Everything is Permuted

The sun disappeared shortly before we made it out this afternoon. We headed for Castle Hill, a local nature reserve which is an archetypical downland landscape of rolling hills dotted with fields.


You can sometimes see buzzards overhead, but none were about today. You can always see kestrels, though it can be difficult to get close to them.
Kestrel in flight

On our way in we had spotted some kestrel feathers on the ground, and nearby rather more feathers from another bird. It looked as though there had been some sort of scrap between them (with the kestrel coming off rather better). There were also what looked like pellets on the ground, but I'm hopeless at identifying these and I could be completely wrong about what they are. There were two or three within a small area, near the kestrel's feathers.
Kestrel feather

Pellet?

Down in the valley we came across a small group of ponies. These are quite unusual on the Downs. We often see horses in fields (with and without riders), but I've never seen free-grazing ponies before.
Ponies

Far more common are cattle, though you need to be wary round these creatures especially when they decide to stampede towards the nearest watering trough.
Cattle 'stampede'

And of course, the Sussex Downs wouldn't be the Downs without sheep. These are by Balsdean Farm, part of a village area that was abandoned during the last war (it was used by the military for artillery practice at the time), and apart from a couple of post war barns (now disused) has all but vanished.
Sheep at Balsdean

Finally, there were the pigeons. Flocks of them rising from the fields, circling and then settling down again.
Click to enlarge

Camera note: all shots taken with the Canon 40D and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS, except the landscape which was taken with the EF17-40mm f/4L USM lens.

Well, jousting or rutting anyway (if cattle 'rut'). The local cattle are usually such placid beasts, so I was vaguely bemused when I saw them rushing around. I expect it of sheep, deer, and horses; but for some reason cattle running is something I can't remember seeing before (except in cowboy films). Okay, it wasn't a stampede, but it caused me to stop and watch for a while.











Camera note: all shots taken with the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens.