Rotten!

Getting up this morning, we were presented with a thoroughly rotten day.  Rain was beginning to fall, the wind was getting up and it was still dark, just the sort of day for staying in bed.  But, looking out the window at the bird feeder in the Hawthorn, I was delighted to see all the small birds flitting to and fro in search of a bite to eat.  Great Tits, Blue Tits, House Sparrows, a Blackbird, Dunnocks and a Robin were all present as usual, but then, did my eyes deceive me?  A pair of Goldcrests (Regulus regulus) suddenly appeared in the branches of the tree. Britain's smallest bird!  And a pair of them!  I tried to get a photo of them, but have been unsuccessful so far.  Rest assured, I shall keep trying.
I had more photographic success last night as the moon rose over the hedgerow opposite, a layer of thin, low cloud hung in the sky below the moon giving a look of the sea.

An exposure of 15 seconds was enough to capture the moon-illuminated cloud, but somewhat overexposed the moon itself.  Click the image for the larger picture and you may also be able to see some of the stars which were shining bravely before the clouds moved in, bringing the rain I mentioned at the beginning.