Three Gothic Portraits (Jackdaw)

By Paul Cecil | Published November 24, 2008

Three shots taken outside my office at lunchtime today. It's a veritable haven for jackdaws which dominate the small quadrangle.

The foxes are still quiet (not true, I could hear them tonight), but the only sighting was a disappearing brush behind the compost bin first thing this morning. I presume the nicked-ear vixen was at the other end.
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Camera note: all shots taken with the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens.

This entry was posted in Birds and tagged , .

14 Comments

  1. cakkleberrylane November 25, 2008 at 12:11 am #

    Stunning portraits!

  2. Words November 25, 2008 at 7:11 am #

    Thanks Lois!

  3. Flying Red Fox Blog November 25, 2008 at 3:11 pm #

    Nice Jackdaw, i wonder how i can differentiate between a Jackdaw and a Crow as they look the same? The crow has a bigger beak i think or i could be wrong. 🙂

  4. Words November 25, 2008 at 8:11 pm #

    Mark, crows are bigger and have a longer beak. See here. Also the eyes are different. Crows have dark eyes, while jackdaws have pale/blue eyes when open. Overall the jackdaw is smaller and tidier (usually).

  5. Flying Red Fox Blog November 25, 2008 at 8:11 pm #

    Ah i see now, thanks 😀 Its been a nice day again, hope you catch Nicked Ear tonight.

  6. Ukwildlife November 25, 2008 at 10:11 pm #

    Great photos – these dark coloured crows arnt easy!

  7. Words November 25, 2008 at 11:11 pm #

    Neil, I'm getting plenty of practice. There's a nice colony of the jackdaws right outside my window at work.

  8. SittingFox November 26, 2008 at 9:11 pm #

    My favourite corvid :up: I'd take my camera to work, but I don't know what I'd find in my lunchbreak except pigeons – plus a pied wagtail on exceptionally good days!

  9. Words November 26, 2008 at 9:11 pm #

    Adele, they're wonderfully mischievous birds. And in this case, happen to share the space with pied wagtails. 🙂

  10. SittingFox November 26, 2008 at 10:11 pm #

    Nice shot!

  11. chthoniid November 28, 2008 at 12:11 am #

    Nice shots :), dark birds perching in trees aren't always as easy as people might think.

  12. Words November 28, 2008 at 12:11 am #

    Brendan thanks. It was a bit of a struggle, but they're full frame shots so the metering stood something of a chance of getting it right.

  13. Cynthia23 November 30, 2008 at 5:11 pm #

    Well done WORDS!

  14. Words November 30, 2008 at 6:11 pm #

    Thanks Cynthia!