Spring Sunshine - March 2016

This has definitely been the most productive week this year in terms of photography, and I have a bumper crop of flowers and feathers to share with you.

With the warmer weather, we've finally seen some movement in the development of our spring bulbs, and the Daffodils were looking resplendent when shot against the lovely blue sky we've been enjoying.

Colour Companions - March 2016

I managed to get down low and shoot this Daffodil from below, the blue and yellow making great complimentary colours.

Snowdrop Clump - March 2016

The Snowdrops were only here briefly this year, and almost went unnoticed, but the sunshine has coaxed a few more from under the lawn, and encouraged them to stay a little while longer.

First Bell - March 2016

I was very surprised to see the first Bluebell of the season, as my image archive shows that they normally don't put in an appearance until midway through April.

Crocus Cauldron - March 2016

The sunshine and associated warmth has also encouraged some more Crocuses to pop up, and their bright colourful blooms are always a pleasure to find in the lawn.

Camellia Pairing - March 2016

I can't let the week go by without another shot of the Camellia bush. Still producing flowers, and with quite a few buds left to open, I don't see the flowers ever coming to an end!

Wary Blackbird - March 2016

As well as flowers, the good weather seems to have encouraged a plethora of our feathered friends to come into the garden. This wary looking Blackbird (Turdus merula), or maybe sleepy looking, was quite happy to sit in the hedge and warm itself through while I took a selection of images.

Singing Robin - March 2016

The resident European Robin (Erithacus rubecula) was singing at the top of its voice, letting everyone know that this was his territory.

Jenny Wren - March 2016

While I acknowledge that this isn't the best image I've ever taken, it's a special one for me. It's the first time I've managed to get a sharp image of a Wren (Troglodytidae), which is one of the UK's smallest bird species. It's just a shame I had to shoot into the sun, and didn't have time to compensate with my camera settings, so I've basically captured its silhouette.

Siskin - March 2016

There were also a group of Siskins (Carduelis spinus) circling the tree tops, and occasionally coming down to collect seed from the bird feeders.

Perched Chaffinch - March 2016

Actually, the finches were out in force, and as well as the Siskin, there were Chaffinches (Fringilla coelebs)...

Greenfinch - March 2016

...a family of Greenfinches (Carduelis chloris)...

House Sparrow Gatherer - March 2016

...and not forgetting the more common House Sparrow (Passer domesticus), some of which were busy collecting nesting material.

Long Tailed Tit - March 2016

I was also pleased to grab a shot of a lone Long Tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus), that seemed to have become detached from his flock.

As you can see, the vast majority of garden birds in the UK are quite small, most being under 15cm in length from beak to tail. This can be frustrating for someone like me, who likes taking pictures of birds, and it is something I've talked about before in this article.

Gliding Wood Pigeon - March 2016

Finally, just to remind me of what a beautiful day it was, here's a wonderfully colourful Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus) gliding through the bright blue sky.

However, despite the best efforts of the birds, I can't help but choose a flower as my favourite, and because it's taken them so long to arrive, I'm making the Spring Sunshine Daffodil my Image of the Week...