad, who said that we should go for a walk down by the "nature" bit, though if I recall last time I didn't see anything down there. After walking down the first section of woods I spotted a buzzard circling high, probably looking for dead sheep.

-Buzzard
In the main woods we had a bit more joy. After a few minuets search we found a calling greater spotted woodpecker. It was difficult to see because it was perched at the top of a tall spruce, but I managed a couple of record shots.

-Greater spotted woodpecker

Just a bit further on and we spotted a dragonfly hunting in the woods, away from any suitable water. It was a hawker, but light was really low and the dragonfly really fast so any photos were out of the question and so i don't know what it was, though it was probably a migrant hawker.

We didn't see anything else during the walk, so we went back to the caravan.