Great Spotted Woodpecker and Parakeet

This was a duo worthy of a photograph! But I didn't take this one. My partner did, with his vastly superior 18 megapixel Canon camera. It quite puts my little 8 megapixel Fuji in the shade.

The last cub

The three bigger cubs are all fending for themselves now, but the runt, a small, slightly tatty-looking vixen, is still hanging around her mother, who is getting increasingly impatient with her. Having got used to being fed by mum, she looked quite shocked when she was not invited to share the scraps we had put in the bowl. Just look at her shocked body language when Mum snarled and chased her off!

Oh go on, let me have some.

But Mum, I'm ever so hungry...

Okay, no need to shout!

Back-endish

When it got to this time of year and the plants were getting straggly and faded (a little like myself), my mother used to say, "The garden's looking back-endish," as in the back end of the year. I think this picture I took the other day illustrates 'back-endish' perfectly!

Red Kite Over Hillingdon

This afternoon, I was lucky enough to spot this red kite as it swooped over the roof and banked off towards the tall oaks in search of an airborne meal.