Category Archives: Birds

Time for Feathers (and just a hint of fur)

September 25, 2013 by Words | Comments Off

Once again it was very foggy this morning, but despite the conditions I headed to the pond. As you can see the conditions were – let’s say – sub-optimal.

Grey heron in early morning mist

The skies had cleared by mid-morning. The small flock of greylag geese were in typically rumbustious mood.

Greylag geese

Greylag geese

There was the briefest hint of some sunshine too. The Muscovy ducks (known as ‘ugly ducks’ locally), were enjoying a drink out on the island in the centre of the pond.

Pair of Muscovy ducks

And of course there are always the mallards and the herring gulls…

duck,gull and rat

The gull took off as I edged in for a closer look. The duck and the rat (yes, a hint of fur) were rather more preoccupied with foraging.

duck and rat

duck and rat

duck and rat

Tonight’s final shot is a cute family portrait!

Adult and juvenile brown rats

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

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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.

Also posted in Behaviour, rats, Wildlife 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.

Also posted in Behaviour, rats, Wildlife Tagged , , , , |