Mikepércs: The Lake of Herons

This time I used a reed matting as a hide for taking shots at a pond where I saw many herons, egrets and other birds previously. Here there was still enough water to attract a lot of birds.

After I had got into the hide the black-winged stilts appeared soon. Then this snipe came quite close to the hide:

Common Snipe

Then a common sandpiper got at the front of the glass that I used for photography and made a very soft pee-pee-like calling sounds while it was looking at its reflection in the glass. Perhaps it was calling its couple. Seeing no reaction it got away but soon reappeared calling its "couple" again behind the glass. This scene occured a few times while I was there.
Meanwhile the grey herons began to land. First in some distance then closer and closer:

Grey Heron

Grey Heron

The little and the great:

Grey Heron

Grey Heron

Most of the herons was not very successful at hunting, this young specimen found only a bit of something:

Young Grey Heron

This one just flew accross the pond but with a frog in its beak:

Grey Heron

The wood sandpipers got closer as well:

Wood Sandpiper

Wood Sandpiper

Wood Sandpiper

Wood Sandpiper

Later a black-winged stilt was looking for food quite close to the hide:

Black-winged Stilt

Mikepércs: Young Mute Swans

I was hoping that I would be able to take good shots of some ducks today. One could count on shorebirds as well.

There is less water in the pond from day to day which made the light conditions worse. I placed myself in the hide then waited. First the black-winged stilts landed in the water:

Young Black-winged Stilt

Then further ducks splashed into the water. They were teal and garganey females. First they were feeding quite far from me but after a while they came closer and closer:

Garganey (female)

Later the brown young swans appeared. They moved in a row in front of my hide then after a few minutes they came back. One of them began to preen itsef and have a bath in front of the hide:

Young Mute Swan

Young Mute Swan

Meanwhile one of the garganeys came as close as 3-4 meters to my hide so I could only take a portrait of it:

Garganey (female)

Apuseni Mountains: Padis

We made a 3 days trip to Padis, Apuseni Mountains (Roumania). The weather is wet there, it rains almost every day. This shot was taken after a long shower:

Padis