Small birds, a small mammal, and some cows

By Paul Cecil | Published December 3, 2008

The day started beautifully. Blue skies and sunshine. It was cold, but that really doesn't matter too much when you are greeted by scenes like this:

There were wild pheasants feeding. You need to look closely. The others were even further away.

I even saw a green woodpecker, though once again you will have to look closely to spot it.
Green woodpecker, camouflaged

And a rabbit, running for the cover of the woods.
Run rabbit, run

But good things don't last, and by the time I could get outside in the middle of the day, the weather had closed in. It was dull, and wet. The cattle didn't seem to mind though.
In the rain

Looking at you

As for the birds… they were attempting to keep dry though the trees provided little in the way of shelter from the drizzle.
Great tit

There are more of the cattle in the 'Cattle' album (I was never one for imaginative titles).
Nature Blog Network
Camera note: all shots taken with the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens.

This entry was posted in Birds, Cattle, Farming, Landscape, rabbit, South Downs National Park and tagged , , .

12 Comments

  1. Vulpes vulpes December 3, 2008 at 1:12 am #

    I nearly went blind looking for that green woodpecker! 😮 😀

  2. Dudley December 3, 2008 at 3:12 am #

    @Vulpes
    😆

  3. gdare December 3, 2008 at 5:12 am #

    Good camouflage, indeed :up:

  4. Words December 3, 2008 at 7:12 am #

    Andy, :cheers:

  5. Words December 3, 2008 at 7:12 am #

    Vulpes, LOL! It took me a moment to find it in the shot when I got it out of the camera. It's actually mid-flight, heading for the larger branch just above.

  6. Words December 3, 2008 at 7:12 am #

    Darko, thanks! Surprising given how bright the colours are.

  7. cakkleberrylane December 3, 2008 at 2:12 pm #

    Gret photos. The one of the rabbit is interesting in that it shows the position of his legs. The green woodpecker is really unusual, we only seem to have the red headed or red bellied variety.

  8. Words December 3, 2008 at 9:12 pm #

    Lois, I was pleased to get the rabbit mid-run like that. The woodpecker is one of our most common, though like all of them it's incredibly shy and has a knack for being on the blind-side of every tree.

  9. SittingFox December 3, 2008 at 10:12 pm #

    LOL, that ranks as one of the hardest I-spy challenges that I've seen on Opera :ko:

    Glad you got out this morning! I just had to watch the sunrise through the condensation-covered bus window…

  10. Words December 4, 2008 at 9:12 pm #

    Adele, even now I know where it is I still don't always see it.

  11. chthoniid December 8, 2008 at 10:12 pm #

    Hmm, I spotted the woodpecker quickly.

    I still don't like rabbits ;), but it's a great action shot.

  12. Words December 8, 2008 at 11:12 pm #

    Eagle eyes! I'd like to get one like that of the rabbit but from about 30 yards closer!