Mikepércs: At The Icy Bathing Pool

It was quite cold this morning but I wouldn't have thought that it would freeze at the bathing pool. When I got there the surface of the water was frozen. I wondered how the birds would behave seeing the frozen pool. First a jay appeared ...:

Jay

... looked around then flew off.
Then a blue tit landed on the ice, perhaps he wanted to have a bath. He couldn't do it this time. After that the blackbirds came to drink. In such case they usually retched back the kernels of the blackthorn berries they had swallowed previously. This bird is just spitting out a kernel:

Blackbird (male)

Blackbird (male)

Blackbird (male)

Blackbird (male)

Blackbird (male)

Then a robin landed on ice and slipped right away:

Robin

It jumped on its feet so quickly that I didn't even notice the move:

Robin

Then it tasted the kernels spit out by blackbirds but it didn't like them:

Robin

The robin was jumping and fluttering here and there for a while:

Robin

Robin

Robin

Robin

On my way home I noticed two parasol mushrooms on the side of the road. Here's one of them:

Parasol Mushroom

Parasol Mushroom

Mikepércs: Bathing Birds At The Pool

The birds are using the bathing pool at last. Not many of them, but according to the traces birds sometimes come here to have a bath. This morning I wanted to be witness of this action. After I had got into the hide soon the blackbirds appeared and had a bath:

Blackbird (male)

Then for my greatest pleasure a wren appeared, skipping all over the pool and nearby, had a short bath ...:

Wren

but stayed close to the hide for some time, I heared it fumbling on top of the hide and even singing some soft tunes. I hope it will be a regular guest.

Later a blue tit came for a bath as well:

Blue Tit

Blue Tit

Blue Tit

Mikepércs: "Beauty" In The Marsh

I'm still stuck to the rails. But today I wasn't able to take decent shots. However a tree pipit landed on the dried pond bed. I haven't met this bird yet on this place.
Then a young water rail appeared, which was much younger than the ones seen so far:

Young Water Rail

I have to admit it is not a beauty. Especially not with spread wings:

Young Water Rail

Later a black redstart appeared nearby. However most of the birds have left this place, so I decided to put an end to my photography here and give it a try again next year.

Mikepércs: Locusts

I noticed nowadays that locusts and grasshoppers are teeming in the meadow near the village. So I decided to go for them today afternoon after work:

Nosed Grasshopper

Nosed Grasshopper

Nosed Grasshopper

Nosed Grasshopper

Nosed Grasshopper

I didn't manage to identify this species yet:

It's interesting that this grasshopper has the same colors as the plant it's hanging on. Unfortunately this specimen was missing it's right hind leg:

Mikepércs: At The Drying Pond

I spent the morning at the pond again. Water was only here and there. I trusted to the appearence of the rails, crakes and moorhens. And it was like this: the spotted crake and the little crake appeared early in the morning but a bit far from me, so I didn't make good photos of them.

A snipe also appeared and it was within shooting distance:

Common Snipe

Common Snipe

A young white wagtail was looking for insects in front of me too:

Young White Wagtail

Later the moorhens appeared as well, but the lights were too strong by then for taking good shots.
Maybe next time ...

Mikepércs: Moorhens

I was expecting the rail family again today. I haven't got a decent photo of the moorhens, which I came for to this place, because they haven't got close enough so far. But they did today!

The most early birds were the wagtails again and this little ringed plover:

Young Little Ringed Plover

Yellow Wagtail (female)

Young White Wagtail

Young White Wagtail

The little ringed plover was walking to and fro around my hide, so I was able to make a lot of photos of it, but they are very similar. These birds hunt in a special manner: unlike the sandpipers, which probe the soil or the shallow water while walking continously, these birds make a few steps, pick something, then stand there unmoving for many seconds, if they would think where to make the next probe into the mud.

Young Little Ringed Plover

Young Little Ringed Plover

Then a snipe appeared as well looking for some food in the hole I made nearby which still contained some water. Then it preened itself a bit:

Common Snipe

Common Snipe

The little ringed plover reappeared:

Young Little Ringed Plover

Young Little Ringed Plover

Then the snipe thought it was time for having a rest, so it decided to settle in a hole near my hide, dig it's long beak under the wings and took a good nap. In it's camouflaged plumage it was nearly unnoticable:

Common Snipe

As the Sun got higher and higher the moorhens began to come forward. First the youngs ...:

Young Moorhen

... then an adult one too:

Moorhen

Moorhen

Sometimes they must have seen something suspicious as at such occasions they ran into the shore vegetation quickly but they soon reappeared on the "tangle pasture":

Young Moorhen

Young Moorhen

Young Moorhen

Young Moorhen

Young Moorhen

Young Moorhen

And finally another picture of the little ringed plover:

Young Little Ringed Plover