Author Archives: Words

Just Another Rat Post

September 24, 2013 by Words | 2 Comments

I left home in bright sunshine today. The mists were hanging low in the valleys, which offered some spectacular views of the Downs until I was engulfed by the thick fog. Visibility was next to nothing. Thankfully the mists had cleared by lunchtime, and life at the pond was much as usual. it was warm and sunny, and the rats were at play.

These shots were taken along the bank of the pond, which is now several yards from the water. The roots of the small trees and plants are clearly visible and made an ideal climbing frame for these young rats.

Rats playing by tree roots

Rats playing by tree roots

Rats playing by tree roots

Rats playing by tree roots

Rats playing by tree roots

While I was taking these shots, a substantial flock of swallows was swarming overhead. They’re leaving it late this year for their flight to Africa, but it means they’ll be well fed before they set off. Here’s one sweeping over the water.

Swallow

The closing shot is another rat, standing in the shallow water at the edge of the pond. It was lurking beneath some overhanging branches in a secluded part of the pond, and the light reflecting from the water made it difficult to see among the shadows. The shot was taken blind.

Brown rat in small pool of water

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

Posted in Behaviour, Birds, rats, Wildlife Tagged , , |

The Garden Spider

September 23, 2013 by Words | Comments Off

The common garden spider (Araneus diadematus) is one of the most familiar sights in our gardens as we move into autumn. These are the spiders that weave perfectly symmetrical webs, throw long guy-lines across paths, and sit patiently waiting for their prey. The large bulbous spiders are the females.

Common garden spider (Araneus diadematus)

They catch their prey in the web, but that’s only the first part of the process. Before they can feed they need to immobilise the victim with a bite, and then encase it in webbing. This greedy female has captured a wasp (to the left) and what looks like a grasshopper, though it’s hard to identify in this state.

Common garden spider (Araneus diadematus), with prey

Common garden spider (Araneus diadematus), with prey

It’s fascinating to watch a spider at work. The initial encounter is usually quite frought, especially if the prey is large or dangerous. The spider takes great care in its approach to avoiding flailing wings or stings. Once the prey is pacified, it gets to work quickly, wrapping the prey into a silky cocoon. It will often then leave the prey hanging, before going back later to feed. The final shot shows a spider with an encased moth which it had caught some hours earlier.

Common garden spider (Araneus diadematus), with prey

Camera note: all shots taken with the Canon 7D and EF 100mm f/2.8L macro IS USM lens.

Posted in Spiders Tagged , , , |

Birds, a Confused Terrapin, and more little furry things

September 20, 2013 by Words | 2 Comments

The sunshine brought out lots of people today, which put paid to any chance of getting some photos of the rats in decent light. That’s fair enough, and I took the opportunity to photograph some of the other Falmer inhabitants.

There’s a strong colony of jackdaws. They roost in the local church, and provide an appropriately Gothic feel to the place on misty days. On sunny days, they just chatter amongst themselves and occasionally tangle with the gulls. Here’s one taking some time out on a decaying tree stump.

jackdaw

Collared doves are not as numerous as the jackdaws, but are certainly mainstays of the local bird population. Slightly smaller than woodpigeons, they originated in the Middle East and only arrived in the UK in the 1950s. They are now established residents in the UK.

Collared dove

The last of the birds for today is a more infrequent sighting, a great spotted woodpecker.

Great spotted woodpecker

I’d not seen much of the terrapins this year. These are not native creatures and ideally should be removed from the pond. This one seems to be a tad short-sighted. I think it thinks its found a friend 😉

Terrapin next to rock

And yes, I did see some rats. They were generally keeping out of sight and out of the way of the (human) family groups enjoying the sunshine around the pond. In quieter moments they made fleeting appearances. The first shot is of an adult making a dash across some open ground.

rat

To close, a couple of shots of a juvenile rat foraging in the very shallow fringe of the pond. This was quite a secluded area, overhung by the branches of the pond-side trees.

rat

rat

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

Posted in Behaviour, Birds, rats, Wildlife Tagged , , , , |