I’ve been keeping my eyes open for common lizards for a while now. They live in the grass bank at the rear of the car park at work and spend most of their time hiding in the undergrowth. I’ve caught an occasional glimpse, but tonight it was warm and the chance to bask in the sun was too much for them. I saw two lizards along the wall at the edge of Watts Bank as I was leaving work tonight.
I was pleased to see the lizards, but the true highlight of the day came about half an hour later when I was nearing home. I was in the car (so no photo), but I caught sight of a stunning red kite flying low along the side of the road, just half a mile from home. It’s a busy main route which runs along the edge of the Downs, and the kite, with its distinctive forked tail, circled a couple of times before veering away towards the valley below. Perfect.
I hope this means that they are finally colonizing this part of the South Coast. It’s ideal habitat for them and it would be great to see them alongside the local buzzards, sparrowhawks, kestrels, peregrines and owls. I will definitely be looking for them when I next get out on to the Downs with the camera.
Camera note: all photos taken with the Canon 7D Mark II and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens.
Adele
14 May 2016Wonderful shots of a species that is surprisingly hard to find most of the time.
Words
22 May 2016Adele, this is one spot where they are quite easy to see. It can be distracting though. A couple of weeks back I was in a meeting facing the grass bank and spotted a kestrel drop down and treat itself to one. I have no idea what we were supposed to be talking about 🙁
Darko
14 May 2016When I was a kid, we used to play near old railway tracks and there were a lot of lizards, especially in the summer. Haven’t seen them for a while now, they don’t live in Vancouver area. Great shots!
Words
22 May 2016Darko, thanks. I’ve seen them occasionally in Sussex (and we once had one in the garden here), but they are very shy and do keep out of sight.