Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis) in Cospeito

  I really loves Terra Chá in late winter. Countryside is full of Lapwings, Golden Plovers, Meadow pipits, Redwings, Fieldfares, Common Chaffings and Bramblings. If we talk about a "normal" winter... Because cold in west Europe is the reason we have thousands of these birds here. And past winter was warmest one from decades ago. Now, fields are empty and silenced.

   So many storms as we have suffered leaved their mark everywhere. Hundreds of trees are broken or torn, as if a furious t-rex had passed by there.

  Not many birds leaved yesterday morning. I could watch, for example, some Commom Chaffinchs (Fringilla coelebs). Groups of 20-30 individuals. Not a Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla).

 Common Chaffinchs (Fringilla coelebs) in A Veiga de Pumar

   Also, an unusually numerous group of  21 Eurasian Bullfinchs (Pyrrhula pyrrhyla) on a hedge close to A Espiñeira village, and some flocks of Siskins (Carduelis spinus); one of them with 200 Siskins.

Eurasian Siskin (Carduelis spinus), eating Alder seeds

 After walking by open fields of A Veiga and A Espiñeira, visited Cospeito "lagoon" (I think actually is not a lagoon but rather a "wetland").

 An elegant Great Egret came flying at this very moment, and landed on lagoon shore. Photo was taken from SW tower hide.

 Great Egret (Egretta alba), winter plumage

    From inside of stone hide, I had the opportunity to photograph little insectivorous birds that moved into bush and cutted branches .

 Winter Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)

    It started to rain (again), and hide was a comfortable place to remain while I watched a lot of Common Chiffchaffs. Imagine all of them were Phylloscopus collybita, the european species. Nesting here type, Phylloscopus ibericus, behaves as a summer migrant, and I suppose they will come along next weeks (Damián, correge se cómpre)

Common Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita)

    It´s a pity in next photo bird was a bit unfocused (or seems to me). Under a grey sky and rainning, I couldn´t put enough quick settings.

    People that only use reflex cameras can´t imagine how difficult this was for me. Focus system in bridge cameras (specially between shot an shot) is very, very, very slow!, and taking a good image to a little bird moving into braches is almost an imposible mission. But, gradually, my camera and me are knowing us, and results are comming better each time.

Canon SX50 (ISO 100  1/200 sec  F: 6,5)

  And White Storkes had returned to their nests (I´m also a herpetologist, so don´t feel special simpathy for Storks, ha, ha,..)

White Storke (Ciconia ciconia)

A pair of Little Grebes (Tachybaptus ruficollis) watched their territory. Inside a Scirpus reed, Grebes will build their floating nest during next month. Do you know when adults leave nest they cover eggs with death plants for hiding it from predators? I have discovered some nest that seemed empty thanks to this interesting behavior (in San Surxo wetland, many years ago)

 Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis) under rain

  Watching Grebes, I realized they were capturing willow inflorescences!! Initially, I thought objects Grebes carried from bottom of waters were insect larvae (Friganea sp), but looking some images, these "captures" seems to be exactly this: willow inflorescences. Are you watching same as me?

    At this situation (birds swimming slowly over water) bridge cameras offer their best. You have time enough to focus, set and shot. Rest depends on photograph skill (not much in my case).

 Canon SX50 215 mm focus (ISO 400  1/320 sec. F: 6,5)

 Canon SX 215 mm focus (ISO 250  1/320 sec. F:6,5)

Canon SX50, 215 focus (equiv. 1200mm) (ISO 200  1/250 sec.  F: 6,5)

 Well, I expect you liked this post.
 Until next one!