Mother-in-law things

Saturday morning, Carnival 2008 has just started. I do not particularly like this 4-day party event from catholic origin with its float parades. People in the south of The Netherlands wear funny cloths, and drink too much. Moreover my mother-in-law celebrates her 74-th birthday today and we were invited at 11h AM for the usual coffee, cake and lunch program.
7h30 AM, I opened the curtains of our bedroom. The ground was covered with a thin white layer, the first snow this winter. I quickly jumped out of bed (I’m always a bit excited when I see fresh snow), had a minor argument with my wife (that I really wanted to go out now), and finally promised to be back at 10h30 AM sharp.
I drove to the National Park “Groote Peel” were I could make this picture of a wintering group of Bean Geese (Anser fabalis/Rietgans), i.m.h.o. one of best pictures I ever took.

Of course you still might have one question: “Did I made it to be back on time?” Let's leave this diary episode open-ended ...

Happy New Year!

I started 2008 in the same way as I finished 2007: with a tour to Zeeland (see December 19-th, 2007). Today I was twice at the right time at the right place.
Around noon this female Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus/Torenvalk) turned up just a few metres besides my car. She was hovering there for a couple of minutes. Finally she spotted a mouse, caught it, and flew away.
At the end of the day I posted on the Brouwersdam, overlooking the North Sea. A drake (i.e. male) Eider (Somateria mollissima/Eider) swam right towards me.

Winterwonderland

The Netherlands was turned into a Winterwonderland! Reed beds, branches of trees, everything was covered with an exceptional thick layer of hoar frost. The most diffuse grey light I have ever seen. Perfect ingredients to compose a fairy-tale world. Don’t you see the elves?

Wildfowl in winter

A cutting icy eastern wind and a pale weak sun that is not able to warm the land; it is winter in The Netherlands! And I like it (I really missed the winter last year). With these conditions wildfowl gathers in huge numbers on the remaining open water in Zeeland, the delta province in the south-west of the Netherlands.
I posted awhile on a dike with a good view on an open water area surrounded by ice. From this position I was able to shoot pictures of a punky ♂ Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator/Middelste Zaagbek) and 2 ♂♂ Teal (Anas crecca/Wintertaling). Teals, which are much smaller, are usually shy and nervous, and quickly take wings. At large distance the males are easily recognized by their bright yellow stern patches.

Red eyes

Slavonian Grebe (Podiceps auritus/Kuifduiker). Except for a conspicuous red eye they don’t have much color in winter plumage.

40D: Over 10 million pixels

One of the first photos taken with my brand-new Canon EOS 40D camera; it is a 75% crop. So, the 10 million pixels are very welcome! The in-between ISO values of ⅓ stop are also convenient.
This wintering Great Grey Shrike (Lanius excubitor/Klapekster) was looking out for mice, or large insects. I like such birds-in-their-environment shots. Does anybody know why you always take nice photos when you just have a new camera or lens?

Harmony in gray

Often early morning or late afternoon sunlight is said to be perfect for taking photos, but for bird photography overcast skies are usually also excellent. Here you see a Sanderling (Calidris alba/Drieteenstrandloper), one of my favorite species, in a purely gray tone setting on the beach of IJmuiden.