{"id":1582,"date":"2010-03-02T00:03:21","date_gmt":"2010-03-02T00:03:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.permuted.org.uk\/photography\/archives\/1582"},"modified":"2013-11-11T19:27:21","modified_gmt":"2013-11-11T19:27:21","slug":"rapt-a-tention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.permuted.org.uk\/photography\/rapt-a-tention\/","title":{"rendered":"Rapt(a)tention"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

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After all my recent moans about the weather, today was beautiful. In the early morning I watched the yellowhammers flitting from tree to tree, rabbits out in the fields; but it was lunchtime that proved special.<\/p>\n

High above the campus, the gulls were screeching and circling. Something had disturbed them; and that something proved to be a group of four buzzards, circling languidly overhead :faint: I watched, and slowly they headed in my direction…
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They were there for about 10 minutes, mainly staying in two pairs so I didn't manage to get a shot of all four together. They eventually tired of the attention of the gulls and swept away to the north. I headed back to my office, pausing by a small wood by the car park. Small birds (chaffinches, blue tits, a goldfinch) were flitting in the trees. A flock of collared doves took the the air. And then I saw why… a sparrowhawk was prowling the skies.<\/span> <\/p>\n

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It swooped low into the woods two or three times while I was watching, too fast for a photo. I didn't see if its hunt was successful, but an amazing sight to see so close.
\"Nature<\/a><\/span>
Camera note: all shots taken with the Canon 40D and EF 100-400mm f\/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[990],"tags":[179,1154,471],"class_list":["post-1582","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bird-of-prey","tag-buzzard","tag-sparrowhawk","tag-yellowhammer","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t