I was back in the woods at lunchtime today. At this time of year, before the trees have put on leaf, the light is surprisingly good. The wood itself is quite small, and semi-maintained. I'm in the process of trying to find out 'who lives there'. I've seen woodpeckers, a buzzard (once), various tits, corvids and finches. There has been a report of owls. Today I've two more inhabitants to add to the list (but only photos of one of them).
The photos are a treecreeper. They are moderately heavy crops as I was about 40 feet away from what is really quite a small bird. Fortunately the light was perfect. I watched as it climbed the tree (they fly down, climb up) and disappeared around the back of the trunk. I lost sight of it after that, but it was while I was trying to find it that I stumbled on the second of today's finds. First the pictures. 
As for the second creature (not photographed), it was a fox. 😀 It darted away through the trees as I stumbled across a small clearing. It looked in good nick, with a deep red coat. Other than that I know nothing about it, but I will be back there again soon (treading more carefully).
Camera note: all shots taken with the Canon 7D and EF 400mm f/5.6L USM lens.
RobinL
29 Mar 2012Words, I understand the Creeper is hard to get a decent shot of. So, well done!
derWandersmann
29 Mar 2012We have some sort of treecreeper over here, too, but I can't recall the name … I know the nuthatch is similar, but their more usual tactic is to fly up and creep down, headfirst. They are delightful little things and it's fun to watch them.
serola
29 Mar 2012Well done
anonymous
29 Mar 2012Anonymous writes:
You must have a heck of a good lens to get such clarity (3rd photo down).
Marilyn
derWandersmann
29 Mar 2012Originally posted by anonymous:
LOLOL … Yes, and Rembrandt must have had some really excellent brushes.
Sorry, Marilyn … I hope you know that old joke.
gdare
29 Mar 2012Nice little birds 😀
I tried to make a photo of chickadees but with my camera it is almost impossible. And they won't listen when you ask them to stay put, even if you beg 😛 😆
Words
29 Mar 2012Sami, thanks!
Words
29 Mar 2012Robin, I've struggled to get decent shots of treecreepers in the past, but the light was excellent. It will all become so much more difficult when the trees cover themselves in leaf.
Words
29 Mar 2012Marilyn, thanks. It's a decent lens, but it was really the light that made the difference.
Words
29 Mar 2012dW, we have nuthatches too, but I rarely see them. Treecreepers are not on my commonly seen list, so it was a pleasure to discover they are in the local wood.
Words
30 Mar 2012Originally posted by derWandersmann:
Ah, now I know why I can't paint. 😉
Words
30 Mar 2012Darko, thanks. Fast moving small birds can be a nightmare. Swifts in flight are a major challenge, but I reckon bats are the most difficult. Small, fast, erratic, and all done at night.
derWandersmann
30 Mar 2012Yes, but you can hear them when they fly … that helps.
SittingFox
31 Mar 2012Originally posted by gdare:
They answer to birdseed quite readily 😉
Excellent to find the treecreeper! They are very challenging to photograph, I know :ko:
Words
2 Apr 2012Originally posted by SittingFox:
LOL! Good point though 😀
I was really happy with the treecreeper. A clear view and decent light. Most unexpected!
Words
2 Apr 2012Erwin, thanks!
Words
2 Apr 2012dW, you must have noisy bats. Ours are all but silent!
derWandersmann
3 Apr 2012Originally posted by Words:
I've always been able to hear their echolocation, or at least the lower frequencies of it. For all I know, they could be singing the Hallelujah Chorus, supersonically, and all I get are the very lowest bass notes.
Found the name of our treecreeper: Brown creeper. Not very imaginative, but what the hell?
Words
5 Apr 2012Brown creeper is a fine name! I assume the bird is brown (though names don't always tell the truth).
My upper range hearing is poor anyway, so I doubt I'd hear even a bass singing bat.
Wulpen
19 Oct 2012Beautiful Photos