Mikepércs: Dewy Morning

Last time there was nothing to photograph at the pond, so this morning I went for macro shooting near the village.
Thanks to the cold dawn the dew drops are lining up beautifully on cobweb strings:

The dew drops look nice on the plants by backlight:

The cobwebs of the linyphia are well highlightened by the dew drops:

Suddenly the cobweb starts to quiver and I notice the numb spider crawling slowly up the cobweb like a lazy sailor on the mast:

Linyphia Triangularis

Then it's starting to climb down as if it has just inspected that everything is all right up there:

Linyphia Triangularis

Linyphia Triangularis

A striving spear:

Mikepércs: Young Grey Wagtail

At last, it's foggy when I set off at dawn today. It's not heavy, but the morning could be interesting.
At the pond I see that a big part of the previously drying pondbed is under water again thanks to the recent rains. I move the hide further as I don't want to miss the water rails.
The morning is lightless for a long time so the first shots of the rails searching nearby are unsuccessful, they are all blurred. Now and then a young moorhen appears too, but I can't take decent shots of it either.
The young wagtails are roaming the whole area and I manage to catch one of them:

Young White Wagtail

Among the wagtails I catch sight of an unusually coloured one! It's something new: a grey wagtail!

Young Grey Wagtail

It's moving continously, so it's not easy to photograph it, although it returns several times:

Young Grey Wagtail

Young White Wagtail

Stretching:

Young White Wagtail

Later a green sandpiper appears, unfortunately it doesn't come close enough, so I have the young wagtails only for today.

Mikepércs: Roe Deers

During the recent week the pondbed kept on drying so the number of birds decreased.

A few starlings still holds on:

Starling

Starling

Starling

Young white wagtails are still here as well but I don't manage to take a decent shot of them.

However a few roes appear at the pond, first standing puzzled near the water, then walking into the vegetation one after the other. This buck returns for a while before disappearing as well among the vegetation:

Roe Deer Buck

Mikepércs: A Rapicious Water Rail

This morning I moved the hide closer to the drinking place of the turtle doves hoping for better shots.

The first scene however was about a young water rail and its prey. I have read already about the rails capturing small birds as well, but I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this young specimen killing (I suppose) a kind of calidris. Even the young moorhen nearby went closer, I think it didn't believe its eyes either :) After having killing it the rail took the small bird and rushed with it into the reed:

Young Water Rail with its prey and a Young Moorhen

Instead of the turtle doves the young white wagtails appear first in the early sunrays:

Young White Wagtail

Young White Wagtail

Young White Wagtail

A few starlings land as well in hope of some food, they turn up the small clods with their beaks looking under them:

Starling

I couldn't cope with the turtle doves as I would have liked to, this is my result with them for today:

Turtle Dove

Mikepércs: In Backlight Again

I was satisfied with my last week's results, so I stayed on the same place today.

The rails appear quite early, but the first photos of them are not too successful. As soon as the sun rises a snipe rushes in front of the hide:

Common Snipe

The starlings land on the drying pondbed in flocks again:

Starling

Soon two young pheasants appear:

Young Pheasant

Young Pheasant

The young rails come out of the reed regularly to search among the vegetation:

Water Rail

Water Rail

The pheasants appear again:

Young Pheasant

A young lapwing spends long minutes to rest nearby:

Young Lapwing

Young Lapwing

The wood pigeons and the turtle doves are perching on the bushes nearby but sometimes they are landing near the remaining water to drink. One of them comes quite close this time:

Turtle Dove

I managed to catch a young specimen as well:

Young Turtle Dove

Mikepércs: Birds In Backlight

Last time I had to move my hide farther, for there was no water in the pond except one little area. I hasn't been at my hide for weeks now, so today I got into it with excitement.

A wood sandpiper appears first, as it is moving on the small flies are rising in a flock from the ground. The sandpiper tries to catch them:

Wood Sandpiper

Soon a few starlings are landing, ...:

Starling

Starling

... they are searching food among the drying vegetation in the pondbed gaping their beaks:

Starling

Starling

Starling

The young white wagtails are hunting the flies:

Young White Wagtail

Suddenly a few green shanks land and the flies are rising in a flock around them:

Green Shank

Green Shank

Green Shank

A few snipes are nearby too, they also find something for breakfast:

Common Snipe

They have time for a rest too:

Common Snipe

Common Snipe

Common Snipe

Common Snipe

Common Snipe

Common Snipe