My worst ever shot!

Believe it or not I was aiming the camera at a fox. Not just any fox, but the first fox I've seen at work during my lunchtime forays into the nearby woodland and fields. I'd been photographing birds (a robin to be precise) and was just moving along the path. Some rabbits scurried through the woodland (too fast even to attempt to photograph), but as the path opened up into a small grassy area a fox shot across in front of me and headed toward some nearby buildings. I swung the camera round but the fox was away. So while I have to mark that down as a bad missed opportunity, all is not lost. I saw where the fox went (to a nearby building and down some steps!). On looking closer I could see that there were a couple of workings which look like the entrance to a den, dug just under the edge of the building. So I've got a pretty good idea of where it lives 😀

As for the rest of the walk, I had some good sightings of birds.
Robin

Pied Wagtail

Female Chaffinch

There were also crows, magpies, and from a great distance a small group of long-tailed tits. A blue tit was hunting ladybirds at the top of a nearby building.
Ladybirds, just above and to the left of the blue tit

But the best of the birds was last. I took a brief detour to the local dew pond on the way back and a pair of male mallards were out on the water. We don't often get ducks there, so it's always a pleasure to see them.

More of the birds are in the new April Birds 2008 album, but the fox won't make to my 'Fox of the Day' (though in many ways of course it is 😉 )

Camera note: all shots taken with the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens. I added the 1.4 teleconverter for the wagtail and duck, and the fox!

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This Post Has 10 Comments

  1. SittingFox

    1 Apr 2008

    Well, congrats on the fox sighting, even if it isn't yet aware that it ought to be appearing on your blog 😉

    Wonderful mallard in full-splash, and the small birds are great too. Interesting behaviour from the blue tit.

  2. Words

    1 Apr 2008

    I'll be heading back to where I saw the fox. There's a great vantage point where I get a good view across, so maybe I'll be lucky, though it may take some persistence. As for the blue tit, I think it's been taking lessons from the pied wagtails 😉

  3. cakkleberrylane

    1 Apr 2008

    You got some wonderful shots!! I love the little robin!!

  4. Vulpes vulpes

    2 Apr 2008

    Some great shots there – like the action mallard in particular! Hope you get to see 'Work Fox' again!! Good sleuthing! :sherlock:

  5. gdare

    2 Apr 2008

    Photos of a birds are excellent. As for a first photo, you have probably forgot to remove finger from a lense 😛

  6. Words

    2 Apr 2008

    Thanks Darko. I see what you mean about the finger, but it was more a wild swing of the camera and shoot and hope!

  7. Words

    2 Apr 2008

    Thanks Lois. That robin looks such a cheeky little thing.

  8. Words

    2 Apr 2008

    Vulpes, I'll be out looking for the fox, though I have my doubts whether I'll see it again. But hopefully the ducks will return. It would be nice to have ducklings there again this year.

  9. Flying Red Fox Blog

    2 Apr 2008

    I love the way how you catch them as they flap their wings, it looks great 😀

    Yay we have our own pictures back :yes: do you like my new one 😛

  10. Words

    2 Apr 2008

    Nice avatar Mark. I find it much easier to recognize people this way. I was getting very confused yesterday :confused:

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