Beach birds

Today was probably the best photo day of 2007. The early morning light at the beach of IJmuiden was superb and the birds were very cooperative. A small selection: Juvenile Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula/Bontbekplevier) resting on the beach and picking something eatable from the shoreline, foraging Dunlin (Calidris alpina/Bonte Strandloper), and the same Dunlin resting.

Becoming Knot's

This month IJmuiden was for me the place-to-be. Both the beach and the south pier approved to be very productive.
By staying low and crawling in a zig-zag line to the sea I could approach 2 Sandwich Terns (Sterna sandvicensis/Grote Stern). The bird on the left is already in winter plumage. The right one is a youngster.
At the end of the day I settled down at the base of the pier. After a while a group of 7 juvenile Red Knots (Calidris canutus/Kanoet) completely ignored me and came very close. These birds, born in the high-arctic region of Canada or Greenland, kept in contact by means of soft “knut-knut” sounds. In winter they stay along our shores.

Broad shins

The summer has almost come to an end. Although the days are noticeably becoming shorter, I could still go after diner to my favorite marshy ‘local patch’ for an evening visit. This ♂ White-legged Damselfly (Platycnemis pennipes/Blauwe Breedscheenjuffer) was willing to pose in the last sunlight of this day on Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria/Kattenstaart) .

Sweet (?) sixteen

This was a kind of ‘in-between’ holiday. On the one hand my daughter didn’t want to join us on holiday because we do boring things (I guess most parents do in the eyes sixteen years old teenagers). On the other hand we found her too young to go alone with her girlfriends to some beach resort in Spain. A good comprise was found. She went together with her 3 girlfriends to a camping-site in Zeeland, my wife and I stayed in a caravan close by (just in case of …).
Anyhow, here she is with her girlfriends. From left to right: Robin, Kirsty, Lisette, and Evelien (my daughter). I used the built-in camera flash to lighten up the girls a bit on this cloudy (typical Dutch!) summer evening.

Summer holiday Zeeland

My best bird pics of the summer holiday 2007 in Zeeland, the province in the south-west of the Netherlands. I found a nice little muddy pool were I spent several mornings, lying under a camo-net.
This adult Greenshank (Tringa nebularia/Groenpootruiter), already largely in winter plumage, passed by at close-range on one of these occasions.
The Linnet (Carduelis cannabina/Kneu), I think it is a ♂ in winter plumage, was taken in late evening light.
I especially like the colors of this latter picture. The deep blue of the “Oosterschelde” sea-arm contrasts with the greenish blurry branches of Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides/Duindoorn) sweeping in the firm southwester, and shown left and right on the foreground. They also provide a nice frame.

Lateral basker

The Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus/Hooibeestje) is a butterfly species belonging to the family Nymphalidae (commonly known as ‘the Browns’). It is widespread in Eurasia and northwestern Africa, preferring drier habitats than other Coenonymphae. The larval host plants are grasses. The Small Heath is a lateral basker, only ever resting with its wings closed and angled at 90° to the sun.

Sooty Copper

The Eifel is a low mountain range in western Germany, directly bordering the Ardennes of Belgium. This area holds a large variety of butterflies, one of these is the shown Sooty Copper (Lycaena tityrus/Bruine Vuurvlinder).