Mikepércs: Yellow Wagtail

Today I've given a try to catch the stonechats at the bush I discovered last time. I've been late again, as when I got into the hide, a male shrike was landing on top of it. I can't imagine how it didn't see me getting into the hide, but it landed there. I didn't want to take out my equipment and make the slightest movement while it was there, not to make him leave. Then it landed on the branch in front of me. But it left after a few moments, so I missed him. When it landed on the bush later I moved for it but it flew away at once. After that nothing came for a long time, stonechats nowhere. In the end a yellow wagtail didn't let me go empty away:

Yellow Wagtail (male)

Mikepércs: Ducks

Considering the increased tern activity last time at the pond, I counted on them today too. Instead there were few of them. The couple of little grebes floated again near my hide, but being too early I had no light for photography yet. The few black-winged stilts appeared regularly.

The ducks on the other hand came to the shore to have a rest one after the other: mallards, gadwalls, ferroginuous ducks, pochards:

Mallard (male)

Mallard (male)

Mallard (male)

Mallard (male)

Suddenly a scuacco heron landed on top of the bush nearby. It stayed there for a few minutes then left.

Unfortunately because of the waving water I couldn't get that kind of images I would have liked to get if there was no wind. 

Gadwall (female)

Mallard (male)

Pochard (male)

Pochard (male)

Ferruginous Duck (male)

Pochard (male)

Pochard (male)

Later a few garganeys appeared as well then a teal a little further.

But looking at the image quality I couldn't hope much for today, so I decided to leave.

Mikepércs: Stonechat Again

A week ago I noticed a small hawthorn bush that was frequently used be the stonechats for landing and I placed my hide close to it a few days ago. I wanted to visit the place this morning to see what's happning there.
However when I got up at dawn a light rain began to fall. This was not planned :( Fortunately it stopped soon. This time I managed to get to the hide before sunrise, but the male stonechat was already sitting on a tree nearby. I'm sure, it's going to watch me getting into the hide and won't come here today - I thought. However after a short time it came closer and all of a sudden I saw it on top of the bush in front of me:

Stonechat (male)

I took a few shots of it, this time in silent mode in live view so that I make less noise:

Stonechat (male)

Stonechat (male)

After a few seconds it flew away and didn't come back again, except when it settled on top of my hide. I couldn't stay long this time either. But I got it at least.

Mikepércs: Stonechat

I made a try on a new place again, I expected yellow wagtail on top of a stick where I had observed a few times this bird preening or just sitting there. But I've seen already stonechats and shrikes as well nearby. I got there at around 5 in the morning, when the sun appeared on the horizon. I pushed myself inside my simple and uncomfortable hide quickly and waited. Soon a small bird landed on top of the hide but I couldn't tell what kind of a bird it was. However it appeared soon on the stick in front of me. The sun lighted the brest of the stonechat beautifully:

Stonechat (female)

After two shots it flew off. Later it landed on my hide again, but not in front of me any more.

Mikepércs: Bee-eaters: 0 out of 1

After work I've given a try today to catch the bee-eaters at a sandwall nearby, where I made some shots of them 2 years ago. Instead of the bee-eaters only 2 starlings landed in front of me.
Here's one of them:

Starling

After 2 expos they left.

Mikepércs: Terns

Becoming excited on my last successful photography at the pond I was anxious to make a visit there again. The first lights appeared already when I arrived at the pond, and I could see clearly by the moonlight the flock of coots sleping in a corner of the pond. I even passed them and they observed me just when another bird started to run away on the other pond.

At the last occasion the whiskered terns settled on the top of my hide with pleasure, so I placed a branch especially for them in front of the hide. I didn't have to wait too much for their first landing on the branch. But when another came the first one left:

Whiskered Terns

Many terns were flying above the water, sometimes swooping down to pick out something of the water, but it wasn't easy to catch them only when they moved in a more calculable way:

Whiskered Tern

Whiskered Tern

Whiskered Tern

Whiskered Tern

Meanwhile the black-winged stilts appeared too, they even mated a few times:

Black-winged Stilt

Black-winged Stilt

Black-winged Stilt

Black-winged Stilt

The black terns appeared as well, having an even more rapsodic flight then the whiskered terns, so I was unable to take a decent shot of them, as they didn't land.

Whiskered Tern

Preening:

Whiskered Tern

Whiskered Tern

Whiskered Tern

Whiskered Tern

Whiskered Tern

Whiskered Tern

Whiskered Tern

Whiskered Tern

Whiskered Tern

Whiskered Tern

Whiskered Tern

Whiskered Tern

Whiskered Tern

Later the duck hatchlings appeared with their mother, but didn't come close this time. However they grew a lot during one week, and I considered with delight that all of the 12 ducks were there.

The ducks kept the distance, once however a ferruginous duck came closer, so I made a few exposures ...:

Ferruginous Duck

... and made it fly onwards a little.

Unfortunately I didn't manage to take backlight shots as I did last time, although I really counted on it. I

will another time. This is a kind of activity, where you generally don't get what you count on.

Mikepércs: Waiting For Stonechats

Many stonechats can be seen near the village, and as I don't have nice shots of them yet, I decided to change this situation. About a week ago I found a quiet place where I could photograph them. I placed a

simple hide there and observed them using the landing branch in front of the hide. There were also red-backed shrikes and tree sparrows nearby. This morning I got into my new place with a lot of curiousity. 

Soon a few young tree sparrows landed in front of the hide:

Young Tree Sparrow

Young Tree Sparrows

Young Tree Sparrows

Young Tree Sparrows

They didn't stay long, but in a short time the shrikes appeared nearby, the female landed on the branch:

Red-backed Shrike (female)

Red-backed Shrike (female)

Later the stonechats appeared but they didn't come close, they used frequently a small bush about 150 feet from the hide. So I decided to settle near that bush next time.

Mikepércs: The Capricorn Beetle And The Lollipop

In the garden today we discovered a capricorn beetle in the flower of an arum lily. It was licking unceasingly the stigma of the flower:

Capricorn Beetle

Capricorn Beetle

It took a pause just to lick all its "fingers":

Capricorn Beetle

After finishing this short procedure went on licking its lollipop:

Capricorn Beetle

Capricorn Beetle