Peregrine and Gull (plus some more of the fox cubs)

I'm going to start today with a photo taken yesterday in Brighton. it's a piece of graffiti on a phone cabinet, part of an on-going project around the city. The artwork (from what I can find on the web) is by Sinna Wun.

Now to today, which was mainly spent cutting grass in the garden. I use a lo-tech method (a pair of shears for the longer grass and a manual lawnmower for the rest), so it takes a while. Occasionally I look skyward to see what is happening, and to catch the occasional passing raptor. A buzzard flew over during the afternoon, but was too distant for a photo. Slightly closer (but these are still hefty crops) was a peregrine, being hotly pursued by a very angry – and presumably quite brave – herring gull.

This evening was spent in the company of fox cubs. Here are two of them scrapping over some peanuts.

A rather more peaceful scene played out over night. It's called So Many Mouths to Feed.

Camera note: all birds taken with the Canon 7D and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens; graffiti with the EF70-300mm 4.5-5.6 DO IS; and the fox cubs with the EF 100mm f/2.8L macro IS USM lens.

Tags: , , ,

This Post Has 9 Comments

  1. derWandersmann

    7 May 2013

    Lovely peregrine, Words! And I loved the fox-tussle.

  2. gdare

    8 May 2013

    Well, that herring gull look bigger and that was probably a card it was playing to :up:

  3. derWandersmann

    8 May 2013

    And they are excellent ærial acrobats … that helps, too.

  4. SittingFox

    9 May 2013

    Sibling squabbles! Young foxes can really be quite fierce, considering their size.

  5. derWandersmann

    9 May 2013

    They gotta learn sometime … and it also helps in establishing dominance-order.

  6. Words

    11 May 2013

    dW, thanks. I always enjoy seeing peregrines, though the chances of one coming close are slim.

  7. Words

    11 May 2013

    dW, yes it's all about dominance, though I do wonder whether the very boldest are in fact not the most successful. A modicum of caution might be a more effective strategy.

  8. Words

    11 May 2013

    Adele, I've noticed a few cuts and scrapes on some of the cubs. They really do have a go at each other sometimes.

  9. Words

    11 May 2013

    Darko, the gulls are very aggressive at the moment as we're into the start of the breeding season. They generally work in teams to keep raptors 'moving on'.

Comments are closed.

Close Menu