Golden hour

This morning at 6h45 AM, I witnessed this impressive sunrise above the steaming lake. Compare this photo with the upload of April 9-th, 2010. It is taken at the same place from a slightly different angle.

Blackthorn blossom

After we moved my daughter’s furniture on Saturday to Breda, I went for a short evening walk to a young forest patch close to my home. A lovely little Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita/Tjiftjaf) showed up at exactly the right branch. It is spring time!

Cloudy sunrise

I usually spent long hours, days, and even weeks to make the photo that I have in mind (and sometimes I will not succeed at all), but the reverse also happens. This weekend I had not much time for photography, because my daughter Evelien went into rooms in Breda where she studies “Communication and Multimedia Design”. But on Friday morning, when everybody was still sleeping, I went for a short visit to Soerendonks Goor and saw this cloudy sunrise.

Gruttomania

The end of March and the first week of April is the best time to observe the complex and interesting pre-breeding behavior of Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa/Grutto). This takes place in the afternoon preferably in flooded grasslands. The display of the brick-red ♂♂ - downward spreading of tail and puff out of the rufous mantle feathers - is needed to trigger the process of ♀’s ovule ripping. Other ♂♂ are scared off, by showing the white conspicuous underwings. Although the ♂♂ are very much present, the duller ♀♀ determine when the mating start. This is one of the many things that I learned over the years from Astrid Kant, the godwit specialist in The Netherlands. Thanks Astrid!
The photos below are taken in overcast weather conditions, I begin to appreciate such lighting conditions more and more.

Piss off!

I once read that conflicts between humans can be traced back to one out of 3 things: women, money (resources in general), or power (status). In the animal world this is exactly the same. The rightmost Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos/Wilde Eend) is furious because his ♀ (not visible on the photo) was approached by another ♂.
Oh yeah, I made a small crop with a 16×9 aspect ratio of this photo.

Fluffy tuft

Spring is coming, but it is still cold this morning with -4°C. The strong NO-wind kept the water open. After the low and soft winter illumination, I have to get used to the other quality of light. This ♂ Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula/Kuifeend) is photographed in bright sunlight; windy conditions are necessary in order to show the fluffy tuft.

Who is afraid of yellow and blue

I waited almost an entire day before this ♂ Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus/Blauwe Kiekendief) turned up hunting above the ‘planned’ field. It is a pity that the yellow penetrating eyes of the bird are not visible; the bird is scrutinizing the ground for prey. The posing Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella/Geelgors) eased the long waiting hours. The bright colors are intensified by the reflecting snow cover on the ground.