We're just back from a few days in Weymouth, a beautiful and rugged part of the south coast of England and a natural haven for wildlife. But this wasn't a photography trip and I only took the short lens with me so mostly I just have memories rather than photos.
Given the almost total absence of garden fox sightings recently I made some amends by three sightings of foxes from the train while we travelled down. One meadow fox, one on a railway embankment, and one crossing a garden lawn. As we travelled further west, the landscape becomes less hilly and approaching the Southampton area I had some fleeting views of muntjac deer from the train. There were also birds of prey, including buzzards. I did manage one shot from the train of these.
Other raptor sightings including a pair of low hovering kestrels, and a swooping sparrow hawk. I think though that the pick of the birds seen while travelling has to have been the sight of a raven on the wing. At least that's my best guess at an identification, which I'm basing on my initial assumption that it was another buzzard until I looked closer. The size is the key (and this bird was huge), and combined with the rugged black plumage suggests 'raven' rather than one of the more common corvids. That's a first for me (apart from endless trips to the Tower of London as a child!).
The one tiny diversion into my normal mode came when we took a walk along the seafront at night. I'd taken the camera with me to attempt some 'reflection' shots of the sea, and in the distance spotted a large bird wading in the surf. It wasn't a gull, that was clear. And as I looked closer through the dark I realized it was a grey heron grazing the shallows. With just a short lens getting a good shot was going to be next to impossible but at least I had taken the flash unit out with me so there was a chance of something. 
Camera note: all shots taken with the EF 24-105 F4L IS USM lens.
SittingFox
26 Mar 2008A night-active grey heron?! I didn't know they did that! The only one I've seen at night was trying to roost in a pine tree 😀
Congrats on the raven :up:
cakkleberrylane
26 Mar 2008Beautiful! The heron flying in the dark is positively amazing!
BitzyMe
26 Mar 2008Blue Heron, can't wait to see these birds again.
They are amazing birds to watch.
"Just Seeing".. yes! But sometimes that's enough???
Hope you had a nice change of pace and enjoyed the trip! 🙂
Vulpes vulpes
26 Mar 2008That's a powerful flash! Nice shots and account of your trip. I've never seen a heron at night.
Cynthia23
26 Mar 2008What a wonderful trip. A few days ago there was a blue heron in a tree on the side of the ravine in my backyard. The trees are growing on the side of a steep hill (?) placing their tops at about the height of my second story porch. I have never seen these birds in this area. There is a very fast moving stream at the bottom. Lots and lots of money and effort have been pumped in to cleaning this stream. When I was a child growing up, it was orange and nothing lived in it. The millions of dollars must be working or the herons would not be here. I couldn't get a pic cause camera is in the shop being fixed. Thank you for saving this glimpse of yours to share.
Words
27 Mar 2008Cynthia, herons are magnificent to watch but I only see them rarely. How great that they're coming back to your area. It shows the value of cleaning up the environment. I'm sure you'll get more sightings!
Words
27 Mar 2008Thanks Bitzy.
Words
27 Mar 2008Adele, I was surprised to see it and had to check that they frequented salt water areas. Seems they do! It was going back and forth for a while. With more time and the right lens I would have got some great shots.
Words
27 Mar 2008Vulpes, that was a first for me too. The hardest part was focusing manually, and trying to ajust when it took to the air!
Words
27 Mar 2008Thanks Lois.
UrbanExtension
27 Mar 2008It sounds like you had a great time in Weymouth. A great place, only down the road from me. I was interested in your raven sighting. Whereabouts did you see it on your journey? The heron was a good find as well. We've had loads of foxes in the garden recently, looking for food as if there's no tomorrow – plus a badger at 10.30pm last night (very exciting!) Jane
Words
27 Mar 2008Jane, I think I saw the raven slightly west of Southampton. It's not an absolute i.d. but the size was startling which is why my first thought was a larger raptor.
The heron was a delight to see. I'll check out your cam if I have no luck fox watching here. So far tonight has produced two wood mice, but no fox.
volkuro
28 Mar 2008Your grey heron looks a lot like his cousin the blue heron but I never saw one at night. Good catch!
Words
29 Mar 2008Cheers!