Robin red breast

It has been so uplifting to have the sun shining all morning, clearing the remnants of the frost by the time I fully surfaced. I have taken a few pictures of backlit mosses laden with ice particles on the roof tiles, red, yellow and purple primroses with thawing faces, fading rotting leaves on the sandstone slabs of the patio and of course cats.

I sat on the arm of a chair in the garden trying to catch birds in flight, backlit against the clear blue sky, as well as them flitting around the elder tree as they prepared their landing approaches to assorted bird feeders. I even caught a blackbird landing and taking off from the rhus tree, more in hope than expectation I think. It s flight was accompanied by loud squawking.

A nuthatch made several sorties to the sunflower seeds, and seemed to know with its wary eyeball that I was there, but didn't panic. It even made return trips to a nest in the big evergreen bush at the bottom of the garden next door.

But it was this perky robin who appeared for just a few seconds who I liked best, because he just stood there and sang in the warming sunshine. It may have been a warning to other birds, but I think he was just pleased to be alive, like me.