Yesterday I spent the day in a hide, with two befriended photographers. A long drive to the other side of the country, so we left at 4:30 a.m.  It was a very hot day, and the time in the hide (although comfortable in terms of space and equipment) was quite a challenge. On the upside, many birds visited the pool for bathing or drinking, since the land around the hide is dry as is hasn’t rained for quite some time. On the other hand, the birds are not dressed in their best plumage at this time of year… Ah well, always something to wish for. We recorded no less than 23 species, some of which were first-timers for me, at least as photo models. Two species I particularly wanted to see, came along several times: the Red Cross Beak (Kruisbek) and the Hawfinch (Appelvink). Shots of both are featured in this blog. More to come….