There was more snow overnight. Not too much, but some of it settled to provide a snowy white backdrop to the Downs this morning.
A few days ago I posted a picture of a black-headed gull midway to displaying its summer plumage. Today's gull has gone the whole distance, and I guess must be feeling rather silly about it!
Staying monochromatic, the next shot is one of many I've taken recently of blackbirds in the snow. This was at lunchtime today.
Earlier I'd taken this shot of a much smaller monochrome bird, a pied wagtail. 
And at lunchtime, this shot of a gull feeding frenzy. 
As for a splash of colour, I think this shot of a yellowhammer counts.
As does this shot of the tree which is situated on the pond island. 
The wildlife sighting of the day came as I was about to head back to work. A sparrowhawk flew overhead….
It landed briefly in one of the trees by the side of the pond. I couldn't get a clear shot, but this is still one of the very few photos I've ever managed of a spr'awk perching so I'm including it!
As a way of signing off the week, a final few shots of the snow before it's all gone.
Camera note: all shots taken with the Canon 7D and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens.
gdare
11 Feb 2012Yellowhammer is a star of a day :cheers:
What might be a reason why black headed gull has its summer feathers in the middle of winter?
derWandersmann
11 Feb 2012It's a native of New Zealand?
claudeb
11 Feb 2012That shot of the tree over the pond is hypnotic. And the last photo makes me think of a Zen stone garden. :yes:
SittingFox
11 Feb 2012Beautiful yellowhammer! :up: Is that herring gull stamping on the back of the black-headed or is it just an illusion?
Words
11 Feb 2012Darko, thanks. I was pleased with the yellowhammer. As for the gull, the colouration is technically a 'breeding' colour rather than a seasonal colour, so I guess that one is getting ready for mating.
Words
11 Feb 2012Adele, the 'gull stamp' is an illusion, but that's why I picked the shot!
Words
11 Feb 2012Felix, thanks! The tree was looking great. The light was strange (I took that early in the morning, which I think helps), and the snow has added that blue to the greens and yellows. The final shot was so simple.
Words
11 Feb 2012dW, I prefer your answer to mine 😉
Words
11 Feb 2012Erwin, thanks. Yellowhammers are always a welcome sight.
anonymous
12 Feb 2012TBR writes:
Your photo of the hawk is a good reference for all those who see a bird of prey with what looks like a white rump (from below) and automatically assume its a harrier, because hawks don't have white rumps do they?
In fact very often when seeing hawks from below, especially male hawks, the white underside of the rump is very showy – and your photo shows this perfectly!
Hope all is well with you here Paul – I'm constantly visiting but have little time to comment I'm afraid.
TBR
derWandersmann
12 Feb 2012Originally posted by Words:
Pinch it; it's not copyrighted.
derWandersmann
12 Feb 2012#6:
There was nothing to alarm him at first entry. Twigs crackled under his feet, logs tripped him, funguses on stumps resembled caricatures, and startled him for the moment by their likeness to something familiar and far away; but that was all fun, and exciting. It led him on, and he penetrated to where the light was less, and trees crouched nearer and nearer, and holes made ugly mouths at him on either side.
Everything was very still now. The dusk advanced on him steadily, rapidly, gathering in behind and before; and the light seemed to be draining away like flood-water.
Then the faces began.
It was over his shoulder, and indistinctly, that he first thought he saw a face; a little evil wedge-shaped face, looking out at him from a hole. When he turned and confronted it, the thing had vanished.
He quickened his pace, telling himself cheerfully not to begin imagining things, or there would be simply no end to it. He passed another hole, and another, and another; and then–yes!– no!–yes! certainly a little narrow face, with hard eyes, had flashed up for an instant from a hole, and was gone. He hesitated–braced himself up for an effort and strode on. Then suddenly, and as if it had been so all the time, every hole, far and near, and there were hundreds of them, seemed to possess its face, coming and going rapidly, all fixing on him glances of malice and hatred: all hard-eyed and evil and sharp.
If he could only get away from the holes in the banks, he thought, there would be no more faces. He swung off the path and plunged into the untrodden places of the wood.
Then the whistling began.
Very faint and shrill it was, and far behind him, when first he heard it; but somehow it made him hurry forward. Then, still very faint and shrill, it sounded far ahead of him, and made him hesitate and want to go back. As he halted in indecision it broke out on either side, and seemed to be caught up and passed on throughout the whole length of the wood to its farthest limit. They were up and alert and ready, evidently, whoever they were! And he–he was alone, and unarmed, and far from any help; and the night was closing in.
Then the pattering began. …
And #9:
Dulce Domum
Though he was born and bred a Scot, it always seemed to me that he (Kenneth Grahame) belonged to and in the South Downs … one of the strange "misplacements" of the literary world, not too uncommon, I might say. Any road, he left a monument of literature.
Thanks, Words!
Words
13 Feb 2012dW, can you believe that I've never read WitW (at least as far as I know). It's a nice piece, and very fitting.
Words
13 Feb 2012Doug, hi! I really hope to manage a rather better shot of the sparrowhawk at some point this year. I see it hunting quite frequently but always lose sight as it dives down after prey. At least I'm beginning to locate it perches.
derWandersmann
14 Feb 2012Drop everything, get a copy, and read it. Then read it again. By all means, if possible, get a copy illustrated by Arthur Rackham.
In his introduction to the book, A.A.Milne states: ""One can argue over the merits of most books… one does not argue about The Wind in the Willows. The young man gives it to the girl with whom he is in love, and if she does not like it, he asks her to return his letters. The old man tries it on his nephew, and alters his will accordingly. … "
serola
14 Feb 2012Beautiful winter landscape pictures 🙂 The very last picture is funny 😆
derWandersmann
14 Feb 2012Yes; it reminds me of those shots of the "moving rocks" on the flat floor of Death Valley, USA. I understand that a reasonable physical-science explanation of the phenomenon has been reached, but I can't remember what it is. LOL
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailing_stones
Words
14 Feb 2012Sami, thanks! It really has all disappeared now.
Words
14 Feb 2012dW, nice link about the moving stones. Very odd!
Wulpen
19 Oct 2012Yes the yellowhammer thats a nice sot