Author Archives: Words

Buzzard, Sunset and Badger Vid

October 6, 2013 by Words | Comments Off

We spent today working on the garden. The big autumn clear-up. Our activity was probably the reason the foxes stayed away (though I now have a much better view of the rear of the garden, which may help me get come night photos), but I was rewarded with a fly-over by a pair of buzzards.

Common buzzard

Common buzzard

The blue skies turned red as the sun began to set, dropping slowly behind the main stand Brighton Racecourse.

Sunset directly over the grandstand at Brighton racecourse

The video mentioned in the title is from last night. A pair of badgers came by and helped themselves to some peanuts.

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

Posted in Badger, Bird of Prey, Landscape, Sunset, Wildlife Tagged , , |

Pretty Fox (Photo Special)

October 6, 2013 by Words | Comments Off

It’s always difficult to know what goes through the mind of a fox. They can visit regularly for weeks and months on end, and then disappear (or in the case of our foxes, they become shy and hide away). Pretty was the boldest of the cubs, a very regular garden visitor throughout the summer until she vanished. Until this week that is. She’s decided to return to the garden and has been in and out for several days now, though behaving more cautiously than when she was a cub. This being the weekend, I finally managed to get some photos of her.

fox standing

Feeling bold at the front of the garden

Fox hiding behind shrub

Gone shy! Finding a temporary hiding place.

Fox on low wall

Posing on stone edging

Fox and apples

Tasting the apples.

Fox scratching

Enjoying a scratch

Fox grooming

A spot of grooming

Sitting fox

Sitting Pretty

Camera note: all shots taken with the Canon 7D. Lenses as follows: 1) EF 24-105 F4L IS USM; 2-5) EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS; 6-7) EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM.

Posted in Foxes, Wildlife Tagged , , |

Greylags Take Flight

October 3, 2013 by Words | Comments Off

I can almost here the sigh of relief that I’ve finally found something other than rats to photograph. They were around, but so were the local greylags. Unlike many of the pond birds, the majority of the greylags aren’t permanent residents. We have a few who never seem to go anywhere, but the rest have a wider territory. There was a small flock resting on the water when I arrived this morning.

Greylag geese

Mostly they just swim around or graze on the grassy banks, but this morning a group of them decided to venture further afield which provided a couple of nice sequences of them taking to the wing.

Greylag geese

Greylag geese

Greylag geese

Greylag geese

Greylag geese

Greylag geese

Soon after this the rain set in for today, and has only just cleared away. The forecast for the weekend looks promising (for October), plus Pretty, the young fox, has taken to daytime visiting again so I may even get some photos of her.

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

Posted in Birds, water birds Tagged , |