Zandmotor - In search of snow buntings
Full screen gallery below
The sand engine (also called Sand Motor - Zandmotor in Dutch) is a type of beach nourishment where a large volume of sediment is added to a coast. The natural forces of wind, waves and tides then distribute the sand along the coast over many years, preventing the need for repetitive beach nourishment. This particular part of the Dutch coast is quite unique and therefor interesting for migrating birds and native water birds.
I have never visited this area which is weird as it is about a 40min drive from my home, so no excuses. Together with sunny and freezing weather it was time to visit this area for the first time. Even more so because of a flock of Snow buntings were present at the beach. A very colourful winter bird here in the Netherlands.
After parking the car I hiked up to to the beach area, walking through the dunes, which I heard later also is shelter for a couple of foxes. I did not see them unfortunately, it’s been a while since my last encounter with a fox. Really want to photograph them again. Spoiler alert I did not this time.
Arriving on the beach itself was quite a surprise, the sand was frozen, so the ground was rock solid. The sun was shining and a nice yellow almost golden hour type of light filled the area. Together with still a bit of frost in the air made for a very beautiful scenery.
The search was on! Quickly I saw the flock of Snow buntings, but contrary to earlier days (from what I understood from other photographers) the flock was very skittish and hard to photograph. However I was in luck as there were also quite a bit of Yellow-hammer birds in on the beach that also made for a good subject.
In the end it was as usual, anticipate, wait and have patience. In the end the birds will come to you. Which they did. It did took some insights and planning, figuring out where the Snow buntings would land next, but I managed. Still they were quite far away, so I needed the 200-600mm with the 1.4x teleconverter. Which in the end is not really hand holdable. Dare I say I need a lighter setup?
I got some cool shots of the Yellow-hammer and Snow bunting birds. When it was time to go back to the car I decided to walk along the shoreline for a welcomed extra shot. This was a good decision as a Sandpiper was in search of food and wasn’t that bothered with me. So this gave me a chance to photograph this bird (which I was searching for in this blog item). I love the colours and the context of this photo where the Sandpiper is in its habitat (waves in the background) looking for food.
All in all a very nice day, freezing conditions with a nice warm yellow sun, enough birds and even a treat at the end. A Greenfinch just before I ended up at my car.
All shot with the Sony A1 and 200-600mm! And don’t hesitate to leave a comment or an e-mail. Click to view larger in a light box and navigate with mouse or arrow keys. Enjoy!
