Tisza-lake: Day 2

During the morning hours I tried to catch the flying birds nearby. As there is a big traffic of boats and canoes near the harbour the birds are familiar. Many yellow-legged gulls can be found here:

Young Yellow-legged Gull

Many times they tried to rob the prey from each other, however there were a lot of food for them in the water, many dead fish and mussels could be seen. These two birds were chasing one another long, unfortunately a bit far from me:

Young Yellow-legged Gulls

Young Yellow-legged Gulls

Young Yellow-legged Gulls

There were a lot of night herons as well:

Young Night Heron

This gull came close enough where it found a dead fish:

Yellow-legged Gull

Yellow-legged Gull

It washed the fish a few times ...:

Yellow-legged Gull

Yellow-legged Gull

... then gulped in:

Yellow-legged Gull

Yellow-legged Gull

Yellow-legged Gull

The mallards could gorge on dead mussels as well:

Mallard

Tisza-lake: Day 1

For the next 3 days I planned a photography trip at the Tisza-lake similar to that one I did last year. I intended to go to the place where I took shots of the squacco herons last time.

After borrowing the boat and packing in I started rowing. If it was easier last time. To be honest, I faced with some headwind. As I was leaving slowly the offshore vegetation the wind became stronger and stronger until I noticed that my boat was moving backward and not forward. I had to face with the situation that I won't get to the destination this way. Ok, then I would borrow a boat engine, even I'm against the motor traffic on the Tisza-lake. So, I rowed back to the dock and asked for an engine. The answer was: No problem, it's 6000 Forints/day. A quick calculation, for 3 days it's 18000. No, I won't give so much for it. Anyway I didn't have so much money with me. Good, let's go back then, I will stay near the harbour, as there are many flying birds nearby, I will make flight shots. There was not much time left from the day as I started in the afternoon, so I didn't managed to make many pictures. The whiskered terns were nearly standing in the air in that wind, so it wasn't difficult to photograph them:

Young Whiskered Tern

I the evening dark clouds were covering the sky:

Fortunately I escaped the rain.

Mikepércs: On The Meadow

Nowadays I saw many times a pipit on top of mulleins in the meadow. As the shrike scenes are over now, I thought I should try to catch the pipit. I had to move my hide only about 20-30 meters in the meadow. 

The tryout time has come today. In front of me a still blooming mullein and a branch covered with lichen. Soon after I had got into the hide a stonechat family appeared around the hide. They stayed nearby for quite a long time, but none of them landed in front of me. After that sparrows crowded on top of the hide. They left then reappeared loudly many times. Suddenly something landed on top of the mullein: a shrike. Anyway, I wanted to record this bird for long on top of a mullein, now I succeeded:

Red-backed Shrike (female)

Red-backed Shrike (female)

Soon after the shrike had gone bee-eaters appeared with their specific fluty voice. While alighting several times on the landing branch, I tried to catch them:

Bee-eater

Bee-eater

Bee-eater

They were flying nearby long. The lights however were getting too strong, the pipit being nowhere, so I left the place.

Mikepércs: At The Pond Again

After some break today I visited the pond again. I was curious about what kind of result the new place would bring me. The water level kept on decreasing which made my chances worse. 

First the never missing black-winged stilts and the coots appeared:

Young Coot

Then came the gulls. Last time I observed a little gull which was now fluttering above the residual water and even landed on a distant reef.

A common sandpiper appeared as well searching some food among the marsh vegetation: 

Common Sandpiper

Then two wood sandpipers were romping a little nearby:

Wood Sandpipers

Wood Sandpiper

Wood Sandpiper

One of them came close enough for a portrait:

Wood Sandpiper

I didn't manage to make too many reasonable shots today, that's why I decided to pull the hide close to the reed at the opposite shore so that I could catch the moorhens and the young coots which were romping there.

Mikepércs: Shrikes VI.

I decided to have another try with the shrikes today morning in hopes of catching good scenes and maybe the hoopoes would appear again.

I had to wait long indeed for the shrikes.

This young bird could hung on the branch a bit hard:

Young red-backed shrike

Red-backed shrike (female)

This shrike appeared with a moth in it's beak:

Young red-backed shrike

I tried to make flight shots as well:

Young red-backed shrike

Young red-backed shrike

Young red-backed shrike

Young red-backed shrike

Young red-backed shrike

A bee-eater alighted on the branch again:

Bee-eater

Young red-backed shrike

Young red-backed shrike

Young red-backed shrike

Big bite:

Young red-backed shrike

The shrike used it's foot to eat this green rose chafer ...:

Young red-backed shrike

... which proved to be a hard nut to crack as it had dropped the beetle ...:

Young red-backed shrike

... and didn't even go after it.

Young red-backed shrike

Preening:

Young red-backed shrike

Young red-backed shrike

Mikepércs: Shrikes V.

Today the first visitors were hoopoes. Two hoopoes landed nearby and started to probe the sandy soil with their long beaks. Stealthily I hoped they would alight on my branch in front of the hide but they didn't do this favour for me. One of them just picked a bit the crust of the branch. Unfortunately they couldn't be well photographed because of the grass. They left soon anyway.

Shortly the young shrikes appeared:

Young Red-backed Shrike

Young Red-backed Shrike

Then came the surprise: a bee-eater settled on the branch with it's prey:

Bee-eater

Bee-eater

It didn't stay long, perhaps it was afraid of the shrikes, as I observed there was a kind of rivalry between the bee-eaters and the shrikes for a nice perching place. Close to the hide a couple of bee-eaters digged their nest tunnel in the horizontal soil, however there is a sand wall hereabout.
Shortly the shrikes have returned:

Young Red-backed Shrike

Even a hare appeared nearby coming quite close:

European Hare

The male shrike alighted as well from time to time as usual, ...:

Red-backed Shrike (male)

... but it were the youngs who settled on it most often:

Young Red-backed Shrike

Young Red-backed Shrike

Young Red-backed Shrike

Young Red-backed Shrike

When there were two of them on the branch at the same time quarrels took place often between them:

Young Red-backed Shrike

Young Red-backed Shrike

The youngs often hunted themselves, they picked up different kind of insects in the grass which they ate frequently on the branch:

Young Red-backed Shrike

Young Red-backed Shrike

Young Red-backed Shrike

Young Red-backed Shrike

This bird took the small twig for a worm perhaps:

Young Red-backed Shrike

Red-backed Shrike (male)

Young Red-backed Shrike

Young Red-backed Shrike

Young Red-backed Shrike

Young Red-backed Shrike

Young Red-backed Shrike

Young Red-backed Shrike

Young Red-backed Shrike

Young Red-backed Shrike

Young Red-backed Shrike

Young Red-backed Shrike

Sometimes they alighted on the long stemmed plants as well:

Young Red-backed Shrike

I wouldn't have thought that they use their foot to eat their prey at times:

Young Red-backed Shrike

Young Red-backed Shrike

Young Red-backed Shrike

Young Red-backed Shrikes

Young Red-backed Shrike

Conflict:

Young Red-backed Shrikes

Young Red-backed Shrike

Young Red-backed Shrike