Foxes are creatures of habit (aren’t we all?), and Pretty shows up at set times of the the day (except when she doesn’t). Foxes may be habitual, but they are also erratic. That said, she showed up late morning today, and again mid evening. A couple of shots from each ‘session’.
Camera note: daytime shots taken with the Canon 7D and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens; night photos taken with the EF 24-105 F4L IS USM lens.
It’s been a good while since I’ve posted a kestrel sequence. These shots were taken early this morning at Sheepcote Valley, just outside Brighton. It’s a great location for kestrel spotting as they hunt for small rodents in the grassy downland.
Getting ready to swoop…
The dive…
And away with a vole tightly grasped.
If you think that the rodent in that last shot doesn’t really warrant a mention in the blog title, you’re right. It’s an altogether larger (and by now very familiar) species – the rat – that I was thinking about.
I took these shots at lunchtime while discussing with a local University ecologist recent media stories of ‘mutant’ rats in Sussex. He was concerned about suggestions that even stronger wide-spectrum poisons are needed to control the rat population, and about the associated ecological consequences. Poisons aren’t selective and would impact significantly on other species, including the water vole which has only recently been re-introduced locally. There are also risks to predator species. Meanwhile, the local rats do seem to be thriving this year.
Camera note: all shots taken with the Canon 7D and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens.
With Falmer Pond now flooded, the rats have taken to scurrying around the exposed roots of the trees. This makes them more difficult to spot, and means they are in almost constant deep shade. But crank up the ISO (1600), ignore slow shutter speeds (between 1/30s and 1/160s), and this is what you get.
Camera note: all shots taken with the Canon 7D and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens.
