ABOUT BIRDS AND BEAUTY...

About birds and beauty…

Barn Owl (Tyto alba) with a freshly caught Brown Rat (Rattus Norvegicus)

Common Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia).

Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus) stretching elegantly.

Three little angels.

Mandarin Duck.

Barn Owl (Tyto alba) observing the observer.

Bathing Great Tit (Parus major).

Drinking juvenile Greenfinch.

An exhausted Yellow-crowned Bisshop (Euplectus afer) singing on a post.

Juvenile Blue Tit.

Purple Heron.

Jay.

Barn Owl (Tyto alba).

Yellow-crowned Bisshop (Euplectus afer).

The approach… Black-winged Stilts (Himantopus himantopus)

Barnacle Geese (Branta leucopsis) lifting from a meadow in the north of the Netherlands.

Wood Pigeon.

Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)

Going home now…

NEW BIRD PHOTOS.

Migration is in full swing.

The winter has been short in Portugal and wintering species are on their way north. The birds that wintered in Africa are not quite settled yet. Here is a recapitulation of the winter in photos.

A Kingfisher posing in the morning sun.

A Black-winged Stilt. Perky, fragile and pretty agressive in nesting season. And of course, all of that on long, long legs!

The Little Owl. Every evening at the same spot waiting for the sunset, waiting for nightfall.

A Common Spoonbill.

A close up of a Common Moorhen.

Reflection…Black-winged Stilt.

A Barn Owl on a gas detection device, An odd perch, but the owl doesn’t seem to bother much.

The Mallards are in panic when the Marsh Harrier launches an attack. Yet she is not after the Mallards but tries to catch a Teal that submerges on her approach.

The Black-winged Stilt to the left invites the other one for mating…..but he doesn’t seem interetsed.

A Common Buzzard…I wonder what he is reflecting on?

The tiny Barn Owl is in featherweight class. Perching on a sign like that makes it even clearer.

Strawling in the sunrise, Black-winged Stilt.

A Merlin showing the beautiful polka dots under its wing.

A Western Moorhen in high key. Is that a big foot or what?

A Bonelli’s Eagle with a taste for Teal.

A curious Short-eared Owl. In the middle of the night he was hovering above me for a while and finally he landed right in front of me. Thus blocking the view on an approaching pole cat I was looking at.

A Common Spoonbill cleaning and preening, treating every feather with that beautiful odd shaped bill.

A lot of photos from the past months.

A lot of owls and other birds posed for the photo.

The Barn owl roaming the fields at nightfall.

A stretching Barn swallow

Little owl, looking back.

A Yelllow-crowned bishop in the act of stealing rice

A Corn bunting cleaning and preening feathers.

Eurasian Hoopoe.

So many heads.

A grey heron dances at sunset.

Zitting cisticola and a bunch of snails

A Barn swallow

Two corn buntings.

Jaja, my friend the stray dog.

Great Spotted Cuckoo.

A focused red fox.

Snails in cue….

Being watched by a homing pigeon.

Yellow-crowned bishop.

A curious Barn owl.

Western yellow wagtail (Motacilla flava) enjoying the music.

Head-shot of a Black-winged stilt.

Short-eared owl in a rather funny pose.

A Cattle egret gets a ride.

Speeding pheasant.

Waiting out the storm. Black-winged stilt.

Light as a feather.

He heard something in the grass. Young Merlin.

Balancing Short-eared owl.

Chatting Zitting cisticolas.

Cetti's warbler.

Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus).

Short-eared owl on a windy morning.

A Merlin finishing dinner.

Short-eared owl.

Hazy Little egret.

Short-eared owl in flight.

Barn owl…just about to enter the old barn.

Is she laughing?

Osprey…looking not amused.

On the European continent Barn owls are not so often visible during day time.

Tough Zitting cisticola.

Incoming!! Osprey with a mullet in the tallons.

Full moon.

Secrets of a Short-eared owl

The Short-eared owl (Asio flammeus) stole my heart. What I find remarkable is that it has so many different appearances. Sometimes they look grumpy, sleepy and alsmost angry. And the next moment it changes into an alert, active, and very mobile creature. In winters it roosts in small groups in the south of Europe and nests on the ground more in the north. It is one of the few owls that can be active during the day. It is a small animal: 35-40 cm in length and a wingspan of just over a meter. Silently they roam the fields in search for rodents. Sometimes resting on a pole, a stump, or just on the ground where they prefer to sleep as well. This winter a flight of Short-eared owls gathered on a meadow in the Tagus estuary near Lisbon. I have been watching them several times a week for months now. Especially one, somewhat gloomy but not very shy, owl. I recognized it from a broken nail on the right talon. Enough reason for a photo-shoot (or two) I thought.

The name "Short-eared owl" points to the small ear-plumes that they can show, mainly when they are agressive or agitated. The real ears, though, are located next to the eyes and covered by feathers.

On this photo the real ear of the owl is visible.

The short ear plumes went up here because of a Marsh harrier passing by. The owl keeps an eye on the competition! Notice the broken nail on the right talon?

Most birds have a uropygial gland just above the tail root. It produces preen oil. That keeps the  feathers waterproof and has an anti-bacterial effect. The birds apply it by rubbing their beak and head against the gland opening and then rubbing the accumulated oil on the feathers of the body and wings, and on the skin of the feet and legs. Something we all probably have seen them doing at least once or twice. The gland itself is covered by feathers and not often visible.

The uropygial gland.

Each feather is treated seperatly. It's not easy to reach the wing tip.

And even the tail feathers are carefully cleaned.

The talons are cleaned and rubbed with preen oil.

By the way... talons! Not many rodents will escape these effective killing machines.

Shake it! In the dense fog the Short-eared owl got very wet.

The eye sight is as important as the sense of hearing for hunting rodents. Here the owl heard a sound in the grass.

A portrait taken during the day. It fills the frame, but approaching this owl I noticed how small they are.

And a different close up during the night.

Short-eared owls like to be on the ground.

Of course it is a very "human" interpretation, but this owl looks grumpy to me.

And here it is just cute, I can't help it. I will miss "broken nail" when she, or he, migrates north somewhere soon.

Birds and Backgrounds

Autumn and winter give us beautiful hues. A lot of brown and beige with lighter shades that I love for a background. Even red and orange at sunrise and sunset create a soft tonality. Bonus is that I get enough sleep in winter, because the days are short. I want to share a few photos from the past weeks where I find the settings and tinge especially pleasant.  Special thanks to the birds who legitimized the photographs of these backgrounds.

Reeds with a Common Waxbill.

Grey Heron hiding in rapeseed flowers.

A gloomy Kestrel.

In the night we get a glimpse of the hunting grounds of the Barn owl.

Common Buzzard in a weird position in the soft light of the evening

A Chiffchaff after sunset just above the water of a dark stream.

Common Linnets.

Otter.

It does not happen very often that I see otters in the wild. And even then it happens mostly at night. But recently I got lucky. In the Lezíria near Lisbon in Portugal I spotted this magnigicent animal in clear daylight searching for crayfish near the rice fields and the salines. Hiding and being very silent I could not move and the shy animal appeared full in the frame. Sometimes everything matches: the light, the weather, the proximity of the animal, and even the joy of observing. But next time I will not forget to breath.

Alert...I suppose it heard the shutter.

Crossing an empty patch this otter was entirily visible.

Before leaving the protection of the reeds there was this moment of checking out the surrounding.

Going back to the water went faster than the other way around.

Eurasian otter (lutra lutra), with a perfectly waterproof fur it doesn't need any fat under the skin.

The Art Of Nature And Mankind

Beautiful forms and colours are everywhere. Whether created by nature or by people, every expression has its own "soul".                                                                                                                                                                                                               Photos taken on the islands of Pico, Faial, and São Jorge in the Azores.

A snail-shell? The stairs in the lighthouse of Capelinhos on Faial island

The eye of the whale. A local home owner in Ponte Gorda on Pico island created this piece of art in a natural crack in the lava rock.

The sky on earth. A water place on Pico island.

Cyclops of an unknown artist in Velas on São Jorge island.

The ocean is taking back the new rock that appeared in a volcanic eruption that lasted more than a year in 1957-1958 at Capelinhos on Faial island, creating marvelous colours, forms, and lines.

Fight of the giants. A sperm whale and a giant squid. A painting on a new building in Madalena on Pico island.

100 % Nature. A piece of lava rock on Pico island.

The flight of a Cory's shearwater (Calonectris borealis) over the ocean, somewhere between Pico island and the island of São Jorge.

Ready to jump. A young man prepares to jump into the ocean near Santo António on Pico island.

"UNDER THE VOLCANO"

Visiting Pico Island and the neighbouring islands São Jorge and Faial I stayed continuously under the volcano. The huge (2350 meter above sea
level) volcano of Pico. "Under the volcano" is the title of a novel by Malcolm Lowry written in 1947 as well as the title to a movie from 1984 directed by John Huston and I remembered one quote:

“He was safe here; this was the place he loved - sanctuary, the paradise of his despair.”

The volcano Pico on Pico Island in the Azores. It does not happen very often that the crater with the little Piquinho (the "nipple" on top) is not covered in clouds.

Cory's shearwater (Calonectris borealis) is a common bird in the Azores. It spends its days far away from the islands on the ocean, feeding on fish and moluscs. It can dive up to a depth of 15 meters. During the nights you can hear their raucous cackling calls in the breeding colonies on the shores.

Cory's shearwater (Calonectris borealis) during daytime roaming the atlantic ocean.

Cory's shearwater (Calonectris borealis) during the night.

Close up of a Cory's shearwater (Calonectris borealis), a handsome bird with a beautiful bill.

Cory's shearwater (Calonectris borealis). On days with less wind the shapes of the reflections in the ocean are always changing.

The views and landscapes in the Azores are often dramatic. The weather changes from cloudy to sunny in just half an hour. The clouds are however never far away. Neither is the volcano Pico on Pico island. Even on the neighbouring islands São Jorge and Faial the Pico is very emphatically present. If not, the crater covered in heavy clouds, is.

The ever changing scenery on Pico Island.

The crater of Pico got a little hat.

Fajã do Ouvidor, São Jorge. In the background the island Graciosa.

The lava and the ocean. North coast of the island of São Jorge.

Sunset on Pico Island.

Pico Island is known for its Cetaceans. Untill 1987 it was a centre for whale hunting. Blue whale, finn whale, and sperm whale pass by as well as many species of dolphins. And except for the Cory's shearwater there are colonies of other sea birds on the cliffs.

Common tern (Sterna hirundo)

Common tern (Sterna hirundo)

Common tern (Sterna hirundo). There are several breeding colonies in the azores

Short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis). This newly born calf keeps up with the "big" dolphins already.

Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus), breathtaking, outside the coast of Pico Island

Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus), diving. With 100.000 kilos (and even more) the Blue whale is the largest animal that ever lived on earth; dinosaurs included!

Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus) south of Pico.
The scars on the body of this Risso's dolphin look like modern art. They are a result of fighting. Risso's dolphins are very agressive. Even the tentacles of the squid that they eat leave marks.

Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) showing the tail before diving deep.

Whales are all over Pico island.

But the days of whale hunting belong to the past

Portuguese man 'o war (Physalia physalis). A colorful, rather small but very dangerous yelly fish that is very common in the water around the Azores.

A lot of the endemic plants and animals in the azores dissapeared when the islands got colonised by mankind in the 15th century. The Portuguese and the Flames brought their own cattle and pets.

Cows took over the green islands. The azores are famous for there dairy products in general, and São Jorge for its cheese in particular

The herd has passed...

'Ilhas verdes'. Portuguese for 'green islands'. The moist and the rain make the Azores green all seasons. The lava adds, besides a little red and yellow, mainly black. A bold combination of colors. The Azorians seem to have a preference for the color red though...

Red.

Red.

Red.

HORSES

"They shoot horses, don't they?"

All three horses are watching something. Like they agreed on where they were going to keep their eye on.

"They shoot horses, don't they?" is the title of a movie from 1969 directed by Sidney Pollack, based on a Novel written by Horace McCoy in 1935. It's about a dance marathon during the Great Depression and about humiliation and cynisism. Always when I meet horses this title floats through my mind. I think the plot is so up to date nowadays.

I have been meeting a herd of horses every now and then the past weeks. It's a gang of seven with a strict hierarchy. They are all quite young I think, and their job is to carry horsemen on their backs when they collect the cattle on the vast meadows north of Lisbon in Portugal. There is no dancing and no shooting. These horses confront me with the opposite of that movie title that comes to my mind so often. The horses come and greet me every time I appaer and they pose still and peacefull. They stay as long as I am with them, sometimes for more than 3 hours. And I do not bring them carrots or apples or anything they might appreciate. I always forget ...

Approaching to say hello, the leader in front, the others on a respectable distance. Is it horse-sense?

Horses in general do not like me very much. Probably because I do not have the right attitude of admiration and respect. That is the reason that I am carefull around horses. On the other hand I lack fear for horses as well and that makes the horses watching me with mixed feelings and I think it confuses them.

Anyhow, We have learned to trust one another on a proper distance and we developped a way of dealing with each other that makes it possible to be in the same place; their place. The leader of the gang has to mark her dominance and bites me every now and then. I react so the other horses can notice that she has everything under control.

That gives me possibilities to sit down and take photos from a lower angle of view without being scared that I get kicked. Let's face it... that would be peanuts for a horse. But I reckon it is the mutual understanding that, instead of being violent, they choose to pose for hours without getting anything in return.

The Gang

In the clouds.

I wonder what she is thinking about.

Two horses keep more distance. They seek cover behind the backs of the leader and her companion (to the left on this photo). But they are always in each other's company.

Funny, but not very flattering. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.