Kicking off this year's odds and sods with Starlings in a rainbow on that extreme rarity: sunshine.
It was early morning, with the sun barely cresting the tree line. We were able to get out for our morning walk as it wasn't raining. This photo is my trusty Canon 80D and Sigma 18-300mm lens zoomed in at 300mm.
Pulling back a bit.
And finally all the way back.
Oh, 2024 got off to a good start with this.
So far my cat, perhaps two neighbouring cats visiting our garden, a local fox and Tawny owl, and this trap have accounted for at least five of the beasties. Sightings of rats in our garden are getting rarer, so I think I'm winning. Two rather timid and wary rats, that I know of, are proving more elusive to catch. I've resorted to buying a lethal trap. The trap was triggered, yesterday, but no rat, sadly. Though a mouse might have triggered it, and was small enough to be within the kill bar.
90% luck, 5% field craft, 5% camera skills.
Like the bright Robin pictures. Bright blue sky.
A rumble in the not jungle. At the turning point of our morning walk is an unpaved track. There is a tree, quite dead, branches drilled out by woodpeckers, with other deep holes caused by major branches falling off. I've been watching a pair of Jackdaws (using one deep holllow) for some weeks, hoping to photograph them going into the hollow or out of it.
I managed to do so this morning, armed with my Canon 80D.
The birds were behaving a little oddly, this morning. Normally, one whooshes in and disappears down the hollow quickly. The other, presumably male, lurks outside.
This morning, however, both hovered around the entrance for a minute or so, thus enabling me to photograph them.
At first I thought we were seeing a territorial dispute between two Jackdaw couples. I have this on many an occasion.
Suddenly, there was a commotion, an eruption of Jackdaws around the hollow. Fight, fight, fight! I thought, and kept my finger on shutter release whilst trying desperately to keep focus on the hollow.
I couldn't really see anything in detail, it was quite dark under the tree, but the Memsahib told me shortly after I'd stopped photographing, that it wasn't a rumble of Jackdaws. This is what was causing all the rumpus.
Yep, a Grey Squirrel. There was a lot of flappity, flappity as they saw the squirrel off.
Though they didn't go too far. A quick check to see if there wasn't another horror lurking in their home.
Flying down to home.
And in we go.
I hope the Jackdaws didn't lay any eggs. And if they did, then I hope the squirrel didn't eat them.
Amazing captures Angus, their nest doesn't seem to be in a very safe place!
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr
Nice story, well captured. Well done Angus ...
Well caught Angus, you never know what's going to happen
Nicely captured Angus. We have a few colonies of jackdaws living in hollow ash and a big hollowing beech tree in the woods. Lovely job
Here’s my latest video
youtu.be/BGPWUOCRdMY
That's a good 'un!
Lovely
Thanks all. It was pure luck I managed these photos.
We walked past this hollow this morning. One bird was sat on top of the truck, above the hollow, sort of looking in. The other was at its usual station, on a branch to the right of the photo. I'm wondering if the squirrel has stolen the hollow for its nest.
Too many Grey squirrels around here, causing enormous amounts of damage. We've given up hope of ever getting any cherries, plums, damsons or cherry plums from the small trees we have in our garden. And as for strawberries, the blighters snaffle them up in an instance. I should cage the strawberries, but it's too much cost and effort. I'd rather wait for Tesco to sell 1kg boxes of English strawberries for about £4. Yummie.