Mikepércs: Bee-eaters

Today I went for a bee-eater photography in the afternoon after work. After setting up the hide they appeared soon, first with a wasp ...:

Bee-eater

... then with a dragonfly in their beak:

Bee-eater

In the lights of the sunset:

Bee-eater

Mikepércs: Birth of a Poppy

I woke up to a calm and sunny day so I decided to go out to a meadow near the village and take some macro shots. These are the best photos I've taken:

Tufted Vetch

I found a poppy which was just getting out of its shell:

Poppy

Mikepércs: The First Bee-eaters

I discovered last year that there was a sand bank near the village where bee-eaters were nesting. So today I placed my hide early in the morning near this bank, got in the hide and after 10 minutes the birds settled on the dried branches in front of the hide:

Bee-eater

Bee-eater

Besides the bee eaters a house sparrow came too:

House sparrow

Mikepércs: Shelduck

I would have liked to take photos of the shelducks for long. For my greatest pleasure they appeared regularly on the pond where my hide was laying. For this reason I dragged my hide closer to the place where they usually rest. First this avocet was the theme:

Avocet

Avocet

Then a black-winged stilt was preening and posing prettily:

Black-winged Stilt

Black-winged Stilt

Black-winged Stilt

Black-winged Stilt

And today appeared the shelduck again, this time without its mate but within a proper distance. I was delighted by taking some photos of this quite rare bird in Hungary. Doing some morning exercise:

Shelduck

Shelduck

I managed to take photos of the mating whiskered terns as well:

Whiskered Tern

Whiskered Tern

This redshank was having a bath and preening nearby:

Redshank

Redshank

And finally an avocet on the dried pondbed:

Avocet

Mikepércs: Nuptial Activity of Black-headed Gulls

Today has been a very rich day in photos.

Getting up early again, I was taking photos of gulls at around 5:30:

Black-headed Gull

I could witness their nuptial activity as well. After some prodding the male gave the female a fish:

Black-headed Gull

Black-headed Gull 

Black-headed Gull

Black-headed Gull

Then a short brake took place ...:

Black-headed Gull

Black-headed Gull

Black-headed Gull

... and prodding again:

Black-headed Gull

Black-headed Gull

Then my attention was attracted by other birds and when I looked at the gulls again they were mating already:

Black-headed Gull

Black-headed Gull

Black-headed Gull

The wind was blowing so this dunlin has been recorded among waves:

Dunlin

It was the gulls' turn again:

Black-headed Gull

Preening:

Black-headed Gull

Sometimes the dunlins came very close:

Dunlin

Then the gulls' behaviour was interesting again:

Black-headed Gull

Black-headed Gull

Black-headed Gull

Landing:

Black-headed Gull

Chasing a rival:

Black-headed Gull

The white-winged black terns played a role as well:

White-winged Black Tern

White-winged Black Tern

The avocets were moving intensely around the hide:

Avocet

Then a caught sight of some kind of plover which I haven't seen before. It was picking food further then it came closer. I only figured out at home that it was a turnstone:

Turnstone

Turnstone

The avocets were scything the water:

Avocet

Later the lapwings arrived:

Lapwing

This redshank was running perhaps after its mate:

Redshank