For generations the robin has earned its place as Britain's best loved bird
It is noted for its tameness and often searches for food around the feet of gardeners who are turning over soil.
I listened to the robin sing and for a moment time stood still.......
The magpie is , without doubt, a stunning bird. I must say, the fact they take eggs from the nests of songbirds, does not put them on my list of favourites.
I watched with fascination as this one carefully groomed itself.
Female blackbirds look all brown at a distance but she has blurred spots on throat and breast.
Dwarf iris 'Katharine Hodgkin' has just come into bloom.
A welcome sight on a cold winters day.......
Dwarf iris 'Katharine Hodgkin' has just come into bloom.A welcome sight on a cold winters day.......Happy Sunday safari......
26 comments:
Wow Cheryl, that's really very early for Iris to be out, surely??
What a fantasic symbol of Spring though, I cannot believe it's almost February...
Amazing Robin photos, either you've gone and got yourself a massive lens or it was very close!
I don't mind Magpies so much, at least here they're welcome as they're fanastic cat derants...
Hi Liz....it is early and I was pleasantly surprised. Some are in tubs on the patio...very sheltered, very warm. They are the ones that are out. The others in the garden are still sleeping.....
Same lens.....very close to the robin....he is the one that joins me in the shed sometimes. Great little bird.
Yesterday I was watching a flock of redwings eating under the hedgerow......suddenly two magpies swooped down and the whole flock flew away. Pesky birds......
I do love your robins! They're so different from ours here in the US.
A beautiful post Cheryl... that little mini Iris is really sweet and out already... as you'll see from my recent posting we haven't much out as yet... still enjoying all our lovely birds! Hope yo have a good week - can't believe it's February already! Miranda x
Ah, I just love bird photos. Interesting to see how different your robins are to the American Robin. Yours looks more dainty. The robins (American) have recently shown up here. What with your irises and our robins, surely spring will show up soon??
Beautiful photos Cheryl, I really love seeing them, especially since I don't get to see as many birds around here...so signs of spring already???
Hi Miranda....January is my least favourite month of the year......it is so good to welcome February.....
What a sweet little robin! I saw one in my garden yesterday and he (or she) was probably 3 times as big as yours and very fat. It's fun to see birds from other locales and your photos are always amazing!
If your iris is blooming, Spring can't be too far off...
Hi Jean....our robins are dainty little birds.....they stay all year.
Yes lets hope that spring is just around the corner......
Hi Amy tku. I love our robins they are such cute little birds.
It has been very cold today, heavy frost most nights. The birds are singing constantly.....spring I think is just around the corner......
Are these iris in a pot inside your house? They are beautiful. Sure to lift ones spirits during this long cold month. I love seeing your yard birds.
Hi Lisa....no the iris is in a pot on the patio. There are several coming out in this area. It is a nice warm spot......
Life just wouldn't be the same without the iconic 'Early Bird' following us around the garden and serenading us. Love the Iris. FAB.
I'd love to see a flower right now. We are buried in snow for the second time this winter. your robins are quite unlike ours, but the magpie is very similar. Enjoy the day! Art
Beautiful photos Cheryl and of course I love the ones of the Robin, my heart swells when I see them with their beaks wide open singing so joyfully.
Dear Cheryl,
I love seeing your birds but the Robin is so darling. I can understand why he would be a favorite. Does the female have the same coloring as the male?
What a gift the iris is! It is still too cold here for any outside blooms. I have inside flowers. I do love doing the forced bulbs. Soon I will do forced branches.
Happy Sunday Safari!
Happy February.
sherry
Your iris is indeed a welcome sight! I can't believe it's blooming this early. Lovely pictures of the robins--yours are just a little different in coloring from our American robins. I always think of them as the harbinger of spring, so I will be so glad to see some here. Interesting that you commented that January is your least favorite month--mine is February:) But I think our Februarys are probably much colder than yours; by this time I'm tired of winter and ready for spring!
Firstly, your English robins are soooo much cuter than our American ones. (I mean, ours are cut, yes, but much larger.) And secondly--wait, what! Stop the presses! Your iris is blooming NOW--outside?!?!? Cool!
My favorite book as a child was The Secret Garden and the robin seemed so friendly. Ours aren't at all like the robin at Misselthwaite Manor! Nor are they as pertly cute!
I am enjoying The Forgotten Garden, thank you very much.
gail
Your robins have some traits in common with ours. If you are digging in the garden, you are bound to have robins stopping by to see what juicy worms you have overturned.
Marnie
Hi Cheryl,
My problem at this time of year is light... Although a lot of my bulbs are also in tubs in a sheltered site, the sun is hidden by the hill and doesn't even touch the garden because it is higher at the back than the house.
So in winter the downstairs is rather dark - no doubt the reason the last owners put in double doors from the living room to the kitchen to allow in as much light as possible.
My Irises are teasing me still, they're almost there and I can tell they're just about to come...
I wish 'my' Robins were tame and would collect insects as I weed (or even pick up the slugs) so far I've only had a tame mouse, completely oblivious of me sat a metre away going through the freshly turned and weeded soil :)
Hi Cheryl,
We have some reticulata iris blooming also. They are such wonderful harbingers of spring.
Our robins in the US are members of the same family (Thrush) as your blackbirds. They have a delightful song. I met your little robin a few years ago on vacation in Kent. It was very charming and friendly and posed for a number of pictures.
Cindee
Such beauty!
Your little robin is a dear - and you've captured him so well. He looks like a character. I can believe this one follows you around.
What a beautiful gift - your iris in bloom! Nice way to begin February.
Forgot to mention - your header is stunning!
Gorgeous pictures!
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