Greater flamingo silhouette
The sun slowly disappeared behind a big tree. I noticed a greater flamingo walking towards the setting sun. I was just able to take a picture before the flamingo disappeared in the shade of the tree. I like the picture a lot, because the silhouette really highlights the special shape of the beak. (Photographed in the Parc Ornithologique de Pont de Gau in Camargue)
Crested lark on a beautiful sunrise
It was still very early in the morning as I was cycling along a beautiful meadow. I was so tired that I almost drove past the crested lark. It was foraging at the edge of the bicycle path. The lark was wonderfully illuminated from the back by the rising sun while the background was still in darkness. For me, the photo was more than worth the flatspot on my my back tyre...
Red-crested pochard on a misty morning
A thick layer of fog was floating on the lake. The sun has not yet risen and the landscape was illuminated in a soft blue tone.
You can find a detailed article about this photo here.
Marsh tit silhouette
The sun was already very low in the sky. It was already getting dark in the forest and the sun was just peeking through.
Bearded vulture high above the valley
High above the valley, the largest bird in the Alpine region slowly spirals upwards, seemingly without effort. Without a single flap of its wings, the bearded vulture gains altitude meter after altitude meter. Again and again the vulture looks down into the valley and looks out for carrion.
Stonechat
Through a small gap in the hedge I could see a small bird on the other side of the hedge. Again and again this female stonechat flew up in the air to catch mosquitoes. It always landed back on the same thin branch. I positioned my camera so that the stonechat was framed by the hedge.
Pochard in the rain
I could observe this pochard almost every day on my way to school. Surprisingly, this male pochard was quite tame. For several weeks I was able to photograph this male after school. While at first I used my normal 150-600mm lens, after a couple of times I started to use the much smaller 105mm macro. Among all the thousands of pictures, I like this portrait with the raindrops the most.
Fighting Great-crested grebes
At this part of the river I could always observe two pairs of great crested grebes. On this cloudy afternoon I could hear the two pairs already from far away. But this time, it wasn't just harmless shouting. Which one came out on top, is already visible in this picture. But the fight still went on for another couple of minutes. Nevertheless only the losing pair of great crested grebe raised 2 chicks while the other pair failed to breed.
Young black-headed gull on a calm evening
In the last light of the day the reeds in the background were wonderfully illuminated by the setting sun. The background turned into a beautiful golden tone. The surface of the water was almost flat and thus reflected the reeds. The otherwise rather inconspicuous black-headed gull therefore clearly stands out from the background.
Alpine Ibex
As I climbed over a small rock, I suddenly found myself in front of two large alpine ibexes. To my surprise they seemed to not care at all. At a distance of only a couple of meters I could play with different compositions. Among all the portraits this one is my favourite.
Bruchwasserläufer
This Wood Sandpiper was looking for food in the mud. For me, the two blades of grass in the right part of the picture really add something to the whole scene as they balance out the image.
Resting red-crested pochard
In the first light of the sun, the orange head of the red-crested pochard seemed to almost glow. This male red-crested pochard didn't really care about me and slept on calmly as I slowly crept towards it. Only now and then it threw a short glance at me to see if I was still there. After about an hour, the red-crested pochard only opened its eyes for a short moment, when I gradually got up and left. Only a few moments later, it fell asleep again.
Wing of a greater flamingo
There was a larger group of flamingos at a small lake . Whenever conspecifics flew over the group of flamingos, they spread their wings, as if they were to give them the landing clearance. Their wings are particularly beautifully coloured. The black feathers make for a good contrast. (Photographed in the Parc Ornithologique de Pont de Gau in the Camargue)
Kingfisher on a snowy bush
Already on the previous evening it began to snow heavily. The next morning the whole region was covered in snow. I had photographed this kingfisher several times before and it did not disappoint me that day either. On a snow-covered bush it was looking for food in the river. Shortly after the photo was taken, it threw itself into the ice-cold river and flew away with a small fish...
Reed warbler singing in the reeds
Reed warblers are only rarely seen or even photographed. Often you only hear its joyful and lively song. Sometimes the warbler climbs up a reed from where it usually flies away again very quickly. But this reed warbler remained on the reed for a short moment and seemed to enjoy the view.
Red-backed shrike
Red-backed shrikes are very common in the meadows around Lake Neusiedl. The sun was just rising when I spotted this beautiful bird on one of its perches. The backlight gave the bird a beautiful glowing outline. I decided on a vertical composition to include a part of the sky.
Common teal on a windy evening
On this particular day, the weather was pretty bad. With strong wind and lots of clouds, chances for a good photo were pretty low. But just as I was about to pack up my gear, the sun finally poked through the clouds. The teal had lost touch with its conspecifics and had to fight its way through the turbulent water masses by itself.
Flying towards the sunset
This marsh harrier flew at exactly the right moment over the wetland and towards the sunset. The reed blossoms were glowing in the back light while the bird became a complete silhouette. Only a few minutes later the sun had set and the intense colour of the sky gradually faded.
Taxi ride
Young grebes, in this case a young great crested grebe, spend their first days of life on the back of their parents. Well hidden in their parents' feathers, they only stick their heads out of the plumage when the other parent is arriving with food.
