Sometimes nature reminds you that the best moments are the ones you didn’t plan for. Last week, I set off with my wife Christel to Huis ter Heide near Tilburg, hoping for birds and landscapes in the soft early morning light. The birds were quiet, the landscapes less inspiring than I’d hoped—but the insects stole the show.

First came the hardworking Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum), captured close-up as it buried itself in a flower’s nectar. Next, a Pyrausta purpuralis, a tiny but striking moth with purple and gold tones, resting perfectly still on a leaf. Both were taken with my Canon 5D Mark III and the MP-E 65mm f/2.8 Super Macro—a lens built for the extreme close-ups that reveal details our eyes often miss.

Switching to my Canon 7D Mark II and Sigma 100–400mm, I caught a vivid Ruddy Darter (Sympetrum sanguineum) perched near the water, and finally, a Speckled Wood butterfly (Pararge aegeria) warming itself on a sunlit leaf.

This is why I carry nearly 15 kg of gear on long walks: two cameras, four lenses, and a tripod. Because in nature, the unexpected is always waiting.

#HuisTerHeide #NaturePhotography #MacroPhotography #BugPhotography #InsectPhotography #BombusPascuorum #CarderBee #PyraustaPurpuralis #MothPhotography #DragonflyPhotography #SympetrumSanguineum #RuddyDarter #ParargeAegeria #SpeckledWood #CanonPhotography #Canon5DMarkIII #Canon7DMarkII #Sigma100400 #MPE65 #SuperMacro #NatureLovers #NatureObsessed #NatureOnEarth #WildlifePhotography #MacroNature #NatureFocus #PhotographyGear #NatureBrilliance #NatureSeekers #NatureHealing #PhotographyLovers #WildlifeMacro #MacroWorld #NaturePerfection #DiscoverNature #NatureShot #NaturePhotographyDaily #MacroBug #NatureCaptures #NatureBeauty #CanonGear

A Quiet Reward – A Long Walk and a Long-Tailed Friend

Yesterday was a remarkable day out in the field — 15 kilometers through the forests and heathlands, 12 kilos on my back, chasing light, sound, and stillness. The birdlife was active but elusive. A falcon flew over me twice in the pre-dawn dimness, barely two meters above — breathtaking, but far too fast for a photo.

I spotted geese, some fluttering tits leaping through treetops, and then… almost home. Just before reaching my Ioniq 5, tired and happy, I was gifted one last moment: a long-tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus, or staartmees in Dutch), feasting on berries just meters away.

I shifted into stealth mode, barely breathing, and quietly captured the scene with my Canon 7D Mark II and Sigma 100–400mm lens. This small bird, with its oversized tail and round body, is a social species, often seen in flocks — but today, I had a private audience.

To close the walk, a pararge aegeria (bont zandoogje) fluttered by, resting in a sunny patch. A bonus. A bow at the end of the forest’s performance.

#staartmees #aegithaloscaudatus #longtailedtit #birdencounter #canon7dmarkii #sigma100400 #bontzandoogje #parargeaegeria #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #naturewalk #dutchwildlife #natuurfotografie #forestlife #vogelsinbeeld #urbanwildlife #tilburgnatuur #earlymorningwalk #natuurmoment #birdwatchinglife #macroandmore #brabantnature #hiddenbeauty #heathlandbirds #nederlandsenatuur #closeencounters #stealthphotography #wildlifelovers #ontheroadback #naturemagic

Speckled Wood butterfly (Pararge aegeria) perched on a flowering plant with pale yellow blooms (I seem to recall it was ragwort). The butterfly has its wings partially open, revealing its rich brown upperwings marked with creamy-white spots and eyespots on the hindwings.
Shot at Bank Top field in Ashton Under Lyne in Tameside, UK.
#MyPhoto #MyWork #photo #photography #SpeckledWood #ParargeAegeria #butterfly #lepidoptera #BrownButterfly #WhiteWingSpots #Eyespots #YellowFlowers #WoodlandEdge #insect #pollinator #CloseUp #nature #wildlife #outdoors #summer #NaturePhotography #WildlifePhotography #InsectPhotography #InsectsOfMastodon #InsectsOfPixelfed #ButterflyPhotography #ButterfliesOfMastodon #ButterfliesOfPixelfed #BankTop #AshtonUnderLyne #Tameside #UK #OC

🇳🇱 Bont Zandoogje in de voortuin
🇬🇧 Speckled Wood in my front garden #bontzandoogje #speckledwoodbutterfly #speckledwood #parargeaegeria #vlinder #vlinders #vlinderstichting #butterfly #butterflies #vegan #vegans #animalphotography #animalkingdom #naturephotography #explorenature #explorewildlife #wildlifephotography

Look who paid a visit to the garden today — a beautiful Pararge aegeria, also known as the speckled wood butterfly.
It was basking in the dappled sunlight, living up to its name. Love seeing these little forest-edge dwellers pop up around this time of year!

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Kijk wie er vandaag op bezoek was in de tuin — een prachtige Pararge aegeria, oftewel het bont zandoogje.
Heerlijk om te zien hoe ze in het gefilterde zonlicht zitten te zonnen. Deze bosrandbewoners maken de lente net dat tikkeltje mooier!

#ParargeAegeria
#SpeckledWood
#BontZandoogje
#GardenWildlife
#Tuinbezoeker
#ButterflySeason
#VlindersInDeTuin
#Natuurmomentje
#Voorjaarsvlinders
#LenteInDeTuin

Taking in the Sun. #speckledwood #butterfly #satyrinae #parargeaegeria #nature #wildlife #insects #beautifulwings #irishwildlife #ireland #naturephotography #smartphonephotography #photography #wildlifephotography #insectphotography

🇳🇱 Bont Zandoogje
🇬🇧 Speckled Wood

#bontzandoogje #speckledwoodbutterfly #speckledwood #parargeaegeria #vlinder #vlinders #vlinderstichting
#butterfly #butterflies #naturephotography #vegan #vegans #explorenature #explorewildlife #wildlifephotography

[Waiting for the Sun #3] A Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) feeding on a ragwort flower in a meadow at a local nature reserve during the summer.
#MyPhoto #MyWork #photography #insect #butterfly #SpeckledWood #ParargeAegeria #InsectPhotography #ButterflyPhotography #nature #NaturePhotography #wildlife #WildlifePhotography #yellow #brown #outdoors #Tameside #UKButterflies #BritishButterflies #environment #EnvironmentalPhotography #OC #Tameside #UK #UKWildlife #BritishWildlife

Both flower and butterfly, "How fragile they are"

#butterfly #butterflies #naturephotography #Pararge #ParargeAegeria