Neglecting to blog in the month of July means that I am still posting photographs from June…throughout the duration of this hiatus I was still getting out there with my camera, therefore I have collected quite a lot of images to sort through and arrange for the blogosphere…
However for the last couple of weeks my bicycle has been in a workshop for some serious repairs 😐 ….which in turn has given me the chance to catch up with the blog…I was able to borrow a bicycle but I don’t really feel right about cycling long distances and leaving the bike unattended in the midst of the wild…
The above image of a Meadow Pipit is from late June…this bird was still singing enthusiastically in this time amongst the long grass of the meadows which encompass the marsh. 🙂
It would have been more respectful to this Ruff to be introduced in his attractive breeding plumage…but as usual I delayed…and forgot…and became more concerned with other aspects of the natural world…almost like I’m in a permanent state of distraction.
It can be difficult to fit everything in when the seasons race by so fast…
There are always Goldfinches here in the meadows and marshes of Friesland, always in restless groups, twittering as they go and always avoiding me and my camera…until this day when I managed to sneak up on them behind the cover of brambles and hawthorns… 😉
Acccording to the BBC nature presenter Chris Packham, the Reedling aka Bearded Tit is a Premier League bird and I can definitely see his point…
By now I have become quite used to having this amazing and colourful species around, they usually forage in groups at this time of year and announce their presence by the instantly recognizable “ping” call that they make as they skillfully flutter about through the extensive reedbeds.
Photographing this particular species remains a challenge as they are constantly on the move, I can even manage to get quite close but they present theirselves for a split second before disappearing into the seemingly impenetrable reed cover…
On this day back in the middle of June, many attempts at capturing a shot of a Meadow Pipit didn’t quite make the grade…
Until of course the moment I got on my bicycle to leave…
This young bird met me at the top of the lane and surprisingly waited while I got the camera out of the bag and made the neccesary preparations, still sitting on the bicycle I was fortunate enough to get in one last spontaneous photo session before daylight faded into night.
These Black-headed Gulls were hunting something in the reeds…
They were using a strategy of hunting in groups, flying low over the reedbeds then diving simultaneously into the reeds…it was like they were rounding something up…unfortunately I never managed to find out exactly what they were up to… 😕
Reed Buntings are plentiful in the reed beds on the marsh, swinging to and fro in the windblown reeds, squeaking out their trademark, staccato song…the above image was taken in a rare, tranquil moment on a blustery Sunday morning in June…
For the last three years I have noticed that Reed Warblers are always the last summer visitor to arrive on the marsh…It’s Always good to hear their song again and the Cuckoos are most delighted with their timely return! 😉
Cuckoos have been getting very excited and full of themselves lately…my personal theory for this behaviour is the arrival of Reed Warblers on the marsh… 😉
a heartical view 