Winter Warrior - December 2016

Isn't it amazing how resilient our insect population can be? Last week there was a bubble blowing fly, venturing out on a frosty morning, and this week we have this little guy, busy collecting pollen on another cold December day.

Mahonia Droplets - December 2016

Those little droplets of water on the Mahonia japonica are not raindrops. They're actually melting ice crystals, formed as the sun started to warm up the garden in the early afternoon.

Tiny Droplets - December 2016

It's amazing how tiny the droplets are, as you can see by comparing them to the size of the flower buds, or the bee in the first image.

Wet Winter - December 2016

The Winter Jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum) was also covered in the melting frost...

Damp River - December 2016

...as were the final flush of River Lilies (Hesperantha coccinea). I say final, but I was convinced that we'd seen the last of these last week, so maybe they'll return once more?

Sunburst - December 2016

I love how the light is bouncing around in this image, refracting and reflecting off all of the different water droplets. I love the colours too, as they give a real sense of autumn and winter.

Sunburst Close-up - December 2016

This image shows the Sunburst I was referring to in the previous image more clearly.

Three Catkins - December 2016

The Corkscrew Hazel (Corylus avellana contorta) continued to look magnificent now that it had lost its foliage, with contorted branches twisting and twirling everywhere.

Abstract Autumn - December 2016

In fact lost foliage was becoming a real problem to keep on top of as it had to be brushed up daily, but at least there'll be lots of leaf mould next year.

King of the Ferals - December 2016

Despite the cold weather, it was a bright sunny day, and this male Feral Pigeon (Columba livia) was strutting his stuff, trying to impress the ladies as he danced the afternoon away on a rooftop.

Mottled Feral - December 2016

This mottled looking pigeon paid him little attention though...

Feral Group - December 2016

...neither did the rest of the group!

Song Thrush - December 2016

I was quite pleased to see what I think is a Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos) visiting a nearby garden, but didn't get to hear it sing...

Goldfinch - December 2016

...unlike this noisy Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)...

Tuneful Robin - December 2016

...and this solitary Robin (Photinia fraseri), which were competing to be the loudest avians in the district!

Glowing Eye - December 2016

Meanwhile my furry photo buddy couldn't seem to settle, and I wasn't able to get any decent photos of him. I decided to include this image in the article simply because I liked how his green eye seemed to glow.

So, this week I chose Winter Warrior as my Image of the Week, simply because it was unusual to see a Bee prospecting for pollen at this time of the year...