Author Archives: Words

Baby Moorhens at Falmer

April 8, 2014 by Words | 4 Comments

It’s been a few days since I’ve posted, a combination of circumstances, poor weather and very few decent photos. Still, a break is like a punctuation and so it was good to have something new to photograph. New as in ‘new born’.

I’ve been watching the Falmer moorhens nesting for the past few weeks. A nice secure spot, largely hidden by overhanging branches. I looked again today and the place was buzzing… with tiny little moorhen chicks. I counted 6 or 7, but as they were already up and about, there may actually be more than that. Here are a few of the photos of what I still think are possibly the ugliest baby birds on the planet… but certainly among the cutest!

Moorhen chick paddling

Paddling in the shallow water

Moorhen chicks

The lookout gang!

Moorhen chicks

On the nest

Moorhen chicks

Proud mum and chicks

Moorhen chicks

Feeding time!

Moorhen chicks

There you go!

Camera note: all photos taken with the Canon 7D and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens.

Posted in water birds Tagged , |

Friday Fulmars

April 4, 2014 by Words | 2 Comments

An unusual sequence for a Friday (from me at least) but I was down in Rottingdean at lunchtime and couldn’t resist a short walk along the Undercliff to see how the fulmars were getting on. The answer is ‘very well’. I grabbed a few in flight shots as they circled around the cliffs. Nothing spectacular, but there were two or three shots I liked.

fulmar

fulmar

fulmar

I’ll leave it there for today.

Camera note: all photos taken with the Canon 7D and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens.

Posted in water birds Tagged |

Mean Sheep of Falmer

April 3, 2014 by Words | 4 Comments

I’ve been mulling over what to post tonight and in the end have opted to keep it tightly focused on this small group of horned sheep that I stumbled across while out near local woodland. I could hear them before I could see them (cracking branches and so on), and it took me a while to work out what was causing the noise. I eventually found my way to where they were, and I have to say they presented a magnificently mean image.

Horned sheep

Horned sheep

Horned sheep

Horned sheep

Horned sheep

A makeshift fence had been erected to keep them penned in at one end of the area, so presumably they were being grazed in the wood by a local farmer. Whatever the reason for their appearance there, they looked great against that background, and certainly take the prize for the meanest looking sheep I’ve ever come across. And boy could they stare!

Camera note: all photos taken with the Canon 7D and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens.

Posted in Farming, Sheep Tagged |