Macro on Monday - Guess What

For quite a while I thought I was going to get the gold star again this week but with a flash of inspiration Wilma came up trumps when she said it could be pipe tobacco. A well deserved gold star Wilma. My thanks as always to those who were brave enough to put their thoughts in print.

  

Now on to this week's puzzle picture:



Clue: It will never make Centre Court.
No prizes for a correct identification - just a bit of fun.

Definitely a 'Winter Wonderland' here today. Previous snow had melted and just when we thought it would stay clear the next batch arrived. By the middle of the afternoon there was a fresh layer about 4cm deep. You should have seen the sudden rush of small birds to the feeders during the heaviest of the snow fall. The wise Great Tit continues to snuggle up in the nestbox every night.

Tree Sparrows

Now the cold weather has set in the Tree Sparrows have left the field hedgerows and joined up with the House Sparrows in visiting the feeders. They are easily distinguished by their brown heads and white cheeks with a large black spot.





Though we have not had it as cold as some areas of the UK it was more than cold enough last night. This is how the outside temperature has declined over the past week.



Although yesterday only managed a top temperature of 4C it was enough for most of the snow in the village to melt away. What little was left was well and truly frozen hard this morning when we went walkabout. It was -5C at 7 a.m.. According to the latest forecast this cold snap could be with us for another two weeks.

Blooming Snow

For me one of the strangest sights in my back garden this week has been the dwarf standard rose in full bloom covered with a layer of snow. I don't remember it ever blooming this late in the year in the past.



Fortunately, so far, we haven't had a lot of snow but I have no doubt there will be more on the way over the next week.

It would appear many of the visiting Starlings have now arrived to join the residents. Certainly the numbers visiting my feeders has suddenly increased. As always they spend more time squabbling than they do eating and the smaller birds have to find a gap when it is safe to fly in for a quick bite to eat.







 There are three male Chaffinches which usually visit at the same time. It is fascinating watching their antics as they try not to invade each others space. Occasionally there will be a short chase but most of the time they manage to avoid contact with each other.

Friday at the Flicks - Nestbox Shuffle

Just the one video clip this week.

In the past I have seen Blue Tits perform the 'nestbox shuffle' where they spread their wings and lie flat in the bottom of the box, usually pushing into one corner. This has always been a short while before nesting starts. To my surprise I saw the Great Tit do exactly the same thing even though it is November and a long way to the nesting season.



I am please to say that the Great Tit continues to use the box as a roost every night - must be about three weeks now - and occasionally pops in during the day.

Have a great weekend observing the wildlife around you and if you have snow and ice take care out there. This morning was the first time since last winter I wore my snow spikes. The spikes may only be about 4mm long but it is very reassuring to hear the crunch as they bite in the frozen covering on the local footpaths.

Wire Worm to the Rescue

Sometimes modern artefacts just get in the way of a decent picture. Directly opposite me is a telephone pole and wires which can be very annoying when I am photographing cloud formations.

The exposure reading was taken from the brightest part of the sky so the clouds didn't become washed out.



The photo was then imported into PaintShop Pro Photo X2 and the ReDynaMix plugin used to bring out some detail in the shadows. This was followed by the use of a plugin called Wire Worm which can be very effective at sliding and blending nearby material over the unwanted parts.



If you are interested in Wire Worm then have a look HERE at  MV's PLUGINS. It should work with any graphics program which recognises Photoshop type plugins.There are some excellent examples of its use and a short video demonstration of its facilities. The best part is - it's free.

Macro on Monday - Guess What

Aha! I get the gold star for last week's puzzle picture as no one managed to identify it.
My thanks to all those who attempted a guess.

It was a very close view of the head of a match.

  


And now for the new close up to identify:



Clue: It could heat up at the same time as last week's object.

No prizes. Just a bit of fun.

I really must catch up on some other blogs today. I spent a lot of time over the weekend trying to make some sense of the C++ programming language. It's many years since I use Sinclair Basic, then BBC Basic and finally Agfa Basic (Atari ST) but now I want to be able to have a play with the modern generation of programmable microprocessors as used in the Arduino kits. I want to build some more versatile methods of controlling the camera for nature photography so I think I will be needing a new bottle of aspirin to cure the headaches when I start banging my head on the wall! 

Friday at the Flicks - Wren, Wood Pigeon, Blackbirds and Apples

Most days I spot the Wren exploring the shady parts of the garden but it rarely stays in sight long enough to get some video clips.The other day I got lucky.



Under the seed feeder I have a large tray to catch any seed which falls. After one night's rain the seed was under water but that didn't put off one Wood Pigeon from having a good breakfast.



The Blackbirds continue to enjoy a piece of apple from time to time. They seem to prefer to wait for the apple to go brown and soft before tucking in.



Have a great weekend observing the wildlife around you. For those following the progress of the nestbox - the Great Tit continues to use it as a roost every night.