So I went into the woods (which is less than five minutes from home) and took this picture of a beech. “Quite erotic,” my girlfriend said when she saw the print. Like bodies in a state of ecstasy.
A real life Rorschach test, this tree!
Erotic
Sahara dusty sunrise
Every now and again at sunrise I open my curtains and immediately run out. That is: It takes me approximately 5 minutes to tear off my pyjamas, grab my clothes and camera, stumble to the front door and run to the meadows. But even those lousy 5 minutes can be too much, for rapidly the most stunning colours in the sky change to a boring, pale palette. No time to think, just run!
This Monday January 29 I made it. Once again Sahara dust swirled high in the atmosphere, as in March 2022 and February 2021. And like before, the most beautiful colours appeared before the sun peeked above the horizon. Wow!
Experimental: Cinque Terre Coast
So we have this experimental photography group. Just playing around a little. This time the Italian Cinque Terre coast, but not as you know it. What do you think of it?
Field of gold
This picture made me think of Sting’s song ‘Fields of gold’. It´s wheat he sings about, but this comes close enough. Heard him sing during his show last December. Loved it!
But even the master can´t beat the voice of Eva Cassidy. She makes me want to walk through the fields forever
Morning glow
Next week temperatures will drop to around zero degrees Celsius. A rare opportunity to go out at sunrise and catch the ice crystals just before the sun melts them away
Seeing Time
Today I went out for a personal challenge. To find and capture patterns in the world around and make an abstract of it. The beauty of the ordinary.
Found it!
Madagascar 5: Chameleons, geckos, snakes and frogs
Back to Madagascar. Lots and lots of chameleons, lizards, frogs and snakes. Too much, I’d say. So here’s a whole bunch of them. Pay attention to the perfect disguise of the different chameleons (the smallest less than 5 cm!), the mossy leaf-tailed gecko’s, the beautiful frogs…
And did you know they even have Nile crocodiles? It’s all too much!
And now: Birds
Yes, it was a birding trip to Madagascar. So it’s about time to show some of the beautiful birds that live there. Almost all of them endemic to the island as well, just as the lemurs. First the Madagascar Pygmy kingfisher Corythornis madagascariensis. An amazing success of our guide ‘Jacana’, who was able to spot this tiny bird in the trees of the rainforest
There is another kingfisher that looks a lot like our Eurasian kingfisher. At first glance they appear to be the same. But look closely: there is no blue cheek and less white on the chin. It’s a Madagascar malachite kingfisher Corythornis vintsioides
Incredibly graceful these Madagascar paradise flycatchers (Terpsiphone mutata mutata). Same species, white and brown morph
The Madagascar crested ibis Lophotibis cristata; quite shy and difficult to find. It took several days of searching before he showed up. “It has always been an endangered species,” the guide said, “but when the Covid pandemic broke out and tourists didn’t come anymore, lots of them were eaten…”
The hoopoe! And again an endemic: the Madagascar hoopoe Upupa marginata. I’m afraid I don’t see the difference with the Eurasian hoopoe
Souimanga sunbird – Cinnyris souimanga. That reflection of light on the feathers!
Another colourful bird: the Pitta-like ground-roller Atelornis pittiodes. Also very difficult to find, as he is walking in dense dark forests. So many colours: Green wings, ruby breast, blue spotted head… truly amazing
The family of rollers is one of my favourites. This is a Broad-billed roller Eurystomus glaucurus, mostly brown but it has beautiful blue feathers in the wings and tail
Last one for now: two Madagascar scops owls Otus rutilus happy together
Madagascar lemurs
Lemurs are prosimians (halfapen) – they belong to the primates with probably the same common ancestors as apes, but as the apes continued to develop larger brains and a flatter snout, the lemurs kept their original character. Lemurs only live in Madagascar and surrounding islands; they are endemic there. There are five families still alive with dozens of species – often seriously endangered, as the total number of lemurs is estimated to have fallen with more than 95% in the last two decades
Rufous mouse lemur (Microcebus rufus)
Petter’s sportive lemur (Lepilemur petteri)
Crossley’s dwarf lemur (Cheirogaleus crossleyi)
Small-toothed sportive lemur (Lepilemur microdon)
Brown lemur (Eulemur fulvus)
Woolly lemur (Avahi spp.)
Ring tailed lemur (Lemur catta)
Ring tailed lemur (Lemur catta)
Brown lemur (Eulemur fulvus)
Red-bellied lemur (Eulemur rubriventer)
Coquerel’s Sifaka (Propithecus coquereli)
Diademed sifaka (Propithecus diadema)
Black and white ruffed lemur (Varecia variegata)
Grey bamboo lemur (Hapalemur griseus)
Grey bamboo lemur (Hapalemur griseus)
Indri (Indri indri)
Very curious Red-bellied lemurs (Eulemur rubriventer)
Just too cute! One last Coquerel’s sifaka (Propithecus coquereli)
Van Mediterrane draaigatjes en mierengoudvisjes
Anderhalve week geleden bracht ik met collega’s een werkbezoek aan kolonies van de plaagmier (Lasius neglectus) en het mediterraan draaigatje (Tapinoma nigerrimum). Onder leiding van Jinze Noordijk van EIS Kenniscentrum insecten werden een woonwijk, een duingebied en een tuincentrum bezocht.
Na het oplichten van wat stoeptegels is een stukje zichtbaar van de kolonie, die zich hier uitstrekt over de hele woonwijk. De bewoners ervaren veel overlast
Snel worden alle eieren, poppen en larven in veiligheid gebracht
Even kijken hoe ze bijten
Groot was het enthousiasme toen Jinze in één van de nesten ook twee mierengoudvisjes (Atelura formicaria) vond. Deze soort is pas kort geleden in Nederland ontdekt (zie Nature Today en het wetenschappelijk artikel)
De Portrettenmaker 