Everything is Permuted

For a couple of days I was worried. The bold vixen had seemingly vanished. No sightings in the evening, and nothing of her on the trail cam. She's fine though, and for the past two nights has been back in the garden. These photos were taken this evening. I used the EF 24-105 F4L IS USM lens (which I picked up from the repair shop today). The flash was dialed down to 1/4 for most of the shots. Aperture was f/10. Click on any photo to enlarge it.

Gaping Mouth

Inscrutable

Relaxed

Detail

Reclining

Camera note: all shots taken with the Canon 40D and EF 24-105 F4L IS USM lens with the Canon 430EX flash unit.

We are being blessed by a late burst of summer. The temperature is mild, the skies blue (most of the time), and the autumnal colours are vibrant.
Autumn colour

The day had in fact begun with greying overcast skies, and a touch of rain in the air, so it was welcome bonus to find the sun out at lunchtime. The cattle were out in the fields, and at least one young male was feeling rather frisky.
Cattle

Others were behaving rather more sedately, sheltering in the shade of the trees.


In the distance a kestrel cut across the edge of the woods.


I followed. It settled in the tree and then rose again to hover. I debated whether to move across to get closer or to watch and wait. I waited. And I was rewarded when the kestrel tired of its hunting patch and swept across the fields to the wooded area on the far side of the valley.
Kestrel

I followed him for a while, knowing that in doing so I was heading in precisely the opposite direction to where I should have been going. But a lunchtime kestrel is a lunchtime bonus that is hard to forgo.

And this is the video from last night, when Bold was investigating the torch and trail cam. Quality is not good, but you can see her now quite distinctive limp (which I think must be permanent).



Camera note: all shots taken with the Canon 40D and EF 400mm f/5.6L USM lens.

Most of my wildlife watching this weekend was from the wheel of a car (that's the one time I don't have a camera at the ready, so no photos of the buzzards or kestrels that hug the fringes of the A23). But there was a low sun over the garden when we got back today, and a greenfinch was feeding on the mousebird-feeder.
Greenfinch

Overhead the gulls were circling, watching for predatory intruders. A kestrel flew by, but too far for more than a reference shot. The gulls proved better subjects as they came in to land on neighbouring rooftops.
Gull

The garden is relatively quiet at the moment, though the frogs are more in evidence at the moment. I think they may be politely requesting that I clear some leaves from the surface.
Frog

And a garden (well this garden) isn't complete without a fox.
The Bold Vixen

The weather forecast looks promising, and with the reversion to GMT the light should be that much better early in the morning for a few weeks more. I hope it stays clear.

Camera note: all shots taken with the Canon 40D. The birds were both taken with the EF 400mm f/5.6L USM lens. The frog and fox were photographed with the Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG macro lens and Canon 430EX flash unit.