Tuesday 30 July 2013

Sunbathing Carrion Crow

A couple of weeks ago, I surprised a male blackbird sunbathing. I thought it was dead, so contorted and stiff he looked, and stepped forward scaring it away. I missed a great photo opportunity as it was so close. Today I was luckier. On the way to work, I couldn't believe my eyes a Carrion Crow was sunbathing on the lawn, just a few meters away. I stopped, looking away and prepared the camera thinking it would flee, but it didn't. Only in the first two shots it is eyeing me, then it relaxed and carried on, sat, wings spread on the ground, head to the side, all feathers fluffed up, looking entranced as birds do when they sunbathe.




Monday 22 July 2013

Nest building woodpigeons

On a walk in my local park, I came across two different Woodpigeons collecting nest material. This is likely to be the second brood of the season. I stopped to try and get some shots of the second one. The nest was in a large Horse Chestnut. The Woodpigeon would come to the ground, walk to the pile of sticks that had fallen from the nest, peck them until one suited him, and then fly up to the tree. Occasionally, the stick would come tumbling down a few seconds later. I wonder if they were in the early stages of nest building and the platform wasn't stable enough. Usually one of the individuals of the pair bring the nest material to the other, which is sitting on the nest, and this individual arranges the sticks.
 I had a long session while sitting at the base of the horse chestnut. Every couple of minutes or so, I would have a chance to take a shot or two of the woodpigeon choosing a stick or flying up. The woodpigeon continued its merry-go-round taking no notice of me.