Two horse, a white and a brown one, in one of the meadows of the Royal Crown Domain ‘Het Loo’ – I experimented further with the Tamron 16-300 mm F3,5-6,3 DiII VC PZD zoom – from tele to wide angle, from very high to shallow depth of field… I’m quite happy with the result of this little series!
Deze blog post in het Nederlands (link)
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
Day before yesterday, ‘Playful’ was chosen to be featured at the RedBubble homepage. That’s a great honour, and I was so delighted about it, that I decided to make it my second pic to upload to this photo blog.
This photo of this playful group of children is one of a series photographs that is somehow precious to me.
I made them long ago, 1992, when we travelled to Ethiopia for a meeting. It was only a few years after the war, the poverty was appalling… And these kids… they just allowed me photographing them, with a spontaneity that touched my heart.
Even now, so many years later, I still bow for them, in reverence.
Yes, indeed, it was an incredible experience… one never to forget. And that’s exactly what makes these pics so precious…: the images help me to remember, more lively than my memory ever could…
Photo made with Pentax ME super and scanned from print – © steppeland 1992
Discovering Beauty 