Archived & Upcoming Images of the Day
Through the study window this wagtail spent an hour picking up peanut fragments dropping from the tit feeders. Here it is by a snow hidden block of vegetable fat that he has been pecking at, and we can't help thinking he is watching that snowflake above.
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Goldfinches seem less than usually human intolerant in the snow (though it has all melted or be knocked from the branches in this image).
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The farmer hiring the field to our North and East has put out hay for the sheep when it is covered by snow. The lapwing decided the disturbed soil was a good place for a feed at sunset.
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A regular visitor outside the kitchen window we happened to get in a 'test shot.
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According to the 'book' squirrels only come out on mild days for a feed. Ours obviously don't have the same book.
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Mr and Mrs. Blackbird at site 2. Often seen fossicking about at this site when we visit it, but rarely both by the log at the same time.
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Like the flying snow ...
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Judging by the focus, flash shadow etc., the robin really is under the pheasant's tail. The contrast in size is startling.
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and so the female above doesn't feel lonely ...
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A number of moorhen sightings at this site. This one's shield looks rather battered so we assume some territorial fights are in progress even though we haven't seen much.
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Kestrel watched intermittently hunting over the snowy fields. We didn't see this one catch anything but it was out of view quite a lot of the time.
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Chaffinch male twisting in to land on the log.
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Coming up to midday some hazy sunshine balanced nicely with the flash to produce this 'blackbird in the woods'.
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An amazing sundog that was so bright we thought it was the sun hiding behind clouds with very atypical colour. Then the sun started to appear to it's right.
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A robin had been bathing in a puddle at the flooded site and jumped up onto the log to have a good preen.
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The robins are everywhere, and getting frisky.
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We don't normally think of rooks as 'tender' ... Today is Valentines day so we couldn't resist including it.
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Another horrid apple seems to be appreciated.
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4 a.m. and full of life
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Still pretty dark, but its seems it is never too early for a dunnock and robin to have a squabble.
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Twee fieldmouse (wood mouse) entry for this week.
Ever wondered what the world is like for a little creature
with such magnificent whiskers?
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Along with the usual 'Panicking Pigeon' beating their wings on the branches in panic at our approach we now have female pheasants taking flight. They always see us before we spot them, but on this occasion managed to get a few pics as this one flew into the base of a hedge. We hope this little montage catches the moment and almost surreal shapes of the departing bird.
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Two male muntjacs (which we assumed to be a 'pair' until we studied the images) were foraging in the pasture to the South. This one watched us for a moment before wandering away.
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This pair of Collared doves were definitely in amorous mood and they spent 10 minutes snuggling and cooing in an willow grown from root stock of an ornamental. They didn't mate this time.
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This mouse isn't movement blurred enough to have fallen the 2 meters from the conifer overhead, so is presumably at the top of it's leap. Hope it made a better landing than looks likely.
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With the sun only a few diameters above the horizon the kestrel flies along the bridlepath and disappears to the North.
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Happy to hover in a breeze, but the local male kestrel prefers to hunt from wires in still air or (as here) strong winds. We thought he was perched on the cross-beam till we saw this pic. He contrasts nicely with the brutallic metalwork.
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Genuine single frame (albeit a crop to get the effect) of 'formation flying' by the rooks.
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The startling eyes of the pheasant on the right made us suddenly realise that at least 2 of 'our' pheasant males have very different eye colour. From site 2, a montage of images about 1 hour apart. Normally we tell them apart by head colour and the width & join gap of the neck ring.
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That's MY log ...
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