2009 ended in grey clouds. There is still an uncertain chill about the place, and the forecasts are at best mixed. The sky last night was mainly shrouded in mists, but occasionally the clouds moved away and the moon emerged with that familiar winter haze set around itself.
Seeing out the old year
Today was altogether brighter. The starlings were flocking in the garden this morning.
Starlings flocking
This afternoon I headed over to the Downs in search of kestrels, but almost the first creature I saw was too fast for the camera. It was a stoat, stepping out across a path between two low areas of undergrowth. I stayed put for about an hour, hoping it would return. It didn't, but a sighting of a stoat is always a treat. Less happily, I also saw a fox there. Sadly it had not survived long into the new year. Its body was hanging, tangled in the thorny undergrowth. There were no obvious serious wounds on it, and it looked as though it had made a fatal leap, possibly after a rabbit, become entangled and failed to free itself. 🙁
There were kestrels though. The main focus of my attention was a female which was out hunting voles, with some success. I saw her come to ground with prey on at least three occasions, though usually tucked behind a hedgerow. I did eventually catch up with her though 😉
The last shot of the afternoon was a stonechat, sitting proudly as the sun began to set.
Here's hoping that the new year will prove a good year. No doubt there will be changes (there's an election here in March or May… my guess is May 6th). The global warming debate will hot up (I'm less certain the planet will, if I'm honest); and with luck the foxes will return to the garden (precious few sightings over the past couple of months, though they are around and I can hear them calling nightly at the moment).
So very best to all for 2010!
Camera note: the starlings and the moon were photographed with the Canon 40D and EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM lens. I used the EF 400mm f/5.6L USM lens for the kestrels and stonechat.
cakkleberrylane
2 Jan 2010The lighting on the second to last photo is spectacuar! Also really liked the way you caught the starlings in all different phases of flight.
studio41
2 Jan 2010the second to last photo is amazing! I agree w/ Lois, the lighting & composition… great!! we've seen a very beautiful moon here, as it came out & then as the light of day escaped… I loved yesterday how it was shrouded in clouds/cloud vapours and the sky was a baby light blue- just gorgeous! nice shot of the moon here, Words!
gdare
2 Jan 2010What they said, the light on the edge of the wings on last kestrel photo is fantastic :yes:
anonymous
2 Jan 2010Nat Wildish writes:
These photos are exquisite – I've been following your blog for a long while now and I really enjoy the photos. Thank you.
wishing you a Happy New Year
RobinL
2 Jan 2010Fabulous shots of the Kestrel. Your in flight shots are so good that we almost take them for granted. It has taken a lot of practice to get them as good as you do!
CedarFox
3 Jan 2010I really like the stonechat. The fiery orange lighting on the bird really makes it pop out from the rest for me.
Words
3 Jan 2010Lois, thanks. I had fun with the kestrel. The one from last shot was taken as it flew into deep shade, with the sun behind it. I could barely see the kestrel as I tried to track it in the lens (it looked really dark). I had the camera set to a manual exposure which allowed me to keep the shutter speed high. I'm pleased with it though 😉
Words
3 Jan 2010Darko, thanks 🙂
SittingFox
3 Jan 2010Happy new year!
Even catching a glimpse of a stoat is something special – sorry to hear about the fox though 🙁
The photos are all superb. That full moon was a "blue moon" (second full moon in a month).
Words
3 Jan 2010Robin, thanks. I enjoy the flight shots, but kestrels generally make it quite easy. Decent height, not too fast, and quite often stationery in the air (though not on these shots).
Words
3 Jan 2010Jill thanks! The moon has been looking really sharp these past few days. I've been after a shot of it in the clouds for a while. I love the colours that reflect around it when it's like that.
Words
3 Jan 2010Adele, I'd love to get more shots of a stoat, but it will take either a lot of work or a huge slice of luck. I've been reading about the blue moon. There seems to be some debate about which of the two moons in a month is the 'blue' one, though increasingly it's seen as the second. I haven't been able to find anything on the origin of the term itself though. :sherlock:
And Happy New Year!
Words
3 Jan 2010Eric, the little stonechat was a nice sighting at the end of the day. We get quite a few of them there, but they can be quite shy.
Words
3 Jan 2010Nat, thanks for stopping by. I'm glad you like the blog 🙂 And a very Happy New Year to you!
Words
3 Jan 2010Hi Mickey! I didn't realize we'd had another lunar eclipse (I must pay more attention), but I did photograph one back in 2007.
Mickeyjoe-Irl
3 Jan 2010Great shot of the moon. Did you get the lunar eclipse?
Mickeyjoe-Irl
4 Jan 2010I tried to take photos again, but I just don't have enough control over my camera settings to get them to turn out. 🙁
Words
5 Jan 2010Mickey, eclipses are tricky. A tripod and longish exposures are just about the only way to pull out the colour as the moon reddens.
Flying Red Fox Blog
5 Jan 2010Happy New Year! great photos. 😀
Words
5 Jan 2010Hi Mark, and a Happy New(ish) Year to you :hat: