Ok, I'm not going to be side-tracked today despite having plenty of new fox photos. The little egret showed up at Falmer Pond early this morning. It's been around once or twice, but today it put on an exceptional show by circling the pond several times, and coming in to land on a couple of occasions. The visit was only a few minutes, but a perfect start to the day.
The egret wasn't the only bird on the pond. The swifts were circling high above, and the swallows were circling low over the water.
The younger swallows were patiently biding their time, waiting for food to be brought to them.
The long hot days are set to continue well into next week. We leave out plenty of water for the local wildlife (a life saver at this time of year), but even so they're feeling the heat.
Camera note: all bird shots taken with the Canon 7D and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens. The foxes photographed with the EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM lens.
derWandersmann
19 Jul 2013Words, that last shot is a real prize!
The swallows are what we call over here "barn swallows" … the speed of the wingflaps is shown by the blurring, while the body is sharp … those little guys fly FAST! and the wings flap even faster.
And I love the shot of the egret in full stall!
gdare
20 Jul 2013Yes the last one is great :yes: Also the egret: occasionally we see them in Vancouver, too. Nice contrast to the rest of background.
SittingFox
20 Jul 2013Great series of the egret :up:
Words
23 Jul 2013Adele, thanks!
Words
23 Jul 2013Darko, egrets aren't native birds, but they have colonized very well over the past 20 or so years. They're now quite common in this part of the country, and very striking to see.
Words
23 Jul 2013dW, I liked that last shot too. I have to edge around to avoid the longer blades of grass, but I don't like the grass too tidy. The swallows are the same as your barn swallows. I was struggling with the light (strong light at the fringes but also deep shade for most of the frame). The egret was the highlight to watch.