Archive of Images of the Day
The Blackbirds are nesting somewhere. Here the female appears to be about to take-off.
Another peanut finds a worthy home.
Our first planting of (hopefully mostly) natural English bluebells are at last beginning to form a swathe in a stand of sycamores.
Whatever we put out, the peanuts go first. This was taken 11 April and we will be crushing loose nuts for a while so parents don't accidently choke their young on them
All the birds are very territorial. Here a male Chaffinch appear to be threatening an innocent yellowhammer.
A long unused Bat box has been 'modified' by something and now appears to be attractive to Bluetits - the widened slot is a nice tight squeeze for a bluetit. We were lucky to see nesting material being taken in & will be watching events.
A rear view of the glorious colours of a male chaffinch as it takes off.
A fieldmouse with tail upraised patters along the log.
The first moorhen brood sadly failed, but the parents are obviously getting ready for another go.
We adore these delicate collared doves which appear to be paired and probably have a nest somewhere.
A slightly cheeky looking Great Tit.
A slightly sinister Snake's-Head Fritillary not yet quite opened.
Our male pheasant drapes his tale through the beam.
These male and female chaffinches are probably a pair attempting to mate or having a little squabble.
The Fieldmouse at both sites (100m apart so must be separate nests) continue to amaze us.
Unusually clear picture of a Great tit in flight. In it beak is a wet peanut, and a flake of chopped bark (we have used to stop the sites becoming mud-wallows) stuck to it's chest.
A fieldmouse spoilt for choice just after dusk.
Classic style portrait of a Great Tit.
Well this is the 'moorhen' web site, and our moorhens have beaten all our records by hatching 7 chicks before March was out. One or both groups appear periodically at the pond by the house where we get the opportunity for photos like this.
The fieldmice continue to show their amazing athleticism.
This great Tit was caught in flight over the site.
The male pheasant has appeared again on both cameras after a few days absence. He really is magnificent.
A repaired camera kit damaged by rabbits chewing the cables caught this sweet fieldmouse.
A robin coming in to land on the end of the log.
This fieldmouse is carrying off a (ex-frozen) cherry almost as big as it's head.
A green woodpecker is finding the moist but not waterlogged soil on the pond islands good hunting grounds.
Slightly earlier than previous years a heron is catching great
crested newts in at least two of the ponds. The only time we get
to see these cautious newts is in the beak of a heron.
Correction 12 Jan 2009: This is a Smooth Newt -
thanks to Barry Kemp for the info.
In the hour or two after a snow shower before the snow melted this Dunnock took its portrait.
The magpies seem to have finished their nest near the house, but we can't see whether there are eggs or a bird on the nest.
Perhaps this female chaffinch is the object the fight in yesterdays image (same site and similar time next day).