Category Archives: water birds

Cormorant

September 27, 2013 by Words | Comments Off

The cormorant is one of my favourite coastal birds. They seem so out of place, a remnant of a prehistoric past. They’re always a pleasure to see, and I was in luck this morning flying as one flew over the edge of Friston Forest and out over Seven Sisters Country Park.

Cormorant

Cormorant

Cormorant

Cormorant

Just one more shot today, in what is a short post. Shortly after the cormorant had moved away, a flock of Canada geese took to the air and flew directly over the A259. I often see them come over the road, but for once I wasn’t driving underneath them. I’s not a great shot, but it is typical of the views I get on this particular drive. You can click on the photo to see it in a larger size.

Canada Geese over the A259

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

Also posted in Birds, South Downs National Park Tagged , |

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.

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

Differences: House Martins and Heron

September 11, 2013 by Words | Comments Off

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 Birds Tagged , |