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

Mikepércs: Some Haze

There was some rain yesterday, so when I set off to the pond I realize there is some haze! And when there is haze on the road then there haze is at the pond as well!
I'm waiting in the hide for the actions to happen ... at the moment I can see that the birds are far from me.
Then two black-winged stilts are drawing on in the haze:

Black-winged Stilt

Soon other stilts are coming and a short jarring takes place:

Black-winged Stilt

Black-winged Stilt

They are crying, chasing and pecking each other, before one of the couples leaves, so the others calm down and continue searching for food:

Black-winged Stilt

A wood sandpiper:

Wood Sandpiper

Black-winged Stilt

Soon a spotted redshank appears, ...:

Spotted Redshank

... then lapwings arrive but they are far from me.

The stilts are chasing each other again:

Black-winged Stilt

Black-winged Stilt

Black-winged Stilt

Meanwhile I observe the court of the little ringed plovers on the shore, unfortunately the surroundings is not so good.
A mallard is taking off a little farther:

Mallard

Two stilts are chasing each other again:

Black-winged Stilt

Then common snipes are waddling in front of me:

Common Snipe

Common Snipe

Common Snipe

Suddenly I catch sight of one of the black-tailed godwits which I longed for. It has just landed among the ruffs. After some time the godwit comes closer, unfortunately near the reed, so I can't photograph it well. The redshank and the spotted redshank however are at the right distance:

Redshank

Spotted Redshank

Soon the godwit gets on the right place:

Black-tailed Godwit

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

Mikepércs: Wood Sandpiper

Last time I moved my hide further, where the water was about 20-30 cm deep. I supposed that the rails would be more active there when the previous place would be dried already.

Well, the rails are not as active as last time and they come out of the reed farther from me. With a fast run they overcome the deep water just like the moorhen which I discovered before.
Though a few wood sandpipers appear in front of me from time to time:

Wood Sandpiper

Wood Sandpiper

Wood Sandpiper