Friendly Robin - February 2019

I had a garden visitor last week that decided he wanted to dine at my garden bistro, despite the food being frozen solid to the garden table for most of the week.

The visitor in question was this lovely little Robin (Erithacus rubecula), who came several times a day for a snack. I grabbed this shot of him through the kitchen window during one of his visits.

Starlings - February 2019

For my Sunday morning photo shoot in dad's garden this week, it was a gorgeous sunny day, although a little on the cool side. There were quite a few flocks of birds around in the crisp morning air, with this group of Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris)...

Feral Flock - February 2019

...and this group of Feral Pigeons (Columba livia) being the two most common sights. It was a pleasure to see them zooming across such a lovely blue sky.

Pieris Buds - February 2019

The Forest Flame (Pieris) bush flower buds were still colouring up nicely, and looked rather good against the blue sky. I was getting impatient though, wanting them to start opening soon.

Jasmine Pair - February 2019

The Winter Jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum) blooms seemed to be diminishing, although they'd put on a great display since before Christmas.

Holly Regeneration - February 2019

It was nice to see some new Spring growth in the garden, with these new Holly (Ilex) bush leaves appearing. I was disappointed that no berries had materialised from all of the pre-Christmas blossom though.

Frosty Abstract - February 2019

With the blue sky looking so good, it was easy to forget that the ground was frozen underfoot, and there were lots of frosty leaves scattered around the garden.

Orchid Buds - February 2019

Back indoors, there was one Moth Orchid (Phalaenopsis) plant almost ready to burst into bloom...

Moths - February 2019

...while another one was already displaying her blooms beautifully.

Pretty Weed - February 2019

Over in my garden, the unknown hairy weed flower buds I photographed a couple of months ago had finally opened into these beautiful blue blooms. I had no idea what they were, but they were definitely as pretty as any cultivated flower in the garden.

Bronze Cory - September 2017

Finally, I've dipped into my photo archive to bring you one of my fishy friends. This is a Bronze Corydoras (Corydoras aeneus), searching for food in the gravel substrate. Their barbels are very sensitive, and you must take care to provide them with a smooth gravel or sandy substrate to prevent their magnificent whiskers from wearing away!

So this week I went with Friendly Robin as my Image of the Week, mainly because I always enjoy it when my feathered friends come and visit my garden...