A silly place to hide some food

October 18, 2017 by Words | 2 Comments

A short sequence taken yesterday of Pretty, the young vixen. The food in question is a ‘markie’ biscuit. She tends these days to take them away to cache, digging small holes in the borders (or occasionally the middle of the lawn). Last night though she tried some different. She climbed the garden hedge (about 5 feet high) and tried to cache up there.

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Thinking about where to hide this treat

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Near the top of the hedge, trying not to sink!

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Have cached… now scrambling down!

Not the wisest place to hide something… but I doubt any of the other foxes will find it!

Camera note: all photos taken with the Canon 7D Mark II and EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM lens.

Posted in Foxes

Sunset after Hurricane Ophelia (Brighton)

October 16, 2017 by Words | 6 Comments

We din’t get the hurricane, but the effect of Ophelia as it passed to the west of the UK was to bring some stunning weather events as it carried dust and sand from the Iberian Peninsula and the Sahara. Mid-afternoon the skies darkened as the dust blotted out the sun. People stopped work to watch as a dull reddish darkness transformed the sky. Later, the skies cleared and by sunset it was clear. But the colours remained.

These sunset shots are taken overlooking the South Downs from just outside Brighton. The tower on the left is the Whitehawk transmitter. To the right is the i360 tower reaching up over the horizon.

Weather following Hurricane Ophelia turned skies red with dust from the Iberian Peninsula and Sahara desert.

Whitehawk transmitter and i360.

A marmalade sky

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

Posted in Landscape, Sunset, Weather Tagged , |

October Ducklings!

October 5, 2017 by Words | 5 Comments

About a month since my last post and I really wouldn’t have guessed that I’d be writing about ducklings in October, but I am.

It was at my old haunt at Falmer Pond. I was there this morning before work. The heron was about, some greylags were congregating on the water, gulls were circling… and a female duck was taking four tiny ducklings out for a swim. So far as I know this is wildly out of season. Ducklings normally hatch in late spring to early summer, but these are no more than a few days old. They are either a very late 2017 brood… or possibly an early 2018 clutch! Either way, they were an unexpected delight!

These are Indian Runner ducks (or a hybrid variety). They are permanent residents at the pond (the first adults arrived a few years ago, and I think the mother may be a second generation pond inhabitant). The original adults were quite possibly domestic birds that were ‘relocated’ to the pond. With luck the youngster will survive and put on weight before winter.

Ducklings in October at Falmer Pond

Foraging at the edge of the pond

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Three Ducklings in a row

Duckling making a splash

And lastly a portrait of the local heron

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

Posted in Birds, water birds Tagged , |