Some miscellaneous Kingfisher photos from last week in Hungary.

This kingfisher was visiting the garden of the lodge we were staying in at Tiszaalpar in Hungary.

It readily took to diving for fish but it always liked to hide away when eating the prey.

Fortunately one of it's perches was in view of my camera so I rattled off a few shots as and when I could.

The final 2 shots are of a juvenile kingfisher (note the brown feet as oppose the red-orange feet of the adult) which I took whilst in a hide with a pool in the forest.

Cornwall Wildlife Trust Photo Group - Breney Common Nature Reserve 19.7.2015

Male Beautiful Demoiselle

Our field trip to Breney Common nature reserve near Bodmin was quite productive and we did manage to find the target species of Black Darter eventually when the sun came out.

When we arrived it started to drizzle really hard and many cameras went back into bags but half hour into the visit the sun came through and it came out quite hot.

The butterflies and dragonflies then appeared from the vegetation and we all got our cameras out again and proceeded to capture some images.

4 spot Chaser

Mating 5 spot Burnet moths

Azure damselfly

Black Darter

Black Darter

Black Darter

Caterpillar of the Mullein Moth

Day 6 in Hungary. 10th July.

An afternoon with the Bee-Eaters proved quite productive with birds bringing back many insects including hover flies, dragonflies, beetles etc.

Day 5 in Hungary. 9th July.

Male Kingfisher.

Not a lot of time to post photos tonight.

I've spent the morning in a hide photographing Kingfishers, the afternoon in a hide doing Bee-eaters and the evening photographing Brown Hares.

Today's image is of an adult male Kingfisher on a Reedmace head.

Day 4 in Hungary, 8th July.

White tailed Eagle

Last evening we spent 4 hours in a hide on the marshes and couldn't get close views of many waders but spent a while photographing Whiskered Terns in flight. Suddenly a White-tailed Eagle dropped into the marsh but was just out of visibilty until it flew up after being mobbed by all the gulls and terns. This proved to be my best picture of the evening.
3:00 a.m. start again this morning and back in the tower hide for more time with the Red-footed Falcons. Temperatures are due to peak today at 39 degrees which means we spend most of the day catching up on our sleep!
As I write now in the evening the predicted storm has arrived with an unbelievable wind carrying a lot of sand sweeping across the area. A lot of lightning and a bit of rain has now cleared the air.

Female Red-footed Falcon

Female Red-footed Falcon

Sand Martin nestling

Day 3 in Hungary, 7th July.

European Bee-eater

Another amazing day of photography!

Out again at 03:10 hours and in a hide photographing a bee-eater colony as soon as the sun rose.

Short and sweet tonight as in a restaurant and the only place I can get wi-fi and we're running late.

The Red-backed Shrikes were amazing last evening in Puszta hide until a sparrowhawk flew in and demolished the perch we'd provided for them!

Male Red-backed Shrike

Female Red-backed Shrike

European Bee-eater at it's nest burrow.

Day 2 in Hungary. 6th July 2015.

Hawfinch

 

What a place Hungary is for wildlife!

The birds are phenomenal and we;ve had a hell of a few days.
The downside is getting out of bed at 10 past 3 in the morning in order to be in a hide before sunrise but it has been so worth it.

This morning we were at a mud flat amongst reeds in a salt lake at 4'o clock and photographed waders along with pygmy cormorant and whiskered terns.

Those pics may well be online tomorrow with luck unless tiredness kicks in!

Here are a few from last evening in the forest hide.

Sparrowhawk

 

Turtle Dove

Day 1 in Hungary, 5th July 2015

European Roller with green cricket prey

Our first full day of bird photography in Kiskunsag National Park in Hungary delivered some great birds and 3 firsts for me!

I'd never before seen Red Footed Falcons, Hawfinch and Turtle Dove but managed to get good photos of them all today.

The Hawfinch & Turtle Doves were this evening so I'll post them tomorrow but here are a few shots from this morning.

Male red-footed Falcon.

Kestrel

Male Kingfisher with fish