Sometimes our birdlife can become the victim of the elements through no fault of their own.
I found one of our water birds, the Pied Stilt was nesting in a wetlands not too far from home. The nest itself was well concealed among the reeds and grass and only by sitting quietly and watching its movements over a few separate days , was I finally able to work out its position.
Because of the location, setting up a hide was a lengthy process in itself. As the Stilt was such a wary bird, finally getting to sit in the hide, took much more time than usual as well and I needed to be patient on every sitting because the bird’s journey back to the nest was long and roundabout with numerous stops on the way.
I felt the wait was always worth it, as the shots were favourites of mine from every shoot.
I was really looking forward to being present when the chicks hatched and to photograph them at the nest or later as they grew up in the swamp. However Mother Nature took a hand and spoil my plans. The rain pelted down for four or five days relentlessly.
As soon as the rain had cleared away, I returned post haste to the wetlands. I could not even get to the nest. The level had risen so much that the nest was completely under water with no sign of the stilts anywhere.
I felt really sorry for the poor birds. I could only hope that the babies may have hatched before the deluge and the parents had got them away to safety.
My hide was also under water but I was able to retrieve it a few months later when the water level dropped.
