The Jay and The First Sparrowhawk
At the end of June and again in mid-July, I visited two different bird hides. The first was the Espelo bird hide, owned by Arjan Troost. Fortunately, my visit came just after the heatwave, although it was still quite warm. Thankfully, the hide was equipped with a fan, which we were more than happy to make good use of. In that respect, we were rather spoiled, as having a fan in a bird hide is certainly not something you can take for granted.
I didn’t have any particular expectations beforehand, although I secretly hoped that this would finally be the day I got a Sparrowhawk in front of my lens. Unfortunately, no birds of prey showed up that day, but that certainly didn’t spoil the experience. I was delighted to see a Red Squirrel on the little island, while a Eurasian Jay treated us to a long and rather spectacular bath. I also had the opportunity to photograph a European Pied Flycatcher for the first time, which was a lovely bonus.
All in all, it was a wonderful day, filled with beautiful encounters and memorable moments that I’ll look back on with great pleasure.
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The Enterveenhut was the first bird hide I visited. Visiting a new hide is always a little exciting, but fortunately, it was very easy to find. Once inside, it was pleasantly cool, thanks to the fan that had already been switched on. The hide is also spacious, and the gimbal heads are mounted on a rail system, making it much more comfortable to photograph.
The setting, however, was a little disappointing. On a sunny day, the light wasn’t ideal, and when I reviewed my photos afterwards, I found the background rather busy and distracting. It was a shame, as I ended up keeping only a handful of photos from the day. Fortunately, a Eurasian Sparrowhawk did make an appearance this time, even if only briefly. I was absolutely thrilled to finally see and photograph one, and that alone made the visit truly special.
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Two bird hides, two completely different experiences. At the Espelo bird hide, the Eurasian Sparrowhawk unfortunately never appeared, but the Red Squirrel, Eurasian Jay, and European Pied Flycatcher made the day more than worthwhile. At the Enterveenhut, it was the other way around: the photography conditions were less than ideal, but this time the Eurasian Sparrowhawk finally made a brief appearance.
It just goes to show that no two days in nature are ever the same. It’s precisely this variety and the unexpected encounters that make every visit to a bird hide so special and keep me heading out with my camera with great enthusiasm.
Until next time,
Quirina