Lockdown photos of 2021

Many of you will have seen my garden photo thread from last year: "Post Furlough Return To Work....", and to save a thread getting too long, I  thought I'd set up one for 2021. I was hoping to make it a retirement thread, but alas, that was thwarted at the last minute just before Xmas, but nature and life still continues, and so shall I....

So here it is. The light has been, well, yuk for any decent photos, but to start things off, a few snow scenes from the garden from last Friday.

A generaly view of the garden.

The chimera, complete with coconut shell full of mealworms, which often provides good viewing, but not this day....

The established erysimum

Last years erysimum and lavender

Stay safe folks, there will be wildlife photos here soon, lockdown or no lockdown....

  • i love robins said:
    Great Photos Mike so clear and sharp, and a really good selection

    Thank you ILR, the light was just at the perfect angle and luminance.

  • Unknown said:
    A lovely collection, Mike. You can always count on the regulars, Blackbirds, Dunnocks, the Tit family, etc., to provide some entertainment and photo ops. Hope your retirement comes through so you can enjoy the garden in spring with Mrs Peak Rambler. And fingers crossed we have a lovely spring, especially if we may still be confined then in the interest of protecting everyone until a huge majority have had the vaccine.

    Thank you.

    I've been unofficially told retirement dates will be issued soon, and on the same terms, which is good news, though until its in black and white, I'll not raise my hopes just yet.

    Mr & Mrs Chaffie have been active, but not photographically, and there's been a little change to the feeders in the garden, so more piccies on the way, once I've sorted through them...

  • Friday 22nd, an unscheduled day off from work, well, actually it was a day in lieu after working overtime, which we aren't getting paid for, but time off in lieu is offered, and probably just as well after today's mixed bag of sun, hail and snow!

    Once again, the light was perfect for photography, so I parked my self at the south end of the garden looking northward (makes it seem like parkland, but at almost 40mtrs long, its still got some growing to do LOL).

    The day started with clear blue skies and sun, the temp topped a warm 6ºC

    One of many birds you're always guaranteed a visit from, is the dunnock, but this time, I felt the shadow was more photogenic than the dunnock, which was slightly obscured by the chimera...

    And from there, it was a blackbird fest virtually all day. A bit of a move round of the feeders to capture them as best as poss, but the ground feeder seemed to get all the action....

    Cyril made a visit, and the white bowl has food dedicated for squirrels.

    Incidentally, the corn on the cob is eaten by the pair of crows that regularly visit the garden.

    Now, Cyril was curious is the ground feeder had any tasty morsels in...

    Well, you've got to check, just in case.... But alas, no.....

    So it was back to the white bowl.

    The blue tits were busy on the suet pellets, sunflower and nut feeders, though the sunflower and nut feeders were just out of view.

    Mr Chaffie was around, (and so was Mrs Chaffie this morning, but it was too dark to get a piccie of her).

    More blackbird activity....

    I did say it was a blackbird fest yesterday.....

    Now what can I have from here?

    Just look at that tongue! I don't know why, but it reminded my of a Barron Nights song, A Taste Of Aggro, scroll to 28 secs, you'll see what I mean. [Gawd I feel old seeing that clip....]

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIXr4VOZzgU

    More suet pellets me thinks.....

    Even a collard dove paid a visit, but was a little reluctant to feed while I was close by....

    A great tit had found itself a nut to savour in a nearby tree....

    And a blue tit enjoying a sunflower seed in the same tree, but  a different branch.

    This years cherry tree laves....

    And Cyril making headway home....

    I do try to catch them in uncompromising poses, like this one, bottoming out on the fence....

    Never far away, a robin....

    Stay safe folks, there'll be more to come soon.

  • Lovely to see all the activity in the garden Mike..plenty variety of birds to keep you occupied and cyril! lol
  • very nice photos Mike but I don't see the snow that we got !!
  • Did somebody say "No snow in the pictures"?

    Sunday, as with most of the UK, the snow delivered, and quite handsomely here, which is quite unusual. I recorded 56mm snow fell during the 24hr period, and the birds were as busy as ever.

    I even wrapped a freezer bag around the big lens to keep it dry, securing it with cable ties, so I could go outside to garb some piccies!

    I'd actually missed the best of the sunrise, it was spectacular, though very short lived!

    The planters looking, well, snowed in!

    The pond fountain with a bit of a pattern to it....

    I was actually taking a pic of the snow covered feeders, when a robin photobombed!

    Collard Dove checking out the food situation.... 

    One of our resident crows, with snow on its beak, after sifting through the snow for food....

    Blackbird, one of many....

    Mr Chaffie finding food on the ground....

    Cyril made an appearance....

    and then leaping off to pastures new!

    Not an overly clear photo, but I do like the way Mrs BB seems to be looking up.

    An unusual visitor to the garden song thrush. There were about a dozen of them in a nearby tree.

    Plenty of blackbird foot prints....

    And a fox made a visit during the night-time

    Now I'm not a big user of flash photography, but every now and then, I will partake....

    Stay safe everyone, more photos to come soon.

  • Beautiful photos Mike and the snow is pretty when you get a good covering; lovely to see all your birdy visitors, I thought the thrush was a Fieldfare at first as it looks quite chunky with grey head but just as nice to have a song thrush. I see Cyril squirrel is as mischievous as ever lol
  • you certainly got a good dumping this time mike....love leaping cyril....as Hazy says looks like your songthrush is indeed a fieldfare ....lovely snowy pics thanks
  • Unknown said:
    Beautiful photos Mike and the snow is pretty when you get a good covering; lovely to see all your birdy visitors, I thought the thrush was a Fieldfare at first as it looks quite chunky with grey head but just as nice to have a song thrush. I see Cyril squirrel is as mischievous as ever lol

    Thank you.

    I have to confess, I did wonder about it being a fieldfare, but hedged on the odds with being so urban, against it being a FF, many thanks for the correction, or should I say, confirmation of my original thoughts.

  • Linda257 said:
    you certainly got a good dumping this time mike....love leaping cyril....as Hazy says looks like your songthrush is indeed a fieldfare ....lovely snowy pics thanks

    We certainly did, and you're welcome.

    As for the fieldfare, I did wonder about it being a fieldfare, but with being so urban, hedged on the odds against it being a FF, many thanks for the correction, and perhaps next time, I'll go with my original thoughts.