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.