Great Tit

These lovely little birds from the subspecies Parus Major, are darting around our area, here in Turkey, a lot at the moment, feasting on all the little gnats, flies and grubs that are in plentiful supply.  I just love watching them, but they are buggers to get a photo of as they don't like staying still.  They are the largest of the Tit family of birds and are distinguished by their blueish-black crown, black neck, throat, bib and head, white cheeks and ear coverts (small feathers behind the birds eye which cover the ear opening).

Eurasian Jay

This particular type of Jay found here in Turkey, belongs to part of the group called atricapillus (meaning 'having a dark crown', this particular group can also be found in the Middle East and the Crimea.  We have a lot of them living in the valley behind our house, you will hear them before you see them as they are very noisy birds and often appear to be arguing with their neighbours.  

My husband took these shots as it is quite unusual for them to stay in one position long enough to photograph as they are always very alert.  And as is the usual case, I had been sitting patiently waiting and then went to make a cup of tea and this one decided to come close to where I had been sitting.

Daffodil

One of the classic images that lets you know that spring has sprung, is the beautiful yellow trumpet shaped heads of the daffodil.   Daffodils are native to woods and meadows in Europe, North Africa, Western Asia, and the Western Mediterranean.

These daffodils were growing along part of the wall of the grounds of Ely Cathedral in England, I love the contrast of the delicate flowers against the stone wall.

Mute Swan

You can never tire of admiring the graceful Mute Swan.  With its classic white plumage, orange bill edged in black and pronounced knob atop of the bill, which is smaller on the females than males, they glide around the water with elegance.  The Mute Swan is native to Europe and Asia but has been introduced to North America, Australasia and Southern Africa.  They are called Mute Swans as they are less vocal than other breeds of Swan. There have been resident Mute Swans on the small lake at Değirmen Restaurant and Park, Davutlar, Turkey.

The Mute Swan is one of the heaviest flying birds, with the males averaging around 11-12kg (24-26lbs) and the females 8.5 - 9kg (19-20lbs).

Here is a photo of a male Mute Swan that I took a photo of on a recent trip to Ely in the county of Cambridgeshire in England.  You can tell it is a male by the large knob at the base of its beak and brighter orange bill.  You can also see with this head shot, where the feathers on the head and neck have been stained orange-brown by iron and tannins in the water.

Muscovy Duck

These Muscovy Ducks are a resident of the River Great Ouse at Ely, Cambridgeshire in England.  These ducks are a native of Mexico, Central and South America, these ones at Ely are a domestic breed which have been bred since pre-Columbian times by Native Americans.  This subspecies is heavier and less able to fly long distances.  The drakes have white heads and larger areas of red on the face, the hens dark heads and a much smaller area of red on the face.

These first three photos are of a drake, these can weigh up to 15 pounds, and have more white on them and iridescent and glossy feathers.

This one is a hen, they are much smaller, only weighing up to 7 lbs and are more drab.

Black Bird

The Black Bird is fortunately quite a common sight around the world, especially here in the UK.  This female Black Bird is a regular visitor to my Mother-In-Laws garden.  I managed to grab these shots through the living room window.

These first two shots are a common pose of both the male and female Black Birds when they are perched alert.

I tried to get a shot of the female stretching her wings, I have captured the action of the wings but would have liked to have got her head a bit sharper.

Efes - Our Friends Dog

As you are probably aware if you are a regular reader of my blog I just love taking photos of dogs, and none more so than our friends dog Efes, she will always pose for me.

She loves sitting holding paws!

For a mainly black coated dog, she has lovely coloured paws.

One of her favourite places to sit is at the front of the house, where she can sit and watch the world go by, and soak up the winter sunshine.