Street photography : three summer Dam stories

Nederlands (link)

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)

Pirates on the Dam

 

Street performer – spinning on his head

 

TWO birds in the hand is worth…

Morning Fountain Tale

Deze blog post in het Nederlands (link).

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 😉 .

Fountain in morning light. Beestenmarkt in Leiden, the Netherlands

A few pigeons meet to take their morning shower

Good morning, how are you today?

Looks like it’s going to be a fine day, don’t you think so?

Aaaah, that’s nice and fresh!

Red-legged seriema on the pathway

Deze blog post in het Nederlands (link)

Red-legged seriema on the pathway

Also named crested cariama

Morning Poetry – Canadean goose on the river Rurh

Deze blog post in het Nederlands (link)

Morning poetry – Canadian goose on the River Ruhr

Photo made in Germany, Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia – May 2014

Two Grey crowned cranes with golden crown

Deze blog post in het Nederlands (link)

Two grey crowned cranes with golden crown

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

Red Parrot, the Scarlet Macaw – portrait

Bekijk mijn parallel blog in het NEDERLANDS

 

Scarlet Macaw

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)

Snowy Owl

Bekijk mijn parallel blog in het NEDERLANDS

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 )

Snowy Owl – a penny for your thoughts

Snowy Owl – Wize wizzard

Coot on it’s nest

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?

Victoria Crowned Pigeon

photographed in Artis, Amsterdam Zoo - Feb. 11, 2012

“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…

 

 

 

And this is the black-and-white version…

Big Eyes…

Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) photographed in Artis Amsterdam Zoo today – Such a warm and soft plumage, and such big eyes…  – cute little thing 🙂

Of course I made a lot more photo’s but this was one of the first ones I edited, so, liked to share it here already..