Lepelaarplassen and Oostvaardersplassen in search of kingfishers with the Sony A1 and the 200-600mm
Full screen gallery below
So I have a few blog stories still to write. One of those was my search for a “easy” photo of a kingfisher. I have heard that the Lepelaarplassen was one of the spots where there is always a kingfisher present. To be fair when I was there the kingfisher was also there, so true story in that sense. However I did not get the perfect shot.
The Lepelaarplassen is a small area near Almere and located just below the Oostvaardersplassen which are way bigger in size and diversity. However the Lepelaarplassen is know for its easy access and a really good photo hide as well. So time to go out and explore. If it would be a failure I could always continue on to the Oostvaardersplassen. So nothing lost!
It was a bit of a walk to the hide, but nothing serious, just a paved pathway and the last part is gravel towards the hide itself. So easy! When I got to the hide, I was a bit late, I thought it would be crowded with many bird watchers and photographers. Entering the hide it was no such thing, I was all alone. Granted it was not the best of weather and it was cold! It did not take long for a first bird to show itself and for a skittish bird it did stay for a long time around the hide. It was a Water Rails. A bird I have seen before in winter on ice, which was cool, but in this instance I could really observe it and managed to get some video as well.
Eventually more photographers came to the hide, but in the end we were there with only four. During lunch time I decided I had enough, with the Water Rails in the pocket and a Heron present I did capture enough but not yet the kingfisher. Then he showed, flying quickly from branch to branch, even catching some fish, but never came close enough for a decent shot. In the end I captured this just for capturing and having that photograph.
Enter the Oostvaardersplassen! Like I said this area was my backup area. So after lunch I ended up here and it seemed to be quiet and not much going on. Hiking to another hide I heard that the White-tailed eagles were close to the hide, but that they had just flew to the other side of the lake. My luck! Still a decent photo is what I got, but nothing special.
In the end I did the full loop at the Oostvaardersplassen en got some other photos as well, again nothing special, but at the end of the day the light was really nice, so that made for the last photos to be orange/brown tinted, which I like. The bonus was the Kestrel that was enjoying a nice meal, a mouse I think.
So there you go. All shot with the Sony combo! And don’t hesitate to leave a comment or an e-mail. Click to view larger in a light box and navigate with mouse or arrow keys. Enjoy!
