Mikepércs: Lights At Dawn

I visited the pond again this morning, I wandered whether the whiskered terns still come. 

It's semi-darkness when I get into the hide. Soon a flock of ruffs appear and land nearby. Will they stay here until there's enough light for photography? No, they don't. They fly away after a short time, but one or two still stay here. One of them:

Ruff

Meanwhile the sun rises behind me and goldens the reed at the opposite side. One of the young little ringed plovers stands just on the right place:

Young Little Ringed Plover

Young Little Ringed Plover

Young Little Ringed Plover

Young Little Ringed Plover

Then the young terns appear, one of them is landing in front of me, but the background looks bad. As if it knew this, it lands on the piece of wood placed in front of the hide:

Young Whiskered Tern

That's it! Just stay there for a while! And it does:

Young Whiskered Tern

Young Whiskered Tern

Young Whiskered Tern

Young Whiskered Tern

Young Whiskered Tern

Young Whiskered Tern

Young Whiskered Tern

Young Whiskered Tern

After preening it stretches its wings a bit:

Young Whiskered Tern

Young Whiskered Tern

Young Whiskered Tern

After a few minutes it gets tired of sitting there and flys away. However a young black-winged stilt is landing too:

Young Black-winged Stilt

Young Black-winged Stilt

It starts preening in front of me as well:

Young Black-winged Stilt

Young Black-winged Stilt

Young Black-winged Stilt

Meanwhile a yellow wagtail is having a look round near the hide:

Yellow Wagtail

Then a few young starlings are doing the same:

Starling

Starling

Starling

Young Whiskered Tern

There's a water band in front of me, so the reflections look nice as there's no wind either:

Young Whiskered Tern

A colourful adult is showing it's face too:

Black-winged Stilt

Young Whiskered Tern

A wood sandpiper appears as well:

Wood Sandpiper

The young white wagtails are chasing the flys even in the shallow water:

Young Whiskered Tern

Young Whiskered Tern

Wood Sandpiper

Wood Sandpiper

I've been waiting for this moment:

Young Whiskered Tern

Unfortunately the white stilts are lighting the background, but not too badly, I think:

Young Whiskered Tern

Young Whiskered Tern

Young Whiskered Tern

Young Whiskered Tern

"What's there inside this nook?":

Wood Sandpiper

Slowly the lights are getting too hard, so I decide to leave.