England, Day 1

April 23, 2026 · 2 min read · 2 visits

Arrived safely in Brighton, Jasper and I went out straight for a photo tour through the hills above Rottingdean.

Boarding gate B08 seen through reflective glass, with a plane tail visible outside and a white van parked below

Flying from BER meant leaving Leipzig around 4:30am, by 7am I was at the BER and 7:15 passed security, passport control was fully automated, same as immigration checks in Gatwick. As I was out of security controls so early I had to wait two hours until the gate and passport control opened. The whole setup of passport controls has been improved a lot compared to ten years ago when on both sides of the border personnel checks and long queues were normal. For next time I can definitely plan less time at the airport.

A male house sparrow perched on a thin branch among lichen-covered twigs against a bright blue sky

I’ve been using a Canon EOS-1D X Mark II and a Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 for today’s bird shots. I love how accessible that rig is while being super heavy on the other hand.

Close-up portrait of a young lamb with grey face and large pink-lined ears, green ear tags, looking directly into the camera

A black and white magpie standing on a weathered red tiled roof with a clear blue sky behind it

Canon · EOS-1D X Mark II · 600mm · ƒ/6.3 · 1/2000s · ISO 500

A flint stone village church with a square tower and slate roof, lit by low evening sun, gravestones scattered across the sloping lawn

Fallen willow branches half-submerged in a still pond, with a pair of swans in the distance and the water reflecting the blue sky

The illuminated sign of Woodingdean Fish Bar glowing at night, with two black seagull logos flanking the name and a dark empty interior visible through the windows

Topics: Daily Photo, Travel, Photography