Everything is Permuted

I spent a long afternoon out at Sheepcote Valley today. It was surprisingly warm despite the clear signs of autumn which, according to some reports, is likely to be one of the most colourful in decades. Here's an early taster from Sussex.


The swallows are also much in evidence, feeding in advance of their winter migration. I'm keeping an eye out for the pre-flight massing along telephone wires (one advantage - possibly the only advantage - of living in an area where phone lines are still above ground).


It was while I was twisting myself in knots chasing swallows that a kestrel appeared. She was hunting across a wide swathe of grassland and only occasionally approached within proper range of the camera. It was worth the wait. This is a small selection of the hundred or so shots I took.










Now for some garden news. One of my favourite garden spiders has met her maker. Or to be more accurate, has fallen foul of another (much smaller, but more aggressive) spider. The victim had been happily inhabiting the washing-line carousel for several weeks (you can see the pole behind them), building and rebuilding large webs, and happily posing for close-ups. Sadly, no more.


We've also had a badger visiting. No photos as such, but I have uploaded a short video clip. I've also included a brief clip of me photographing Cheeky in the garden last night.



Camera note: all shots taken with the EF 400mm f/5.6L USM lens except the spider (EF 100mm f/2.8L macro IS USM).