Near the Vekeri Lake: Birds in the Red Hawthorn Bush

About a week ago I installed a small drinking pool on a place full of red hawthorns near the Vekeri Lake. I observed a few days later that it was visited by some of the birds. Today morning I took my hide there. After having got into the hide I didn't have to wait much for the first robin to arrive:

Then another one came as well:

Then a chiffchaff appeared on the hawthorn bush to chase away the robin:

Later a blue tit then a great tit arrived for a drink:

The jays came regularly to drink just like the robins:

Mikepércs: Sparrow Hawk at the Bathing Pool

After a long break today morning I visited the bathing pool becouse I noticed some activity there a few days ago: I saw even a coal tit there beside other tits and robins.

After some arrangements I "disappeared" in the hide. A few minutes later I could hear the jays' and one of them landed on the side of the pool. After having a bath its headdress looked like this:

Jay

Then other jays came, folowed by the blackbirds ...:

Blackbird (female)

... and the song thrushes. One of them was frightened by its own reflection whenever landed on the side of the pool. It recoiled so much as if it had seen the devil itself.
Then a robin visited the pool for a few moments:

Robin

Then came the surprise: A sparrow hawk landed on the side of the pool and walked into the water. It raised one of its legs and was standing there for half an hour and was just having rest and looking around:

Sparrow Hawk (female)

Sparrow Hawk (female)

Then came another surprise: a great tit appeared on a small tree near the pool. The distance between the tit and the sparrow hawk was only about 4-5 feet. The tit must have known that the sparrow hawk wouldn't hunt this time, it even flew across the pool and the sparrow hawk which wasn't interested in the tit either, it just had a look at it. After such a long rest the sparrow hawk came across to have a bath. On one moment it gave me such a cutting glance that I thought it had noticed me:

Sparrow Hawk (female)

Sparrow Hawk (female)

Sparrow Hawk (female)

After having finished it flew away.
The jays kept on coming to have a drink:

Jay

Jay

Mikepércs: Stonechats and Warblers Instead of Bearded Reedlings

Today I took the hide with me and visited the place where I saw the bearded reedlings last time. I hoped we would meet again. They thought differently but I met other birds. A reed bunting settled on a reed but unfortunately other reeds in front of the bird were ruining the picture. Then stonechats appeared and started to watch the hide with curiousity:

Stonechat (female)

Meanwhile a young willow warbler appeared as well:

Young Willow Warbler

Then the stonechats settled again on reeds in front of the hide:

Stonechat (female)

Stonechat (male)

Stonechat (male)

Stonechat (female)

In the end the young willow warbler reappeared:

Young Willow Warbler

Mikepércs: Bearded Reedlings

After some break I visited my matting hide again though I had been afraid that the water could be vanished. And so it was (nearly). At the front of my hide where last time the water spread to the opposite shore there was only a small puddle. Moreover even the birds' footprints could not be seen in the mud. Only the young white wagtails stayed around my hide. They were running sometimes on top of the matting:

White Wagtail

I was waiting some time but as nothing happened I decided to gather my things including my hide and leave. After having packed everything I looked round nearby and found a flock of bearded reedlings at a flood gate. They were quite familiar so I could take a few shots of them:

Bearded Reedling

Bearded Reedling

After a few minutes they lost interest and flew away.

Verőce: Crocus

I participated as a spectator on a championship of horseback archery which was taking place at Verőce, Lósi-valley Farkas-Laka riding resort. I found some crocuses near the track so I started to take some shots of one of the flowers:

Crocus

Mikepércs: The Lake of Herons

This time I used a reed matting as a hide for taking shots at a pond where I saw many herons, egrets and other birds previously. Here there was still enough water to attract a lot of birds.

After I had got into the hide the black-winged stilts appeared soon. Then this snipe came quite close to the hide:

Common Snipe

Then a common sandpiper got at the front of the glass that I used for photography and made a very soft pee-pee-like calling sounds while it was looking at its reflection in the glass. Perhaps it was calling its couple. Seeing no reaction it got away but soon reappeared calling its "couple" again behind the glass. This scene occured a few times while I was there.
Meanwhile the grey herons began to land. First in some distance then closer and closer:

Grey Heron

Grey Heron

The little and the great:

Grey Heron

Grey Heron

Most of the herons was not very successful at hunting, this young specimen found only a bit of something:

Young Grey Heron

This one just flew accross the pond but with a frog in its beak:

Grey Heron

The wood sandpipers got closer as well:

Wood Sandpiper

Wood Sandpiper

Wood Sandpiper

Wood Sandpiper

Later a black-winged stilt was looking for food quite close to the hide:

Black-winged Stilt

Mikepércs: Young Mute Swans

I was hoping that I would be able to take good shots of some ducks today. One could count on shorebirds as well.

There is less water in the pond from day to day which made the light conditions worse. I placed myself in the hide then waited. First the black-winged stilts landed in the water:

Young Black-winged Stilt

Then further ducks splashed into the water. They were teal and garganey females. First they were feeding quite far from me but after a while they came closer and closer:

Garganey (female)

Later the brown young swans appeared. They moved in a row in front of my hide then after a few minutes they came back. One of them began to preen itsef and have a bath in front of the hide:

Young Mute Swan

Young Mute Swan

Meanwhile one of the garganeys came as close as 3-4 meters to my hide so I could only take a portrait of it:

Garganey (female)

Apuseni Mountains: Padis

We made a 3 days trip to Padis, Apuseni Mountains (Roumania). The weather is wet there, it rains almost every day. This shot was taken after a long shower:

Padis

Vekeri Lake: Wasp Spider

Today I tried to take some macro shots at the Vekeri Lake. I found this spider near the shore:

Wasp Spider

Photography at the Tisza-Lake - day 4: Cormorants and Squacco Herons

The sun was already above the horizon when I got up. I looked out of the tent. Just a few coots were moving in some distance. Having breakfast, doing some reading, but still nothing happened. So I decided to pack my things in the tent. When I looked out again I saw my first guest: a cormorant was drying its wings on a dried branch:

The next moment I caught sight of a squacco heron on another branch:

It has observed something in the water and became more and more interested in it. The hunting has begun:

Its neck began to stretch:

It stretched ...:

... and stretched ...:

... and when you would think it can't stretch any further, it can!

The moment before shooting out its neck:

And finally shooting out:

The wind has made an interesting plumage for it:

Then another squacco appeared:

It has seen something as well:

And began to stretch:

Like a snake:

But suddenly it has calmed down. It seems that the prey has escaped:

Stretching one of its wings:

Then preening:

After that the coots came. First the youngs then the adult. I climbed onto a branch:

It rested and preened for a while then it left together with the youngs.
One of the squaccos flew a bit further and managed to catch a small fish:

The cormorant was still preening ...:

... and scratching itself for long:

The it was disturbed by coming boat and flew off. My time has passed as well so I packed my things and left for the harbor.