Early April, a returning client of Birding Netherlands, Sergio, came to The Netherlands. I had
been shooting with him years ago in the province of Zeeland and looked forward going out
with this very friendly and skilled photographer.
This year’s goal: two mornings of spring bird photography. One of the main targets was the Bluethroat. After picking up Sergio at the camping he was staying, we decided to first go for that bird first and check out the dunes.
We had made sure to be there at sunrise, to catch the best light. It was still cold when we set
out, but the next two hours we would spend ‘working’ with a cooperative bird we found.
Which made our temperatures rise… The shooting conditions were close to perfect, and we
had lots of amazing shots of this little singing bird! After we finally decided it had been
enough, we went out in search of a Tawny Owl which we found.
In another spot we also found a Tawny Owl with two owlets. High up in the trees, but still fun to see! As we had been spending almost 6 hours of shooting, we decided to call it a day.
Photos of Hans below:
The next morning, we went to another area with reedbeds, to see what birds we could find
there. Again, we wear at the spot at sunrise, as to catch nice back light. We saw, heard and
shot – among other birds – Reed Bunting, Bluethroat, Cetti’s Warbler, Sedge Warbler, and
even some Bearded Tits.
Also, we took the opportunity to practice with back swallows in flight, mating Great Crested Grebes, and some families of geese. After have also been able to frame a Northern Goshawk, we made or way to or next destination as Sergio would like to see Black-necked Grebes, a first-timer for him.
After some walking and scanning the water, we found a threesome. Other species we found were Black-tailed Godwit and Little Ringed Plover, but unfortunately the light was too harsh by then, so we called it a day and I dropped Sergio of at his camping van and started his trip back to Luxemburg. We had a great time, enjoyed each other’s company and had a very productive time!
We cannot wait to welcome him back at Birding Netherlands!
Photos of Sergio below:
