Category Archives: water birds

Christmas Nature Photography Outing

December 15, 2016 by Words | 4 Comments

I’ve been dealing with other matters recently, but I was back out with the camera today. It was a Nature Photography trip, one of the annual Christmas events arranged at work. A small group of us went up to Falmer Pond… always a relatively safe location for being certain of having something to photograph. And I have to say that the local inhabitants did us proud. As did the weather which started overcast, but gradually brightened up over the hour into a fine winter day.

The star for me is always the cormorant, and while he wasn’t being terribly active he provided a few nice shots as he rested on the small island in the centre of the pond.

Cormorant at Falmer Pond, East Sussex

Cormorant at Falmer Pond, East Sussex

Cormorant at Falmer Pond, East Sussex

Being Sussex there are the inevitable herring gulls. This one is a juvenile coming in to land on the water.

Juvenile herring gull at Falmer Pond, East Sussex

Another regular is this greylag goose, one of the small number who remain at the pond all year round (we have quite a lot migrant greylags in the summer).

Greylag goose at Falmer Pond

It can’t really be a Christmas photo shoot without a robin, and sure enough several were around and happy to pose.

Robin

The final sequence is the local heron, who excelled itself by eventually agreeing to perch on the No Fishing sign.

Heron on No Fishing sign at Falmer Pond, East Sussex

Heron on No Fishing sign at Falmer Pond, East Sussex

Heron on No Fishing sign at Falmer Pond, East Sussex

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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Late Autumn

November 16, 2016 by Words | 4 Comments

Things have been fairly quiet lately, but the autumn colours are providing a beautiful backdrop to the end of the year. This was taken at Falmer village today.

Autumn colours at Falmer Village, East Sussex

Autumn colours at Falmer Village, East Sussex

The heron was there as well…

heron

Grey heron sheltering under the trees at the edge of Falmer pond

heron

Grey heron taking flight at Falmer Pond, East Sussex

This week has also had a ‘supermoon’, this one being more super than most (they are not that uncommon) in that the moon was the closest it’s been at full since 1948 and we won’t have one as close again until 2034 (or something like that anyway). The best shots are taken as it comes up over the horizon, but we don’t get that kind of view from here. This was taken mid to late evening long after moonrise.

supermoon

Supermoon taken 13/11/2016 (just before ‘full’). Click for full size image.

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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Heron in Autumn Light

November 2, 2016 by Words | 6 Comments

When the mornings are clear this has to be one of my favourite times of the year. The light is great early in teh morning (but ‘early’ is late enough to be comfortable). The sun was up today and so I took a slightly circuitous route to work, stopping off at my old Falmer Pond haunt to see what was around. I was rewarded with a fine grey heron.

Grey heron at Falmer Pond, East Sussex

Grey heron at Falmer Pond, East Sussex

Grey heron in flight

Grey heron in flight

Grey heron perching

Grey heron perching

The fox is still around in the garden… and still playing the keep-your-distance game. I’ve stopped trying to get any closer. He’s happy, and that’s good enough for me.

The fox in the garden

The fox in the garden

Camera note: heron photos taken with the Canon 7D Mark II and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens. The fox was photographed with the EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM lens.

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