Once again I beg, implore, beseech, and plead readers for more wildlife photos. I know some of you have them sequestered away! Send ’em along if they’re good. Thanks!
Today’s selection of photos is from Uwe Mueller. His notes and IDs are indented, and you can enlarge the photos by clicking on them.
These photos were taken on the East Frisian island of Spiekeroog, Germany.
A slightly worried looking Greylag goose (Anser anser) passing by. Maybe it mistook my camera for a gun:
A pair of Barnacle geese (Branta leucopsis) flying over in the evening sun:
A flock of Brants (Branta bernicla) taking off:
This House sparrow (Passer domesticus) sat in a bush only 4 feet away from me and didn’t care at all about my presence as its focus was clearly on delivering its morning melody:
A Common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) searching for food in the dunes:
This Western jackdaw (Corvus monedula) came closer and closer while searching for food in the grass of a levee. So I laid down with my camera and took pictures. Finally it was only a few feet away and took an interested look at the weird guy laying on the ground with that thingy in his hand making clicking noises:
A fly-over of a Grey heron (Ardea cinerea):
A Carrion crow (Corvus corone) that was nesting near our vacation apartment and collecting material for it:
A Eurasian magpie (Pica pica) in the dunes:
Most photos were taken with a Sony Alpha 7R III with a Sony 200 – 600mm lens, apart from the House sparrow which was shot with a Panasonic FZ-83.
Wonderful photos! The Greylag goose does look a bit concerned but it’s such a great photo.
Thanks.
Pheasants are so beautiful. Every time I see one—it’s rare to come across them—I’m amazed at how showy they are.
I agree. They are anything but “common”we have quite a family on our property and they remain all winter even in the cold and snow. It is quite normal for the female to rear seven or eight chicks and the whole area is quite a home for them. I have to admit to feeding them regularly especially in the winter. Locals tell me that they come from a farm that was rearing them and deliberately released them.
Thanks for these! Seeing Greylag Geese in Germany of course reminds me of Konrad Lorenz and his classic studies of imprinting. His popular book King Solomon’s Ring, which I read as a kid, was illustrated with cartoons of him waddling around pursued by goslings that had imprinted on him.
Your greylag goose may have been worried but he gave you a lovely angle on those wings! Such crystal clear detail. Great shot. Was it cold out that day? It looks cold. Nice close- ups.
It was about 8°C (46°F) then. About the normal temperatures for late winter there but the strong wind made it quite chilly.
Thanks for these fine photos. Very nice shots of birds in flight. Some of the birds were new to me. I looked up Spiekeroog- looks like a nice place…perhaps very cold in the winter?
It can get cold in the winter. The average temperature in January is 1°C (34°F), so not really arctic conditions but you always have a strong wind there.
Aha. Thanks, Uwe, for the added information. No surprise that it would be windy up there on the open North Sea!