Not so fast…

It felt as if this morning set out specifically to show me that one data point does not make a trend. Thus, not even 24 hours after I announced that “the storks have flown south for the season“, look who I found posing pretty as a picture. While it may be true that some storks have indeed flown south already, this seems to be pretty conclusive evidence that not all have yet, right?

Plus, there were a lot more geese around today, and as this formation approached from the horizon, I thought I was going to be able to show you a shot of a nice, big v-formation of geese actually heading south. Once they got overhead, however, I could see that these are not geese at all. Instead, they’re cormorants, on their way to catch fish in warmer waters. Ha! I doubt this picture even captured a third of the total.

Another big surprise was that I got to see a kestrel hunting again.

And this time, it drifted toward me, instead of away, when it repositioned itself.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewdressel/52395976577/in/album-72177720302552358/

Then it suddenly dropped out of the sky like a rock, and I lost sight of it in the tall grass. I thank my lucky stars that I somehow managed to keep my camera pointed in the right direction, because when it reemerged, look what it had found! Ta da! Some hapless little rodent is on its way to becoming a very nutritious breakfast.

Meanwhile, a great egret was hoping for similar luck along a nearby canal.

Finally, on my way back home, along the Delftse Schie, I spotted this great horned grebe chick, on the left, still in its zebra stripes, and still begging its parent, on the right, for something to eat. Hey, Kiddo, it’s October already, winter’s coming, and you’d better grow up fast!