Every day we feed the birds which come to our garden. French birds refuse to eat the organic wholemeal bread crumbs we've tried putting out for them. Instead, they wait their turn in the nearby trees and bushes and swoop down to the hanging feeders and these stone benches for sunflower seeds.
I have seen very few blue tits so far during this unusually mild winter. They may be faring better in the open countryside and the forest round our village. Greenfinches and goldfinches are the most frequent visitors. They come in flocks of 15 or so.
This lovely little nuthatch will also be seen in warmer weather running up and down the trunk of our silver birch looking for insects.
I have mixed feelings about the glamourous bullfinch. I know he'll soon be destroying fruit tree blossoms to get at insects hiding in their petals.
These are goldfinches which can often be seen flashing their brilliant wings as they hover in groups over fields of grain or grass.
Greenfinches are more aggressive than their goldfinch cousins. A moment after the shutter clicked, these two set on each other.
The modest little dunnock has a fine beak not really meant for cracking large seeds.
The humble sparrow has to be bold enough to hold his own among the finches.
Collar doves call mournfully to each other early in the morning. There's no need for an alarm clock in summer.
Here's the great tit, one of my favourite small birds with his smart colouring and good manners. He picks a seed and takes it to a nearby branch to remove the black and white shell, leaving the bird table free for others.
The bird I love best of all is the robin. He patiently waits for tiny crumbs of seeds which fall to the ground while the finches feed.
Since I have to photograph my birds from a long distance (the kitchen window) my images aren't as sharp as I'd like. This week I played in Photoshop and made my robin look as though I had painted him.
François Ribeaudeau's photographs are inspiring. He has enormous patience and excellent cameras and lenses.
