Dirty moustache
Ghent is becoming very famous for photographing bearded tits at the Bourgoyen nature reserve. Not that many birds are present, but they put on a good show. The spectacle has been going on for many weeks and hundreds of enthusiasts went to see them. I couldn’t resist to photograph these marvelous little reed dwellers.
When looking for bearded tits, don’t look for the birds themselves… In fact you have to listen for their calls -although they can be very quiet at times- or even better: look for reed seeds flying through the air. This tip was provided by a biology student present at the spot. Good tip it seemed…
Female and male
These stunning birds can be very quiet and hidden in the reed vegetation.
Traditional setting
With water as background
Notice the flying seeds
Finally close enough for full frame shot
Marvelous birds to see and observe. Yet the images could be better if it would be much colder, making the vegetation frozen and more photographic. Also the birds would be a bit less erratic. When I was there they flew to another plant every few seconds…