Today, I joined a group of volunteers in the process of ringing waders. We met at a place I had visited a few times, but I had never seen so many birds in this spot before.
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| An amazing number of waders |
Metal cage-like traps were set up along the border of the marshes and before long the first wader got trapped and quickly brought to one of the wooden huts where we had gathered to start the ringing. |
| Setting up of the traps |
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| One of the many waders trapped and ready to be taken to the wooden hut for ringing |
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| Dunlin during the ringing process |
The birds we temporarily caught were not only ringed, but also weighed and measured. And of course released back into the wild as soon as possible. We also took advantage of the moment to ring a Swift which is being looked after until it gains enough strength to be released. |
| Close-up of a beautiful Swift |
It is amazing to see how beautiful these creatures are when you observe them so closely. |
| Three Spoonbills flying close to one another |
I was constantly busy talking to the volunteers and looking at the ringing process so I couldn't really focus on taking many good pictures of the surroundings, apart from a flock of Spoonbills and the obvious sunset. I had also seen three Ospreys in the far distance, way too far to photograph.
The next day, I decided to return and started off lying patiently on the ground next to one of the saltpans. Soon the Dunlins and other waders started to come closer, giving plenty of opportunities to take some decent shots.
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| This is how crowded it was when I arrived in the late afternoon |
No three Ospreys this time, but I was fortunate to spot and photograph one in the distance carrying a fish! It was flying at several hundreds of metres from me, but the camera was able to take some decent shots, revealing the fish and the ring the bird wore.
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| Osprey with a freshly caught fish |
There was a threesome of another species of raptor though: three Marsh Harriers together manoeuvring high and low above the marshes, with the threatening windmills in the background.
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| One of the three Marsh Harriers |
I spent a few hours walking around, enjoying the quiet and the birds' presence, looking out for any interesting scene around me.
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| Black-tailed Godwits in flight displaying their distinctive white band on the upper wings |
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| Willow Warbler |
Few moments before the setting sun forced me to end my visit, I spotted a huge flock of Spoonbills, gathering on the ground. They just gave me enough time to count them before the decided to take off and fly overhead, southward. Another spectacular sight, just before heading home accompanied by a colourful summer sunset.
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| Part of the 143 individuals strong Spoonbill flock |
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| Greater Flamingos overflying the Saltpans as the sun sets |
