Refuelling at Toddington on the Gloucestershire to Warwickshire Steam Railway is locomotive 4270, built in Swindon in 1919, retired from British Railways service in 1962.

Now operated as part of a heritage railway.

Taken in 2016 processed in 2021 CoronaVirus Lockdown 3

Reflections of 2021 CoronaVirus lockdown at Norbury Wharf, Norbury junction, Staffordshire. Great reflections on the Shropshire Union Canal.

Berlin - Nikolaiviertel

Die Wiege von Berlin liegt an der Spree. Hier kam es zur der Gründung einer Doppelstadt Berlin und Cölln. Die Spree diente dabei als ein guter Handelsweg.

Schnell wuchs die Stadt zu einer Residenzstadt. Die Häuser im Nikolaiviertel zeugen von der eins pulsierenden mittelalterlichen Stadt.

I now have a pair of Sparrowhawks and they are working as a 'tag team', very interesting to watch.

The small birds are very nervous.

Looking for mice under my hide, from the fence, I think.

So close I had to scoot back to get the camera to focus.

I'm sure some frozen mice would be classed as essential items under lockdown rules tomorrow

The fog occasionally lifted, the sun was occasionally seen and I discovered a new walk.

Long Tailed Tit ( Aegithalos caudatus) from the garden hide

Stepped up to the plate with a number of nice poses for me today. This was my favourite.

The Weasel loves my brash pile and checks it out regularly. It popped up to sample the peanut/lard treat I smear around the old logs.

Seemed to enjoy it.

Delighted to say I'm suddenly over run with Long Tailed Tits (and Treecreepers)

If only they'd slow down a bit so I can get a 'pretty' shot.

Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) looking a bit shocked.

I was missing most of the Siskins, Goldfinches and Greenfinches to Birdwatch today. Lots of other regulars arrived plus two Starlings on the cage feeder, they normally stick to the front garden where the Laurel hedge is.

Wren came up close, almost as if it knew I'm struggling at the moment.

Garrulus glandarius -this one stays and fills up on Peanuts the partner is a quick grab and away type of bird.

Another day in my wooden box, trying to put up with the noise and the horrible smell of my nieghbours muck spreading. Birds didn't think much of it either and were a bit thin on the feeders.

from the garden hide today

Regulus regulus comes to eat the tiny bits of fat mix I put on the pine needles. Doesn't stay long so I have to be fast on the shutter.

Still struggling with the injury :(

in today's sunshine.

Garden hide for Lock Down3

I think this is a male simply because the right leg has the ring.

Rain most of today and the Siskins were soaked.

A very grumpy Robin too. TT had dumped some shrub cuttings on my brash pile and had covered the Robin's 'declaring stick'. How was he supposed to tell the world this was his patch!

I put things right and he was immediately back singing fit to bust.

The woodpile is great for all sorts of wildlife but I was delighted to see the weasel. It's a great for persuading the Rats to find an alternative home.

I put a peanut/lard mix or a commercial Utterly Peanut Butterly mix around the various logs for birds and mammals.

A grey miserable day, had a visit from the Weasel and a beautiful male Sparrowhawk (too many photo's) but the Bullfinch is much harder to catch on camera so he's 'it' for today.

Amber Conservation Status

A male Bullfinch has been a regular visitor to the feeders, today a pair arrived.

The Female isn't as brightly coloured but still very beautiful.

Sparrowhawk swooped in just teasing at a very lucky Woodpecker, it lost a few feathers but escaped.

From today's session in the hide.

Although there was snow on the ground, non stayed on my perches. Despite several blizzards all blowing directly into the hide and my lens I didn't get any birds sitting on snow.

Stunning little bird.

White-jawed Yellow-face Bee ~ Hylaeus confusus

Lock Down 3 day 12.

Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)

Not a bright day but masses of birds to watch from my garden hide.

There was accompaniment of guns blasting at a shoot on one of the nearby estates.

Bird's must be used to the noisy Nikon shutter because the guns don't seem to bother them

Today's twig is from a Hawthorn

We're at a low altitude so I don't get the masses of Bramblings I did in Gilsland.

In fact in the three years I've lived here I've had just one female bird each year.

And a real bonny bird this year, that's for sure.

Robin in the sunshine today

Sitta europaea

Although the Nuthatches are regular visitors it seems a while since I posted a picture of one.

They're fighting a lot at the moment and quite vicious with that beak.

Die Siegessäule am Großen Stern in Berlin Tiergarten.

Die Säule trägt eine von Friedrich Drake geschaffene Bronzeskulptur in Form einer weiblichen Figur, der Viktoria. Sie hält in der Rechten einen Lorbeerkranz in die Höhe, in der Linken ein Feldzeichen mit dem Eisernen Kreuz. Auf ihrem Helm sitzt ein Adler. Viktoria ist in der römischen Mythologie als Siegesgöttin bekannt, sie entspricht in der griechischen Mythologie der Nike. Beide werden geflügelt dargestellt. Ihr Adlerhelm lässt die Viktoria auf der Siegessäule auch als Borussia, die Personifikation Preußens, erscheinen.

we have a number of Treecreepers coming to feed on the fat I smear on the tree bark. This one is unusual because it does go down the bark but I haven't managed to catch that action yet.

Bought some heated gloves, got the ones made for shooting and they have a flip off top for the index finger. Worked very well on today's test run in the hide.

from the garden hide - lock down III

Dunnock is usually on the ground and very rarely poses for me so today was a highlight. Not only a nice perch but a bit of snow as well.

The woodpile is great for all sorts of wildlife but I was delighted to see the weasel. It's a great for persuading the Rats to find an alternative home.

I put a peanut/lard mix or a commercial Utterly Peanut Butterly mix around the various logs for birds and mammals.

I did hope he's stay long enough to reduce the zoom range and get him all in, but no, a quick look around and off he went

He is sitting on the log I had the dead mouse tied to hoping to get him in action, but he ignored that and I took it away for the Badger to eat. I think it must be because they are white mice.

Redpoll on an Alder perch

Lockdown in the Hide

Amber listing

Long Tailed Tit ( Aegithalos caudatus) on a very windy March day

after peanuts as always, I have two Jays but one is a lot braver.

As always when the Birdwatch looms my bird numbers plummet. Be nice is some of the people feeding for this weekend carried on the rest of winter at least.

Male enjoying the 5 minutes of sunshine we got today before the rain came back.

from the Lockdown Hide.

Goldcrests love the very soft lard/ground peanut mix along with most other birds but they prefer the tiny bits that are left on the perches.

Sleet, snow and rain all day.

The joys of Lock Down

You'll find it shining.

plenty of Chaffinches come to the feeders and I hardly ever post a photo of one. This male is just getting his breeding plumage.

Horrible day for the hide, rain and wind coming due east and straight onto the lens of the camera and my face, oh for a nice crisp frosty day.

This is a pretty female Blackbird, she chose not to face us today keeping the beautifully marked chest feathers for another day perhaps

Tulip

The woodpile is great for all sorts of wildlife but I was delighted to see the weasel. It's a great for persuading the Rats to find an alternative home.

I put a peanut/lard mix or a commercial Utterly Peanut Butterly mix around the various logs for birds and mammals.