Rottingdean Life

Beautiful sunshine this afternoon, and the winds were moderate. Enough to get me down to Rottingdean again in search of fulmars. I was out of luck with them. It may be too early for nesting and yesterday's sighting may simply have been reconnaissance. The coast is, however, a busy place and there were numerous cormorants enjoy the fishing.

Down on the gravel beach, a young herring gull was making quick work of a crab. Feeding must be good as it didn't have to fight of any rivals and was able to tuck in in relative peace.

The undoubted stars though were the jackdaws. Large numbers inhabit the cliff face (sharing it with pipits, pigeons, and fulmars). Inevitably with such social birds, fights break out over which is the very best nook or cranny in the area.

There are several more photos in the Duelling Jackdaws gallery on my photography site.

By the time I left the sun was setting, and the gulls were gathering at the local watering hole (the local pub) which sits at the top of the cliffs.

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

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This Post Has 17 Comments

  1. derWandersmann

    28 Nov 2011

    That first shot is poetry!
    The jackdaws are amazing … and confusing, LOL.

  2. claudeb

    28 Nov 2011

    Not to mention the last.

    Funny birds, these jackdaws.

  3. gdare

    28 Nov 2011

    Yes, first and last :up:

  4. Cynthia23

    28 Nov 2011

    First and last photos are amazing!

  5. Words

    28 Nov 2011

    Darko, thanks!

  6. Words

    28 Nov 2011

    Cynthia, thanks too!

  7. Words

    28 Nov 2011

    Felix, thanks. The gull refused to fly, which is what I was really waiting for. But I got a nice little sequence of it.

  8. Words

    28 Nov 2011

    dW, thanks! Once in a while I like to have shots with plenty of scenery, and the sea is perfect for that. The jackdaws were great to watch. The photos work best full size as it's hard to see the detail (but it's there).

  9. serola

    29 Nov 2011

    WOW! Excellent pictures

  10. Words

    30 Nov 2011

    Sami, thanks!

  11. Words

    30 Nov 2011

    Erwin, thanks!

  12. SittingFox

    2 Dec 2011

    Love the sunset and gull shot! And the jackdaws…I saw magpies fighting yesterday. Maybe the corvids think that it's spring already!

  13. Words

    2 Dec 2011

    Adele, thanks! The gull was perfectly positioned, but it was the jackdaws that really grabbed my attention. Given the warm weather (now fast vanishing) you could be right about the spring in their step.

  14. SittingFox

    3 Dec 2011

    Warm weather? I'm wearing my Saskatchewan-proof coat up here! :smurf:

  15. Words

    3 Dec 2011

    Ah, the frozen north!

  16. Mickeyjoe-Irl

    6 Dec 2011

    Originally posted by SittingFox:

    my Saskatchewan-proof coat

    😆

  17. Wulpen

    19 Oct 2012

    Excellent shots

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