Squirrel mirror

This Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris/Eekhoorn) is preparing for winter. Nuts are collected and buried. Let’s hope that he (or she) can find the carefully built-up food supply back when needed.

* Canon EOS 5D Mark II, 500mm/f4; ISO-800, f4, 1/400s; tripod.

IJmuiden beach

I love bird pictures with a low early-morning sun behind my back. The color of this juvenile Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa Lapponica/Rosse Grutto) is amazing in soft light. And the beach of IJmuiden is a place that never disappoints me. The other picture shows Sanderlings (Calidris alba/Drieteenstrandloper). When they are not in their usual running mode, they rest communally and do some feather care.

* Canon 7D; 500mm/f4; ISO-200, f6.3, 1/400s; bean bag.
* Canon 7D; 500mm/f4 + 1.4x; ISO-400, f6.3, 1/640s; bean bag.

Sky streakes

Weather changes are often announced by interesting cloud patterns in the sky. Yesterday a transition set in to colder weather with easterlies. Early in the morning the sky above my local patch was dotted with altocumulus streaks. I choose a more or less symmetrical composition with the horizon in the middle to emphasize the open space and to create a clear vanishing point. In order to create a more balanced exposure I manoeuvred the rising sun behind a little tree and used a neutral density hard gradient filter of 2 stops.

* Canon EOS 5D Mark II, 17-40mm/f4 @ 17 mm; ISO-200, f16, 1/80s; -0.3 stop; 2 stop ND hard gradient filter; tripod.

One minute sunshine

Today was a grey, windy, and rainy Saturday. But we had one minute of sunshine, at the very end of the day the sun said "hello and goodbye". I like these vast empty spaces.

* Canon EOS 5D Mark II, 17-40mm/f4 @ 19 mm; ISO-50, f20, 2s; 2 stop ND hard gradient filter; tripod.

Backlight Heath

Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus/Hooibeestje) in backlight. Photo is taken in the Dommel valley between Eindhoven and Nuenen.

* Canon 7D; 100mm/f2.8; ISO-400, f4.5, 1/100s; -0.3 stop.

Purple plain

Strabrechtse Heide just after sunrise. My contribution to the flowering heathland.

* Canon EOS 5D Mark II, 17-40mm/f4 @ 19 mm; ISO-200, f16, 1/3s; +0.3 stop; 3 stop ND hard gradient filter; tripod.

Greenshank

The fens on the moorland of the eastern part of Noord-Brabant are almost dried out at the end of this summer. Luckily, migrating waders, such as this juvenile Greenshank (Tringa nebularia), find these former water surfaces easily, and they pick an amazing amount of food from the mud. I personally like the expressionist style of this image, i.e. the spotlight effect on the bird (created by the last sunrays of the day), strongly contrasting with the dark colourful surroundings.

* Canon 7D; 500mm/f4 + 1.4x; ISO-400, f5.6, 1/800s; -0.7 stop; bean bag.