Category Archives: Birds

Lots of Cuteness!

June 11, 2015 by Words | 2 Comments

Summer is here (storm clouds threatened for tomorrow, but I can live with that). Anyway, today I took some proper time to watch the local youngsters… house martins and herring gulls.

These are a couple of the young martins, snug in their nest. There are several of these under the eaves of the row of cottages at Falmer.

house martin chicks

House martin chicks

house martin chicks

house martin chicks

One of the adult house martins on a flint wall below the roof.

The real local characters though are the young herring gulls. There are small clutches all over the roofs at work, but these two are in my favourite spot (by the car park), and are just hitting that stage where they look faintly absurd!

herring gull chick

I do art impressions: The Scream

Herring gull chicks

Herring gull chicks

Herring gull chicks

And the adults always keep a watchful eye on them.

Herring gull chicks

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

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Buzzard and Herring Gull

June 8, 2015 by Words | 4 Comments

There’s a lot of this going on the skies above Sussex at the moment. The buzzards are up high, enjoying the summer thermals and the herring gulls are in their most dedicated defence mode (young chicks to protect). The result? buzzards being chased all over the skies. These shots were taken early this morning.

buzzard and herring gull

Buzzard being chased or mobbed by a herring gull

buzzard and herring gull

buzzard and herring gull

buzzard and herring gull

And here’s one of the vulnerable chicks 😉

Herring gull chick

One bonus photo for tonight as I always enjoy seeing the Painted Ladies arrive from Europe. The butterfly that is. Not many around yet, but if the weather holds this could be a good year for butterflies.

Painted Lady Butterfly

Painted Lady Butterfly

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

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Pretty Wren and Some New Herring Gull Chicks

June 4, 2015 by Words | 4 Comments

Well we seem to have something resembling summer at the moment, and there is plenty to see in the skies around the South Downs, including a peregrine circling overhead as I arrived at work this morning. That’s not what I’m going post though (too far off for a decent photo). Instead here’s a short sequence of a pretty wren I spotted earlier in the week.

wren

Wren with insects in its beak at Seven Sisters, East Sussex

Wren

Wren

The new arrivals were taken today, just at the edge of the car park at work. It’s an annual event, and the adult herring gulls jealously guard this spot. They breed here every year, and usually there are two or three chicks. I haven’t been able to get an accurate count yet as they are still in that handy nesting box, but it won’t be long before they venture out to the main roof.

Herring gull chicks

Herring gull chicks

The last shot for today is one of my attempts at motion blur, this time of a collared dove (and again taken today).

Collared dove (motion blur)

Collared dove

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

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