2018 Is here and the best nine 2017 generator has chosen many top nine pics on Instagram as many of you have seen. But what are my own favourites?
2017 Was a good year with a lot of new species and a few countries visited. 2018 will come with a big surprise to all of you…..later more.
But first, here they are, my own top # pic(k)s of 2017:
#1 – Little Bittern – This is actually one of my first pictures of the Little Bittern. In the early mornings at first light walking in stinking rotten waterplants hip deep in water. One of the first Little Bitterns I have ever seen, popped out of the reed completely exposed, sitting on a reed stalk, in that oh so wonderful golden light, catching the tiniest fish.
#2 – Marpissa Muscosa – I have always loved these tiny jumping spiders. But getting a female doing something extraordinary tack sharp with my super macro lens took some practise.
#3 – Hawfinch – I brought my own tiny piece of tree with freshly sprouting leafs to the hide and imagined a Hawfinch to sit on this branch. And he did, and he did it as perfect as possible: with his back towards me, showing his beautiful coloured and beautifully formed wingfeathers, while looking directly into the camera.
#4 – European Rollers – Being the fairytale coloured birds they are, this Rollerpair only kissed once during the few hours I waited for them.
#5 – Common Kingfisher – Shot a lot of Kingfishers but never underwater. This is a shot of my second day of attempts (approx. 16h) and it brought me a(n Almost) Perfect symmetric, award winning diving Kingfisher
#6 – European Bee-eater – Getting a Bee-eater in flight is quite difficult, because they are incredibly fast. This male arrived prefectly symmetric with a, how characteristic, a bee!
#7 – Little Bittern – The females arrived later than the men. Completely exposed, mirrored, action shot.
#8 – Nothern Goshawk – 2016 Was my Sparrowhawk year and I did not succeed to shoot a Goshawk up close. But 2017 was different. I have not made a good picture of a Sparrowhawk this year, but the Goshawks were a different story.
#9 – European Goldfinch – My entire life I have loved these tiny birds. But make a picture of one of them while sitting on Cardus with a watercoloured background was golden for me.
#10 – Barnowl – Never ever thought I could shoot a Barnowl. But this year I learned that opportunities can be created by experience.
