Mikepércs: Shelduck

I would have liked to take photos of the shelducks for long. For my greatest pleasure they appeared regularly on the pond where my hide was laying. For this reason I dragged my hide closer to the place where they usually rest. First this avocet was the theme:

Avocet

Avocet

Then a black-winged stilt was preening and posing prettily:

Black-winged Stilt

Black-winged Stilt

Black-winged Stilt

Black-winged Stilt

And today appeared the shelduck again, this time without its mate but within a proper distance. I was delighted by taking some photos of this quite rare bird in Hungary. Doing some morning exercise:

Shelduck

Shelduck

I managed to take photos of the mating whiskered terns as well:

Whiskered Tern

Whiskered Tern

This redshank was having a bath and preening nearby:

Redshank

Redshank

And finally an avocet on the dried pondbed:

Avocet

Mikepércs: Nuptial Activity of Black-headed Gulls

Today has been a very rich day in photos.

Getting up early again, I was taking photos of gulls at around 5:30:

Black-headed Gull

I could witness their nuptial activity as well. After some prodding the male gave the female a fish:

Black-headed Gull

Black-headed Gull 

Black-headed Gull

Black-headed Gull

Then a short brake took place ...:

Black-headed Gull

Black-headed Gull

Black-headed Gull

... and prodding again:

Black-headed Gull

Black-headed Gull

Then my attention was attracted by other birds and when I looked at the gulls again they were mating already:

Black-headed Gull

Black-headed Gull

Black-headed Gull

The wind was blowing so this dunlin has been recorded among waves:

Dunlin

It was the gulls' turn again:

Black-headed Gull

Preening:

Black-headed Gull

Sometimes the dunlins came very close:

Dunlin

Then the gulls' behaviour was interesting again:

Black-headed Gull

Black-headed Gull

Black-headed Gull

Landing:

Black-headed Gull

Chasing a rival:

Black-headed Gull

The white-winged black terns played a role as well:

White-winged Black Tern

White-winged Black Tern

The avocets were moving intensely around the hide:

Avocet

Then a caught sight of some kind of plover which I haven't seen before. It was picking food further then it came closer. I only figured out at home that it was a turnstone:

Turnstone

Turnstone

The avocets were scything the water:

Avocet

Later the lapwings arrived:

Lapwing

This redshank was running perhaps after its mate:

Redshank

Mikepércs: Terns and Shore Birds

For better photos today I had to move further the hide to follow the water diminution. The whiskered terns were the first to arrive then I was delighted by this white-winged black tern:

White-Winged Black Tern

Later the dunlins already in breeding plumage landed:

Dunlin

Landing of a whiskered tern:

Whiskered Tern

Then another one:

Whiskered Tern

I've been happy to see this spotted redshank:

Spotted Redshank

In bustard pose:

Dunlin

Mikepércs: The First Pictures at the Bathing Pool

I've finished the new bathing pool which I put in front of my hide in the forest but it isn't visited by so many birds than it was in the Great Forest in Debrecen. There in the spring seldom past 10 minutes without a bathing or drinking bird. Here on the other side there were many times when I couldn't see a bird for one hour. I met the following species:

Blackbird (male)

Great Tit

Chaffinch

Chaffinch

This blackbird used the stuff at the pool for building its nest:

Blackbird (female)

Mikepércs: Just a Plover

Today afternoon I did some photography at the pond from my hide which I took there recently.  The water has been subsided so I could hope there would be many shore birds. Ruffs, marsh sandpipers, avocets and little ringed plover were moving nearby. I could take reasonable shots only of the plovers, the other birds were far a bit:

Little Ringed Plover

Little Ringed Plover

Mikepércs: Ready for Taking off

Today I experienced the following event:

The buzzard landed to have some meat which I put for him and he started to eat. Suddenly a clatter of hoofs could be heard more and more loudly. The buzzard instead of taking off cowered down:

Buzzard

The riders went away as they came about 60 feet from the bird mostly behind vegetation. After that he buzzard went on eating.

Mikepércs: With the Tits Again

This time the flight shots haven't been very succesful so I had to be satisfied with less action:

Great Tit

The "daily bread":

Great Tit

Mikepércs: Great Tits

Great Tit

Today I tried to take some action shots too. There was some tit-fighting:

Great Tits