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On the last day of snow, just before the thaw quietly set in, winter paused for a moment at our garden fence.

Perched there was a Eurasian chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs), known in Dutch as the vink. Alert, upright, and clearly assessing the situation, it seemed to be weighing its chances. The bird feeder was busy — mostly house sparrows, with a few blue tits and great tits darting in and out. Below them, pigeons, blackbirds, magpies and crows scavenged the ground for what inevitably falls. An efficient little ecosystem, even on a grey winter morning.

From the warmth of the house, I watched it all unfold. Outside, the world was cold and muted; inside, quiet and still. The chaffinch waited. This species is known for its adaptability, especially in winter, when flexible feeding strategies and patience can make all the difference. Rather than forcing its way in, it observed — conserving energy, reading movement, timing its next move.

The light was flat and overcast, typical for this time of year. With snow still present and clouds acting like a giant softbox, contrast was low. To keep detail in both feathers and background, I shot handheld with my Canon 5D Mark IV and Sigma 100–400mm at f/11, 1/250 sec, ISO 12800. Not ideal conditions — but honest ones. Winter photography is often about working with what little light you’re given.

There was no drama here. Just calm abundance. Even at the edge of thaw, winter was still quietly doing its work.

#EurasianChaffinch #FringillaCoelebs #Vink
#BirdPhotography #GardenBirds #WinterBirds
#NatureObservation #BackyardWildlife #UrbanNature
#EcologyInAction #NaturalBalance #BirdBehaviour
#WinterLight #OvercastDays #SnowDay
#Canon5DMarkIV #Sigma100400 #HandheldPhotography
#HighISO #NaturalLightPhotography
#DutchNature #NatureInTheNetherlands
#Pixelfed #PixelfedPhotography
#WonderingLens #ByMaikeldeBakker
#NatureStorytelling #WildlifePhotography #EverydayNature

The Brave Robin

During a snow-covered walk through the Oisterwijkse Bossen, I ran into an old friend again — or at least, I hoped I did. The European robin (Dutch: Roodborst, Latin: Erithacus rubecula) has a habit of following me on walks, or so it feels. This one, however, was certainly not that robin — and that made the encounter no less special.

I settled at my favorite spot near Café Venkraai, warmly hosted as always by Bart and his team. While most people escaped indoors to sit by the fire, I stayed outside. I’m far more comfortable among feathered company than chatting humans ^.-
Robins were everywhere, joined by blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus), great tits (Parus major), and, further off, the rhythmic tapping of a great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major).

Robins are famously territorial, especially during breeding season. Yet in winter, when survival outweighs rivalry, they often tolerate each other — sometimes even appearing playful. Watching them hop, chase, and briefly share space was a quiet reminder of how behavior adapts to conditions.

While enjoying a chai latte and a vegan worstenbroodje, one robin joined me at the table, eyeing me hopefully. I shared a tiny crumb — sparingly — knowing bread isn’t ideal for birds. Note to self: bring dried mealworms next time.

This image was taken around 11:00 in freezing conditions, using my Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with the Sigma 100–400mm at 400mm, f/6.3, ISO 3200, 1/250s, handheld, sheltered under the café roof. A small moment of winter trust, quietly earned.

#EuropeanRobin #ErithacusRubecula #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #WinterBirds #OisterwijkseBossen #DutchNature #BirdBehaviour #Canon5DMarkIV #Sigma100400 #HandheldPhotography #LowLightPhotography #NatureLovers #BirdLovers #VeganInNature #CaféVenkraai #ScienceAndNature #Pixelfed #PixelfedNature #ByMaikeldeBakker #MaikeldeBakkerPhotography #WonderingLens #QuietMoments #MindfulNature #BirdWatching #NatureConnection #ResponsibleFeeding

I uploaded a new Swainson's Hawk video to my YouTube channel. This one is focused on all the times Mama Swainson's swooped at me over the years.

#birds #birding #birdwatching #birdsOfAlberta #yyc #alberta #albertaBirds #albertaBirdsOfPrey #birdBehaviour #backyardBirding

https://youtu.be/VdqGnBKQlyo?si=F5MlplXBOoNoPwpC

I just uploaded a new YouTube shorts video of our local matriarch Swainson's hawk flying around. I was quite far away from her so the video isn't very clear. I also had to do some creative 'realigning' of the clips to make it a bit more watchable. Hope you like it!

#birds #birdsOfAlberta #swainsonsHawks #birdsFlying #yyc #birdsOfCanada #migratingBirds #birdOfPrey #birdwatching #birdBehaviour #raptors #nature #birdVideo #newVideo #youTube #alberta #calgary #backyardBirds #backyard

https://youtube.com/shorts/Q4rETt7o72o?feature=share

It’s a bird city

Cork City, where birds have become incredibly adept at turning human carelessness into dining opportunities.

Urban-adapted birds like the seagulls and crows photographed here have developed significantly different behaviours compared to their rural counterparts. City-dwelling seagulls often show reduced fear responses to humans and have learned to time their foraging around peak human activity periods, such as lunch hours when dropped food is most available.

Crows, meanwhile, have demonstrated remarkable problem-solving abilities in urban environments and can even learn to associate specific locations with regular food sources. Studies have shown that urban bird populations often have different dietary compositions, stress hormone levels, and even song patterns compared to rural birds, reflecting their adaptation to city life and the constant presence of human activity.

Apertureƒ/8CameraILCE-7RM5Focal length150mmISO400Shutter speed1/320s

#bird #birdBehaviour #BlarneyPhotographyClub #cityBirds #cityCentre #cityWildlife #Cork #CorkCity #CorkStreets #crow #crows #foodScavenging #humanWildlifeInteraction #Ireland #Photo #Photography #seagull #seagulls #StreetPhotography #urbanAdaptation #urbanBirds #urbanEcosystem #wildlifePhotography

Silhouette of a crow or blackbird standing on pavement in backlit urban setting with soft bokeh background in Cork City

Seagull with open beak standing over a discarded sandwich on asphalt pavement in Cork City

Adult seagull and juvenile gull sharing a dropped sandwich on a city street in Cork, with the younger bird showing mottled brown plumage

The Cormorants of Cape May

During a boat tour through the Cape May saltmarsh, I observed Double-crested Cormorants at rest, in flight, and in that transitional space between water and sky.

https://islandinthenet.com/the-cormorants-of-cape-may/

Double-crested Cormorant perched on a rock in Cape May saltmarsh, facing left in soft light

Group of Double-crested Cormorants resting and preparing for takeoff on jetty rocks in Cape May Harbour

Flock of cormorants taking flight across Cape May Harbour with extended wings.

Double-crested Cormorant pushing off from wooden piling with wings extended wide

Adaptation on the fly. A Cooper's Hawk uses a specific traffic pattern and human behaviour to hunt sparrows. 😲

#ornithology #birds #birdbehaviour #CoopersHawk #vladimirdinets #utennessee

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/may/23/tom-cruise-stunt-hawk-uses-pedestrian-crossing-target-prey?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

Male Mute Swan in the dark reeds, guarding his mate and cygnet brood while they rest #swan #muteswan #bird #ornithology #waterbird #pond #bondedpair #birdwatching #birdphotography #naturephotography #bird-brilliance #birdcaptures #birdlove #birdfreaks #spring #birdbehaviour

Went for a walk looking for birds and came across this little Willie Wagtail

#BirdWatching #WildlifePhotography #Fantail #Wagtail #NatureLovers #BirdsOfAustralia #BackyardBirds #BirdLover #NaturePhotography #AustralianBirds #Birdstagram #FeatheredFriends #BirdLife #AvianBeauty #WildlifeLovers #NaturePerfection #BirdsOfInstagram #AustralianWildlife #NatureGram #WingedWonder #BirdNerd #BirdFreaks #InstaBirds #BirdPortrait #WildlifePlanet #BirdBehaviour #GroundForager #FanTailBeauty #australianwildlife

Looking for bird behaviouralists with knowledge of Swainson's hawks specifically. I captured some burst video of a "stray" Swainson's hawk seeming to attack our local Mama Swainson's in the air.

The full video (with more details of the situation) is on my YouTube channel (just over 2 minutes) and on my Project Hawk website (see bio). Appreciate any input on this behaviour!

https://youtu.be/SsrvclcinBc?si=H-Zk_EE_riXpDfuV

#birdBehavior #birds #hawks #hawkAttack #BirdsBehavingBadly #birdBehaviour #SwainsonsHawks

Multitasking: Aussicht genießen und gleichzeitig das Nest säubern!

Bildbeschreibung: Ein junger Weißstorch im Nest, der sich erleichtert, mit Blick nach unten. Das Foto ist im Hochformat, in Farbe, und betont die natürlichen Verhaltensweisen des Tieres.

#StorkLife #NatureCalls #WildlifeDaily #BirdBehaviour #NestMoments

Ein junger Weißstorch im Nest, der sich erleichtert, mit Blick nach unten. Das Foto ist im Hochformat, in Farbe.

#americancrow #anting , the ant nest is at the base/bark of the tree, it spent ~ 5 minutes or so eating some of the ants as well, so while all of anting's uses have not yet been confirmed, this reminded me of this pubmed paper showing that bluejays use it to get rid of the ant's defensive spray. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19169379/ #birdphotography #birdbehaviour #britishcolumbia

Here is a scratched-up egg (chicken, I think) that I found on the 5th of January. I suspect ravens or currawongs have been playing with it because it keeps turning up in different places. The second photo was taken exactly 3 months later, 35 metres (115 feet) from the 1st location.
#Nature #Birds #Ravens #Wildlife #BirdBehaviour #Eggs

Photo of a large birds' egg, likely from a chicken. It's white with a yellowish discoloured band around the middle and is covered in scratches and flecks of dirt.

Photo of the base of a fallen tree covered moss and lichen. Balanced on one of its buttresses is a chicken egg.

Today's photo with the most hits: these four cow egrets, near Demnate, Morocco.

#CowEgrets #cow #morocco #BirdBehaviour

#birdbehaviour

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