Moments From Nature's Secrets

Saturday, May 4, 2019

Mikepércs: Stilts In The Fog

It "rains a lot" nowadays, which means that the water level at the pond doesn't decrease, moreover it has increased a few centimeters from one week to another. I observe this today at dawn when I get to the hide. The bird activity however is slowly decreasing. But the stilts are sticking to the place.
The first bird that walks in is a common sandpiper probing the mud under the water. Then a water rail appears at the border of a typha bed nearby. It's looking towards me, so I'm turning the lens towards it very slowly, however when I nearly succeed to reach it, it leaves.
A spotted redshank in nearly breeding plumage lands:

Spotted Redshank

From time to time the wood sandpipers and the ruffs are falling together by the ears.
A "jolly" ruff:

Ruff (female)

I can't see a male ruff anymore I'm afraid.
Meanwhile I can feel cold, hazy air coming into the hide and I notice that some fog has settled down on the pond. Great! I start to shoot more frequently at the feeding stilts ...:

Black-winged Stilt

Black-winged Stilt

... and at the sandpipers nearby:

Wood Sandpiper

Black-winged Stilt

Black-winged Stilt

Black-winged Stilt

Spotted Redshank

The godwits cannot be seen or heard anymore. It seems they have left.
After about 20 minutes the fog start to disappear. That's a pity, as the mating stilts would have looked nice in the haze:

Black-winged Stilts

Black-winged Stilts

Sometimes I peep out through the door of the hide, the situation on that area is the same: a few sandpipers are feeding, but an avocet is sitting on its nest! I wonder if they can breed successful.
I'm making some try with the sandpipers for a while before I leave:

Wood Sandpiper

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