Male Blackbird - June 2021

It was a wonderfully warm day for my photo shoot in dad's garden this week with temperatures hovering around the 22°C mark.

The higher temperatures had brought out the local avian population, and it was nice to get out and take a few pictures of birds for the first time this year.

There were quite a few Blackbirds (Turdus merula) in and out of the garden, picking up tasty morsels here and there and taking them back to their nest. This one was very helpful as it kept returning to the same spot atop a neighbouring rooftop before heading off to find something new to take back.

Screeching Starling - June 2021

The rooftop was also a popular place for the juvenile Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) population, who simply stood there and screeched until a parent came along and fed them.

Descending Gull - June 2021

Some strategically placed bread on the lawn was enough to tempt the Black Headed Gulls (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) into attempting a steep descent into the garden to retrieve a few pieces. I was quite pleased to catch this one as it swooped in for a take-away.

Magpie - June 2021

The bread also attracted the resident Magpie (Pica pica) into making an appearance, although the Gulls had got the majority of the meal before the Magpie arrived.

Departing Swift - June 2021

Believe it or not, this was the first Swift (Apus apus) I'd seen this year. They were usually frequent flyers throughout the month of May, but must have been delayed in their journey from Africa this year.

Oxalis Mass - June 2021

The mass of Oxalis leaves from March were now looking much prettier as a mass of flowers.

Cotoneaster Blooms - June 2021

The Cotoneaster bushes were now a mass of tiny blooms that the Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) simply loved. It was actually quite difficult getting a shot of the flowers without them being photo bombed by a hungry insect!

Lupin Spikes - June 2021

The Lupin (Lupinus) flower buds from last week had finally opened to reveal these magnificent flower spikes.

Blue and White Towers - June 2021

This blue and white variety were my absolute favourite, and I thought that they looked wonderful in the morning sunshine.

Lupin Bumbler - June 2021

However, the Bumblebees (Bombus) seemed to prefer the purple coloured ones.

So this week I went with Male Blackbird as my Image of the Week simply because it was one of the first decent avian images I've managed to grab this year...