It almost felt like summer today. The sky was blue, and the sun shining. True the winds were fierce, but it was warm enough to take a walk along the shore line between Rottingdean and Saltdean.
This little rock pipit was near the beginning of the walk.
The herring gulls were out in force, but it was the slightly less common sighting of a great black-backed gull that caught my attention. Although superficially very similar to the herring gull, they are much larger and are among the most predatory of the gulls.
We stopped off at the cafe at Saltdean for tea, and a minor surprise in a kestrel out hunting along the cliff top. It is quite astonishing that they can hover virtually motionless in winds gusting erratically at 30mph and above.
Back at home the garden continues to be a fox cub playground. Here’s rough-ear (first picture) and the shy young male from this evening.
Camera note: all bird shots taken with the Canon 7D and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens. Foxes photographed with the EF 24-105 F4L IS USM lens.
derWandersmann
2 Jul 2012Every one a great shot, Words! Or "Every shot told!" as they used to say in the Royal Navy. Of course, they meant something rather different, but the phrase seemed to fit.
gdare
2 Jul 2012I like that one with fox behind flowers, you can tell that he is shy 😛
SittingFox
3 Jul 2012Very good collection – I like the light in the pipit photo and the kestrel is superb, and the first cub very cute.
Words
3 Jul 2012Adele, thanks. The light was actually pretty helpful for the main part of there was still plenty of cloud about to filter it, and you can get a good angle as it comes in over the sea. It is an excellent spot for photography.
Words
3 Jul 2012Darko, well I called him shy, but he's changing his ways very quickly. He is still more cautious than rough-ear and the little vixen Poppy. Maybe he'll turn out like the Bold Vixen (who started off life as the 'shy vixen' in all my photos).
Words
3 Jul 2012dW, thanks! I liked the little pipit and the way the wind just picked up a feather. The gull is such a magnificent bird… their wingspan is immense. It was good to have a little bit of decent weather to enjoy.