I am Oliver

I have had a standard version of this for about three years. Can't say it has come to much. In spite of the label saying they are tolerant to -30C new growth on mine had died back each Winter so I've moved it to a spot where it gets the Sun for longer each day and should be a bit better sheltered from any cold winds.

At the moment it has catkins which looked interesting enough for a bit of focus stacking. First I tried taking some hand held photos but they were pretty useless so in the end I set up the 50D with 70-200 zoom lens plus Raynox macro lens with LED ring light on a tripod:



The results made using Zerene Stacker:



These two with a bit of added colour emphasis in Serif Affinity Photo Beta:





Not fully in focus but still quite nice.

Macro on Monday - Guess What

No one managed a correct identification for last week's mystery photo but Ragged Robin deserved a virtual Midmarsh Silver Star for the suggestion that it might be a tube for a bee 'hotel'. It was a close photo of some bamboo edging and these short tubes are often used to make artificial insect homes.

  

Here's hoping that this week's close shot of an object is not quite so difficult to identify.
Guess What:


Please leave any guesses in the comments.
They will be revealed, along with the answer, next Monday.

No prizes. Just for fun and maybe a virtual Midmarsh Gold or Silver Star.

Song Thrush

Thursday a Song Thrush was singing from before 6.30 in the morning until at least 7.30 p.m. with a few breaks. Often it was in the top of a tree near my back door which was when I managed to photo and video it.







It stopped singing for a short period while three House Sparrows were having a noisy argument.

Friday at the Flicks - Clouds + Two's Company

A few days ago I set up the Ipod Touch running LapseIt to shoot some time lapse of the clouds through my bedroom window. I then promptly forgot it was there so it ended up taking over 3000 shots, one every two seconds:



A couple of nights ago two hedgehogs met up. One was in its house when the second arrived. It ran out and charged the other. A while later they both met up in the Hedgehog House:



No sighting the following night and still no sightings of any activity in either of the camera nest boxes. Will this be the first time in four years there won't be a brood to watch?

Have a great weekend observing the wildlife and nature in general wherever you are.

Emmelina monodactyla

To you and me - a plume moth:



Spotted on the back door to the garage.
Easily recognised by its rolled up wings.
Wing span about 20mm

Feeding in the Sunshine

I went out in the front garden to photograph a couple of self sown plants but ended up taking photos of insects instead.  First there was a lone Peacock butterfly finding plenty of nectar:










Plus lots of Bee Flies about with males occasionally landing on a flower to feed. Even when feeding they are still partly hovering as those spindly legs are not designed for holding on to petals:



 

We All Have To Eat

A bit of a surprise on glancing out of the kitchen window to see a Sparrowhawk on the lawn near the building at breakfast time yesterday. It was only just far enough away to be able to photograph it by standing on tip toe and aiming at a very awkward angle through the double glazing.







Now there is one Starling less to scatter the bird seed all over the place.
All that was left after the incident was a pile of feathers:



I assume from the lack of rusty colour on its front that this was a female.