Early Birds

The heat wave continues, and now, pushing midnight, the temperature is still in the lower 70s (20s for those who prefer centigrade). Early morning is the best time of day to be out. It's still relatively cool then, and is certainly favoured by the woodland birds. Such as this cock linnet, which was happily surveying the passing insect life.
Linnet

Another early bird was this vibrant yellowhammer.
Yellowhammer

And even the kestrels were out and about.
Kestrel

During the morning a sparrowhawk flew overhead (I could see it from my window), and the wagtails were hopping along the ornamental pond. But it was the butterflies and corvids that caught my eye at lunchtime. Precious little else was venturing out into the heat. I think these are large whites.
Large whites

Next a photo of one of the many rooks I saw. They were all rather splendid, but this one did me a favour of gliding by at a fairly sedate pace.
Rook

This last shot has me puzzled. I saw it in the distance, sticking out of the treetops. Judging size is always difficult, but it just doesn't look right for a crow. Is this a raven?
Raven?
Nature Blog Network
Camera note: all shots taken with the EF 400mm f/5.6L USM lens.

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This Post Has 14 Comments

  1. annoushkiss

    3 Jul 2009

    I was definitely missing your birds while I was off-line, and this set of pictures is a great present for me :happy: Every photo is very good but the rook's one is really special-super capture :up: The last one is a beauty whoever it is 🙂

  2. CedarFox

    3 Jul 2009

    The rook is wonderful, indeed! :up:

    Your weather sounds great to me. It's been way too wet and cold for my liking here.

  3. Flying Red Fox Blog

    3 Jul 2009

    Lovelly pics! Its been great weather, i had a day off yesterday and went to Heathrow Airport in 33c heat lol…… the Underground was… erm.. something else!!! :yikes: 😆

    Need the beach next time probably lol 😛

  4. gdare

    3 Jul 2009

    Photo of rook is great :up:

  5. Words

    3 Jul 2009

    Adele, I've just uploaded a larger file. I'm not convinced but it just looked out of place. I also keep hoping to see a red kite round here (there have been reports of sightings about 20 miles away so they're moving in this direction).

  6. Words

    3 Jul 2009

    Eric, thanks. We had a storm last night but it feels like it's heating up again. The garden benefited from the rain though. 😉

  7. Words

    3 Jul 2009

    Thanks Anna. It was a good day for the birds.

  8. Words

    3 Jul 2009

    Mark, yes the underground in the middle of a hot summer isn't great. But nice day to spend outside.

  9. SittingFox

    3 Jul 2009

    Have you got a full size version of that final picture online? I'd be surprised to see a raven on the south coast but I guess it isn't entirely impossible. Usually the best way to tell them from crows is to look at the tail shape (obviously, not possible when they're perched in a bush!)

    Beautiful. Love the linnet :up:

  10. Words

    3 Jul 2009

    Thanks Darko!

  11. SittingFox

    3 Jul 2009

    It's very hard to be sure, but I would have thought that a raven would show a thicker neck. I have seen one or two unreasonably large crows lately, I have to say :right:

    This probably isn't much help, but I know for sure that this guy is a raven! (The scavenging crowd that he was a part of lost a member to a hunting cougar halfway through my 2007 BC adventure.)

    Even after a lot of raven-watching in Canada and Scotland, I still really rely on calls and tail-shapes to distinguish them.

  12. Words

    3 Jul 2009

    Adele, you could be right about it simply being a large crow. I live in hope!

  13. Ukwildlife

    3 Jul 2009

    fantastic photos. The rook and linnet especially

  14. Words

    4 Jul 2009

    Thanks Neil 🙂

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