kraanvogel

Fifty shades of grey

Posted on 29 December 2014 Leave a Comment

“Throughout history, birds have been viewed as animals of special value and have been ladened with meanings often derived from legends and stories that have survived over many generations. The Crane may conceivably be the oldest bird on earth; there is fossil proof that they existed over 60 million years ago. Greek and Roman myth tended to portray the dance of cranes as a love of joy and a celebration of life. The crane was usually considered to be a bird of Apollo, the sun god, who heralded in Spring and light. Throughout all of Asia, the crane has been a symbol of happiness and eternal youth. In Japanese, Chinese, and Korean tradition, cranes stand for good fortune and longevity because of its fabled life span of a thousand years.”

Actually we visited Jean-Marie this weekend for wild cats. But again, weather conditions were poor, and the cats (as well as foxes) remained in the forest.

Hence we switched to cranes, and tried to portray them in a winterish landscape.

Early mourning, cranes leave their roost and head for the surrounding fields.

It was very windy in the Lorraine this weekend, which made photography hard. Yet on the other hand, the cranes make use of this to jump around.

It starts with trumpeting and showing of your big gear (i.e. wings)

And then taking off vertically. This realy is amazing to see.

Like Paul Anka said: Put your hand on my shooooolder…

In between we photographed a fieldfare.

Squadron of cranes arriving

Later in the evening as dusk set in, the cranes got this beautiful orange glow…

Cranes, we will never tire of them. And I think many of us share that excitement.

Thanks to Jean-Marie & PJ

When the cat’s away…

Posted on 19 February 2014 2 Comments

There are species that never cease to amaze.

Be it the blackbirds singing on a summer eve, large groups of toads migrating to a nearby pond in spring or the squirrel “flying” through your garden tree tops.

With their impressive size, their large migratory flocks and also their mystical trumpeting calls, cranes – to me at least – are also such a species.

Lac du Der (France) for example is an ugly concrete dike surrounding an artificial lake, but hundreds of nature lovers go there every year to watch thousands of cranes coming in to roost.

Recently I visited my friend Jean-Marie in the Lorraine (France) to look for wild cats. No cats were found, so we spend time looking for cranes and photographing them in ideal lighting conditions… I really get the impression the wintering cranes here are far more at ease compared to those in the Lac du Der regions.

Nice winter lighting on these starlings in an old orchard

Buzzard along the road

Frozen teasel

First close cranes

Cranes coming in to roost just after a big rain shower

Abstract formations

Following day, the buzzard was there again.
Shortly before I found a dead badger and placed it in the meadow were I saw the bird twice.

The next day I got lucky…

To the left or to the right?

I really like the compo in this pic. Cranes… gotta love em!!

Lac du Der

Posted on 9 November 2011 2 Comments

Last week I joined a family trip towards the infamous Lac du Der, an artificial lake in the french Champagne region, known for its high numbers of autumn roosting cranes. You are always joined by many other photographers so it is difficult not to walk on treaded trails. Therefore Pieter-Jan and I took as few pictures as possible…

40 000 cranes were present, which is enough I think. Plenty of Possibilities for trying to photograph them in front of the sun, the moon etc. In the lakes around the lac we had a few other cool sightings.

I think everybody should go there at least once in their life.

First for sur we had to visit the biggest barrel ever made at Epernay

Arrival at lac du der

Evening made its way through the landscape

Long exposure

From stacking dusk

till pano at dawn

It begins

Mourning fog with cranes

We found black-headed gulls following predatory fish (pikes) fishing smaller fish. The gulls wanted the smaller fish as well

Gull and pike were chasing these little guys. The fish jump out of the water trying to escape from the pike.

Jumping is not a crime

Shake your tailfeather

We did not understand where the cow was going untill we saw the signs towards Compostella.

Abstract trees

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is now.