Everything is Permuted

Ok, this is a rapid bit of catching up. After yesterday's excitement I headed back to the fields this morning. It was dull and very little was about, but as I was heading in to work along a country lane I noticed two unusual birds trotting along the side of the road. I followed them for a short way until they decided to cross the road in front of me. I stopped and grabbed a shot through the car window. It's not great, but sufficient to identify this as a partridge, most likely the red-legged variety.

Partridge

I worked through lunch, so have very few shots from the day, but this evening spent a little bit of time in the garden, photographing the tadpoles. They are abundant, massed on the surface of the pond.





While I was peering into the weed, I saw what appears to be a pair of near albino tadpoles, which are extremely rare. I certainly didn't notice any white spawn, so these may not be full-fledge albinos. And the odds of finding them again in all that mass are vanishingly low. Anyway here's the photo.

Albino tadpoles?

Later, while attempting to watch for foxes we had just about given up when I made one last check at the top of the garden and saw this beauty. She hadn't triggered the trail cam, but was obviously enjoying her sultana feast.

Hedgehog

As for the trail cam, last night's footage contained much of the usual clips apart from this sequence which confirmed my suspicions about a pair of foxes. I've posted this via YouTube for a change (Vimeo is playing up).



Now I just have to work out who is who from all the other bits and pieces I'm gathering at the moment.

Camera note: the partridge was taken with the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens, the tadpoles with the Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG macro, and the hedgehog with the EF 24-105 F4L IS USM. The trail cam footage was captured with the Stealth Trail Camera GL80.

Yesterday I included a shot of recently sprouted glistening inkcaps. They deteriorate very rapidly. Here's what they looked like this evening.


But never fret, there are always more sprouting!

Meanwhile, in the pond I lost count of the tiny young newts. They're only about 4cm long so spotting them amongst the weed isn't always easy. Nor comfortable!


I can't really count those as a surprise, but while I was photographing them something slightly larger caught my eye. We seem to have a lone (and very late, and rather large) tadpole in the pond. I presume it's one that's failed to metamorphose, but it was lively enough. There's another shot of it in my 365 album.


No fox sightings tonight, though the regular youngster was out last night. He seems to be limping again (left rear leg), but I doubt it's serious. He was standing on it well enough when I took this picture of him taking a drink. I've also had the odd glimpse of one of the other cubs over the past couple of days, so there are certainly at least two still around which bodes well for next year. No adults though.


Camera note: all shots taken with the Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG macro lens, except the fox, which is with the EF 24-105 F4L IS USM