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!
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.
Early morning in Leiden, the Netherlands. A fountain on the Beestenmarkt. Low sunlight, and some pigeons. With a little fantasy, one doesn’t need much to make a fairytale 🙂 . Feel free to add your own version of the conversation 😉 .
Photo made in ‘de Oliemeulen’ zoo in Tilburg, the Netherlands – Sept. 22, 2014
“Grey crowned cranes (Balearica regulorum) are native to the dry savannah in Africa south of the Sahara, although it nests in somewhat wetter habitats. They can also be found in marshes, cultivated lands and grassy flatlands near rivers and lakes in eastern from the Uganda and Kenya, south to South Africa. This animal does not migrate.
The grey crowned crane has a breeding display involving dancing, bowing, and jumping. It has a booming call which involves inflation of the red gular sac. It also makes a honking sound quite different from the trumpeting of other crane species.
These cranes are omnivores, eating plants, seeds, grain, insects, frogs, worms, snakes, small fish and the eggs of aquatic animals. Stamping their feet as they walk, they flush out insects which are quickly caught and eaten. The birds also associate with grazing herbivores, benefiting from the ability to grab prey items disturbed by antelopes and gazelles. They spend their entire day looking for food. At night, the crowned crane spends it time in the trees sleeping and resting.
The grey crowned crane is the national bird of Uganda and features in the country’s flag and coat of arms.
Although the grey crowned crane remains common over much of its range, it faces threats to its habitat due to drainage, overgrazing, and pesticide pollution. In 2012 it was uplisted from vulnerable to endangered by the IUCN.” Source: Wikipedia
Another beautiful bird, photographed in Pairi Daiza, a marvellous themed zoo in Brugelette, Belgium
This red, blue and yellow parrot, the Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao), is native to humid evergreen forests of tropical South America. It has suffered from local extinction through habitat destruction and capture for the parrot trade, but locally it remains fairly common. This colourful parrot is on the IUCN list of threatened species, status: Least concern (source: Wikipedia)
This Snowy Owl was photographed in Pairi Daiza zoo, a marvellous themed zoo on the grounds of a previous abbey in Brugelette, Belgium.
The Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) is a large owl, typically found in the northern circumpolar region, where it makes its summer home north of latitude 60 degrees north. However, it is a particularly nomadic bird, and because population fluctuations in its prey species can force it to relocate, it has been known to breed at more southerly latitudes. (source: Wikipedia )
It had been a long time that I didn’t visit the ReedCorner (de Riethoek) , a small nature area surrounded by the highly populated neighbourhoods of Amsterdam SouthEast (The Netherlands) – But on Easter Sunday, although the sun was hiding behind the clouds again, I thought it was time to have a walk… and I definitely wasn’t disappointed.
I enjoyed seeing and photographing several water birds, of which some were already nesting – and lots of little flowering herbs… the first messengers that spring truly is on its way! 🙂
This Eurasian Coot clearly is already breeding… soon we’ll be able to see her ugly but eccentric young scavenging the sides of our ditches and ponds, and mom will have her hands full keeping an eye on them… For now, she still can enjoy the quiet for a little while… 🙂
Did you already see any nesting birds in your neighbourhood?
“The Victoria Crowned Pigeon, Goura victoria, is a large, bluish-grey pigeon with elegant blue lace-like crests, maroon breast and red iris. The bird may be easily recognized by the unique white tips on its crests.
It is distributed in the lowland and swamp forests of northern New Guinea and surrounding islands. Its diet consists mainly of fruits, figs, seeds and invertebrates. The female usually lays a single white egg.
Due to continuing habitat loss, being tame and easily hunted for its plumes and meat, the Victoria Crowned Pigeon is evaluated as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. ” (Source: Wikipedia)
It’s a beautiful bird indeed –
Due to the light reflection, the normally red eye turned partially purple here… amazing…