Author Archives: Words

Desktop Cricket (photo series)

September 3, 2013 by Words | Comments Off

These photos were taken last night, while I was working on the computer (when I say ‘working’, I mean tweeting or blogging, or possibly playing with photos). To be honest I can’t now remember. Anyway, while I was typing I felt the merest tickle of something on the underside of my wrist. It was a bush cricket, calmly striding under my hands as I typed away.

I’m not sure how it got in here (best guess is that it hitched a lift on me when I’d been out in the garden), but they are delightful, colourful creatures and before I returned it to the garden I took a few photos.

Speckled Bush Cricket

Desktop Cricket

Speckled Bush Cricket

Climbing the plate

Speckled Bush Cricket

Paper Towel Ascent

Speckled Bush Cricket

I’m Brave!

Speckled Bush Cricket

errr… Second Thoughts

And this final link is for those who were misled by the title and were after a game of cricket… Desktop Cricket (game).

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

Posted in Insects Tagged , |

Lazy Afternoon Fox and Sparrowhawk

September 3, 2013 by Words | 2 Comments

I was going to include some photos from Rottingdean in this post, but to be honest while I enjoyed a pleasant walk along the beach today there was little really to catch my interest with the camera. Instead these two shots are left over from yesterday. They were taken while I was photographing Bully Boy. I see distant sparrowhawks fairly regularly here, but this one came in low over the garden. It was a nice sighting, and the shots are passable.

Sparrowhawk

Sparrowhawk

The fox in the title is Bully Boy, who is turning into a very lazy garden fox.



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Camera note: sparrowhawk shots taken with the Canon 7D and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens. Video taken on the 7D with the EF 100mm f/2.8L macro IS USM lens.

Posted in Bird of Prey, Birds, Foxes, Wildlife Tagged , , , |

Fox Time Again (includes video)

September 2, 2013 by Words | 6 Comments

It’s been a few days, but I’m back with a fox post again. Of our brood of cubs, Bully Boy is the only one who seems to have stayed around. We’ve not seen Pretty or Red for several weeks, but some of the adults still show up at night, so I’ll start with a brief glimpse of Nicked Ear skulking in the corner of the garden late last night.

Fox in corner of garden

The adults retain a healthy wariness. The cubs are still learning their way, and Bully Boy is quite happy to sit around the garden with us. These are a few shots taken during the day.

Young fox

Young fox

Fox grooming

And now some video…

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The last couple of shots were taken as dark was falling. I’d gone outside. Something seemed out of place. A fox to be precise. Bully Boy was happily settling down on a neighbouring roof. The shots aren’t great (taken without flash with a 100mm hand-held lens), but a rooftop fox is always a bit of a treat.

Young fox on rooftop at night

Young fox on rooftop at night

Camera note: daytime shots taken with the Canon 7D and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens. Night shots taken with the EF 100mm f/2.8L macro IS USM lens.

Posted in Behaviour, Foxes, Wildlife Tagged , , , |