That has to have been one of the wettest Bank Holiday weekends I can remember (though thinking about it, the previous one was even wetter), and the weather is the reason for the lack of posts. It rained again today, but we did get a brief respite mid to late afternoon, which included some warm sunshine, plenty of activity at Rottingdean shoreline, and an early visit from our regular fox, Shutterbug.
Being Rottingdean, the fulmars of course were active. Several were basking on the water (a little too far off for a usable photo), but others were cruising the cliff face looking for potential landing sites.
The rock pipits were out making good use of the warm weather to hunt out as much insect life as a small bird can manage.
The gulls were unusually subdued. This one is actually yawning!
Further out on the water, s small number of common terns were fishing. Again, the distance all but defeated the camera, but it was great to see their steep dives as they sought out their fishy prey.
The sun lasted just a few more hours (it's raining again as I type), long enough for the butterflies and damsels to briefly show in the garden. This is a wall brown butterfly.
And this, a red damselfly; presumably one of the many that are emerging (unseen) from the garden pond.
The star, as ever, though is a fox: Shutterbug. He appeared while the sun was still shining, ambled around sleepily (I think he must have just woken up), rested briefly and then went on his way.
Camera note: all shots taken with the Canon 7D and EF 400mm f/5.6L USM lens, except the damselfly which was taken with the EF 100mm f/2.8L macro IS USM lens.
derWandersmann
8 May 2012Not a bad haul for a bad day, Words! The rock pipit is exceptionally charming, and catching a gull yawning is a little unusual.
It's a good thing the terns were so far out; they fly and dive so fast I can't catch them, here … I've only gotten one, by accident; he flew into a picture I was taking of a ship.
The butterfly and the damselfly are really excellent. I've never seen that butterfly before; he's a beautiful colour scheme.
Shutterbug does look lazy, doesn't he?
claudeb
8 May 2012Fox needs coffee! 😆 But he does look great in the first photo.
Words
8 May 2012Felix, thanks. It was one of his better timed visits. I had a suspicion he might appear in the sun after such a grey spell of weather.
Words
8 May 2012dW, I made up for lost time in those few short hours of sunshine. The rock pipit is semi-accidental. I have lots of shots of it standing there doing nothing at all, and several with it disappearing out of frame when it did decide to take off.
The butterfly isn't a common one for me (though it's not rare). It was nice to see it in the garden. And Shutterbug, he was no more than half awake. 🙂
gdare
9 May 2012Shutterbug looks like he will go back to bed 😀
:zzz:
SittingFox
9 May 2012Wonderful portraits of Shutterbug :up: A bored gull…that cannot end well :insane:
Words
11 May 2012Adele, Shutterbug was on form. And as for the gull, I;m sure its natural talent for chaos will have risen to the surface.
Words
11 May 2012Erwin, thanks!
Words
11 May 2012Darko, I think he would if he could, but it was time for him to go to work.
Wulpen
19 Oct 2012great