365/6 and 7
Last winter, I happened upon a small local murmuration of starlings. This year, by all accounts, there are far fewer starlings, only a fraction of the host shown here. This ‘inverted’ triptych is from images made on both 6th and 7th January 2014. Yes, I went two days in a row. Small though it was by national standards, this murmuration was still a breathtaking and very exciting show.
The British or European Robin, erithacus rubecula
The North wind doth blow and we shall have snow,
And what will poor robin do then, poor thing?
He’ll sit in a barn and keep himself warm
and hide his head under his wing, poor thing.– traditional nursery rhyme
The robin is particularly associated with Christmas and is a popular image for Christmas cards. This is probably because the robin is one of the few British birds to sing all year round. Its song from mid-December into spring is particularly strong, as males seek to defend territory and attract a mate.
