It's been two months already, but on September 1st I went back to Valk Roofvogels. This time for a sunset photography session, something I'd been wanting to do for quite a while. That said, I still have mixed feelings about it. I'd much rather see these birds living freely in the wild, but at the same time, they do serve as ambassadors for their distant relatives out in the wild. In the end, I decided to go anyway, together with three other members of my photography club. And that turned out to be really nice too! Besides spending time with my usual photography buddy, I also got the chance to get to know the other two guys a little better.
I was genuinely so excited about this day! By now, I've gained a little experience in animal photography, and I was really looking forward to getting out there again and capturing some beautiful moments. At the same time, I wasn't entirely sure how things would go this time, as I'm currently struggling with bursitis in my shoulder. Not exactly the best combination when it comes to photography! But despite that, I knew one thing for sure: it was going to be another wonderful day, full of fun, beautiful animals and special moments to remember.
We arrived a little early, which was actually quite nice as it gave me a chance to enjoy the sandwich I had brought from home. It wasn't long before we could head through the gate, say hello to everyone and make a quick trip to the restroom. Of course, there was also time for a cup of coffee. Although, as it turned out, I didn't get very far with my coffee! Before I knew it, a bird was walking straight towards me, immediately grabbing my attention. That's the thing about animal photography – there's always something happening around you! Unfortunately, I couldn't get a photo this time, as my 400mm lens was simply too long for the moment. Luckily, I did manage to capture a little video instead, which you can find as a Short on my YouTube channel.
From that moment on, things felt a little chaotic to me. I started out photographing the Green Aracari, but was soon distracted by the sound of the Bald Eagle. I ended up spending quite some time photographing the eagle, until I noticed that the Aracari had moved to a different perch. So, naturally, I turned my attention back to it and took a few more shots. Looking back at the photos, though, I feel that the flowers in the background make the scene look a little unnatural.
A few birds later, it was time for the European White-tailed Eagle. Personally, I find this one a little less beautiful, but there's no denying what an impressive and powerful bird it is. When it flew towards us, I instinctively ducked a little. I can imagine that getting hit by one of those wings wouldn't feel particularly pleasant! I was also really hoping to capture a shot of it in flight, but by then my shoulder was already hurting so much that I just couldn't manage it. I did manage to get one photo of it swimming, though. It looked a little awkward in the water, and I honestly hadn't expected such a large bird to float so effortlessly!
When it came to the Common Buzzard, I couldn't help thinking about how I had photographed this same bird in the wild from a bird hide before. Somehow, that experience felt so much more special to me than photographing it at a falconry centre. I guess you could say the same about every animal, as there's just something special about seeing and photographing them in their natural surroundings. But with this particular bird, I felt that difference quite strongly. Still, looking back, I'm really happy that I managed to capture it in flight.
During the short break, the Black-throated Magpie-Jay quickly caught my attention. Such a beautiful bird! I decided to try and capture it in a silhouette shot. It wasn't quite what I had pictured in my mind, and I would have loved for it to turn out a little better. But that's part of photography, too. Sometimes things don't work out exactly as you'd hoped, and that's okay!
I've seen the American Kestrel in photos online before, but seeing one in real life was such a lovely surprise. It's even more beautiful than I imagined! I was genuinely excited to finally have the chance to photograph one myself, and I'm so happy to have a few photos of this gorgeous little bird in my collection. As I'm unlikely to ever see one in the wild myself, I'm extra happy that I got the chance to photograph this beautiful little bird.
When it came to the Eurasian Eagle-Owl, I was really struggling with the weight of my lens. Normally, I already find my Canon EF 400mm f/5.6 quite heavy after a while, but with my shoulder bothering me, it was really a challenge this time. Still, when I got home, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had actually managed to get a few shots of the owl in flight. I think having a little more time with the Eagle-Owl, compared to the European White-tailed Eagle, definitely helped!
The Northern Hawk-Owl and the Spectacled Owl were two of the three birds I was really, really hoping to see that day. So you can imagine how happy I was when we finally got the chance to photograph them! By this point, the daylight was fading, which made things a little more challenging. Even so, I was pleasantly surprised by how some of the photos turned out. I'm especially pleased with how the shot of the Northern Hawk-Owl with the wasp turned out. By the time we got to the Spectacled Owl, we were already approaching the blue hour. Getting the exposure right was quite a challenge, as I really didn't want the owl to end up too dark in the photos. Luckily, I managed to get a decent result, but after looking at the images, I felt that a black-and-white edit suited this particular photo much better.
We've now arrived at the last bird of the day, the Great Grey Owl. Getting a good shot was quite a challenge during the blue hour, and this ended up being the only photo I managed to get, as it was already getting close to dark. It was also my very first time seeing this beautiful owl, which made the moment extra special for me. I'm really happy that I managed to capture at least one photo to remember it by. Although the branches make the image look a little busy, I actually quite like that. To me, they add a natural feel to the photo, almost as if you're catching a little glimpse of the owl in its own surroundings.
Of course, I took many more photos of these birds throughout the day, including a few that I haven't featured in this story. Below, you can have a look at the complete series. Feel free to click on the photos to view them in a larger size. Not every photo turned out quite as I had hoped, but that's all part of photography. Considering how much my shoulder was bothering me that day, I'm actually quite happy with what I managed to capture in the end. It turned out better than I had expected, and that's something I'm really pleased about. For me, it's not just about getting the perfect shot, but also about enjoying the moment, learning along the way and having something lovely to look back on.
