Life, death and renewal in the woods

My local woodland is not the most appealing:  steep, shady and frequently invaded by farm stock that damage the ground with hooves and dung. It's not the idea habitat but if you keep your eyes skinned there are interesting things to be seen.

Top left, a grey wagtail has met its end most probably predated by a magpie - which seems to have then been forced to drop its catch by a rival. Now it's rotting away with the help of carrion-loving invertebrates and bacteria.

Bottom left, dead timber has been colonised by wood-eating beetle larvae which in turn have been extracted by woodpeckers. The lesser spotted woodpecker, along with other woodland birds, has seen a dramatic decline in recent years we are informed.

Top right a maze gill bracket fungus has taken advantage of a fallen goat willow (it's always worth looking underneath fungi to get the full picture),  and some oak curtain crust, another saprophytic fungus, oak curtain crust is consuming the nutrition left in a collapsed oak branch.

Nothing is wasted, nothing is static.