Birds
I probably heard about befriending crows from YouTube first. It sounded slightly whimsical, and as there were crows nearby, I gave it a go.
It turned out to be more of a collaboration than a friendship. Monkey-nuts for shots and more…
Gulls are a little more “in your face”. Not quite as photogenic as crows, but easy to find on this bit of coast. Especially if you have chips.
Also, the occasional cormorant drying its wings.
Crow 1
Nikon D850 200mm F-8 1/2500 secs iso 320
Crow 2
A crow takes flight from a groyne after taking a nut.
Nikon Df 105mm F-5.6 1/1600 secs iso 200
Perched crows watch me
Hungry crows watch me, waiting for me to place more monkey nuts on the post.
Nikon 1 J5 30mm F-? 1/1000 secs iso 200
Crow 3
I love the silhouettes of the post and crow in this shot.
Nikon D850 200mm F-8 1/2500 secs iso 320
Thoughtful crow
A thoughtful crow with the Regency buildings of St Leonards in the background.
Nikon D850 200mm F-8 1/3200 secs iso 320
Fighting crows
Crows can be quite territorial and pairs tend to stick between certain groynes. The groynes themselves are a contentious area.
They fight occasionally, but not to the death, despite their collective noun.
Nikon D850 85mm F-5.6 1/800 secs iso 200
Swooping crow
A crow swoops in to grab a nut left on the handrail of the steps to the beach.
This is where I often feed the crows when I don’t want the nuts to get blown away.
It is also where the crows leave gifts.
Nikon D850 85mm F-5.6 1/2000 secs iso 250
A lone crow watches
This expectant crow had been watching me take photos of the sea. Waiting patiently for a nut .
It did get a nut.
Nikon D850 85mm F-11 1/800 secs iso 250
Gulls and Cormorants
A mix of birds rest on the ledge rocks.
A heavy crane floats by in the distance.
Nikon D850 85mm F-11 1/320 secs iso 125
Crow 4
This photo captures the wings’ downbeat. Feathers flexing, head tilted. Beautiful!
Nikon Df 105mm F-5.6 1/4000 secs iso 200
Crow arrives
Bird arriving at post with nut in its beak.
Nikon D850 85mm F-5.6 1/1600 secs iso 200
Raven
One of the few photos of ravens I have taken.
This one was taken on the edge of the cliff of the Seven Sisters.
The Rampion windfarm is in the background.
Nikon Df 200mm F-22 1/500 secs iso 200
A pair of crows
A couple of crows race for the nut.
Competition for food ramps up in the winter months.
Nikon D850 85mm F-5 1/1000 secs iso 200
Gull summoner
The guy on the left regularly dances at the end of this pier.
A group of gulls flew past as he rocked this move.
Nikon D850 85mm F-18 1/800 secs iso 200
Crow family
A family of crows waits for me to stop taking pictures and feed them.
Nikon Df 200mm F-11 1/1600 secs iso 400
Crow strikes a pose
This crows lands with a striking pose.
Nikon D850 200mm F-5.6 1/1000 secs iso 200
Tree crow
My only photo of a bird in a tree.
This crow was at Knole Park in Kent.
Nikon D850 85mm F-16 1/320 secs iso 250
Hungry crows
Crows wait for food.
Nikon D850 200mm F-5.6 1/1000 secs iso 200
Naughty gulls
Gulls cause an aweful mess in Hastings by ripping open bin bags and scattering the contents over the pavement.
They also mug tourists.
Nikon Df 105mm F-16 1/250 secs iso 100
Solo crow
This is the photo of a crow with the sharpest detail in the face area. I love the barnacles on the post too.
Nikon D850 85mm F-5.6 1/2000 secs iso 250
A murder of crows
A murder of crows take flight. Two with nuts.
Nikon Df 200mm F-5.6 1/1000 secs iso 200
Crow take-off
It is interesting to see the moments of flight frozen in time. This tucked-in pose as it transitions from down to up beat is very revealing of the flight of the crow.
Nikon D850 200mm F-5.6 1/2500 secs iso 320
Cormorant
A cormorant rests on the rocks at St Leonards.
Nikon D850 200mm F-8 1/2500 secs iso 320
Marine crow
A crow flies above the beach with Marine Court in the background.
Nikon Df 105mm F-8 1/2500 secs iso 320
Mystery objects
What do these objects have to do with crows?
Nikon Df 200mm F-2 1/80 secs iso 400