Puffins on Skomer island

Just a small selection of the pictures obtained on a recent trip to Powys, we had never ventured here in the past but intend to return and check out some more of the local sites in the future

Photography hides in Spain

https://spainbirds.com/photo2014.html

This link is to a friend of mine who I have used for digiscoping trips in the past

Roller

Some  images from a superb morning in Hungary. I travelled with two friends on a Saker tour photographic hide trip, the weather was not great but I got some reasonable images as can be seen in some of my other recent posts. we stayed in the Thermal hotel Balmaz in Balmazujvaros and travelled widely in this area to the excellent hides.

Hoopoe

This marvellous creature turned up at the bee eater hide, showing off it's cryptic plumage as it made a nuisance of itself around the bee eater burrows and it got chased off a couple of times.

Black woodpecker

We were told that if a black woopecker turned up it was your lucky day as they are only seen about twice a month so we were chuffed to see this big male land at the drinking pool. He did not budge from this position so I never saw the whole bird, bur what a superb specimen it was!

Green woodpecker

A nice male at the drinking pool

Yellowhammers

Female, juvenile and male yellowhammers in that order. We saw lots on our first visit to the drinking pool and very few the next time which we found odd.

Blackcaps

I saw so many blackcaps at the woodland pool that I lost count, the females came in thick and fast, it seems they are more fastidious than the males!!

Collared flycarcher

Various ages and sexes of collared flycatchers, sadly without a male in prime plumage, the youngsters were very aggresive to each other.

Lesser grey shrike

One of the final pictures from Hungary, taken in the Hortobagy national park, two hours before we set off for the airport.

Golden oriole

A first summer bird, spoiled slightly by the branch behind it but a beautiful subject nonetheless. It appeared in the tree that the Rollers nest box was on.

Spotted flycatcher

Taking a drink on a hot day in Hungary

Turtle dove

Such a beautiful bird, and such a shame that so many are blasted to pieces on their migrations, it was revealed to me by a person who visits Malta each year in an effort to try to stop the slaughter, that one of the main reasons they cannot stop it is the involvement of the maltese police most of whom are the ones shooting them. He also said that non shooters were regularly threatened.

Green woodpecker

This bird semed to enjoy bathing with its wings out, something new for me.

Bee eater

Just two of the many images I took of these crackers, there were three of us in a small hide, the temperatures were almost 40degrees C, and for much of the time we did not notice as the action was so good

Red squirrel

The Hungarian red squirrel is a much darker animal than ours.

Pygmy cormorant

When it first flew up to the perch from the water it looked very bedraggled, but in five minutes it dried out and looked quite a smart little bird, it is less than half the size of the cormorant found in the UK.

European roller

A wonderful spectacle to watch at close quarters, the parents and one of last years youngsters flying to the nest with prey for the rapidly growing chicks, the Hortobagy national park is very rich in food, with crickets, grasshoppers and what look like locusts, together with various beetles we observed to be in their diet.