Another one from my fighting wrens (winterkoning) series - they couldn't even agree on which side was up! #birds

It can be easy to overlook "common" birds when you're out birding. This time of year the common whitethroat (grasmus) is pervasive on every walk or bike ride, but it's worth stopping from time to time to admire them, as they're still remarkable! #birds

A hare (haas) was happily running along the canal when it ran through two families of Canada geese (Canadese gans). The geese did not appreciate the intrusion. #birds

Icterine warbler (spotvogel) can be difficult. They show up late in spring, sing high up in a tree or, more often, from cover, and often disappear the moment you've noticed them. But this bird has been quite accommodating, singing low in a willow tree along a path, often in full view. #birds

A great spotted woodpecker (grote bonte specht) and his kid made their way to my garden today. They sat on the fence and whenever the dad wanted to move past his child he pecked at it and the young bird swivelled down to the side of the fence. No gentle parenting among woodpeckers! #birds

I was very happy to be inside a building today.

A jay (gaai) on a grey day, last month. #birds

This cuckoo (koekoek) was one of a pair flying circles around a large oak tree. The monumental tree offered a perfect view of the surrounding landscape, which made it ideal for the female to observe the neighbours and time her egg laying excursions, should one leave their nest unattended. #birds

North of the bridge at Gennep, on the west side of the Maas river, stands a bunker, built ahead of World War II. The bunker has long been destroyed, but that didn't stop this brave little sentinel, a juvenile dunnock (heggenmus), from sitting watch. #birds

The European turtledove (zomertortel) is getting rarer here each year, so I was extremely lucky to see two different pairs today. One of the birds flew a circle around the tree from which it sang, in the typical dove-like fashion of making a few quick wingbeats to ascend, before gliding down. #birds

A challenger appears! #birds

Sunlight shone down exactly on the middle spotted woodpecker (middelste bonte specht), while the rest of the forest was cast in shadow, creating a dramatically lit scene. I discovered this bird and its nesting site and left after taking a few pictures, so as not to disturb the animal. #birds

Very pleased to have discovered a small family of ravens (raaf) in an area where it wasn't yet confirmed they had a nest (although there was a strong suspicion). This juvenile sat high up in a tree to catch as much sunlight as possible when it was already scorching hot. #birds

Kids - they grow up so fast! This juvenile long-tailed tit (staartmees) is perhaps a little more than two weeks old and yet already looking for food independently. I'm not sure if this particular treat is edible but the bird's got to learn somehow, and its relatives are still feeding it. #birds

Kids - they grow up so fast! This juvenile long-tailed tit (staartmees) is perhaps a little more than two weeks old and yet already looking for food independently. I'm not sure if this particular treat is edible but the bird's got to learn somehow, and its relatives are still feeding it. #birds

Pensive blackcap (zwartkop). It was very quiet in the woods yesterday in the late afternoon, which I found baffling as it's one of the nicest places to be on a hot day! #birds

Wrens (winterkoning) are so light, and their feathers so strong, that they can rest fully on the tips of their feathers while kicking their opponent in the head. This was a favoured tactic of the two wrens I witnessed fighting last week (I now have full understanding of wren martial arts). #birds

Verwarrend bord voor vogelliefhebbers, want niet alleen zijn buizerds die hun nest bewaken toch echt defensief, de afgebeelde vogel is ook nog eens een slechtvalk...

Another shot from the wren (winterkoning) battle. The two small birds clung on to each other tightly, then spun around in circles due to the flapping of their wings. Sometimes they would land upside down, neither bird willing to let go. #birds #BirdOfTheDay theme #WingsWideOpen

Witnessed an incredible scene on sunday when I discovered two wrens (winterkoning) caught up in a fight that lasted five minutes and was still undecided when a passing cyclist caused them to disengage. The fight was vicious, but no blood was spilled - feathers make for decent armour. #birds

A male stonechat (roodborsttapuit) singing nonchalantly while resting on a single leg - a tiny showoff! #birds

A grasshopper warbler (sprinkhaanzanger) navigating the plantlife near Weurt. These small birds must have great gripping strength in their long toes! This bird popped up when another started to sing. It was probably a female and remained silent rather than contesting the territory. #birds

One black-necked grebe (geoorde fuut) was constantly being chased off by a pair who had picked the spot as their territory. Luckily the local viewing screen had some openings at kids' height, which allowed me to get some lower angled shots than usual at a screen. Sorry kids! #birds

One black-necked grebe (geoorde fuut) was constantly being chased off by a pair who had picked the spot as their territory. Luckily the local viewing screen had some openings at kids' height, which allowed me to get some lower angled shots than usual at a screen. Sorry kids! #birds

A spoonbill (lepelaar) foraging in the Schiermonnikoog Westerplas, observed in the evening light. It was tossing around various branches - not to eat, but to throw off potential food, such as fish or shrimps. #birds

Golden plover (goudplevier) are a spectacular bird, especially in their breeding plumage, when it looks like they're wearing a mantle and cap decorated with gold and lined with fur over an otherwise black body. They're not breeding birds here, but we're lucky to see them on migration. #birds

This saturday was a good day for golden orioles (wielewaal). I went to a perfect spot for them with a friend and his kid, and where we sat down to have a break a whole bunch of them popped up. They remained hard to photograph but I got in a few attempts from relatively short range. #birds

I am a simple soul, when a yellow wagtail (gele kwikstaart) lands in front of me I will photograph it. #birds

When I arrived on Schiermonnikoog, the sand martins (oeverzwaluw) had only just started inspecting a local sand heap, to find the best spots to dig out their nests. Some birds already clung to the wall, as others swarmed around them in a fast moving cloud, looking to start digging as well. #birds

Two Caspian terns (reuzenstern) made a stop to a sand extraction site near my house. Posing next to a common tern (visdief) it is immediately obvious how ridiculously huge this bird is, being the size of a large gull. #birds

A white wagtail (witte kwikstaart) taking a bath in the lake. I didn't realise they swished their tails so enthusiastically to help splash water over themselves, but I guess this should not have surprised me with wagtails! #birds

A white wagtail (witte kwikstaart) taking a bath in the lake. I didn't realise they swished their tails so enthusiastically to help splash water over themselves, but I guess this should not have surprised me with wagtails! #birds

With a little patience, seeing a nightingale (nachtegaal) is actually not that hard. But this individual was particularly obliging and I could observe it for a fairly long time as it sang its song. #birds

Weer terug thuis na een week op Schiermonnikoog - ik zal de roep van de kerkuil missen vannacht.

Staat er ineens een reuzenalk (uitgestorven in 1844) op de lijst met vandaag waargenomen soorten op waarneming, blijkt het toch geen invoerfout te zijn maar een fossiele vondst! 😅 Erg bijzonder (ik kan de fossielidentificatie niet beoordelen) waarneming.nl/observation/...

In the evening light, I noticed a crow repeatedly pick up and drop something. I climbed the waddendijk to get a better look: it was the hooded crow (bonte kraai) that lives on Schiermonnikoog, accompanied by a jackdaw. Unfortunately I caught the end of the game - it landed to rest in a field. #birds

De kosten voor blussen en natuurherstel van alle legerbranden kunnen we aftrekken van onze NAVO-bijdrage toch

In the evening light, I noticed a crow repeatedly pick up and drop something. I climbed the waddendijk to get a better look: it was the hooded crow (bonte kraai) that lives on Schiermonnikoog, accompanied by a jackdaw. Unfortunately I caught the end of the game - it landed to rest in a field. #birds

A male marsh harrier (bruine kiekendief) gliding slowly above the binnenkwelder on Schier in the soft evening light. I normally go here in autumn/winter, but the island is also an absolute delight in spring! #birds

Don't drink the dune juice.

A male marsh harrier (bruine kiekendief) gliding slowly above the binnenkwelder on Schier in the soft evening light. I normally go here in autumn/winter, but the island is also an absolute delight in spring! #birds

The spotted redshank (zwarte ruiter) is a stunning and graceful bird that you can always catch on Schiermonnikoog during migration. They can usually be found foraging around a bridge on the binnenkwelder. This individual isn't summer ready yet. #birds

A male common redshank (tureluur) tried to impress a female in the species' usual way: by calling and flapping his wings until he hovered, before stepping onto her back to mate. However, in a surprising twist she was unimpressed and simply walked off. #birds

A male common redshank (tureluur) tried to impress a female in the species' usual way: by calling and flapping his wings until he hovered, before stepping onto her back to mate. However, in a surprising twist she was unimpressed and simply walked off. #birds

There's countless grasshopper warblers (sprinkhaanzanger) on the island and in the morning in particular you might actually see them, as they produce their grasshopper-like call. This shot captures its favoured habitat as well. #birds

I stopped by a meadow because I heard a common whitethroat (grasmus) sing, then immediately forgot about that bird when I noticed a pied wagtail (rouwkwikstaart) foraging right there. This subspecies of the white wagtail (witte kw.) is very rare here and a very impressive black and white. #birds

A pair of huge white-tailed eagles (zeearend) are a constant presence at the Oude Waal near Nijmegen these days. The birders are delighted, whereas the frequently terrorised birds are a little more critical. With some luck they'll make a nest there next year. #birds

Saw a white stork (ooievaar) today and noticed it was ringed - so I took the effort of photographing it. And boy am I glad I did! This stork has ring 4049 and was originally ringed in... june 1999! Not a record by far for a white stork, but extremely cool to discover a bird that old! #birds

A group of cormorants with an aspiring cormorant in flight. Cormorants (aalscholver) and a single barnacle goose (brandgans). #birds

Today I was looking at chimpanzee photographs in our archive collection (long story) and came across this incredible photograph of baby chimp "Sjoco" opening an art exhibition at Burgers Zoo back in 1977. At the same time, Frans de Waal was doing his famous chimp research at this same zoo.