Birds

Sunrise September 2024: tens of thousands of Red Knots (Calidris canutus) packed at Snettisham, Norfolk, glowing at high tide, conserving energy and dodging predators. One bird briefly broke away, wings gleaming with individuality.

The feet of a European Water rail (Rallus aquaticus) frozen in ice. The bird died during a sudden and short winter. This composition was chosen because it is intimate and dramatic.

When the seawater rises and rushes into the water inlet of Yundang Lake, thousands of small fish follow the tide into Yundang Lake from the sea. There are many big fish lurking in the lake, small fish often jump out of the water to escape, and little egrets (Egretta garzetta garzetta) who have been paying close attention to the movements of small fish quickly pounce on the small fish and often easily catch them.

At the reservoir of Piedra Aguda, I set up a feeding station for passerines every year in winter. At the end of the season I gradually cut back on the food. The photographic sessions take place at dawn, when the rays of light reflect on the water, giving the scene a golden glow. The disputes follow one after the other, defining a turn according to their size.

A European shag (Gulosus aristotelis) returns to Hornøya Island after a day at sea. Tucking its beak into its feathers, it gets ready to rest, but every time another cormorant approaches, it peeps up to make sure that no one is coming to steal its place among the protected rocks of the cliff.

Thousands of Commons murres (Uria aalge)  fill the sky as one lone European shag (Gulosus aristotelis) calmly watches the spectacle unfold, perched among jagged rocks. The scene captures the intense contrast between stillness and motion.

The photo was taken in South Africa at the beginning of November. The rainy season makes everything green and flowery. The Jacaranda (Jacaranda sp.) tree is my favourite. Its splendid flowers make whole streets purple. A little bird sipping nectar was moving quickly and hardly stopped for a moment. Fortunately, when it stopped, the White-bellied sunbird (Cinnyris talatala)  with its long beak was silhouetted against the light sky among purple flowers.