Dead Tree & V-Rod

Afternoon walk today, difficult to do a morning walk when the boys turn up at 07:30.
I noticed the tree on the left had no bark before summer last year but it was still alive. Comparing it with the same type of tree on the right I think it's given up the ghost this year. I don't know how it lost it's bark, too much for it just to be animals I think, more likely vandals with nothing better to do.
Coming up a footpath from the deep dark wood, no Gruffalo's encountered thank goodness, I hear a Harley, they are pretty distinctive despite other brands, mostly Japanese, trying to imitate the sound. I got my camera read and zoomed up to the road at the end of the path. As it happened, I didn't need to as the traffic was mostly at a standstill with only slow, brief, movements now and then. All back to normal now that people are back to work and schools are operating. It is a Harley Davidson V-Rod, I don't ever remember seeing one before, not on the road anyway. 
The Magpie photo was opportunistic, it was just digging around in the grass. It was only a few yards away but so intent on what it was doing it totally ignored me. I don't remember ever getting one where the blue plumage shows up so well on one of my photos,