Blue Tit - January 2018

My photo shoot schedule was back to normal this week, with all of the images featured here being taken during a Sunday morning wander around dad's garden.

While there were beautiful blue skies, there were also very strong winds, making it feel a lot colder than it actually was. The wind was making macro photography very difficult, so I decided to concentrate on the local bird life.

This Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) was the pick of the bunch of images I took. It was very carefully examining these branches and picking out tasty morsels, although I'm not sure what those morsels consisted of.

Windswept House Sparrow - January 2018

This House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) came a close second, and I was lucky to get so close to it, as the group it was in were quite nervous, and were continually flitting from treetop to hedgerow and back as soon as they spotted movement.

Goldfinch - January 2018

I wish I could have got closer to this Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis), as having to shoot them from distance doesn't really do their beautiful colouring any justice at all.

Three Amigos - January 2018

As I went around the garden, I wasn't the only one observing! These three Feral Pigeons (Columba livia) remained close at hand, and kept me under their beady eyes.

Busy Blackbird - January 2018

I must admit, I thought that this Blackbird (Turdus merula) was on a fools errand as it searched the Firethorn (Pyracantha) bush for berries. I was positive the bush had been plundered and had been devoid of berries for a few weeks now...

Blackbird Bounty - January 2018

...however, the sharp eyes of the Blackbird prevailed, as there was still bounty to be had!

Black Headed Gull - January 2018

I was very lucky to get a sharp shot of this Black Headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) as it zoomed overhead, wind assisted, at what seemed like a speed well in excess of 100mph!

First Crocus - January 2018

Although not ideal weather conditions for macro photography, I still couldn't resist trying to get a few shots. This was the first Crocus I'd come across this year, and it wouldn't be long before it was in full bloom.

First Camellia - January 2018

The Camellia bush had its first flower too. Last year this bush flowered from January until May, and I'm hoping for similar this year as the bush is covered in lots of flower buds.

Periwinkle - January 2018

The Periwinkle (Vinca) was still doing its thing, and would continue to do so for another couple of months hopefully.

Mahonia Berries - January 2018

Meanwhile the Mahonia (Mahonia japonica) bush had lost all of its flowers, and was busy producing these lovely coloured berries.

Mahonia Japonica Bush - January 2018

Here's a wider angle shot of the whole bush, so you get a better idea of the size.

Dust Storm - January 2018

Back at home, I was doing some indoor - and underwater - gardening. I posted a picture of the hardscape setup of my Fluval Flex 57 aquarium just before Christmas and now it was time to plant it up. However, during planting I stirred up the gravel so much it was a bit like gardening in the fog, so after an hour or so I couldn't really see what plants I was planting, or where I was planting them.

Aquascape - January 2018

Eventually the dust settled - or was filtered out - and it actually turned out not looking too bad. It only required that a couple of the plants be repositioned. All of the plants have a lot of growing to do, but they should all fill out and spread nicely. The exciting thing is that it's now almost ready for stocking with fish and shrimp.

So, this week I chose Blue Tit as my Image of the Week, simply because he was the most colourful of characters and kept me focussed on a very cold and windy Sunday morning...