Early May, Jeziorki

Out and about on a day when at last the temperature finally got spring-like, with a high of 26C. I took the Coolpix P900, which works best on sunny days, its long lens brings me closer to aircraft and wildlife.  Below: a frog puffs up its vocal sacks. It's the height of the mating season, and the southern end of the ponds are noisy with the croaking. "Have you ever woke up with them bullfrogs on your mind?"

Below: not a common pochard, but another diving bird... anyone know what this is? The male watches as the female dives. Whoever left that plastic bottle in the pond deserves ten lashes and a night in the stocks.

Black-headed gulls are nesting at the northern end of the ponds. If the frogs at the other end are noisy, the gulls are noisier still. I spotted three ornithologists snapping local birdlife today. Good!

Up in the air, planes were taking off to the south over Jeziorki. Below: A Polish Air Force CASA C-295M shortly after takeoff.

Below: Another twin-turboprop aircraft departs from Okęcie - a Air Baltic Bombardier Q400

Below: Air China Airbus A330 sets off for Beijing. Don't worry about birdstrike - the gull appears much closer than it is due to the foreshortening effect of the telephoto lens.

Another wide-body regular at Okęcie, Emirates Boeing 777 climbs away bound for Dubai, below.

Across the tracks, I find that the Ballast Mountain has grown - I was expecting it to shrink as track works continue by Nowa Iwiczna - but no - several truckloads of ballast have been recently deposited here.

Below: I'm in Zamienie, and notice a new bus stop has appeared by the housing estate. No bus numbers posted yet - I'm puzzled as to what bus route will pass this way... Will the 737 be diverted via Zamienie, or will the L39 be extended?

Below: the 'road' from Nowy Podolszyn to Zamienie - surely no one's seriously suggesting taking buses this way? The estate in the photo above is about 500m from here on the left.

The bus loop in Dawidy has been under construction since last autumn - no sign of what will happen here. No mention of this investment anywhere on ZTM's website. Will a new bus route terminate here?

Back home, with a storm brewing. Before long, thunder, lightning, hailstones and a short, sharp downpour hit.

Next week will be busy.

This time last year:
W-wa Okęcie modernisation
[A year later - work's still unfinished]

This time two years ago:
I buy a Nikon Coolpix A

This time three years ago:
More about the Ladder of Authority

This time four years ago:
By bike, south of Warsaw

This time six years ago:
Functionalist architecture in Warsaw

This time seven years ago:
What's the Polish for 'to bully'?

This time eight years ago:
Making plans

This time nine years ago:
The setting sun stirs my soul

This time ten years ago:
Rain ends the drought