Tag Archives: fox

Badger Update, plus a cute little rat and a fine stock dove

I’m going to try to pack in a fair bit tonight as a way of catching up with myself. I’ll start with some badger news (old news for those who follow on Facebook). There are two badgers that visit regularly, one of which is a lactating sow. She’s considerably more shy than the male, but even a shy badger can’t avoid the trail camera. Here she is a few nights ago.

I’ve been working hard with the male badger to get some better poses and positions around the garden. We’re making mutual progress in terms of confidence, which opens up some good opportunities. This is a tiny selection taken over the past few days.

Badger

One of my favourite portrait shots of the male badger.

badger and fox

Here he is further down the garden, with a fox lurking in the background.

badger

Badger… black and white… makes sense to me!

badger

Badger in the long grass

Badger

Happy with peanuts

As for the rest of this post, the first is one of several shots I’ve taken recently of a stock dove. These look very similar to the more prevalent feral pigeon, but a slighter in build and can most easily be distinguished by the dark eye. Yes, this is an arty rendition but I did get some sharp shots too. I just like this sort of thing.

Stock dove

Stock dove (motion blur)

Finally a couple of my favourite little rats down at Falmer Pond today. They were out in force (five were running around at one point), but they do look cute when standing on hind legs.

rat

Brown rat peering over the undergrowth

rat

Brown rat on hind legs at Falmer Pond

Camera note: all badger photos taken with the Canon 7D Mark II and EF70-300mm 4.5-5.6 DO IS lens. Everything else is with the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens.

Posted in Badger, Birds, Foxes, rats, water birds Also tagged , , |

A Long Distance Fox and a Squirrel Portrait

It’s been a long time, and I’ve had little success in the garden, but today I did manage to photograph a fox. Ok, it was a long way away, but a fox is a fox and if it’s a fox it’s on this blog. I spotted it at the far end of the University of Brighton campus at Falmer.

fox

That’s an uncropped photo. This next one isn’t.

fox

Far from great, and even at that distance I may well have spooked it by daring to take a few steps in its direction.

fox

fox

fox

And that was that. More early morning fox watching beckons!

I had more success with the squirrels in nearby woodland that runs along the edge of the campus.

Woodland path at Falmer

This is the shot I mean. A squirrel portrait!

squirrel

Camera note: all photos taken with the Canon 7D Mark II and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens.

Posted in Foxes, Landscape, squirrel Also tagged , , |

One Hour, One Fox

I’ve just spent an hour out in the garden, hoping for badgers, dreaming of foxes (it’s been so long). One brief appearance and one frame in the camera; but that will do me for now.

Fox

My first fox photo of 2015. Rushed, too far away, but it’s a start!

Camera note: taken with the Canon 7D Mark II and EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM lens.

Posted in Foxes