Fantail in the Wind

The wind was wild and gusty. I tried to find something stationary to photograph. Suddenly a fantail flew close to my head, cheeping loudly in my ear as he passed. I whipped up my camera and hastily shot at him as he made for a flailing poplar branch. As you can see I wasn't fast enough. In the space of one eighth of a second he beat his wings several times, and the tail feathers made scratchy lines.

The response to my 730th blip yesterday was staggering. Thank you, thank you every one! There were so many views, comments and hearts and I'm so thrilled. The wonderful comments were touching and rather humbling. What a great lot of friends you are. I hope to get to thank you all personally, but it will take a few days. Tonight I am very tired from the usual lack of sleep, and also a lot of hard work in preparation for the wintry weather that is predicted to start tonight.

Insomnia has its advantages. Very early this morning was mild and clear. I spent more than an hour outside well before dawn. There was so much beauty. On one side the full moon was dipping towards the hills, and on the other side the four planets stood brightly in the dark sky.