Red-faced Firefinch (Lagonosticta senegala) perched on a pile of rocks in the early morning light, posed long enough for me to get my shot, Kumasi, Ghana 🇬🇭🐦📸

#pixelfed
#birdphotography
#wildlifephotography
#naturephotography
#africanbirds
#westafricanbirds
#ghanawildlife
#ghana
#kumasi
#finch
#firefinch
#redfacedfirefinch
#lagonostictasenegala
#birdlovers
#birdwatching
#ornithology
#naturelovers
#earthfocus
#wildlife_perfection
#bestbirdshots
#earlymorninglight
#naturalhabitat
#wildbirds
#bokeh
#telephotography
#nature_seekers
#birds_of_africa
#birdsofpixelfed
#wildlife
#quietmoments

It’s been a while since I shared something new. Not because I haven’t wanted to go out… but because the world outside feels unfamiliar lately. December in the Netherlands, normally a time of frost, quiet forests, and the promise of winter, has instead been hovering around 13°C — for weeks. No snow. No frozen ponds. Just rain and warm winds.

And it shows. Trees dropping their leaves later every year. Flowers blooming earlier. Birds already practicing mating calls they shouldn’t be singing in mid-winter. This isn’t “just the weather.” This is a system signalling distress. And after 35 years of fighting climate change — 25 of them actively through Greenpeace, Fossil Free NL, and the Partij voor de Dieren — it weighs on me. I’m angry. I’m tired. And yes, I’m in a depressive episode.

But even in that darkness, light sometimes breaks through.

About two weeks ago in the Kampina, the sun managed to pierce through the dense trees for a brief moment, sending pale golden rays across the forest path. A rare, fragile moment of beauty in a warming world. I captured it handheld with my Canon 5DsR and the Sigma Art set at 44 mm — f/2.8, 1/500s — in the soft, misty morning light around 09:00.

#wonderinglens #ByMaikeldeBakker #MaikeldeBakkerPhotography #NaturePhotography #ClimateGrief #ClimateChangeIsReal #WarmWinters #ForestLight #Kampina #MorningMist #Canon5DsR #SigmaArt2470 #PhotographyAsObservation #DocumentingChange #ScientificStorytelling #NatureLovers #DutchNature #GlobalWarming #WalkingForClarity #MistyForest #SunRays #LightAndShadow #EarlyMorningLight #HandheldPhotography #ForestsOfTheNetherlands #NatureWalks #EnvironmentalAwareness #ClimateReality #LandscapePhotography #EcoAnxiety #NatureInDecember #UnexpectedWarmth #PhotographyAndScience #ArtAndObservation #ChangingSeasons #ProtectNature #ConservationMatters #ForestPath #EmotionalHonesty #StoryOfTheEarth

Inchworm in the cellphone lot at sunrise.

#Fotomontag #photo #yul #sunrise #montreal #earlymorninglight #fotoMonday #entomologie #inchwormgang #entomology #PhotoMonday #tinyworlds #inchworm #airport

Rise and Shine at the Grafheuvels – Regte Heide, Goirle

This morning began early — 04:00, to be precise. After a rough night’s sleep and a reluctant push out of bed, I followed my usual routine and drove my Ioniq 5 to the Regte Heide near Goirle. From the parking lot, it was a 5 km walk to my goal: witnessing sunrise over the grafheuvels (burial mounds) that dot this historic heathland.

Despite the early hour and heavy eyelids, I didn’t regret a single step.

As the sun began to rise, soft golden light broke through the mist. It illuminated the ancient burial mounds in a way that felt both timeless and fleeting — like stepping into a quiet conversation between past and present. The Regte Heide is a protected Natura 2000 site, home to heathland biodiversity and archaeological significance. These burial mounds date back to the Bronze Age, reminding us that long before our cameras and electric cars, people walked these same paths with different stories.

Most photos were taken with my Canon 7D Mark II and Canon 15–85mm lens — wide enough to catch both the land’s ancient contours and the sky’s delicate drama.

Mornings like this don’t just reward the lens. They nourish the soul.

#regteheide #grafheuvels #sunrisewalk #earlymorninglight #canon7dmarkii #canon1585mm #brabantnatuur #landschapsfotografie #heidegebied #natuurmoment #bronstijd #burialmounds #nederlandsenatuur #mistymorning #sunrisephotography #slowtravel #walkinginnature #heritagelandscape #heidewandeling #ancientlandscape #naturephotography #quietbeauty #goirle #morninghike #solitudewalk #heathlandmagic #natura2000 #dutchlandscape #timelessscenery #photographersjourney

⛅️📷✨️

#Sonnenaufgang #Nebelstimmung #Morgenruhe #Bootsromantik #MystischerMoment #StillerSee #Schifffahrt #Seezauber #Naturgenuss #Fotoliebe
#sunrise #mistyview #serenemorning #ferryvibes #goldenhourmagic #calmwaters #fogscape #landscapehunter #sunrisefog #moodytones
#deutschlandentdecken #morgenpoesie #bootsliebe #naturwunder #ruhegeniessen #naturträume #wunderdernatur #fernweh #blickaufswasser #farbenimnebel
#earlymorninglight #sunriselovers #foggylandscape #mysticvibes #mistymagic #moodymorning #quietnature #peacefulview #foggyjourney #boatphotography
#wanderlustdeutschland #seeidylle #goldenmoment #naturemood #stillenatur #himmelimnebel #morgendämmerung #nature_reflection #reiseliebe #landscape_captures

Early Morning in the Dunes: A Sunrise Adventure

At 4:00 AM, I set out with my Canon 5D Mark III and Sigma 100–400mm lens to capture the serene beauty of the Loonse en Drunense Duinen. Despite a slower shutter speed leading to some missed shots, a few images stood out.

The sunrise painted the sky with hues of orange and pink, silhouetting the flora in the foreground. One particularly special moment was capturing a deer gracefully bounding through the field, visible in the lower right corner of the frame.

This experience reinforced the importance of preparation and adaptability in photography. Even when things don't go as planned, nature often provides unexpected moments of beauty.

The Loonse en Drunense Duinen, known as the "Brabant Sahara," is a unique national park in the Netherlands, featuring vast sand dunes and diverse ecosystems. Its dynamic landscape offers endless opportunities for exploration and photography.

Stay tuned for more captures from this enchanting location.

#LoonseEnDrunenseDuinen #SunrisePhotography #Canon5DMarkIII #Sigma100400mm #NaturePhotography #EarlyMorningLight #DeerInTheWild #BrabantSahara #DutchNature #LandscapePhotography #GoldenHour #NatureLovers #PhotographyAdventure #WildlifeEncounters #SandDunes #NationalParkNetherlands #MorningGlow #NaturePerfection #PhotographyChallenges #UnexpectedMoments #NatureInFocus #ScenicViews #OutdoorPhotography #WildlifePhotography #SereneLandscapes #PhotographyJourney #CapturingNature #NaturalBeauty #SunriseMagic #FieldPhotography #NatureExploration #PhotographyInspiration #DutchLandscapes #NatureWalks #WildlifeInTheMorning #PhotographyTips #NatureSnapshots #EarlyBirdPhotographer #NatureScenes #PhotographyPassion #ExploringTheDunes

Majestät am Morgen: Der Weißstorch auf Futtersuche

#fujifilmxt5
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#telephotography
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#earlymorninglight
#capturethemoment
#bird_perfection
#fujifilmwildlife