Photo Diary (2024-01-16)

So, it was time for another gentle walk around my local area; I covered about 2km on foot and took about 300 photographs. Some of the ground I covered was reconnaissance-based, as I was looking for convenient places to find birds of prey.

First up are the Carrion Crows (Corvus corone); this time, it seems to be just one of them high up in the trees, presumably somewhere near a nest.

^{"Carrion Crow in a bare winter tree": Photographer: @richardslater, F-Stop: f/6.3, Focal Length: 493mm, Exposure: 1/1000 sec, ISO: 640, Camera: Sony α7R V, Lens: Sony 200-600 F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens, Location: N 50º 47' 59.819", E 0º 0' 15.419", Taken: Tuesday, 16 January 2024 12:29}

^{"Carrion Crow in a bare winter tree": Photographer: @richardslater, F-Stop: f/6.3, Focal Length: 493mm, Exposure: 1/1000 sec, ISO: 640, Camera: Sony α7R V, Lens: Sony 200-600 F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens, Location: N 50º 47' 59.819", E 0º 0' 15.343", Taken: Tuesday, 16 January 2024 12:29}

It was great to see Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) rather than simply Wood Pigeon's up in the trees:

^{"Collar Dove in ivy laden branches of a tree in winter": Photographer: @richardslater, F-Stop: f/6.3, Focal Length: 600mm, Exposure: 1/1000 sec, ISO: 640, Camera: Sony α7R V, Lens: Sony 200-600 F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens, Location: N 50º 48' 7.111", E 0º 0' 28.85", Taken: Tuesday, 16 January 2024 12:44}

In between finding the Collared Doves, I did manage to spot Japan Airways Flight JL45 from Tokyo to Paris - I was amazed that I was able to read the tail number from under the right wing with my 600mm.

^{"Japan Airways Flight JL45 flys over Peacehaven, UK heading for Paris": Photographer: @richardslater, F-Stop: f/6.3, Focal Length: 600mm, Exposure: 1/1000 sec, ISO: 400, Camera: Sony α7R V, Lens: Sony 200-600 F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens, Location: N 50º 48' 7.537", E 0º 0' 26.932", Taken: Tuesday, 16 January 2024 12:45}

Back to finding the Collared Doves, they are much smaller than Wood Pigeons and far more timid. Very rarely see them in my garden; typically, they get chased off the food by the larger and more aggressive birds.

^{"Collared Dove sits in on a telegraph wire": Photographer: @richardslater, F-Stop: f/6.3, Focal Length: 600mm, Exposure: 1/1000 sec, ISO: 250, Camera: Sony α7R V, Lens: Sony 200-600 F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens, Location: N 50º 48' 8.649", E 0º 0' 23.396", Taken: Tuesday, 16 January 2024 12:47}

^{"Close up of Collar Dove's red eyes": Photographer: @richardslater, F-Stop: f/6.3, Focal Length: 600mm, Exposure: 1/1000 sec, ISO: 250, Camera: Sony α7R V, Lens: Sony 200-600 F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens, Location: N 50º 48' 8.649", E 0º 0' 23.396", Taken: Tuesday, 16 January 2024 12:47}

I have been trying to catch more shots of this Magpie for a while, but it always stays a decent distance from me, not even risking flying close to me. Frequently, it will watch me as I walk, a little bit like Alfred Hitchcock, but I'm okay with it.

^{"A magpie by a path": Photographer: @richardslater, F-Stop: f/6.3, Focal Length: 600mm, Exposure: 1/1000 sec, ISO: 5000, Camera: Sony α7R V, Lens: Sony 200-600 F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens, Location: N 50º 48' 7.386", E 0º 0' 18.785", Taken: Tuesday, 16 January 2024 12:51}

Found a Herring Gull (*Larus argentatus) in its natural habitat, sitting on a car generally being a nuisance.

^{"A herring gull stands on a car roof": Photographer: @richardslater, F-Stop: f/6.3, Focal Length: 600mm, Exposure: 1/1000 sec, ISO: 1250, Camera: Sony α7R V, Lens: Sony 200-600 F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens, Location: N 50º 48' 6.946", E 0º 0' 18.299", Taken: Tuesday, 16 January 2024 12:52}

I wanted to try my astrophotography with this lens when the nights are clear, and the moon was super crisp today; I'm pretty pleased with this shot as you can zoom in and see the details.

^{"The moon during the day": Photographer: @richardslater, F-Stop: f/6.3, Focal Length: 600mm, Exposure: 1/1000 sec, ISO: 160, Camera: Sony α7R V, Lens: Sony 200-600 F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens, Location: N 50º 48' 5.381", E 0º 0' 24.739", Taken: Tuesday, 16 January 2024 12:55}

When I got home, I put more food out on the feeders for the birds, and I spotted this Fox (*Vulpes vulpes); I managed to catch this shot just before - this specific fox is very bold; we've seen her (I think) in the area, she will frequently come and investigate an open door.

^{"A fox explores back gardens": Photographer: @richardslater, F-Stop: f/16, Focal Length: 600mm, Exposure: 1/1000 sec, ISO: 12800, Camera: Sony α7R V, Lens: Sony 200-600 F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens, Location: N 50º 48' 5.298", E 0º 0' 26.413", Taken: Tuesday, 16 January 2024 13:03}

Thank you for joining me on my photo walk today; I hope you enjoyed the photos as much as I enjoyed taking them. I greatly appreciate any support you give on the post, however small it may be.