Meijendel is the largest contiguous dune area in South Holland. The beautiful nature reserve stretches between Scheveningen, The Hague and Wassenaar. The nature reserve consists of a predominantly open dune landscape, water features, forests and miles of sandy beach.

So new toys means new ideas and new opportunities. Not that it prevented me to do this in the past, but this reminded me of actually using a telephoto lens for more than just birding photos. This lens is also capable of doing semi-macro photos which I love and it sort of sparkled an old enthusiasm of macro photography.

Last year there was a couple of Marsh Harriers (Bruine kiekendief) breeding in my local area. Situated in the meadows or grasslands in Zaans Rietveld. Seeing that this was not the first time I expect that the same couple or new couple will do the same. So on a good day - sunny and clear skies - I went out in search of the Marsh Harrier. Spoiler in the blog photo I guess.

After my first outing with this good weather I headed out again to the same place, but now with a nice evening sun. The only thing is that it’s still early in the year so the sun is setting quite fast, that is a pity as it was really good light. I headed to the same area Zaans Rietveld by bike and was searching for others birds along the way.

The sun is shining, which with all the grey and rainy weather of late was a nice change. So I was keen to go out and see what type of birds were already nesting and visiting my local nature spot the Zaans Rietveld. I also had something to test. A piece of kit that probably will help to get more keepers while hiking around and not carrying all the weight all the time. I will dive into that topic later.

Time to take a break from work and do a stay over at the Posbank nature park. I stayed in a very nice hotel (Scandinavian look and feel) in the middle of the forest. The Posbank itself is situated in the middle of the Netherlands in a hilly part of that area with also a lot of heather in the fall. However this time around it was grey, wet and almost warm. For middle of winter this is weird, I guess climate change does exist (sarcasm).

The sand engine (also called Sand Motor - Zandmotor in Dutch) is a type of beach nourishment where a large volume of sediment is added to a coast. The natural forces of wind, waves and tides then distribute the sand along the coast over many years, preventing the need for repetitive beach nourishment. This particular part of the Dutch coast is quite unique and therefor interesting for migrating birds and native water birds.

So on my wish list there are a few birds that I am really keen to photograph, owls being one of those birds. To mee it doesn’t matter which species as long as its in a natural surrounding and the birds are free. There are a lot of birds “sanctuaries” where you can photograph birds. Don’t get me wrong I would also love to rekindle my birds portrait series, but getting birds in a natural habitat or environment on a photo is my preference.

Due to a podcast about birding I was pointed to this specific location and others as well. I have not yet been here or photographed at this location. It’s situated below Rotterdam. It’s a dune area with where fresh water meets the sea. Especially in winter, the salt water flows through channels and creeks far into the area. The low parts of Kwade Hoek are always damp. Sea buckthorns are found in the drier areas. In short a very interesting area for birds. Take a look here, kwadehoek.