Peter's third attempt

[PeterHG]

238. European Goldfinch. May, Texel.

 

[PeterHG]

239. Pied Avocet. May, Texel.  They will attack any other bird that ventures close to their nest, no matter the size. As a result the Avocets spend a lot of time chasing Gulls , Geese and each other.

 

 

 

 

 

[PeterHG]

240. Bar-tailed Godwit. May, Texel. Passing through in considerable numbers.

 

[TonyQ]

Great additions and some seriously beautiful photos.I love the spoonbil and the avocets in particular.

[Peter Connan]

Stunning Avocets!

[xelas]

AIF are stunners!

[michael-ibk]

Needs to be said again - very cool Avocet sequence!

[Dave Williams]

Indeed they are.... the Avocets... superb.

[PeterHG]

Thanks, @TonyQ, @Peter Connan, @xelas, @Dave Williams and @michael-ibk ! With their striking pattern, the Avocets are always begging for flight shots...

[PeterHG]

Well, I could wait for a better shot than this EBC, but somehow I doubt whether I'll get a second chance at one of these.

 

241. Dotterel. May, Texel. The heat haze and the distance were too much for the camera. A very nice sighting, though.

 

[PeterHG]

242. Herring Gull. May, Texel. Vey common along the coast.

 

[PeterHG]

243, Lesser Black-backed Gull. May, Texel. On the island they are even more common than the Herring Gull.

 

[PeterHG]

244. Brant. May, Texel. Large numbers of them around throughout the year on Texel.

 

[PeterHG]

245. Common Shelduck. May, Texel. The male with its deep red bill.

 

 

And two more...

Edited May 29, 2018 by PeterHG

[PeterHG]

Just to give you an idea of what one of the reserves on Texel looks like:

 

[PeterHG]

246. Western Jackdaw. May, Texel. Very common. I could just as well point the lens at my own roof, where they built a nest underneath my neighbour's solar panels...

 

[PeterHG]

247. Icterine Warbler. May, Texel. I was alerted to its present by its song. In Dutch it is called 'Spotvogel', which means mocking bird, as it mimics other birds when singing.

 

[PeterHG]

248. Eider. May, Texel. Though not as numerous as before, they are still quite common on Texel. The males are really beautiful.

 

[PeterHG]

249. Purple Sandpiper. May, Texel. A few were present on one of the breakwaters along the beach. As the tide was in I could not get very close.

 

[PeterHG]

250. Ruddy Turnstone. May, Texel. Not breeding birds in our country, but relatively common on migration and in winter.

 

[PeterHG]

Already in the count, but this little Kestrel was hunting, when I was trying to get shots of the Avocets.

 

[Peter Connan]

@PeterHG, you are really raising the bar this year!

[xelas]

Beautiful BIF, @PeterHG! This Texel, does all these birds will be there also end of June?! BTW where exactly is it?

[michael-ibk]

2 hours ago, PeterHG said:

In Dutch it is called 'Spotvogel', which means mocking bird, as it mimics other birds when singing.

 

Also in German - the name "Gelbspötter" basically means yellow mockingbird.

 

Great photos again, love the Eider particularly.

 

[PeterHG]

1 hour ago, xelas said:

Beautiful BIF, @PeterHG! This Texel, does all these birds will be there also end of June?! BTW where exactly is it?

 

Most of them will be there towards the end of June, except for the migrants. Activity around the nesting areas will be a lot less then. The number of birds will rise again in September with the autumn migration starting. The location: