A colourful mix of blue, yellow, white and green makes the blue tit one of Leicestershire's most attractive and recognisable garden visitors.
This picture, taken by amateur photographer and bird lover Malcolm Dawson, of Oadby, captures the beauty of the small bird perfectly.
Malcolm's picture is among the most recent batch of entries in our latest wildlife photography competition.
He said it was particularly satisfying as the nesting pair and chicks is something he hasn't been able to enjoy for decades. "This was the first time blue tits had nested in my garden for 40 years," he said.
"I took this photo as my wife and I watched a pair build their nest and feed their young."
Readers have less than a week to send in their wildlife snaps before the competition closes on Sunday, September 22.
The winner, who will be contacted by phone, will receive £100 from the sponsor of the competition, Brinvale Bird Foods, manufacturers of wild bird food in the Vale of Belvoir.
Entrants can e-mail up to six photos, with your name, age, address and number, and a caption on where each picture was taken. Photographs must be at least 1mb in size. E-mail pictures, putting "Brinvale competition" in the subject box, to:
picturedesk@leicester mercury.co.uk
