Birds on the Sussex Downs
Saturday, 10. October 2009, 22:42:43
The inconsistency of English weather is almost the only consistent thing about it. Today we had sunshine. A few gulls were noisily roof hopping along the gardens, and a sparrowhawk glided serenely overhead while I was bagging up some garden cuttings.
A squirrel was flitting back and forth along the fence, and a goldfinch rested briefly in the trees.
Later I headed out to the Downs, to the start of the Castle Hill nature reserve. A beautiful spot and one I should explore more often. The kestrels were out, hovering over the edge of the valley.
Down below, a small flock of magpies were raucously making their presence known.
While in the distance a lone pheasant was grazing the rich pickings in the fields.
The crows meanwhile were fence-post hopping.
There were sheep on the hills, and a few cattle. The herd of ponies we saw a week or so ago were still there too.
Up above, the skylarks were singing.
And the vibrant yellowhammers were busily flying from tree to tree.
All told, a perfect autumn afternoon.
Camera note: all shots taken with the Canon 40D and EF 400mm f/5.6L USM lens.
A squirrel was flitting back and forth along the fence, and a goldfinch rested briefly in the trees.
Later I headed out to the Downs, to the start of the Castle Hill nature reserve. A beautiful spot and one I should explore more often. The kestrels were out, hovering over the edge of the valley.
Down below, a small flock of magpies were raucously making their presence known.
While in the distance a lone pheasant was grazing the rich pickings in the fields.
The crows meanwhile were fence-post hopping.
There were sheep on the hills, and a few cattle. The herd of ponies we saw a week or so ago were still there too.
Up above, the skylarks were singing.
And the vibrant yellowhammers were busily flying from tree to tree.
All told, a perfect autumn afternoon.
Camera note: all shots taken with the Canon 40D and EF 400mm f/5.6L USM lens.
WIDGETIZE