This is a bit of a catch-up post. We're still suffering from miserable summer weather, with more than our fair share of overcast days, but I did manage to get out this weekend with some decent results.
Yesterday I spent about an hour on the local downs. Despite the poor summer they are as colourful as I remember.
Teasel is a favourite source of food for goldfinches.
As well as the goldfinch, and what I think is a female whitethroat, I also saw a pair of linnets enjoying themselves flitting over the fields. They were landing fairly frequently on some thick shrubs, and I was able to slowly close in on their landing site. The wind was moderate, and getting a shot was a matter of watching as the branches swayed, and waiting for the one with the perched bird to come into clear view.
That was yesterday. Today, the sun was bright and we headed over to Wakehurst Place. By which time the sun had vanished from the sky which remained stubbornly grey for the rest of the day. Not that the ducks seemed to mind.
The highlight though was under the even darker cover of the lakeside woods. A pair of moorhen were busy tidying their nest. We watched as one of them would return with a twig and pass it to its mate who would then carefully arrange the new addition.
And then the reason for their loving attention showed up.
There are more from today in my new Waterfowl album, as well as some from yesterday in August Birds, including more shots of the linnets. But I promised a fox update as well. We've had a couple of recent visits from the old dog fox, and on the 11th he was in particularly good form.
We've not seen much of his presumed mate, the bold vixen, but the other female has been putting in regular appearances. She can still be tricky to photograph and although she'll come in to the garden if I'm already out there she still remains the most cautious of the three.
Camera note: The photo of the downs was taken with the EF17-40mm f/4L USM lens. The birds were all photographed with the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS. Both photos of foxes were taken with the EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens.
Vulpes vulpes
17 Aug 2008Love it! 😀
Ukwildlife
18 Aug 2008Wonderful photos – I just had magical encounter with a fox, from inside my house. I had seen a fox run off from close by my house about 9pm (3hrs earlier than usual), so I stayed downstairs and watched the TV. about 9.45 the light came on a fox was just outside the patio door about 3m away. I moved slightly and it fixed its eyes on me and I could see it thinking "did that move? Im sure it moved" as I sat there dead still. It the walked off and I turned on the other light looked and couldnt see it, looked up and it had ran fast as anything up the garden. In facta s I write this next doors dog has legged it up the garden barking, probably in a (hopeless) attempt to catch one of the local Vulpes 😀
CedarFox
18 Aug 2008Great post! I love the shots of the little moorhen 🙂
Dudley
18 Aug 2008Great stuff!
Cynthia23
18 Aug 2008Well worth the wait for your new post! 🙂 Absolutely wonderful photos!
Flying Red Fox Blog
18 Aug 2008Nice photos, The Fox ones are really stunning 😀 I read in the paper today that its the wettest August since 1912! 🙁 Uusually by this time i have had several posts of the seaside up by now, none yet unfortunatly, which maybe just as well with those killer Jellyfish around! 😛 I want to try and catch a photo of one but i will stay away from it!
Words
18 Aug 2008Eric, thanks. The moorhen was extremely popular. They drew quite a little crowd as they got on with their domestic chores!
Words
18 Aug 2008Thanks Andy!
Words
18 Aug 2008Vulpes, thanks!
Words
18 Aug 2008Neil, that's great that the foxes are coming into your garden. They do keep odd hours, and autumn is a good time for spotting changes in behaviour as they start to sort out the winter/breeding territories. Odds are, the fox will be back so it's a case of watching (and maybe waiting outside for a better view). Nice one!
Words
18 Aug 2008Mark, I hadn't seen the reports about this being the wettest August in about a century, but I'm not surprised. Dreadful summer 🙁 I don't mind it not being too hot, but a little bit of sunshine would be nice. Thanks for the warning about the jellyfish. I'll keep my distance shoud they wash up on the Sussex coast.
Words
18 Aug 2008Cynthia, thanks. It's been a slow summer and doesn't look like getting any better unfortunately. I can't remember what it's like to go out on a properly bright day.
SittingFox
18 Aug 2008What a wonderful series! The moorhen chick is very cute and the linnets of course are great. And that Nicked-Ear visit has such a pearly-white chest and immaculate looks, she puts my mud-splattered foxes to great shame! 😮
As for the weather, well, I'm already in autumnal mood. It doesn't seem too wet to me, but then again this time last year I was living in one of the wettest places on Earth, so…
Words
18 Aug 2008Adele, until about a year ago linnets were, for me, simply a line in the old song so it's always a treat to see them now I know what they look like! The chick was a bit of a star turn of an all too grey day (even though it was dry). Somewhere I have a photo of the nicked-ear vixen looking decidedly grubby…. Found it:
More rain tonight, but it should slowly improve over the next few days.
SittingFox
19 Aug 2008Well, I daresay that she still looks neater than the Scraggly Vixen 😉
KayFour
20 Aug 2008Hi Words,
I spent a half hour browsing through missed posts. I have been seriously neglecting my readers, so I made a promise to stop by many of my friends to let them know I am still reading your posts.
As always, great great photography. I enjoy your images so much.
Words
20 Aug 2008Karen, hi good to see you here. Keeping up is tough. I run feeds of about 30 blogs here, so I sort of manage it, but only just!
gdare
21 Aug 2008That mallard is enjoying water so obviously 🙂
Mickeyjoe-Irl
24 Aug 2008The old fella can be such a ham. 😆
Words
24 Aug 2008Darko, yes it was having a splashing time 😉
Words
24 Aug 2008Mickeyjoe, yes indeed. He should be in the movies!