#EuropeanBirds

2026-01-25
2025-12-08
🌍 Dunnock (Prunella modularis) 

The Dunnock is a small, brown-backed bird with a distinctive slate-grey head and breast, making males and females visually identical. Widespread across Europe and into temperate Asian Russia, it is a resident species common in gardens, parks, and hedgerows, where it maintains a shy and secretive nature. Often called the 'hedge sparrow,' its typical behaviour involves hopping or shuffling along the ground beneath cover, frequently flicking its wings. Seven subspecies are currently recognised. Gemini 3 (Edited)

Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)

Fun fact: The Dunnock is notable for its unusually complex and variable breeding strategies that often involve non-monogamy.

📷: Photo by Gruendercoach via Pixabay 
https://pixabay.com/photos/dunnock-passerine-bird-animal-8602735/

NMYM
2025-11-17
Training in the Dark

Some birds seem determined to test a photographer’s patience — or their low-light technique. Lately I keep stumbling into the same situation: dark birds on dark water, surrounded by even darker environments. And this time the mystery guest was a Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula), the Dutch kuifeend, calmly drifting through the shadows at Oranjezon in Zeeland.

Photographing a mostly black bird on black water is a bit like trying to sketch a raven at midnight with a broken pencil. But that’s where the fun begins. With the Canon 5D Mark IV paired with the Sigma 100–400mm, I went for the now-familiar approach: low shutter speed, high ISO, and careful handheld tracking. A balancing act between motion blur and noise, exposure and detail. But when it clicks, it clicks — and this frame caught the elegance of the bird without losing the texture of those inky ripples.

This moment was extra special because I was there with my son. He wanted to escape the pressure of school for a bit, so we drove off at 6:00 in the morning and reached the coast before sunrise. By the time I took this image — around 10:00 — the world had softened, he’d relaxed, and we were just two people sharing cold air, quiet water, and the calming rhythm of nature.

Honestly? Those father-son moments mean more than any perfect exposure ever will.

#TuftedDuck #AythyaFuligula #Kuifeend #Waterfowl #Zeeland #Oranjezon #DutchNature #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #Canon5DMarkIV #Sigma100400 #LowLightPhotography #DarkWaterShots #HandheldPhotography #TrackingShots #NatureLovers #BirdWatching #AvianLife #WildlifeMoments #FatherSonTime #NatureAsTherapy #SchoolStressRelief #EarlyMorningPhotography #BeforeSunrise #CoastalWildlife #EuropeanBirds #BirdingNetherlands #ScientificCuriosity #FieldNotes #StoryBehindTheShot #PhotographyPractice #NatureJournal #ExposureChallenges #ISOHigh #ShutterSpeedLow #NaturalMood #MoodyNature #CalmWaters #WaterBirds #ByMaikeldeBakker
2025-11-16
The tiny drama on the shoreline

At the beach of Oranjezon in Zeeland, I stumbled into a miniature comedy act starring two birds with very different personalities. In Dutch we call them a Steenloper and a Drieteenstrandloper — but internationally they’re known as the Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) and the Sanderling (Calidris alba).

The Turnstone was doing its usual business: flipping over shells and stones with impressive determination, searching for hidden snacks. But right behind it — practically glued to its tail — the Sanderling trotted along, refusing to be shooed away. The back-and-forth between them felt like watching a feathered version of the Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote, tiny legs moving at ridiculous speeds.

Photographically, this was a fun challenge. A dark grey day, the sea rolling in behind them, and me lying low with the Canon 5D Mark IV and Sigma 100–400mm at 400mm. Because of the poor light I had to work with a slower shutter speed (1/250s). Tracking two hyperactive birds at that focal length is like trying to thread a needle in a storm — but somehow it worked. The legs slightly blurred just enough to show their speed, while the birds themselves stayed sharp.

I’m honestly proud of this one. A little slice of nature, comedy, and chaos — exactly as it happened on that windy Zeeland beach.

#RuddyTurnstone #ArenariaInterpres #Sanderling #CalidrisAlba #Shorebirds #BeachBirds #Zeeland #Oranjezon #DutchNature #BirdWatching #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #NatureLovers #Canon5DMarkIV #Sigma100400 #TelephotoMagic #TrackingShots #LowAnglePhotography #BirdBehavior #FeatheredFriends #CoastalWildlife #NatureComedy #FastLittleLegs #BlurAndSharp #WildlifeMoments #EuropeanBirds #AvianLife #BeachWalks #StoryBehindTheShot #FieldNotes #NatureDiaries #ScientificCuriosity #PhotographyChallenges #GreyDayPhotography #BirdingNetherlands #NatureReserve #CoastalEcosystem #AnimalInteractions #TinyDrama #ByMaikeldeBakker
2025-10-13
🌍🌏 Alpine Chough (Pyrrhocorax graculus) 

The Alpine Chough (also known as the Yellow-billed Chough) has glossy black plumage, a short yellow bill, and red legs. It's distributed across high mountains from Spain through southern Europe, North Africa, to Central Asia and the Himalayas, often nesting higher than any other bird. These highly social birds are renowned for their acrobatic flight and are often seen in flocks. They are opportunistic, feeding on invertebrates and frequently scavenging near tourist sites in winter. Two subspecies are recognised. 2.5 Flash (Edited) 

Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)

Fun fact: The Alpine Chough is thought to nest at a higher altitude than any other bird in the world, with records of them following mountaineers up to over 8,000 meters on Mount Everest 

📷: Photo by mzter via Pixabay 
https://pixabay.com/users/mzter-104756/

XATK

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