At the end of June and again in mid-July, I visited two different bird hides. The first was the Erspelo bird hide, owned by Arjan Troost. Fortunately, it was just after the heatwave, although it was still quite warm. Luckily, the hide was equipped with a fan, which we gratefully made good use of. In that respect, we were rather spoiled, as that’s certainly not something you can take for granted.
I didn’t have any particular expectations beforehand, although I secretly hoped that this time I would finally get a Sparrowhawk in front of my lens. Unfortunately, no birds of prey appeared that day, but that certainly didn’t spoil the experience! I was delighted to see the red squirrel on the little island and the Eurasian Jay enjoying a long bath. I also photographed a European Pied Flycatcher for the first time. All in all, it was a wonderful day, filled with memorable moments that I’ll look back on with great pleasure.
The Enterveenhut was the first bird hide I visited. Visiting a new hide is always a bit 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, which makes photographing much more comfortable.
The setting, however, was a bit disappointing. On a sunny day, the light wasn’t ideal, and when I reviewed my photos afterwards, I found the background rather cluttered. That was a shame, as I ended up keeping only a few photos from the day. Fortunately, a Eurasian Sparrowhawk did make an appearance this time, even if only for a brief moment. I was absolutely thrilled to finally see and photograph one, and that made the visit truly special.
Two bird hides, two completely different experiences. At the Erspelo 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 this variety and the unexpected encounters that make every visit to a bird hide so special and keep me coming back with my camera time and time again.
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