A Wagtail at Marker Wadden
Last Monday started with a little more stress than I had planned.
My father-in-law invited me to Marker Wadden, the remarkable new nature archipelago in the Markermeer. It is one of the Netherlands' most unusual nature-restoration projects: islands built largely from sand, clay and silt dredged from the lake itself. Material that had accumulated and contributed to the ecological problems of the Markermeer is being given a new purpose—creating islands, shallow water, marshes and natural shores where life can develop again.
Getting there was an adventure in itself.
It was Monday morning, rush hour, roadworks everywhere, and about 140 kilometres to drive. We had originally planned to leave two hours before the boat. When I checked the traffic forecast that morning, I decided that wouldn't be enough.
So I left even earlier.
And somehow, despite all that extra time, we arrived with one minute to spare. O.o
Once aboard the boat, I could finally relax.
The islands were quiet during this time of year, and there weren't nearly as many birds as we had hoped. But sometimes one encounter is enough.
From a partially submerged viewing point, I spotted this little wagtail working along the water's edge, searching for food. I got down low and photographed it almost at water level, letting the lake become part of the image.
I chose my Canon 7D Mark II with the Sigma 100–400mm for the trip. The crop sensor effectively gave me the field of view of roughly a 160–640mm lens, giving me that extra reach without carrying something larger.
I came home with three images from that viewpoint.
This was my favourite.
#MarkerWadden #Wagtail #Kwikstaart #NaturePhotography #BirdPhotography #BirdsOfTheNetherlands #DutchNature #NetherlandsPhotography #Markermeer #WildlifePhotography #Canon7DMarkII #Sigma100400 #SigmaPhotography #NatureAndScience #Ecology #Wetland #DutchLandscape #Wildlife #Photography #WonderingLens #ByMaikeldeBakker #MaikeldeBakkerPhotography
Last Monday started with a little more stress than I had planned.
My father-in-law invited me to Marker Wadden, the remarkable new nature archipelago in the Markermeer. It is one of the Netherlands' most unusual nature-restoration projects: islands built largely from sand, clay and silt dredged from the lake itself. Material that had accumulated and contributed to the ecological problems of the Markermeer is being given a new purpose—creating islands, shallow water, marshes and natural shores where life can develop again.
Getting there was an adventure in itself.
It was Monday morning, rush hour, roadworks everywhere, and about 140 kilometres to drive. We had originally planned to leave two hours before the boat. When I checked the traffic forecast that morning, I decided that wouldn't be enough.
So I left even earlier.
And somehow, despite all that extra time, we arrived with one minute to spare. O.o
Once aboard the boat, I could finally relax.
The islands were quiet during this time of year, and there weren't nearly as many birds as we had hoped. But sometimes one encounter is enough.
From a partially submerged viewing point, I spotted this little wagtail working along the water's edge, searching for food. I got down low and photographed it almost at water level, letting the lake become part of the image.
I chose my Canon 7D Mark II with the Sigma 100–400mm for the trip. The crop sensor effectively gave me the field of view of roughly a 160–640mm lens, giving me that extra reach without carrying something larger.
I came home with three images from that viewpoint.
This was my favourite.
#MarkerWadden #Wagtail #Kwikstaart #NaturePhotography #BirdPhotography #BirdsOfTheNetherlands #DutchNature #NetherlandsPhotography #Markermeer #WildlifePhotography #Canon7DMarkII #Sigma100400 #SigmaPhotography #NatureAndScience #Ecology #Wetland #DutchLandscape #Wildlife #Photography #WonderingLens #ByMaikeldeBakker #MaikeldeBakkerPhotography
