On the surface of the big pond there was one lonely Water Boatman occasionally waiting on the surface and then diving to the bottom. Such strange looking creatures, I think, with their pair of elongated legs with which they can scull across the surface or swim under water.
Most of the flowers in the lawn seemed to have one or two minibeasts which must help in the spread of pollen as they move from plant to plant.
My Prunus cerasifera Nigra is nearly in full blossom and fortunately managed to hang on to the flowers during the fierce winds a few days ago.
Quite a few birds were making short visits to the bird bath including this Chaffinch.
Overhead flew a couple of Crows which gave me a nice silhouette shot of one of them.
As for keeping large birds off my new feeder - it didn't take the Starlings long to work out how to get at the food and that several could hang on at the same time. I don't mind them having a reasonable amount of the food I put out but a few Starlings can get through food even faster than the same number of pigeons!
Lastly - one bud getting ready to open. Sometimes I think they look nicer at this stage before they open up completely.
Your photos really are beautiful John, the new camera is serving you well, along with your own expertise of course.
ReplyDeleteYour Prunus is a beautiful shade of pink.
I did laugh when I saw all the Starlings on your new feeder, they really are determined birds! Thank you for pointing me in the direction of the feeder I may well be able to track one down locally, if not there is always the good old internet.
The Water Boatman is a very strange looking creature but useful to have in your pond, I believe in Mexico their eggs are considered a delicacy and eaten after being dried and ground into flour!
ShySongbird: Thank you for your kind comments. You will make me blush.
ReplyDeleteSome years ago the Prunus had grown too large so I had it cut back expecting it to die off but no, it produced new branches and flowers well every year. Now I prune it every year to keep it down to a height where I can cope with it.