Who's afraid of red and green

Grey Partridge (Perdix perdix/Patrijs) is a breeder of open farmland. Has declined greatly in The Netherlands. In the meadows around the “Groote Peel” still fair numbers of these birds can be found. Here is a ♂, the characteristic horseshoe-shaped blackish belly patch is not visible.

Bluethroat beauty

I bet everybody who saw a Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica/Blauwborst) once remembers exactly when and where it was. For those who never have seen this beautiful bird, a singing ♂ of the race cyanecula, i.e. with a small white throat patch.

Dutch poem

A group of Tree Sparrows (Passer montanus/Ringmus) were arguing and romping in a dense bush. This bird escaped from the crowd and posed for a moment right in front of me on a more or less isolated branch. The soft light in this photo inspired someone to write this poem (in Dutch unfortuneately :-).

Een dag draait weg
terwijl de zon laag en lang
met een gloed de liefde
warm en teder toedekt.

Buoyant

Underwater photography is not really my cup of tea. Here is my first attempt. I like the buoyant pose of this Palmate Newt (Lissotriton helveticus/Vinpootsalamander). The vegetation is a bit artificial.

Prepare for landing, fasten your seatbelts

To identify anser geese look at the color of the bill and the feet. Orange feet and pinkish bill (with a white collar); this points to White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons/Kolgans).

Goldeneye and Dutch windmills

The Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula/Brilduiker) is a medium-sized tree-hole nesting sea duck. The species is aptly named for its golden-yellow eye. Adult ♂♂ have a dark head with a greenish gloss and a conspicuous white patch below the eye, a dark back and a white neck and belly. Adult ♀♀ have a brown head and a mostly grey body. Their legs and feet are orange-yellow. Their breeding habitat is the taiga. They are found near lakes and rivers of boreal forests across Canada, Scandinavia, and northern Russia. In the Netherlands it is a common winter visitor; just opposite the lake where I photographed the Goldeneye you could find a traditional Dutch landscape patch with this row of windmills.

Storm damage

Today’s view from the Dommel bridge between Eindhoven and Nuenen. 13 poplars in a row were knocked down by yesterday’s heavy storm.