Swamp Thing sighted

Well it's been a bad week for wildlife photography, everything seems to be hunkered down and trying to keep warm. There are some areas of the lakes at Watermead Park that are not frozen and what birds there are, surround the open water with feathers fluffed out, to increase the insulation properties, and seem to have no intention of moving. Who can blame them?

Before the snow came, I had a rare sighting. It was so well camouflaged that I nearly missed it. Only the white plumage in its forward appendage caught my eye and I managed to get a photo before it scurried off into the bushes. You can see from the startled look in its eyes that it wasn't used to being seen in the open in daylight.

What, you may ask was it that is so rare and has a forward appendage?

Well in the past they became very rare, but owing to a digital introduction program, led by the Japanese they are now on the increase again.

It is, of course the Lesser Green-backed image sloth.

For those that don't know, these rare animals used to walk upright. But as their lenses and cameras got bigger and heavier, the stoop gradually became more pronounced and instead of standing proud like big-foot they grew to look more like a giant ground sloth.

Keep your eyes open around the countryside, you may be lucky(?) enough to spot one.

Canon EOS 50d,  EF 100-400mm lens

1/125 @ 5.6, iso 800, 170mm

My friend and fellow photographer Paul (http://www.alulawildlifephotos.yolasite.com/) chasing ducks.