Everything is Permuted

Spring is edging ever closer (though we still put the heating on for a short while this evening). Down at the pond this morning the larger birds were noticeable by their absence, but a pair of common sandpipers were a more than adequate alternative.


The swallows were there as well, several of them but I would expect the numbers to increase sharply over the coming weeks. No sign yet of house martins or swifts, but they must be on their way.


Away from the water a linnet, singing lustily, was perched high in a tree.


Wrens being wrens tend to stay in the shadows. I almost missed this one hopping around at the base of a wooden fence.


During lunchtime I headed out to the fields. It's good to stretch and the lambs are now becoming quite boisterous. This one has a very patient mother.


And a portrait of another of the youngsters.


The real pick (and a very welcome surprise) was lurking on last night's trail cam footage. It's tiny, but it is undoubtedly a fox cub and the very first sighting of one this year.




Camera note: all stills taken with the Canon 7D and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens. Video from the Bushnell Trophy Cam HD.

Today was one of those quietly good days. There was nothing exceptional about it, but the weather was good, and the local bird life was putting on a good display.

It started early, before the sun had risen above the Downs, with a lively little wren. it was hopping in and out of the undergrowth, but paused long enough for a quick shot.


There were two cormorants on the pond, one of them happily risking the wrath of the local council by perching mischievously on the 'No Fishing' sign. As if that's going to stop a cormorant




Later on it decided to rest up and dry off in the shelter of the weeping willow.


The pigeons were settled out in the fields, along with a lone fieldfare. This is my first sight of one this winter. I was surprised to see it on its own as they usually travel in small flocks.


The last shot today was taken as I headed back to work this afternoon. I'd spotted the gulls in something of a gullish frenzy, and sure enough the cause of their concern soon made itself apparent. A buzzard was flying in relatively low over the buildings.


No recent fox photos, although there has been plenty of activity with several foxes romping in the garden late last night. The badgers are less frequent now, though the trail cam has picked up the very occasional sighting. I'm already looking forward to spring, when things will liven up once again.


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

A short post today, starting with a couple of shots of a male blackcap which is one of the few warblers I can confidently identify without resorting to books and search engines. They are mainly a summer visitor (from northern Europe), but a small number do winter in the UK.




Although the blackcap is hardly rare, it cannot compete in terms of numbers with the mighty wren, one of our most numerous birds (as well as being one of the smallest).




The final shot tonight holds the promise of more chicks in the coming weeks. It's a herring gull nesting on a roof at work. She's the same gull who featured last year, her 'territory' being of almost no range at all. She's a year round resident.



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