{"id":2163,"date":"2012-01-15T22:01:53","date_gmt":"2012-01-15T22:01:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.permuted.org.uk\/photography\/archives\/2163"},"modified":"2013-11-06T23:44:14","modified_gmt":"2013-11-06T23:44:14","slug":"winter-birds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.permuted.org.uk\/photography\/winter-birds\/","title":{"rendered":"Winter Birds"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

The title is not strictly relevant as all the birds featured today can be seen throughout the year. That said, a bright winter day is perfect for watching birds. The trees are clear of leaves, the birds are often slightly more bold than usual as they search for food, and the days are short which means some great light at a convenient time.<\/p>\n

The first shot was taken in the middle of the day from our garden. It's not often that buzzards fly over us; but when they do the noise of the herring gulls is enough to tell me where to point the camera.
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There were crows and magpies as well, but these next shots were taken later in the day in Sheepcote Valley.
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The valley is actually reclaimed industrial (and contaminated) land, but wildlife thrives there and it's a popular spot for walkers. The blackthorn and brambles attract many smaller species, including goldfinches and stonechats.
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There's one species which is especially at home in Sheepcote. The kestrel, and one finally emerged late in the afternoon as the sun was low in the sky.
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A last look back as I left the sheep to graze in the soft glow of the setting sun.
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\"Nature<\/a><\/span>
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Camera note: all bird shots taken with the Canon 7D EF and 400mm f\/5.6L USM lens. the final two shots were taken with the EF 24-105 F4L IS USM lens. <\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[990,980,1022],"tags":[179,44,211,1152,109,135,137,1139],"class_list":["post-2163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bird-of-prey","category-birds-2","category-sunset-landscape-2","tag-buzzard","tag-crow","tag-goldfinch","tag-kestrel","tag-magpie","tag-sheep","tag-stonechat","tag-sunset","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