Archived & Upcoming Images of the Day
This White Wagtail (along with a less obliging Pied) spent some time on the warm roof hunting insects that come out from under the slates. This montage of (right to left) is very close to accurate for the first 3 frames (the middle bird is raised slightly over reality) while the 4th is moved left so you can see it swallowing the catch. All in half a second!
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A sweet moment in the dusk.
At this distance apart their whiskers must be entwining!
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"Clear the landing pad!"
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We remember this amazing cloud pattern, but even so our first reaction on seeing this photo was 'what a load of camera shake'. But its not - we have several of this formation in both Landscape and Portrait format, and they are all similar!
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6 Gigantic geese made of water mist winging through the dawn sky.
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We had been watching this male kestrel hunting over the hedge when we lost sight of him behind a hedge about 150m away. He suddenly reappeared but only when we saw these photos did we realise he was carrying off a rodent in his talons. He was fighting a losing battle with the left to right gale so the order is left to right, NOT right to left!
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This is probably the same male Kestrel 2 days earlier when it swooped by us twice. On this swoop obviously giving US a close look!
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Goldfinches recently started their Winter residence here, and this
one obviously considers himself 'King of the Castle Tree'.
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This is one of a pair of Carrion Crows that we frequently see in our patch. If you look carefully above the bird you will see a cloud of midges!
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That's a whole (if smallish) apple being carried away by this optimistic Grey Squirrel. The paths and undergrowth are littered with partly eaten apples nowhere near an apple tree.
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A Christmas Day Greeting ...
We spotted this juvenile Heron land on the grass outside the
kitchen and we crept into the dark kitchen to see what images
we could get.
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When it started to launch we expected it to disappear, but instead it fluttered into the edge of the pond. The camera was struggling with light and focus and the frame rate was only 2 or 3 fps.
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But he finally spotted humans altogether uncomfortably close (Herons don't understand glass!) and departed.
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A clear view of the golden corn fragment about to be nibbled to fuel this Fieldmouse (Wood Mouse) during the cold night.
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Synchronised Diving?
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The Grey squirrels are feeding and caching (hiding) food in earnest ready for the cold weather. 1.4C overnight 4 November already feels cold to us.
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We are not quite sure what this squirrels has selected to eat, but it looks like it tastes OK!
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This Tawny Owl made this catch at about 9:25 p.m. (in the talons without triggering the camera) and here triggered the camera as it flew away with the Fieldmouse (Wood Mouse) now transferred to the beak. The newly fallen dead twig behind the log changed the routes the mice use around the log, and may have led to a mouse exposing itself more than normal.
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Bedding for the Drey?
"Oh darn - its a double and I wanted a single."
It left it behind!
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Perhaps Squirrels are more dextrous than we think ...
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We haven't recorded a T-Moth (a type of plume moth) for 3 years, and spotted this one perched in a miniature evergreen outside the house.
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This prominent teats on this female squirrel suggest that she might still be feeding youngsters. Its past the 'normal' time of year, but changing climate makes a lot of such dates 'wrong'.
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Aren't I a handsome fellow?
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Aren't I sweet as I leap?
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Did the Leopard slug make a sudden move that startled the fieldmouse (wood mouse)? We think NOT.
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The Long-tailed Tits have finally arrived at our site (after being heard
in surrounding hedges for a few days). Here one was landing on an
overhead mains wire as another hung underneath the same wire.
This is about half a second of action top-left, top-right, bottom-left, bottom-right.
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A Long-Tailed Tit making it's twittering call before following it's companions - a group of about 7.
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"Can I have a little nibble?"
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This leaping mouse just makes us laugh ...
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Ear - Ear
(Look below the mouse's whiskers for the ears of a hidden mouse)
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Our images of mice mislead about their size - even a tiny sweet chestnut husk is large enough to hide one
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How do YOU eat a corn on the cob?
At this scale a piece of fruit demands the same technique from a fieldmouse (wood mouse).
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No manners these young rabbits!
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That's better - 2 young rabbits formation feeding.
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The Rabbit decides that the leaf high above is better than any near the ground.
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A handsome male Chaffinch seems to be flying over the food on the tree-stump - landing birds usually have a far more upright posture as they aerobrake.
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A striking spread of wings from a departing male Chaffinch. We just love the green back you don't normally see clearly.
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Our first sighting of any Wagtails since May 2013 included 2 (of the 3 species we see here) within 3 minutes. This is a 'White Wagtail" - with an - err - Grey back!
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Our first sighting of any Wagtails since May 2013 included 2 (of the 3 species we see here) within 3 minutes. This is the more common 'Pied Wagtail' with a black back.
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Happenings in the Night: A field mouse jump downs from the log surrounded by various slugs and autumn debris
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Happenings in the Night: Whee!
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Happenings in the Night:
Only the camera 'saw' these leaves blowing about near midnight.
For you Quantum physicists - did the leaves only blow about when we
saw the image on our PC screen - The Copenhagen interpretation?
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The Stock dove chick (In the broken Owl box) has been changing visibly each day. Here for a change it was setting facing to our right on a different piece of it's own horrendous dung heap!
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2 days later backs to it's preferred position.
Next day, and thereafter the box was empty in what we assume
was a successful fledging of the Stock Dove.
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A first sighting ever for us - Brambling.
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Another of the 4 brambling we have started to see for the first time.
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We have only ever seen 4 brambling at once - so maybe this is a little 'family' group.
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This was first image in which we spotted Bramblings along with an assortment
of other birds (See image line).
Can't see them all? - the 4th Chaffinch top left and 2nd Bluetit
just a tail tip left edge of stone.
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A slightly half-hearted defence of the stone by the female chaffinch on the left by the Great Tit coming in to land.
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This single stock Dove chick in a broken Owl nest box is now mostly feathered, but a couple of tail feathers are still in pin (sheathed). This is also known as a Blood Feather which provides a blood supply to the growing feather.
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A detail of the Stock Dove chick showing two remaining tail feathers 'in pin'.
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"I see You"
(c) James Cameron from 'Avatar'?
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This juvenile Heron (no yellow upper beak or crest) made a flyover in gentle sunlight.
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This juvenile Heron (no yellow upper beak or crest) made a flyover in gentle sunlight. In this montage at 4 fps (spaced more closely than reality) the bird moved from a glide to flapping flight.
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This juvenile Heron (no yellow upper beak or crest) made a flyover in gentle sunlight.
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This spider has this Cranefly caught in its 'invisible' web at the edge of a pond. We never really could get a good angle but this should give you an idea. The Cranefly has the long body and the much smaller spider is attacking the cranefly's head end.
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Moi - vermin?
Yes - Grey Squirrels can be a major problem but for us they
not (yet) and they are fun to watch.
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An old female Common Darter dragonfly using a teasel as a perch. This image shows the hairy body rather well.
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Courting, Fieldmouse (Wood Mouse) style?
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