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Shhhh! Someone’s coming!
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So I was in the hide for 90 or so minutes the other night and nobody was coming out to play. Then a tiny rabbit bounced up through the gate that was in the corner of the fiel about 30 yards away. I took a few shots to work on exposure and sat back. It was being very catious … the sight of me setting up the hide scattered the lot of them earlier. But something else was up. After a ervous 10 minutes it turned towards the gate and froze. It then started thumping the ground (which I could hear from 30 yeards away) with its back legs. I’m guessing this is a warning or alert for its brethern. Something was coming.
Then in walked the pheasant from the other shot. It strolled up, eating, humming, crowing, etc. It came quite close then went back out again. This repeated a while later. The pheasant actually walked right past my hide. By now, 3 or 4 more bunnies came along out to graze. But they all froze again. It wasn’t the pheasant … I could hear it humming a bit back behind my hide. Something else was down beyond the gate. That corner of the field is the meeting point of 4 fields and a track coming up the hill.
Then I saw the flash of red and white. An Madra Rua. It had taken a year and a half but I finally saw the neighbourhood fox. I’d previously found tracks and scat but never came close to it. It glimpsed into the field and went off to the field next door. I’d never be able to follow it so I decided I’d let it be and try get it another night.
I settled back to take a few more shots of the rabbits. The sun was setting now and I was open to F5.6 at ISO800. Not good. Time to pack up and scare the rabbits away for another 90 minutes :D
I went back up the day after to check where the fox had gone. It went into the next field where the grass is long. There were clear tracks where it walks to and from, where it had diverted to “mark it’s territory” and where it, and maybe another, had rolled about to play. The tracks did converge in one corner of the field into thick vegetation over a hedgerow. I’ll never get shots in that field but I might be able to tempt it into the field where I was … I’m considering using some dogfood to create a trail into my sights and range.
But at least I’ll have a pheasant and some rabbits to snap.
SO, when’s the book then, Aidan?
I’ve being trying to capture rabbits recently minus a hide with some success but not like these. Well lit and exposed.
The thumping was something I only heard myself last Thursday and even in sand can be quite loud. It’s a pity the fox didn’t come into range.
The first one looks like a doctored image where the head was cut, reversed and copied back to it’s neck. I’m not doubting it in the least just it shows their flexibility.
Here’s hoping to attract the fox and not next doors cat!
Alan.
irishwonkafan wrote:
The first one looks like a doctored image where the head was cut, reversed and copied back to it’s neck.
Maybe ….
:D
Nah … it’s original.
I love the expression in the second shot Aidan….priceless! I remember the first time I saw a Live fox.
It looked nothing like the storybook images I was used to…..very small and scrawny and dull :DClassic Aiden post :D :D
I’ve said it before… the narrative is sometimes even more interesting than the shots.
More please :D
Thanks folks. Can’t wait to see how these and the pheasant look in print. Should have them in a few days.
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