Birds

Category Winner

Corné Koopmans (1)
Zeeland
36mm; 1/640s at f/9; ISO 4000

Little egrets fish along the coast. I placed my camera on a stone in the water and controlled it remotely with my phone. I fixed the focus on a point based on earlier observations. Slowly the birds walked into the frame.

Runner-up

Kees Siebesma (2)
Zwolle (Overijssel)
38mm; 1/125s at f/3.5; ISO 500

In the reflection of urban water, the worlds of birds and people come together. Through the ice, the coot appears almost part of the human environment. In this image, I play with composition, reflection and position.

Honourable Mentions

Marcel van Kammen (3)
Rinsumageest (Friesland)
70mm; 1/1000s at f/7.1; ISO 1000

While talking at a campsite, a barn swallow landed on a flagpole. With a standard lens, I captured the Frisian flag in motion, together with the bird.

Robin van der Land (4)
De Houtwiel (Friesland)
221mm; 1/1250s at f/7.1; ISO 200

After dinner, I cycled through nature with my grandfather. We saw two grebes, a parent and a young bird. After waiting, both turned their heads at the same time, which completed the composition.

Erik van Velden (5)
Zuid-Holland
400mm; 1/500s at f/2.8; ISO 400

On a calm and misty morning, I went to a wetland area before sunrise. Hidden behind a camouflage net, I waited without disturbing the birds. A snipe appeared in exactly the right spot.

Pascal Kooyman (6)
Delft (Zuid-Holland)
350mm; 1/640s at f/8; ISO 3200

A nesting box for peregrine falcons is placed on a university building. A falcon landed right above it, on a clock. From the street, I photographed it through the trees.

Kees Siebesma (7)
Zwolle (Overijssel)
600mm; 1/250s at f/4; ISO 500

The coot has strong, lobed feet with sharp nails. In this image, I focused on those details. The reflection of the beak and body appears in the ice of a frozen puddle.