Orange bricks, blue sky

The colours in the title of this post are seen reflected in the ice that is the subject of this photograph. I've always been fascinated by the formations that can arise when water freezes. Someone, somewhere, will be able to describe how these formations can range from soft curves to sharp spikes. But that person isn't me: I simply enjoy them.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

The naturalized mandarin

The mandarin duck is a native of Eastern Asia, mainly China and Japan. It became known in Europe in 1599 through a painting brought to Rome by Japanese envoys. Live birds were introduced to Britain shortly before 1745 when it was known as the "Chinese teal". Drawings of the birds in the garden of Sir Matthew Decker in Surrey were made by the naturalist George Edwards. Thereafter many wealthy landowners tried, often successfully, to establish the bird in their grounds and pockets of mandarins developed across the British Isles. I recently acquired the book, "The Naturalized Animals of the British Isles" (Christoper Lever, Hutchinson, 1977) where the above facts (and many more) can be found. Interestingly the large colony at Cannop Ponds in the Forest of Dean isn't mentioned: perhaps it is of more recent establishment. The photograph shows a striking male mandarin at the Ponds, standing on ice.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P900

Ice and gravel puddle

Shallow puddles in hard frost seem to freeze from the surface right down to the ground below the water. As they do so they often form attractive, translucent, curvilinear patches in the ice that contrast with narrow areas of clear ice. At least that's what seems to happen -  a physicist would be able to describe the process better and come up with the reason for it. I've photographed these kinds of frozen puddles before and recent cold weather allowed me to do so again.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100