Just a short sequence today of a little bird with a big voice. You are more likely to hear than see wrens, but as one of our most common birds they are more or less everywhere. It’s just that they like shaded areas and tend to keep low and out of sight. Just now and then they will come out into the open. I spotted this one at Seven Sisters today.
Camera note: all photos taken with the Canon 7D and EF 400mm f/5.6L USM lens.
I’ll come on to the herring gulls in a moment, but I’ll start with just about the first thing I saw when I arrived at Falmer Pond this morning: a pair of herons jousting over a treetop perch. I was on the far side of the pond from where they were, and the sun (which was already getting set for a glorious day) was conveniently behind me.
I also can’t not show the Falmer Pond newcomers. Yes, there is another clutch of greylag goslings, and they look incredibly cute nestling in the long grass (what else would you expect?).
And then I headed off to work to check out how the young gulls were doing. We have nests on several buildings, but one in particular offers a great vantage point from a balcony to a nesting point on one of the green roof areas. When I got there, the young herring gulls were getting ready for breakfast (a regurgitated feast collected by the adult). Not pretty, but the chicks can’t wait!
Sated, the chicks then posed for a few photos.
Camera note: all photos taken with the Canon 7D and EF 400mm f/5.6L USM lens.
It’s been some time since I’ve posted any photos of foxes, or at least it seems that way. They’ve been around (as yesterday’s video shows), but they are prone to scarper as soon as they spot me. I’ve seen brushes disappearing beyond the fence or behind the pergola, but only occasionally do they stay still long enough to get something in focus. Yesterday and today have been something of a breakthrough (the mild weather may have had a part to play in that).
These first two photos are of ‘fox number 2’, one of the more elusive members of the tribe. I took these on Sunday night.
The boldest of the group (though still far from bold) is ‘Nicked Ear’. He is somewhat erratic, but of all the foxes is the most likely to tolerate my presence (at a distance). He showed up tonight and was in a reasonably cooperative mood (aided by some food scraps), staying for close on 15 minutes. That is something of a record for him. The photos were all taken from a distance 30 feet or more which stretches the capability of the flash to its limits. Still, a couple of the shots are passable.
Sitting in the corner of the garden
Cautiously crossing the pergola
Getting the reward
Now if only they’d bring the cubs to visit!
Camera note: Tonight’s photos taken with the Canon 7D and EF70-300mm 4.5-5.6 DO IS lens. Yesterday’s (the first two) were taken with the EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM lens.
