37 little grebes, one great crested grebe, wheatears

This is a March 2016 little grebe nest video from Cornwall.

On 21 September 2014, to Voorne island.

Between The Hague and Rotterdam, a grey heron on a lamppost. Not so unusual. However, on lampposts next to it: two white storks, more unusual.

A few kilometer more south: again, three white storks on lampposts.

Near Rotterdam, again a stork on a lamppost. As it is still rather early in the morning, are they waiting for higher temperatures, with better conditions for soaring, continuing their autumn migration to Africa?

On Voorne island, first to Strypsche wetering nature reserve.

This is a video about ruff mating season at Strypsche wetering on 2 May 2014.

We saw ruffs on 21 September there too. Not in mating season mood and plumage, but in autumn migration mood and plumage.

Other Strypsche wetering birds: redshanks, ruff relatives. Northern lapwings, more distant relatives. A big golden plover flock landed. Egyptian geese. Mallards. Snipe.

Four great cormorants flying overhead.

Again and again, flocks of scores of barnacle geese, maybe just arrived from the Arctic, fly, calling, to a field where hundreds congregate.

Shoveler ducks flying.

On the bank, yellow common fleabane flowers.

A barn swallow flies.

A buzzard sits on a fence.

We continue to another fence: a male and a female kestrel sitting next to each other.

We arrive at another part of the Strypsche wetering. Many Canada geese. Some of them look like being injured. Probably because of hunters who can’t shoot straight.

Ten gadwall ducks flying. Five grey lag geese flying.

We arrive at the sand dunes closest to the beach. A flock of common linnets. A blue tit.

On rock in the water, a great black-backed gull.

Closer to us, swimming, a big surprise: at least 37 little grebes, probably many more. Such a big flock is unusual for this species. Every now and then, some of the birds fly a short distance and land again. A great crested grebe swims along with them.

At nature reserve Hoekje Jans, a Cetti’s warbler sings. Also unusual at this time of the year.

A little egret flying.

A red admiral butterfly on a bush. Which species of bush? Elaeagnus multiflora, or Elaeagnus umbellata?

A smaller butterfly: a speckled wood.

A comma butterfly.

At the Slikken van Voorne nature reserve, flowers of yellow-wort and seaside centaury.