Category Archives: Birds

Eastbourne and Rottingdean Views

An unusual post for me in that it is almost entirely focused on landscapes. My day took me across the county to Eastbourne in the morning, and then to Rottingdean in the evening. It’s a beautiful part of the country, and most of it falls within the South Downs National Park. The first couple of shots were taken at Seven Sisters, just outside Eastbourne, early this morning.

hay bales

sheep in field

Eastbourne itself is about 10 minutes along the coast, and I had a few minutes on the seafront before the start of the working day. The sun was bright, and the beach all but deserted. It’s less developed than Brighton seafront, but typical of many of our seaside resorts.

The seafront at Eastbourne, East Sussex

The pillbox on the hill is (was) part of the south coast’s wartime naval defences. It’s a tourist attraction these days.

The seafront at Eastbourne, East Sussex

This is the pier. I quite like it. It’s in better condition than Brighton’s West Pier 😉 and far more elegant than the Palace Pier.

The seafront at Eastbourne, East Sussex

And another view along the seafront, looking towards the pier.

The seafront at Eastbourne, East Sussex

Early evening, and I was in Rottingdean. The sun was still shining, but the views are very different along this part of the coast.

Coastal view at Rottingdean, East Sussex

Coastal view at Rottingdean, East Sussex

And just one wildlife shot to close. A rock pipit perched on the cliffs at Rottingdean.

Rock pipit

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

Also posted in Landscape, Seaside Views, South Downs National Park

It’s Been a Quiet Week

The beginning of autumn has proved a very quiet period for me, and the rain hasn’t helped. A small handful of shots from today, just to keep things going.

The first is a rather cute and fluffy pair of jackdaws.

Two fluffy jackdaws

Next is a collared dove, posing (as they do) on a gravestone in the churchyard.

Collared dove on gravestone

Finally, another shot of a young rat putting its head out to see if the rain had stopped (it hadn’t).

Rat at Falmer Pond

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

Also posted in rats, Wildlife Tagged , , , |

Differences: House Martins and Heron

A very short post tonight, with the theme of ‘differences’: of size, and of focus! The shots were all taken at Seven Sisters, near Eastbourne.

The first pair of images are of house martins. The conditions were poor, and I was struggling to get anything in focus as a small flock swirled overhead, feeding. Among the numerous in-and-out of focus shots I collected, were these snatched images of what looks like an adult feeding a fledgling on the wing. The photo is rubbish, but it’s a nice moment to capture.

House martins feeding on the wing

House martins feeding on the wing

The second paring takes us to the opposite end of the size scale, and the shots are at least reasonably in focus. The light conditions were better (it was one of those ‘variable’ days). It’s a heron, which is nothing unusual but I liked the open mouth in the first shot, and the watery foreground in the second.

Heron in flight

Heron standing in shallow water

And that’s that for the day.

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

Also posted in water birds Tagged , |