Everything is Permuted

Tales of a South Downs fox... and other ramblings

Subscribe to RSS feed

Posts tagged with "Buzzard"

Buzzards, deer and goats

Friday, January 27, 2012 11:29:49 PM

, ,

There was promise in the air this morning. Sun rising over the pond, and blue skies overhead.


It stayed bright and at lunchtime I headed out into the fields.


Overhead I could hear the weak but distinctive calls of buzzards. And eventually I located them. Six were in the air.








As I headed out further along the (muddy) footpaths, I spotted a pair of roe deer in one of the lower fields. It's a long while since I've seen the local deer, though I always keep an eye out for them.




The biggest surprise though were a small group of goats, roaming free in a small wooded area along the edge of the field. Obviously farm animals, but very pretty and certainly not something I expected to see.

Nature Blog Network
site stats
Camera note: all shots taken with the Canon 7D and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens.

6 comments

Winter Birds

Sunday, January 15, 2012 10:49:53 PM

, , , ...

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.

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.


There were crows and magpies as well, but these next shots were taken later in the day in Sheepcote Valley.




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.




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.








A last look back as I left the sheep to graze in the soft glow of the setting sun.



Nature Blog Network
site stats
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.

17 comments

A Duck at Sunrise and other photos

Thursday, January 12, 2012 11:25:14 PM

, , , ...

Sunrise is still coinciding with the start of my working day. It's not that I start that early, but our location in the South Downs means that the sun has to climb above the hills before we are blessed with its light. Technically the sun rose at 07:59 today. This shot was taken at 08:10.


And it was some seven minutes later that the sun had spread its gold across the pond, to the evident delight of this mallard.


The richness of the early morning light even creates new species, such as this gold-tipped gull wink


It's quite a contrast from the middle of the day, when the light provides a blueish tint. That's a buzzard at the top of the first shot.




With the sun below the horizon, things are of course quite different. But the night has its own treasures, including the constellation Orion who stands high in the night sky during the winter months. Sirius (the dog star) is visible in the bottom left of the frame.

Nature Blog Network
site stats
Camera note: all daytime shots taken with the Canon 7D EF and 400mm f/5.6L USM lens. Orion was photographed with the EF 24-105 F4L IS USM lens with a 10 second exposure.

16 comments

Some Stray Shots

Monday, September 12, 2011 10:24:42 PM

, , ,

A day of high winds, and plentiful early rain. Apparently we (well, Scotland) is facing the tail-end of hurricane Katia; and we're getting the tail-winds of the tail-winds. So it's gusty out there, but nothing more than that; and at least the rain has been blown away. All that preamble is simply a way of introducing a few disconnected shots taken over the past couple of days. Nothing particularly special here but I doubt most of these would fit in anything too heavily themed.

This was from yesterday... a buzzard sweeping across the valley.


More sedate, but from the same day, a wonderfully elegant but shaggy sheep.


The last of Sunday's shots is a collared dove. I really should photograph these very pretty birds more often. We have lots of them locally and they are particularly distinctive by the way they nearly always seem to fly around in pairs.


From today, just one shot taken a few minutes ago. The clouds are racing over the sky, but every now and then it clears to reveal the full moon.

Nature Blog Network
site stats
Camera note: all shots taken with the Canon 7D EF 400mm f/5.6L USM lens.

4 comments

Around the Garden

Thursday, September 1, 2011 11:12:09 PM

, , , ...

A change of pace today.. just a few shots taken in and around (and over) the garden over the past couple of days. I'll start with 'over the garden', a relatively scarce sighting of a buzzard. The photo doesn't do it justice (the bird was too far off), but this was late yesterday afternoon and the light was amazing.


This next little one was spotted late into the evening. I'd noticed the bird feeder had been going down; and now I know why.




Next up is a ladybird who managed to mistake me for a sensible place to land. And stayed there long enough for me to fetch the camera.


Tonight saw a frog put in an appearance. A most upright frog, if truth be told, sitting very proud in the pond.


I can't really do a garden feature without a fox, and fortunately Shutterbug put in the briefest of appearances this evening, just pausing for a moment before disappearing under the fence.


As for our love slugs, these were taken yesterday. I've not seen any around tonight though.




This is a short clip...

Nature Blog Network
Camera note: all shots taken with the Canon 7D and EF 100mm f/2.8L macro IS USM lens, except the buzzard which was taken with the EF 400mm f/5.6L USM lens (and even that was too short).
site stats

12 comments

1 2 3 4 5 ... 9 Next »

Everything is Permuted

Technical

Top Blogs

Copyright

  • Creative Commons Licence

    This blog and photographic material is protected by: Attribution-Non-Commercial 2.0 UK: England & Wales

  • Usage Request

    Link for contacting me about using images on this site.