Photo Diary (2024-01-11)

I ran out of titles, so Photoblog will have to do here. It's mainly gray squirrels, but I hope you will agree they are good ones.

^{"A Grey Squirrel digs around the roots of a tree": Photographer: @richardslater, F-Stop: f/6.3, Focal Length: 600mm, Exposure: 1/1000 sec, ISO: 800, Camera: Sony α7R V, Lens: Sony 200-600 F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens, Location: N 50º 47' 59.105", E 0º 0' 14.792", Taken: Thursday, 11 January 2024 11:48}

According to a resident, a family of squirrels is living in one specific tree. They certainly seemed quite happy to be foraging around the green areas.

^{"A grey squirrel watches me carefully": Photographer: @richardslater, F-Stop: f/6.3, Focal Length: 600mm, Exposure: 1/1000 sec, ISO: 800, Camera: Sony α7R V, Lens: Sony 200-600 F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens, Location: N 50º 47' 59.105", E 0º 0' 14.792", Taken: Thursday, 11 January 2024 11:48}

It was somewhat tricky to get the shot because they seemed to prefer to keep between the sun and me; it makes sense as they are less likely to be blinded and have a "predator".

^{"A grey squirrel runs down a tree": Photographer: @richardslater, F-Stop: f/6.3, Focal Length: 600mm, Exposure: 1/80 sec, ISO: 800, Camera: Sony α7R V, Lens: Sony 200-600 F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens, Location: N 50º 47' 58.83", E 0º 0' 14.555", Taken: Thursday, 11 January 2024 11:50}

They seemed pretty interested in me, presumably protecting themselves and their family while watching me; I did wonder if they could see themselves or a reflection in the camera lens.

^{"A grey squirrel sits at the base of the tree": Photographer: @richardslater, F-Stop: f/6.3, Focal Length: 600mm, Exposure: 1/60 sec, ISO: 800, Camera: Sony α7R V, Lens: Sony 200-600 F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens, Location: N 50º 47' 58.816", E 0º 0' 14.803", Taken: Thursday, 11 January 2024 11:51}

They appeared to pose for me, letting me take all the pictures I wanted. The residents feed them, so I am sure they are used to humans being in their gardens and associate us with food.

^{"A grey squirrel looks at the camera while climbing a tree": Photographer: @richardslater, F-Stop: f/6.3, Focal Length: 594mm, Exposure: 1/80 sec, ISO: 800, Camera: Sony α7R V, Lens: Sony 200-600 F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens, Location: N 50º 47' 58.857", E 0º 0' 14.684", Taken: Thursday, 11 January 2024 11:51}

Overall, they seemed pretty bright; I liked how they used overhanging branches as bridges over the path, avoiding the need to stop when a human walked past.

^{"A grey squirrel looks at the camera from a high branch": Photographer: @richardslater, F-Stop: f/6.3, Focal Length: 600mm, Exposure: 1/1000 sec, ISO: 800, Camera: Sony α7R V, Lens: Sony 200-600 F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens, Location: N 50º 47' 58.857", E 0º 0' 14.965", Taken: Thursday, 11 January 2024 11:52}

I suspect their most significant threats are cats and dogs. Realistically, humans will not bother them much other than stopping and pointing cameras at them.

^{"A grey squirrel looks at the camera from a high branch": Photographer: @richardslater, F-Stop: f/6.3, Focal Length: 600mm, Exposure: 1/640 sec, ISO: 800, Camera: Sony α7R V, Lens: Sony 200-600 F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens, Location: N 50º 47' 58.857", E 0º 0' 14.965", Taken: Thursday, 11 January 2024 11:52}

I especially liked this pose, which was mid-scratch; I like to call this one "Gangsta Squirrel".

^{"Gangsta Squirrel": Photographer: @richardslater, F-Stop: f/6.3, Focal Length: 600mm, Exposure: 1/1250 sec, ISO: 800, Camera: Sony α7R V, Lens: Sony 200-600 F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens, Location: N 50º 47' 58.83", E 0º 0' 14.843", Taken: Thursday, 11 January 2024 11:53}

^{"Cute squirrels looks at camera from above": Photographer: @richardslater, F-Stop: f/6.3, Focal Length: 600mm, Exposure: 1/1000 sec, ISO: 800, Camera: Sony α7R V, Lens: Sony 200-600 F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens, Location: N 50º 47' 59.091", E 0º 0' 15.016", Taken: Thursday, 11 January 2024 11:54}

^{"Cute squirrels looks at camera from above": Photographer: @richardslater, F-Stop: f/6.3, Focal Length: 467mm, Exposure: 1/50 sec, ISO: 100, Camera: Sony α7R V, Lens: Sony 200-600 F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens, Location: N 50º 47' 59.008", E 0º 0' 14.904", Taken: Thursday, 11 January 2024 11:56}

It wasn't entirely squirrels on my walk, I did manage to catch this Robin (Erthacus rubecula) took an interest in what these humans were doing.

^{"Robin on a railing": Photographer: @richardslater, F-Stop: f/6.3, Focal Length: 600mm, Exposure: 1/80 sec, ISO: 800, Camera: Sony α7R V, Lens: Sony 200-600 F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens, Location: N 50º 47' 58.088", E 0º 0' 14.378", Taken: Thursday, 11 January 2024 11:59}

High in the trees, I could hear a Magpie (*Pica pica). I did manage to catch it doing some acrobatics, presumably trying to get some insect or seed from the pine tree.

^{"Magpie high in the trees": Photographer: @richardslater, F-Stop: f/6.3, Focal Length: 218mm, Exposure: 1/400 sec, ISO: 800, Camera: Sony α7R V, Lens: Sony 200-600 F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens, Location: N 50º 47' 58.94", E 0º 0' 14.688", Taken: Thursday, 11 January 2024 12:03}

^{"Magpie hangs upside down in a tree": Photographer: @richardslater, F-Stop: f/6.3, Focal Length: 600mm, Exposure: 1/800 sec, ISO: 800, Camera: Sony α7R V, Lens: Sony 200-600 F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens, Location: N 50º 47' 59.008", E 0º 0' 14.854", Taken: Thursday, 11 January 2024 12:04}

Finally, I saw some small birds high up in trees; I assumed it to be a sparrow as this was the sort of behavior I expected from them. As it turns out, however, it was a European Gold Finch (Carduelis carduelis)

^{"Goldfinch high up in the trees": Photographer: @richardslater, F-Stop: f/6.3, Focal Length: 600mm, Exposure: 1/2500 sec, ISO: 800, Camera: Sony α7R V, Lens: Sony 200-600 F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens, Location: N 50º 48' 1.384", E 0º 0' 16.24", Taken: Thursday, 11 January 2024 12:07}