Midsummer Magnetism
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. 🙂
Frequent Delays
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…
New Life
Every summer there are plenty of new arrivals on the marsh, such as this juvenile Reed Bunting viewing me from close range with youthful curiosity… 😉
Premier League Status
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…
One Last Chance
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.
Distraction with a Smile
This Willow Warbler was busy feeding her young with caterpillars through the crack in the willow tree until she noticed me watching then proceeded to fly closer to me and made a repetative “hooweet” sound…I only stayed there a few minutes as I was in fact interupting the last feed of the day…
Being There
It is a rare honour to be able to get this close to Roe Deer, I had unwittingly stumbled upon this pair while I was unsuccessfully stalking Savi’s Warblers and Bluethroats…
To get a bit closer I did crawl on hands and knees under the cover of last years reed and a conveniently placed hawthorn…the wind was blowing from the right and sometimes I was afraid that the buck caught my scent as he started making snorting sounds when there was a break in the wind…
As the wind fizzed through the reeds on a sunny evening in May…time stood still…
The Elusive One
This is generally the closest that I can manage to get to a Marsh Harrier, as this raptor gracefully glides and levitates, surveying the margins of the lake for prey…he’s always there…always spectacular…yet always keeping his distance… 😉
A Questionable Tradition
Lapwings are currently gathering together in huge flocks for the winter, on the marsh and in the meadows…they can be quite a sight with their coordindated flight displays which are very similar to starling murmurations…
Unfortunately it is an old and outdated tradition here in Friesland to bring the first lapwings’ egg to the kings’ commissioner symbolizing the beginning of spring…and many disturb nests between the 1st of March and the 9th of April to compete for first place… 😐
Occasionally I can get quite close to solitary subjects such as this one wading in the shallows of the marsh, captured in the setting, late summer sun…
On a Platter
Just a few minutes after capturing the image of the buzzard that I posted yesterday, I came across this young Great Crested Grebe on the canal who seemed quite happy to float there as I took photographs…the parent bird was keeping an eye on the situation from a distance though neither bird seemed overly concerned with my presence… 😉
As Timeless as Infinity…
Somehow I had managed to get lost in the woods again…the map I had drawn the evening before seemed to lack detail and somewhere inbetween heath and forest I realised how quiet it was…no buzzing, no chirping…nothing at all…just silence…had I entered the dimension of imagination, an area which we call the Twilight Zone? 😕
Hotel with a View
Starlings are gathering on the marsh in large numbers, as are geese and lapwings…
Along one side of the marsh are a line of electricity pylons which the starlings fully utilise in the late evening and night…each evening they choose a different one, though I do wonder how they manage to make a collective decision over which one to choose…
They create plenty of commotion and noise as they gather and line up at sunset at these convenient and well ventilated, electric hotels. 😉
An Evening in the Lanes
When the weather is so hot as it has been the last weeks I tend to spend more time in the narrow lanes between the pastures…the lanes are all lined with trees and vegetation and are a good place to search for various insects and birds, also providing a pleasant alternative and shelter from the oppressive heat of the marsh and open pasture. Lately I have found a couple of quite narrow lanes such as the one shown in the image below which I assume is meant to be a footpath….the route is lined with tree roots making the way quite bumpy and potentially very wet if I lose my concentration for a split second. 😉
Small fields seperated by lines of trees make a perfect habitat for the buzzard…I seem to hear them quite a lot at the moment…this young buzzard was soaring about making himself heard…
If you look carefully in the top left-hand corner of this last image you can see one of the many dragonflies that were hunting in the lanes.
Circa Diem
When the day reaches this exact point, I never really feel ready to have to stop the session and make the return journey…the day may last an extra two to four hours at least in my opinion… 😉
a heartical view 