Another wonderful morning in the forest. I hope I’ll find time soon – between work and the rain – to take some pictures again!
Tag: nature
Goodbye to the forest
It’s time to say goodbye to this beautiful forest where we have lived the past two months. Tomorrow we will be moving to another temporary home, this time within Hermen’s new congregation. It’s a good spot as well, so I’m looking forward to discovering the photographic opportunities there!
Dutch safari
We had heard about the deer rut in the Hoge Veluwe National Park, so we decided to check it out yesterday. Waiting for the gate to the park to open, it hit me: this is a safari! We drove our car slowly through the park, full of anticipation. The map indicates a few hotspots for deer, which were already filling up. There must have been a hundred other people in the park, setting up their tripods, waiting for the deer to arrive where they should be according to the map.
From where we stood, I could see a small group of deer resting on a grassy field. There was a strong wind blowing from behind us. I was worried that the deer would smell all these people waiting for them and wouldn’t come out. But, a little while later, Hermen came running, saying that he had spotted a deer a hundred meters down the road.
It was amazing! It seemed like the worst (or best) part of the rut was already over. The male deer had already collected their groups of females and were not that interested in fighting each other – at least not while we were there.
Such proud animals, with their heads held high! And such antlers must weigh quite something! Back in our original spot, the group of deer that were resting had also woken up and came close to the road. Great, these animals that follow the maps! We’re very happy to have had this chance to go on safari in the Netherlands.
Autumn equinox
A celebration of the sun on this autumn equinox, the day in which the sun crosses the equator and day and night are roughly equally long. This morning, the sun had to fight the fog first, which led to these beautiful rays of light filtering through the trees.
Cold morning walk
Although the leaves are still green, it is clear that the seasons are shifting. In the mornings, a fine fog cloaks the farther away trees. Only once the sun is strong enough, this mist dissipates. The look of the forest is colder than a few weeks ago. Winter is coming!
Lions in Pilanesberg
It had rained all night on this day in January 2020. We even got up a little later to give the clouds a chance to clear up. It was still raining as we got into the park and we didn’t really expect any great sightings – we expected the wildlife to be hiding well under the green bushes.
It was therefore a huge surprise when we encountered a pride of lions in an open area, just finishing off their catch of a zebra. The males already had had enough and were lounging on the grass. One by one, the females also walked off from the carcass to lie down. After spending an hour with these magnificent animals, they leisurely ambled off and out of sight.
This is a compilation of some video material I took on this sighting.
Lion with cubs
From the archives:
We went to Madikwe Game Reserve for the first time in 2018, and were blown away by the hospitality and the brilliant sightings we had. This was one of the highlights of our trip: a pride of lions, I believe it was two females and about four cubs, walking around in the early morning light. A breath taking experience!
Young elephant
A young elephant sprays water into his mouth using his trunk.
Elephant herd
A herd of elephants is approaching a watering hole on an overcast day in Pilanesberg National Park. One is testing the air with her trunk, while others mill around, waiting for her approval to go to the water. An impressive sight!
