Vekeri Lake: Wasp Spider

Today I tried to take some macro shots at the Vekeri Lake. I found this spider near the shore:

Wasp Spider

Photography at the Tisza-Lake - day 4: Cormorants and Squacco Herons

The sun was already above the horizon when I got up. I looked out of the tent. Just a few coots were moving in some distance. Having breakfast, doing some reading, but still nothing happened. So I decided to pack my things in the tent. When I looked out again I saw my first guest: a cormorant was drying its wings on a dried branch:

The next moment I caught sight of a squacco heron on another branch:

It has observed something in the water and became more and more interested in it. The hunting has begun:

Its neck began to stretch:

It stretched ...:

... and stretched ...:

... and when you would think it can't stretch any further, it can!

The moment before shooting out its neck:

And finally shooting out:

The wind has made an interesting plumage for it:

Then another squacco appeared:

It has seen something as well:

And began to stretch:

Like a snake:

But suddenly it has calmed down. It seems that the prey has escaped:

Stretching one of its wings:

Then preening:

After that the coots came. First the youngs then the adult. I climbed onto a branch:

It rested and preened for a while then it left together with the youngs.
One of the squaccos flew a bit further and managed to catch a small fish:

The cormorant was still preening ...:

... and scratching itself for long:

The it was disturbed by coming boat and flew off. My time has passed as well so I packed my things and left for the harbor.

Photography at the Tisza-Lake - day 3: Harriers, Mallards and Swallows

Today early in the morning my attention was caught by some tweeting sound. Soon I discovered a ferruginous duck leading its hatchlings. Unfortunately there wasn't enough light to take good shots. 

But later I had some tries with the harriers:

Marsh Harrier (female)

Marsh Harrier (female)

The mallards were using intensively the branch placed in front of my hide for resting and preening:

Mallard

The next day I planned to have a try at another place so I pulled up the anchor in the afternoon and left this place. On my way I met some swallows struggling with the strong wind as myself and often settled on a twig:

Swallow

The next 100-200 meters against the strong wind was very exhaustive as my tent drew the boat back like a sail. But I managed to get over it somehow. I the end a large area full of vegetation burst upon my view. I found a channel made by other boats and I took this way. Then I discovered a cormorant and coots settled on some dried branches. After a short speculation I decided to go there. It was a good decision. But I waited some time as the wind had become so strong as I thought it would tear my tent. Fortunately it became still in the evening so I could start my way through the thick vegetation. It was really difficult, I managed to move about 50-60 meters in half an hour! I anchored at the right place and went to sleep. As soon as it darkened the frogs began their chorus. But not continually. After 10 minutes of "singing" they hushed. Then after a while, when I almost fell asleep they started again. One could hardly believe what a big noise they can do. I didn't thought that I would need ear-plugs. So I didn't sleep too much this night.

Photography at the Tisza-Lake - days 1-2: Rainbow

I planned a 3 days long photography on the Tisza-Lake from a hired boat. I set up my tent in the boat so I could sleep there, and intended to take shots from a hide set up in the boat and protected against the blood-suckers by a mosquito-net. I set out in the afternoon to a place which I thought could be right for the purpose. When I got closer I found that the area was completely covered with water plants so I stopped where I saw some birds moving around. As soon as I had finished setting up my tent in the boat a shower began. Fortunately it stopped in a short time and a beautiful rainbow appeared on the sky:

Then I set up my hide and went to sleep. At dawn I peered out curiously if there was something interesting outside. In the distance grebes and moorhens were picking their food. But nothing came closer to the boat for a long time so I decided to find a better place. I found one where ducks were resting and harriers flying above so I stayed there. The ducks kept on moving and the harriers flying and uttering their high voice. As the flying birds were concerned the hide restricted me from taking photos of them, so I got out of it but didn’t manage to get a decent shot of them that day.

Mikepércs: The Stilt Hatchling Again

Today I was running for the stilt hatchlings again. It was still dark when I got to the ponds but the adult stilts had discovered me before I reached the hide. They began to cry right away. I got into the hide and soon I heard the peeping sound of the hatchlings then I discovered one of them next to a blade of reed. When gulls appeared and the stilt parents began to cry indignantly the hatchling crouched down to the ground. As soon as the danger had ceased the hatchling stood up again. After a while it started its way towards the opposite shore accompanied by one of its brothers and the parents:

Young Black-winged Stilt

After that young wagtails and wood sandpipers landed near the hide to feed:

Wood Sandpiper

Then the common sandpipers appeared as well. Sometimes they broke into a run to catch an insect:

Common Sandpiper

Sandpiper-like hunting:

Common Sandpiper

Wood Sandpiper

Mikepércs: The Stilt Hatchlings

I hoped that some kind of herons would visit today my hide. It was not the case. When I arrived at the hide it was getting light. This time instead of the avocets the stilts were crying indignantly around me. When I got into the hide I thought they would calm down within a short time, but they didn’t. They kept on moving around my hide: 

Black-winged Stilt

I got a feeling that the hatchlings were nearby. Soon I did notice 2 tiny figures in the distance but I was not sure they were the stilts and not some smaller shorebirds. After about an hour of waiting my attention was caught by 3 little toddling stilts near my hide, accompanied by their parents. They were moving towards the center of the pond bed. They soon returned to my greatest pleasure and were moving in front of my hide:

Young Black-winged Stilt

Meanwhile a young great reed warbler settled on a dried branch :

Young Great Reed Warbler

After a short time the stilt hatchlings returned and moved in front of the hide for my greatest pleasure:

Young Black-winged Stilts

Young Black-winged Stilt

Young Black-winged Stilt

The great reed warbler appeared again:

Young Great Reed Warbler

The stilt hatchlings sometimes fluttered their tiny wings and sometimes jumping simultaneously, as if they had wanted to fly. They were very amusing:

Young Black-winged Stilt

"I can almost fly! Do you see?"

Young Black-winged Stilt

Sometimes young white wagtails and yellow wagtails landed and were picking insects nearby:

Yellow Wagtail

The parents cried frequently but it seemed that they didn’t make too much efforts to keep the youngs off from my hide:

Black-winged Stilt

Young Black-winged Stilt

Similarly to the avocets, the stilt parents acted aggressively against foreign birds (especially magpies and gulls) when these appeared in the airspace. In such a case the stilts took off at once and attacked them collectively until the intruders were dismissed. They defended the area so strongly that even the sandpipers couldn’t land there.

Black-winged Stilt

Small bird standing on long legs in the mud:

Young Black-winged Stilt

After a time one of the stilts came so close that I could only use my wide lens. I didn’t care of course as I have used only tele lens for birds so far:

Black-winged Stilt

A little ringed plover appeared as well:

Little Ringed Plover

Once I noticed the flossy creatures sitting next to my hide, one of them even dozing:

Young Black-winged Stilt

Young Black-winged Stilt

When cowering to the ground they are totally melting into surroundings:

Young Black-winged Stilt

One of the parents while preening:

Black-winged Stilt

Black-winged Stilt

Meanwhile the heat increased too much, especially in the hide, so I decided to leave.