Grenspark Kalmthoutse Heide is a nature reserve located on both sides of the Belgian-Dutch border and covers approximately 60 km². It is characterized by the great diversity in the landscape. This enormous diversity is of great ecological and cultural-historical value. Wide, unspoilt landscapes of heathland, fens, dunes, forests, meadows and polders alternate here. Here rare plants and animals live in peace. It is therefore not surprising that Grenspark Kalmthoutse Heide is part of the Natura 2000 network that sustainably protects the most important nature areas throughout Europe.
During my walk through the Kalmthoutse Heide this week, I first went to take a look at the Putse Moer, a fen and swampy heathland area. Through the website of observations.be I had already seen in advance that egrets had been sighted there, so I was on my guard. Even before I reached the fen I saw a great egret flying up. On the water I saw another group of birds foraging, but I knew they would be on their gard too. Carefully, staying low behind the bushes I tried to get a little closer, the camera at the ready. The result: a series of photos of the great and little egret, in which the difference between the two species is clearly visible.
The Putse Moer, Grenspark Kalmthoutse Heide – landscape
On Vogelbescherming.nl we read:
Great Egret, Western Great Egret, Ardea alba – Herons (Ardeidae)
Great white heron, which can cause little mistake. Long yellow beak and usually black legs. During the breeding season the legs turn red and the beak black for a short period of time. No difference between male and female.
Little Egret Egretta garzetta – Herons (Ardeidae) Red list
The little egret is an inhabitant of lagoons, swamps and other areas with shallow fresh or salt water. In the Netherlands, the little egret is rarer than its relative – the great egret. The little egret is a striking white heron best distinguished from the great egret by its yellow toes, much smaller size and shorter neck. Usually the little egret has a black beak and the great one a yellow one, but this does not always have to be the case.
2021 was another very active photography year for me. The corona pandemic still had the whole world in its grip and also in the Netherlands we painfully moved from one lockdown or semi-lockdown period to the next, with some little breathing spaces in between. At times our freedom of movement was quite limited and social contacts were also only sparsely allowed. Reason enough for my sister Agnes and me to often seek each other’s company and to go out with the camera very regularly: luckily nature reserves within the Netherlands were always freely accessible, so we made ample use of that to visit beautiful places and go explore.
Early January, therefore, is the right time to look back on this year of photography and make a selection of my best photographs. This year the emphasis was very much on nature photography, while street or social photography – partly due to the circumstances – came off poorly. Following is a presentation of my own favourite photos this year. Not necessarily technically perfect photos, but images that tell a story, capture a unique moment or pass on a special experience.
These images you can also view in gallery style on my Photodeck website: click here
Birds
My own top-favourite photo this year was one from the ‘Reed bunting in the blizzard’ series. A special image that accurately reflects the harsh conditions for small birds and the need to survive in winter weather. Flying birds were certainly a favourite this year as well. Perhaps this was the first year in which I really managed to get some good pictures of it, more than ‘just by accident’. But birds also remain a challenge in the water or on the ground, and it is exciting and exciting to portray them properly. The black-tailed godwits (and other meadow birds) on Marken, the spoonbills on Terschelling, the grebes in North Holland and Zeeland, the swans on the Veluwemeer, the ostrich in Artis and the greenfinches in the dunes of Egmond aan Zee… we enjoyed them all!
Not a moment to lose. Snow storm, wind chill -11 degrees C., wind force 7, code red: no weather to go outside, so anyway! Swinging on the reeds, this reed bunting continues to diligently peck seeds. Much needed food to stay alive… Amsterdam Southeast, NLAmsterdam Southeast, NL.m Zuidoost, NL.‘Bonte Pieten’ in flight. A group of oystercatchers flies overhead, their black and white plumage and orange beaks, eyes and feet stand out against the blue sky. It’s not surprising that they are also called ‘Bonte Pieten’ in Dutch (‘Colourful Petes’). Photo was taken at the floodplains of the IJssel after high water. Deventer, Overijssel, NetherlandsA flight of curlews. A large group of curlews flying overhead. Photo was taken at the floodplains of the IJssel shortly after high water. Deventer, Overijssel, The Netherlands.The free flight of the Wigeons. A group of wigeons fly over right above our heads and look down on us, babbling. Marken, North-Holland, Netherlands.Riot among the black-tailed godwits. Group of black-tailed godwits on the flooded meadow. Marken, North-Holland, Netherlands.A varied company. Black-tailed godwit, three-toed sandpipers and a pair of teal, a varied company. Marken, North-Holland, Netherlands.Two black-tailed godwits reflection. Two black-tailed godwits by a puddle on the flooded meadow. Marken, North Holland, Netherlands.The black-tailed godwits and the hare Two black-tailed godwits by a ditch and between them, dead silent and almost invisible, a hare on his bed. I only saw it properly when I developed the photo at home Marken, North Holland, Netherlands.Foraging together. Four spoonbills looking for food in the shallow water of the Wadden Sea. Terschelling, Friesland, Netherlands.On one foot. Meadow pipit with one foot up, on a fence pole in the dunes. Oosterend, Terschelling, Friesland, Netherlands.Touching tenderness. The dance of the mute swans, couple and partners for life. Veluwemeer, Biddinghuizen, Flevoland, Netherlands.Love – partners for life. The dance of the mute swans, couple and partners for life. Veluwemeer, Biddinghuizen, Flevoland, The Netherlands.Take my present. The male offers nesting material to the female. When this is accepted, the couple can start building their nest. Pair of grebes during the beautiful display of courtship. Schardam, North-Holland, Netherlands.Nostalgic grebe family picture. A grebe family on the water. Two little ones on mommy’s back. One little one rushes back to Daddy, who has a tasty snack. Catharinapolder Terneuzen, Zeeland, NetherlandsCurious ostrich. This ostrich in Artis found the long telephoto lens interesting and came to take a look. A moment later he snapped at it. Artis Amsterdam, Netherlands.Meeting on top of the willow bush. Group of greenflies gather on the top of a willow bush. North-Holland Dune Reserve. Egmond aan Zee, North-Holland, Netherlands.
Trees
Another theme that came up very often in my photography this past year was trees. Trees in the landscape or in small detail. This was partly due to the fact that at the beginning of 2021 we (Agnes and I) had completed the personal coaching traject, which we followed for most of 2020. As a final assignment, we had to submit a series of 8 photos. I chose the theme ‘Trees in weather and winter’ and decided to make a diptych for each tree of one wide photo (landscape) and one close-up or macro photo. I will show the result of this photography project in another blog post. However, due to the choice of the formula of a diptych per tree, some trees, of which I only had a wide shot, fell out. Others were made in another season and didn’t fit the winter theme at all. Some of my favourite tree photos are therefore given a place here.
Stately and dignified. Three beautiful water cypresses (Chinese giant sequoia) near the water in the winter park nearby. When I went back later in the year to get more close-up photos, in order to identify the trees, I had to search for a long time to find the place again, they looked so different in the fall!… IUCN Red List of Threatened Species – Conservation Status: Endangered. Bijlmer meadow, Amsterdam, Netherlands.Two trees on the heath in evening light. Two beautiful solitary trees in the evening sun on the Westerheide. Goois Nature Reserve, Hilversum and Laren, The Netherlands.Impressive beech lane in autumn. Stately lane with high beech trees through the forest on a sunny autumn day. Spanderswoud, Goois nature reserve. ‘s-Graveland, Hilversum, Netherlands
Miniature plants and crawly creatures
Friendly and vulnerable, the soft pink flowers of May flowers. May flowers, also called cuckoo flowers, lady’s smock, or milkmaids ( in Dutch Pentacost flowers) beautiful spring wildflowers growing along the river Gein. Macro – close up. Abcoude, Province of Utrecht, Netherlands.Emerald green damsel. Shy emerald damselfly, female, sitting on a blade of grass. Braakman North, Biervliet, Zeeland, NetherlandsMiniature in the forest. Brown mini mushrooms among lichen (possibly Dove Heather Match – C. macilenta), on dead wood. s’Gravelandse buitenplaatsen (Country Estates), ‘s Graveland, North Holland, Netherlands.Young grasshopper Nymph of Grasshopper – Acrididae (possibly Coastal Grasshopper – Chorthippus albomarginatus). Braakman North, Biervliet, Zeeland, Netherlands
Landscapes
Lighthouse the Horse of Marken seen from a less familiar perspective. Markermeer, Marken, the NetherlandsEvening walk by the sea. Orange sunset with two hikers – silhouettes. Egmond aan Zee, North Holland, Netherlands.Playing along the high tide line until the sun goes down Two children play for a while by the water at sunset. Egmond aan Zee, North Holland, Netherlands.
Street photography
Early morning with the Friesian horses. A young woman, a co-worker of ‘Puur Terschelling’ brings a group Friesian horses on the reins to the stable. Oosterend, Terschelling, province Friesland, the NetherlandsA moment among us. Man and child sit together on a street bench on a sunny shopping day with social distancing restrictions. Street photography, Utrecht, Netherlands.Outing in corona time. Four girls in the Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA train station with facemasks on, check their smartphones for the selfies they have just taken. Streets of Amsterdam, Street Photography, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Yesterday I took part in the climate march in Amsterdam. The demonstration had started on Dam Square and after the opening speeches, the demonstration would move through the city centre towards the Westerpark. I was a bit late because I had another appointment first and was able to join somewhere halfway. A huge crowd of people were present, despite the cold weather and the corona measures. But the atmosphere was friendly and people tried, as far as possible, to keep their distance. Many children, young people and young families took part in the parade, but also the elderly, and people from all backgrounds and cultures. It was a pleasure to make a photo reportage of this public event.
One of the things I never get enough of, is the view on the sky from my balcony. And I can’t stop myself from making pictures of it either… This week, I’ve been occupied with selecting and editing some of the sky photographs I made in January. This specific morning, on January 6, 2015 we had a chessboard sky, with all the white vapor lines of the ‘airlines- crosspoint’ above our heads making a fascinating pattern. A collection of my skies that can be used as stock images can be found on deviantART: http://steppelandstock.deviantart.com/gallery/24414555/Skies
Airlines crossing point above our heads Chessboard sky over the Bijlmer
Sunday Street Day… It’s not hard to find people with cell phones in the streets these days… So I thought of making a selection of cell-phone shots this time… Here are a few of my latest ‘catches’ – made in the Streets of Amsterdam ( and 1 in Utrecht) – the Netherlands…
Do you have street photo’s of people with cell phones too? Leave a link in a comment to this blog post, and I’ll come over to have a look… 🙂
For Sunday Street day, I’m digging up some summer Dam stories today, made earlier this year, on the Dam square in Amsterdam, the Netherlands (July 2014)
Even on a dreary autumn day, the woods in autumn have a wonderful mood and atmosphere. Photo’s made in the Westerheide near Bussum, part of the Goois Nature Reserve, the Netherlands
With these two majestic deer statues, photographed in the woods of Palace Het Loo, I will end this little series about Palace het Loo. All these images were made in Crown Domain ‘het Loo’, Apeldoorn, the Netherlands, during a panel testing day with the Tamron 16-300 mm F3,5-6,3 DiII VC PZD zoom – organized by the Dutch photography Magazine ‘Focus’ . Hope you enjoyed checking them out!
Majestic deer statue on a gate post in the Palace woods
Photographed in Crown Domain ‘het Loo’, Apeldoorn, the Netherlands, during a panel testing day with the Tamron 16-300 mm F3,5-6,3 DiII VC PZD zoom – organized by the Dutch photography Magazine ‘Focus’ .
Even in the Royal Stables buckets are still buckets
Discovering Beauty 