Sunset at Piddinghoe

I must go for a sunset walk more often.

Badger

We had a photo shoot with Badger today. Badger is starring in a dog training/dog behaviour DVD that is going to come out soon, and needed some action shots done.



The title is going to be "Barking mad, or just barking?" Hence the barking photos:









There were other dogs walking in the area, as usual. This Weimeraner was quite the comic.






More of Badger in action.

Frosty - again!

The weather forecast people guessed wrong. It was a very cold night again last night, -6°C, and around noon it was still frosty! Brrrr.



Not that Zebedee minds.

Ice!

Just heard the weather forecast and apparently we are going to have another cooooold night of below -5°C, and it won't be until later in the week that we will have normal day temperatures of about +5°C again. But until then, I will enjoy the ice!














Zebedee telling me: "Stop taking photos and play with me!"



And the obligatory little birdie. Blue tit, this time. (How appropriate.)

Snow!

When I woke up this morning, it was snowing! And there was some snow on the ground, too. And it stayed! At least for a few hours... it really is below freezing now.



Some of you will be asking me: 'Was Zebedee excited about snow?' The answer is: 'I don't know'. He was as excited as he always is when he is running around "in the wild", and it's hard to tell whether he even noticed there's anything different about the outside world this morning. He was enjoying it, but then again he's always enjoying himself when we are out.



Piddinghoe pond was still frozen.



And the reeds still irresistibly gorgeous.

Frozen

Photos from our morning walk in Piddinghoe. First I spotted a little egret on the river.






Zebedee spotted a stick.



Once we got to the sailing lake, we saw that it was frozen! Couple of locals I met said they had never seen it freeze before.






Some dogs Z met today.






Couldn't resist another cute little robin...

Kingfisher!

No, not the beer. The bird.

I saw a kingfisher for the first time in England! I didn't even realise that they are resident here, so on Sunday, when I saw one on the river in Piddinghoe late in the afternoon when it was already quite dark, I thought surely I was mistaken? But no, when I followed it to look more carefully, I was indeed convinced that it was a kingfisher. And cursed that I didn't have my long lens with me, especially because I would have been able to get lovely shots of the grey heron to boot! Crumbs.

This morning we went to Piddinghoe again, with the long lens.



And after some frolicking along the river, ...



...I saw it again - the kingfisher! I couldn't get close enough to take a proper photo, but here is the evidence anyway.



Huh?
Well, that's how far I was from it. The above is the full frame taken with 400mm (x camera censor crop factor 1.6). Here is a very small crop from it, just to prove that it IS a kingfisher.



...and a few more shockingly poor snaps for further evidence.









Zebedee met the two working cockers along the river.



By the car next to Piddinghoe Church, a rather irate-looking sparrow.



And a cute, little robin.



In the afternoon we went back to Piddinghoe and walked to the little lake and saw grasses basking in the golden afternoon sun.





And saw guess who?



Slightly closer this time: on the opposite riverbank, so about 100 m away. Hope I can catch him/her on my side of the river next time!

Bird watching dog walk

Saw quite a few lapwings on our morning walk to Piddinghoe today.






All of a sudden there were lots of lapwings. Don't know whether they are playing or what, flying like that. Some sideways, one upside down!



Then there was a cormorant trying to get a struggling and wiggling eel into her mouth.



She was soon accompanied by her spouse.



For moral support, maybe.



Click to see the strange green eyes these cormorants have.



A little egret, hiding behind a yellow flower plant...



As usual, I couldn't get nearer to the egret as Zebedee scared it away. So I thought I'd shoot something that doesn't move so fast...



But I didn't give up. I turned back and walked for a bit, and there he was by the river.



The light was lovely in the evening at Castle Hill.