IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Carmarthen Close, LLANTWIT MAJOR, CF61 2GL

Scarcer than once they were but there are still a few around.

A juvenile starling patiently waiting for lunch. Not your typical starling!

Disliked by many because of its 'boisterous' behaviour, the Starling is a handsome bird in its own way. A predator upon pest insects and a species whose aerial manoeuvres in a flock, or murmuration, never ceases to amaze those who see it when the declining UK population is enhanced by those wintering here from Scandinavia and as far east as Russia.

Wood pigeon after a night on the tiles!

The springtime melee of frogs spawning in a garden pond. It appears that a Common Toad is interfering with activity in this case.

With the breeding season well under way many species become bolder than usual. Crows, the family which Jackdaws belong to, are very intelligent and quick to recognise an easy food source. This can be seen in many urban areas including towns and parks. With at least one pair in this locality they have become more frequently seen in back gardens, particularly so where residents put out food for the smaller species which is raided before even the Starlings take rather more than their fair share.

Winter scene

Having commandeered the bird food this pair continue to hog the feeder and bask in the sunshine. Perhaps they should be mindful that Sparrow Hawks regularly patrol here and with laden crops they will be even less of a match for a surprise attacker!

We have all seen large spiders in houses at one time or another but this specimen was disturbed from among a pile of stones in a garden. She was pretty big but without demands to 'Get that thing out of the house!' a photographic opportunity presented itself.

Forsaking readily available peanuts and a variety of other purposely prepared foods this individual seeks spiders and other insects in the broken mortar of the wall of a house.