Tag Archives: herring gull

Back to the Routine

September 8, 2014 by Words | 4 Comments

I’m back into the regular (working) routine again, which means more photos taken down at Falmer Pond. Nothing too exciting to report, though this young gull posed nicely for me.

herring gull

I will finish the long overdue ‘gull’ post at some point. It’s mostly written, but needs a couple more illustrations of one of the gull varieties. Meanwhile, instead of ‘Ratty’, here’s the slimmed-down version: a proper rat. this one looks quite young.

rat

The last shot (I’m keeping things relatively under control tonight) is a sunset taken this evening from the rear of our garden.

sunset

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

Posted in rats, Sunset, water birds Also tagged , |

Back to the Pond

August 18, 2014 by Words | 4 Comments

After a couple of weeks away from the pond, I was back there this morning and so were most of the usual gang. It didn’t take me long to find the local heron, hiding away under the trees on the wooded bank.

grey heron

The greylags were there as well. This one enjoying a good splash (as were many of the birds). It’s a ritual that is extensive as the juveniles lose their downy feathers and adults complete their moult. The splashing serves a useful function of cleaning the new feathers of dust and mites.

greylag goose

There were ducks (of course). This one was paddling in my favourite corner of the pond.

duck

I was surprised (but pleased) to see that there were even some late-season ducklings swimming about.

ducklingd

The gulls were there as well. These two young herring gulls were harassing the adult for food… with some success.

herring gulls feeding

British Coastal Birds

Up on dry land, the rabbits were in lively mood.

rabbits

I even saw a rat 😉

rat

I’m still working on the gull special I mentioned a little while ago. It’s grown somewhat but it will get posted soon (within the next couple of weeks).

Precious few fox sightings lately, though the trail camera is picking up their nightly activity (plus a badger or two). The cast of characters is changing. The nicked ear fox has barely featured in recent footage, but there’s a young fox (this year’s brood) and an older fox with a stump for a brush who we saw several months ago but has reappeared after a lengthy absence.

More soon…

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

Posted in rabbit, rats, water birds Also tagged , , , , , , |

The Hungry Chick

July 31, 2014 by Words | 6 Comments

It was a good day for bird spotting, with local sightings of greenfinches, goldfinches, pied wagtails. Even a kestrel. For once though the herring gulls are going to take pride of place. These shots are part of a longer sequence I took on the grass banks just outside the buildings at work. The gull on the right is a semi-mature herring gull (judging by the plumage it looks like a 2-year old). It was supremely uninterested in feeding the fledgling.

Herring gull chick and juvenile

Herring gull chick and juvenile

Herring gull chick and juvenile

Herring gull chick and juvenile

One bonus shot tonight. It doesn’t really fit, but I like it and I did see it today. I’d heard the green woodpeckers in the woods when I was over at Seven Sisters this morning, and grabbed a few frames as one flew across the fields in its unmistakeable bobbing flight pattern. The background makes all the difference to this kind of distant-bird-flying image.

Green woodpecker in flight

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

Posted in Birds, water birds Also tagged , |