Looking more closely

The snow is gone for the moment. More is forecast, maybe… perhaps… later! But, for now, all that remain are a few scattered patches of slightly grubby white.


I’m not sorry to see it go, but it does bring a whole new dimension to the garden so, as well as enjoying the overall effect of the world being blanketed, I looked more closely to see what I could spot in among all the white.

This little leaf is still hanging on tenaciously (Friday, 5 February 2010). Slightly more battered, but continuing to pay tribute to the gold of autumn; nature's stained glass.

The snowdrops are thrusting their heads up through the snow, almost as if each is shouting out “Oi! Look at me! It might have snowed today, but spring is still just around the corner!” It's definitely becoming more than only a hint. (Monday, 1 February 2010)

And, over by the fence, one small splash of bright red, signals a berry which the birds have missed.

Remnants of red

In my garden, I have four pyracantha, ranging from pale orange to vivid red. In Spring, they are covered in a blanket of pure white blossom, while the berries give welcome colour during the bleaker days of winter. That is... until the blackbirds feast! Each blackbird is a miniature berry stripping automaton; peck, swallow, peck, swallow, peck... It is fascinating to see the speed at which one bird can de-berry a whole section of plant.

This year, there was added interest as the blackbirds were joined by another type of bird. I had to look it up. And even then, I wasn't convinced that I had actually got it right (until a friend confirmed sightings in her garden), but yes; the brownish speckled breast, the distinctive flash of red under the wing - I really had been visited by a group of around five redwings!

Being in a city, albeit fairly close to the edge, my garden is not often graced by unusual or rare birds, so this really was an unexpected treat!