First proper post of the year

So this is my first proper post of the year, but I'm going to start with a photo I took on the last day of December. There are more shots in the December Birds album, but this is my favourite.

dunnock

As for 2008, well it's been a grey, damp start to the year but it gave me a chance to take some more macro shots.

spider

An elegant spider Zygiella x-notata

caterpillar

Caterpillar

I did get out to the Downs this morning. It was very quiet indeed, though some early morning golfers were working off hangovers and moving slowly up the course running alongside the path. Yellowhammers were flitting between between bushes.

yellowhammer

Yellowhammers

There weren't any raptors about (I saw a peregrine a few days ago), but the stonechats are very visible at the moment. They're flighty little things, but this male was kind enough to pose for few shots.

stonechat

Stonechat (male)

And of course, no New Year would be quite the same without a fox.

fox

The old dog fox take the biscuit.

Camera note: macros taken with the Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG macro and extension tubes and EM-140 DG ring flash; birds taken with the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS; and the fox with the EF 24-105 F4L IS USM lens.

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This Post Has 9 Comments

  1. Words

    2 Jan 2008

    There are some nice colonies of yellowhammers out on the local Downs. They tend to keep on shrub out of camera range though. Same with the stonechats. They'll perch neatly on the fence. You just about get in range and they flit another 20 yards further down the path. I'm puzzled by the caterpillars. We're not exactly swarming with them, but they are certainly around. I've seen three or four in the past couple of weeks.

  2. SittingFox

    2 Jan 2008

    Beautiful bird pictures. It's nice to see yellowhammers in their preferred environment! And I do wish that I had local stonechats! 🙂

    Great shot of the spider. Isn't it a rather strange time of year to be seeing caterpillars though? :confused: Winter doesn't seem to have reacehd your garden yet!

  3. ALLY_G

    3 Jan 2008

    Great photos!
    I'm surprised, that you can find living spiders and caterpillars at this time of year. :eyes: But perhaps this is normal in England, because the winter isn't very cold there…

  4. chthoniid

    3 Jan 2008

    That's a very nice shot of the caterpillar's head. Well done :up: I"m impressed with the sharpness of the bird on the feeder as well- and it is a very nice pose!

  5. Flying Red Fox Blog

    3 Jan 2008

    Nice pics, lets hope 2008 sees more of the same:D I think Winter has forgotten to come again lol:P Maybe Global Warmig has something to do with it perhaps?

    The last time Bognor had really significant snowfall, in the pics i saw of when i was about 5 years old in 1985 (i was looking at some family old photo albums) there was so much snow that we went sledging on the Downs and about 30 cms of in on the seafront with a partially frozen shore!!!!

    I think thats probably a thing of the past because i have never seen anything like that that i can remember. Snow is forecasted today but i havent seen any.

  6. SittingFox

    3 Jan 2008

    It's been snowing here, but it hasn't settled :right:

  7. Words

    4 Jan 2008

    Adele. Likewise. The merest hint of snow really.

  8. Words

    4 Jan 2008

    Elke, yes it's very mild in England at the moment (even when it snows).

  9. Words

    4 Jan 2008

    Mark, we do seem to have had unusually mild winters in recent years. I can't remember the last really heavy snow, but it would be nice to get some :smurf:

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