Female yew flowers (compare the male flowers in the post yesterday, below). The female flowers grow under the stem they are attached to, the males above.
Jay in buddleia
For a few days, a pair of jays turned up regularly for a snack of peanuts and fat balls. Here, one of them has landed in the buddleia bush where the feeders hung, checking out that all was safe.
They were very wary, so these soft focus pictures are taken through a dirty window.
Yew flowers (male)
Yews are dioecious, meaning some trees have male flowers, some female. These are male, on a tree by the Old Nursery pond.
More bluetits IV
Final set of pictures of garden bluetits (at least for a while). This one had its feathers all fluffed up because it was a freezing cold day.
Duckweed, Old Nursery Pond
Another pond visit, another complete absence of any frog spawn spotted. At Old Nursery Pond I got these pictures of duckweed floating on the surface of the water instead.
More bluetits III
Today’s bluetit appeared to be sunning itself among the brnaches of a young silver birch.