Cranes at Diepholz, Germany

Dear friends,

Before reading any further, let me invite you to first visit the weblog on the following address: http://heidehippers.blogspot.com/ This site is home to a group of birding friends that share their hobby since they were teenagers. A few times a year we organize excursions and share our memories. Last weekend we went for a one-day excursion to the cranes in the neighbourhood of Diepholz, Germany. The weather forecast wasn't perfect for photography. Nevertheless, it's no option to leave the camera and lenses home when you're going to meet thousands of cranes. During the day we saw large groups of cranes feeding on the fields in dull light conditions under light rainfall. At about 3 o'clock in the afternoon it was time to move to the sleeping places of the cranes to experience an impressive nature event of hors category, their sleep migration. While on our route to the peat-moor, the sky became brighter and brighter in the west. My friends even noticed that my state of mind became more and more excited. How come? The light conditions were perfect when the cranes and geese arrived in groups of up to a thousand of individual birds. To make a long exciting story short, we were spectators in a natural theatre observing an ancient spectacle. Please enjoy the pictures. It was big fun shooting them!

Best regards,

Dirk-Jan

A view from the past

Last sunday, we had a dense fog in the northern part of Holland. We made our plans for the day and chose a historic location in the Flevopolder. You may ask yourself: 'A historic location in the Flevopolder? This part of Holland is only 50 years old!' Yes, there is some history to find. One of those locations is the authentic harbour entrance of the former fishing town of Elburg. The Zuiderzee was well-known for its eel and the typical fishing boats from Elburg, called 'botter', entered the open sea between the two dams of this harbour entrance. The fishing industry of Elburg became history after the reclamation of Flevoland. A few years ago the harbour entrance was reconstructed in its original condition. I had planned a panoramic photo from one of the two dams for some time. A view from the past. Like a fishermen's wife must have had, when she was waiting for her husband to come home. Fog gave the excellent opportunity for such a picture since the distracting elements like roads and trees on the former sea bottom remain invisible.

Best regards,
Dirk-Jan

Fall in our backyard

Dear all,

Fall is one of the most photogenic seasons because of the colours around us. Nature is full of pleasant yellow, orange, red, and brown. These warm tones usually give me a cosy feeling when the days shorten and the temperatures drop. In our backyard, there is an apple tree with a massive amount of fire-red berries. We started feeding the birds in our backyard a few weeks ago. Since then, our tree is a favourite post for them. Time to take pictures. Isn't such a colourful sight from our window a pleasure for the eye? Unfortunately, the spectacular colours only remain for a few weeks. Our tree already lost its leaves due to the wind and rain of the last days. The apples will soon follow as they are on the menu of the common blackbirds.

Best regards,

Dirk-Jan