Lunchtime for Squirrels
Just a few Viburnum berries left this January, being eagerly eaten by a pair of voracious squirrels.
- Aperture: ƒ/4
- Camera: DSC-RX10M3
- Exposure bias: +7/10EV
- Focal length: 220mm
- ISO: 640
- Shutter speed: 1/250s
New Lodger
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Thanks to climate change there have been a small number of these birds on the West Island for the past decade, mostly in the Arboretum. They are starting to spread out and claim new territory as winters get milder and where there is food available. They love feeders and peanuts. This lady arrived in the garden a few weeks ago and had=s now decided to become a resident with several visits each day.
This species is quite common down in the States but a real local rarity. The gods have smiled on us again.
- Aperture: ƒ/4
- Camera: DSC-RX10M3
- Focal length: 220mm
- ISO: 500
- Shutter speed: 1/250s
Berries in Winter
Dark-eyed Junco
A raptor overflew the garden and suddenly there were dozens of small birds sheltering in the Viburnum bush near the house, hanging off the branches like Xmas ornaments. While waiting until it was safe to come out, this Junco found a berry to snack on.
- Aperture: ƒ/4
- Camera: DSC-RX10M3
- Focal length: 146.76mm
- ISO: 640
- Shutter speed: 1/250s
Why we are not tidy
Feeding the Birds
There is a growing awareness (still a long way to go) that tidying the garden as we go into winter is a bad thing to do. Leaving our garden “scruffy” until spring means that birds like these American Goldfinches can find something to eat without needing to rely on our feeders.
These birds were eating seeds from a small-flowered form of sunflower.
- Aperture: ƒ/4
- Camera: DSC-RX10M3
- Focal length: 183.43mm
- ISO: 800
- Shutter speed: 1/250s
Nibbling
American Red Squirrel
This fellow has recently set up winter quarters on the northern side of our garden where there are trees and dense shrubs – he spends a lot of time energetically evicting the more relaxed greys.
- Aperture: ƒ/4
- Camera: DSC-RX10M3
- Focal length: 97.49mm
- ISO: 1250
- Shutter speed: 1/250s
Discreet Colouration
Female Purple Finch
- Aperture: ƒ/4
- Camera: DSC-RX10M3
- Focal length: 220mm
- ISO: 1000
- Shutter speed: 1/250s
Red-bellied Woodpecker
This is turning into a very interesting birding start to winter – there was the Evening Grosbeak a few days ago in the garden, a recent visit by a Carolina Wren and then a couple of days ago a female Red-bellied Woodpecker put in an appearance. A rare bird this far north -, just a few in the arboretum really, and this is the first in the garden for quite a few years.
(Memory Sunday will be back next week – this was too good to miss sharing though)
- Aperture: ƒ/4
- Camera: DSC-RX10M3
- Focal length: 220mm
- ISO: 800
- Shutter speed: 1/250s
Seedheads – 2
Wild Aster
Not certain of the particular Aster species but it’s one of the small wild ones. These seed heads are a fraction of the size of the Ligularia illustrated here yesterday.
- Aperture: ƒ/4
- Camera: ILCE-7M2
- Focal length: 100mm
- ISO: 250
- Shutter speed: 1/100s
Seedheads – 1
Ligularia
A large and sprawling pond-side plant with deep red leaves, yellow flowers and now these large pom-pom seed heads to be left standing as bird food in the winter.
- Aperture: ƒ/11
- Camera: ILCE-7M2
- Focal length: 100mm
- ISO: 1600
- Shutter speed: 1/40s
Rowan’s Decline
This rowan tree has been hanging on to its leaves for a long time this fall. Perfect light this morning.
- Aperture: ƒ/4
- Camera: DSC-RX10M3
- Focal length: 220mm
- ISO: 100
- Shutter speed: 1/800s