Mikepércs: Greylag Geese

I run for the red-necked grebe again. The sun has risen already when a pair of greylag geese are approaching towards the hide. They are leading the goslings. Unfortunately they are swimming behind the hide to a place where the water is rich in plants. After a while another couple is coming, they are leading two goslings:

Grey-lag Goose

Grey-lag Goose

The lights are nice but there are few birds nearby and no red-necked grebe. This resting garganey is an exception, it is close enough:

Garganey (male)

Mikepércs: Among Birds Again

I had to miss out last year at the pond nearby just because the lack of water. This year however I discovered some water there. And photography is possible too. Moreover there were quite a lot of ducks before I placed the hide on the water, many wigeons among them. I had a try a week ago, but except of the good deal of coots and a coulple of grey-lag geese there were nothing else in fact.

Today I'm trying my luck again but at the arrival I can see that there are only coots again. A fox is walking along on the opposite dam, suddenly stopping then trying to snap something with an elegant jump but without success as I can see. Later hares are racing on the same dam. In the air small flocks of cranes are flying. What the water is concerned many-many coots are searching food under the water and chasing each other. A grey-lag goose is landing near the opposite bank but soon starting towards my hide. It seems to travers the pond and have a rest. After some time it takes off:

I'm taking shots of the coots of course:

Later the grey-lag goose returns, traversing the pond better this time:

So much for now, I hope there will be more birds in time...

Mikepércs: Newness At The Pond

I made my first try a week ago at the pond this year, however that attempt was unsuccessful, the coots and the landing ferruginous ducks were too far.
The coots produce the first scenes today, but there's no light yet for photography.
Suddenly I notice two grey-lag geese landing. They swim to the end of the pond behind me. But shortly they take off; however I miss this action. Anyway, there's not enough light to catch this motion, leastwise I'm soothing myself with this assumption.
Then the little grebes appear, there are a few couples on the pond, and they try to expel each other:

Little Grebes

Soon the greylag geese appear again at the end of the pond. They set out towards the pond next to this one, but they change their mind and turn back to come closer a bit:

Grey-lag Goose

Grey-lag Goose

Shortly they take off again.
The coots are calmed down, no chasing for a good while.
Suddenly I catch sight of an unusual bird at the opposite side of the pond. When a coot approaches, it dives underwater. It does so several times, this way it gets closer to the hide and I can see, that it's a new species for me on the pond, a red-necked grebe:

Red-necked Grebe

Unfortunately it doesn't come closer.
In the end I manage to catch a flying marsh harrier:

Marsh Harrier (male)

Kisújszállás: Photography At The Tower Hide And At The Fish Pond

One of my photos of a marsh tit obtained the "Photo of the week" title at birdphotography.hu (BPH). This meant that I got a possibility to take photos in the hides of Zoltán Pabar at Kisújszállás. Today was appointed the day for this purpose. I set off at early dawn to get there by half past five and meet Zoltán and my fellow, Károly Szalai. Zoltán took us at his tower hide, where we could go for kestrels. Many of the nesting boxes placed on the trees nearby have been occupied by birds, the kestrels were preparing for breeding. They were mating, catching mice, but they were doing these things everywhere but the landing branch in front of us. There was only one occasion when a female settled on it:

Kestrel (female)

They mostly landed on the branch close to the hide:

Kestrel (female)

Kestrel (male)

Kestrel (male)

Other birds lived on this place too, for example jackdaws, ...:

Jackdaw

... and starlings, which were breeding in the nesting boxes placed for them:

Starling

Starling

Starling

Starling

Starling

In the afternoon we went to a hide at a fishpond. When we got there the grey-lag geese were resting on the reef in front of the hide. On our oncoming they flew off, but returned quite soon:

Grey-lag Goose

Grey-lag Goose

Some of the geese left, others came, so we could record their take off, ...:

Grey-lag Goose

Grey-lag Goose

Grey-lag Goose

Grey-lag Goose

... and their arrival:

Grey-lag Goose

Grey-lag Goose

Grey-lag Goose

Grey-lag Goose

Later in the distance appeared an osprey, which sometimes flew closer then flew away to return some minutes later. Unfortunately it didn't come close enough for a good shot. Anyway, I can show the moment when it flew off after having captured a fish:

Osprey

Grey-lag Goose

Besides the grey-lag geese two white-fronted geese appeared on the reef as well but I wasn't able to take a decent shot of them.
Later a cormorant approached the reef afloat to climb on a branch:

Cormorant

Cormorant

Cormorant

Cormorant

It was having a long rest, yawning sometimes, ...:

Cormorant

Cormorant

... and adjusting its plummage:

Cormorant

Cormorant

Cormorant

Then it jumped into the water and floated away.

Later it got overcast, the good lights were over so we decided to leave.
All in all it has been a nice day, I returned home with some nice experience, although it's a pity we couldn't take more shots of the kestrels.
I'd like to thank Zoltán Pabar and the BPH this opportunity and I hope this hasn't been the last occasion having taken photos at Zoltán's hides.

Hortobágy: Grey-lag Geese

Today I made a trip to Hortobágy (Hungary's largest protected area) where I met this pair of Grey-lag Geese:

Grey-lag Geese