Early this morning, before sunrise, our garden briefly turned into chaos. House sparrows vanished into the firethorn (Pyracantha), blue tits and great tits scattered in all directions, pigeons took off, magpies protested loudly. Even the blackbirds dove for cover. Something was clearly wrong.

Then I saw it — a fast, agile silhouette cutting through the air, turning sharply mid-flight. A predator. Moments later it landed on the fence, right in front of us. A Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus).

A Sparrowhawk on the fence

This small raptor is built for surprise and speed. Short wings, long tail, and razor-sharp focus — evolution’s answer to hunting in cluttered spaces like gardens and hedgerows. The firethorn, dense and armed with thorns, offered the sparrows temporary safety, much to the visible frustration of the hawk.

It was still very dark. No sunrise yet, only moody pre-dawn light. Technically, this was a challenge. I didn’t want motion blur from a slow shutter, but pushing ISO too far would destroy the fine feather detail. I settled on 1/250s (the slowest I trust handheld), f/6.3, ISO 3200, fully zoomed to 400mm on the Sigma, mounted on my Canon 5D Mark IV.

The Sparrowhawk scanned the garden, alert and tense, then eventually flew off — leaving silence behind. Moments like this are a reminder: even in our back gardens, wild systems are constantly at work. We just don’t always notice them.

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#Canon5DMarkIV #Sigma100400 #HandheldPhotography #LowLightPhotography #BirdBehavior #UrbanEcology
#MorningLight #PreDawn #NaturalHistory #FieldObservation #BackyardNature #PixelfedPhotography #NatureLovers #BirdWatching #ScientificCuriosity
#ByMaikeldeBakker #WonderingLens #wonderinglens

When Worlds Accidentally Collide

Sometimes you see something that just makes you smile — that quiet “well, look at that…” moment. While walking through the city center of Arnhem, I noticed two entirely unrelated things that, from the right perspective, told a story together.

On the side of a building was a statue of a woman — hands in her hair, expression frozen somewhere between shock and amazement. But nearby, a street sign had clearly taken a hit and was now bent at a rather unfortunate angle. From where I stood, it looked as if she was reacting exactly to that.

Moments like this are the reward for looking twice. I took out my Canon 5D Mark IV with the Sigma 100–400, framed the scene just right, and captured that perfect visual coincidence. It’s not the kind of image that shouts — but it does make you grin when you notice the connection.

Photography, after all, isn’t always about light or motion. Sometimes it’s about timing, perspective, and the quiet humor of the world arranging itself for a fraction of a second.

#StreetPhotography #UrbanObservation #DocumentaryPhotography #VisualIrony #CoincidenceInArt #PhotographyHumor #CityPhotography #Arnhem #Canon5DMarkIV #Sigma100400 #StreetDetails #FoundComposition #ArtInEverydayLife #UrbanArt #ObservationalPhotography #ComedicComposition #DutchPhotography #Netherlands #StoryInAFrame #PhotographersEye #MomentInTime #UrbanExploration #StreetStatue #StreetSigns #PhotoHumor #AccidentalArt #CityStories #PhotographyLife #PhotoOfTheDay #SeeingDifferently #StreetScenes #EverydayStories #UrbanPerspective #CandidMoments #LightAndLife #ArchitectureAndArt #PhotographyStudy #FieldObservation #VisualStorytelling #ByMaikeldeBakker #MaikeldeBakkerPhotography

Birds of the Spoorpark

The Spoorpark in Tilburg isn’t exactly a nature refuge — it’s more of a social hub where the city’s “fearless of humans” kind of birds thrive. Yet even here, life unfolds with quiet grace. The mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) glide through the shallow water, joined by a white domestic duck — perhaps a feral hybrid, its yellow beak gleaming in the sun. A solitary common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) patrols the edges, always alert, always alone.

Around 11:00, with the Canon 5DsR and Sigma 24–70mm Art, I crouched to eye level to meet them on their own terms. That low perspective transforms everything — reflections sharpen, depth of field softens, and suddenly you’re no longer a spectator but a participant in their small, vibrant world.

Every feather, ripple, and movement becomes a study in adaptation — a living reminder that even in the heart of the city, evolution doesn’t rest.

Photography, after all, is just another way of studying light and life.

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A Morning in Layers

Yesterday’s morning light was something else — the kind of light that shifts the entire mood of a landscape. I started early, camera in hand, watching as the first rays of sun broke through the horizon at the Loonse en Drunense Duinen. The Canon 5DsR with the Sigma 24–70 Art captured that dance between storm clouds and sunlight — a fiery sky meeting cold, dark clouds above a golden line of dunes.

Later that morning, a flash of movement caught my eye. Perched high in a tree, a Lanius excubitor — the Great Grey Shrike (Klapekster in Dutch) — scanned the landscape. A master of patience and precision, this bird is both predator and poet of the heathlands. Just as I focused, it launched into flight, wings twisting into the sunlight — a single frame of balance between control and freedom, taken with the 5D Mark IV and the Sigma 100–400.

Before heading home, I found a small Mycena mushroom rising from a bed of moss, surrounded by acorn caps and fallen leaves. Humble, delicate — yet part of the same story. The sun, the bird, the fungus — each a layer in nature’s quiet symphony.

#ByMaikeldeBakker #NaturePhotography #WildlifePhotography #MacroPhotography #LandscapePhotography #CanonPhotography #SigmaArtLens #5DsR #5DMarkIV #DutchNature #LoonseEnDrunenseDuinen #GreatGreyShrike #LaniusExcubitor #Klapekster #Mycena #FungusAmongUs #MushroomPhotography #AutumnVibes #ForestMood #MorningLight #NatureStorytelling #ScientificPhotography #EcologyInFocus #FieldObservation #NaturalHistory #Heathlands #SunriseGlow #SkyDrama #BirdInFlight #AvianBeauty #MacroMagic #MossAndMushroom #ForestFloor #NatureDetails #CanonLover #Sigma100400 #Sigma2470Art #PhotographyJourney #DutchWildlife #ByMaikelPhotography