Posts in Category: Lelystad
Admiral of the Oostvaarderplassen
Along with many Small Tortoiseshells and an abundance of Large Whites, there were numbers of Admiral butterflies, both in Germany and in Holland. I have shots from Germany with the wings fully spread…classic field guide shots…but this less posed shot from the Oostvaarderplassen in Holland is my favorite from this trip. I like the contrast with the…well in the US it would be Iron Weed…the flower at any rate, and I like the glimpse of the underside of the wing. There is also a dynamic tension to the shot that I find interesting.
Canon SX50HS in Program with iContrast and -1/3EV exposure compensation. 1800mm equivalent field of view. Processed in PicSay Pro on the Google Nexus 7 2013.
Frog of the Oostvaarderplassen?
I am not sure what this huge frog is. It was several sizes larger than the Common Frog I saw out on the trails at the Oostvaarderplassen in Holland. If it had been in the US I would have called it a Bull Frog without hesitation, but in Europe I am not so certain. In fact, the American Bull Frog is a problem in many countries in Europe…one of the most invasive of introduced species, so this could, in fact, be exactly what it looks like š A Bull Frog on the wrong side of the pond. š
Canon SX50HS at 2400mm equivalent field of view. Program with -1/3EV exposure compensation and iContrast. Processed in PicSay Pro on the Nexus 7 2013.
Mazarine Blue. Holland
I don’t chase little blue butterflies much anymore. I have learned the hard way that you rarely get the shot you would like and I have enough pics of a closed blue, generally tipped over on its side somehow, thank you very much! However, on my last day in the field at the Oostvaarderplassen in Holland, this one posed irresitably. I think it might be the Mazarine Blue, which is said to be a common Blue through-out Europe. It is certainly a well worn specimen, but it has the blue over the body that seems, at least in my brief study of internet resources, to give it away. I could certainly be persuaded otherwise by anyone more in touch with European butterflies š
Canon SX50HS at 1800mm equivalent field of view. Program with iContrast and -1/3EV exposure compensation. Processed on then go with PicSay Pro on the Nexus 7 2013.
Red Deer on the Oostvaardersplassen, Holland
The Oostvaarderplassen is an almost accidental wildlife refuge in the new lands of Holland around Lelystad. The area flooded after it was diked and drained and before it could be reclaimed, migrating birds, in particular, found it and claimed it as their own. It became a instant birding and wildlife observation destination for thousands of Dutch and European nature lovers. The Dutch government recognized the situation, and after a considerable struggle, set the land aside, unreclaimed, as a refuge. However it soon began to fill with volunteer forest, and the marshes the birds favored were threatened with natural filling and overgrowth by trees. To keep the refuge open and accessible to birds, large grazing animals had to be introduced. An attempt was made to recreate the natural balance of life that might have filled the area in prehistoric times. Heck cattle, the result of a breeding-back to original stock project in Poland, were introduced to stand in for the wild aurchos of the time, along with Konig Ponies, the result of a similar breeding program for horses. Red Deer, somewhat mingled with North American Elk, were introduced in place of the wild herds of ancient times, and Roe Deer entered from the surrounding area and established themselves, along with all the common small mammals of the area…fox, badger, squirrels, hares, etc.
The plan was to build “wildlife bridges” over major highways and railways to allow free flow of the population along wildlife corridors to and from other refuges further inland and in Germany. Construction was started on two, but, due to the economic crisis of the past few years, neither was finished. The Osstvaarderplassen is an example of an isolated, closed, and largely overpopulated attempt at “rewilding.” It has to be aggressively managed to maintain a healthy population, especially of the large mammals, and especially of Red Deer.
These Red Deer were feeding near a larger herd of Konig Ponies and allowed me to walk within about 50 yards of them (and several 100 yards from the Ponies), as I passed along my way back from the observation tower behind the brand new Visitor’s Center. They were clearly aware of me as both they and I were right out in the open meadow, but seemed relatively unconcerned. It was certainly a special moment for me. I will post some of the shots of the Konig Ponies in future days.
Canon SX50HS at 1800mm equivalent field of view (full zoom plus 1.5x digital tel-converter). Program with my usual modifications. f6.5 @ 1/1000th @ ISO 320. Processed on the Google Nexus 7 in PicSay Pro.
Lelystsd Haven Yellow
The hotel we stay at for the Dutch Bird Fair is across a narrow brick road from Lelystad Haven, an upscale yacht and boat basin on this inland sea. The Haven boasts everything from the most modern (and expensive) yachts to genuine Dutch canal boats in various stages of renovation. While white is the predominant color of the yachts, the canal boats tend to verge toward the brighter hues š
This old boat is a case in point. The classic worn black hull is set off by the flaming yellow of the apparently freshly painted dinghy. Samsung Smart Camera in Rich Tone mode (HDR). Processed in PicSay Pro on the Google Nexus 7.
Late Day Light on Lelystad, The Netherlands
I have been back from Holland a week now, but before the experience passes completely into memory, I will share at least one more shot of the Yacht Basin at Lelystad, across a narrow brick street from my hotel. Back from a stormy day at the Dutch Birdfair, with the weather finally beginning to break, I could not resist the the low angle of the sun picking out the foreground detail and the deep layers of massed clouds over the Markermeer.
Canon SX40HS. Program with iContrast and ā1/3EV exposure compensation. 24mm equivalent field of view. f5 @ 1/1250th @ ISO 160. Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness.
Found Art: Lelystad Centrum.
Whoever designed the train station in downtown Lelystad, in the Netherlands, had a lot of fun with color and shapes, and I, for one, really appreciate it. On my way back from the Dutch Birdfair I had to take the train from Lelystad to Schipohl Airport, and I was on the platform before 7am. The Lelystad Centrum is about as far from the darb and dirty rail station of our imaginings as it can get. It is, in fact, a functional work of art, highly designed, consciously whimsical and playful, colored like a brand new box of Crayolas, and really quite attractive. A good place to start a journey.
I tried a few shots to catch the angular real beauty of it. This is at 31mm equivalent field of view, to frame the various shapes effectively. Canon SX40HS. Program with iContrast and ā1/3EV exposure compensation. f4 @ 1/50th @ ISO 320.
Of course, as I wandered through the terminal taking photos, I did wonder if the Dutch equivalent of Homeland Security was going to descend on me in force. But no. Good thing too. That would not have been a good way to start a journey. Perhaps I was just so obviously a tourist š
Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness.
Red Deer in the Oostvaardersplassen
While watching the Konik ponies from the observation tower at the Oostvaardersplassen on Sunday, a small band of Red Deer ran the full length of the Konik herd and around the near end on their way to the open plain beyond. There was a large crowd of Dutchmen in the tower, and they all rushed to the glass and exclaimed loudly for the whole run. I was able to wedge in at the far side of the window, shooting at a sharp angle through very dirty glass. Still!
Red Deer are the only ānativeā herbivore currently on the Oostvaardersplassen in any numbersā¦both the Konik ponies and the Heck cattle stand in for extinct species. There are also a few (maybe more than a few) Roe Deer who have wandered into the refuge from surrounding areasā¦naturally colonizing the new lands around Lelystad, but, a least in late summer, they do not form herds and are not as visible.
The Red Deer of the Oostvaardersplassen are the most heavily managed of the mammals. Being more fecund than either the Konik ponies or Heck cattle, they outstrip the available fodder every yearā¦and the herd is cut off from other natural areas by dykes, expressways, rail lines, and miles of agricultural land. The plan was to build a system of wildlife corridors, and wildlife bridges where necessary, to connect the natural areas of Holland, and all of western Europe, but the economic crisis of the last few years has put it on hold. For now, every year the wildlife managers on the refuge have to cull the herd to remove animals that would not live through the winter. They are as humane as possible about it, but the fact remains that until the wildlife corridor system is complete it is a less than ideal solution.
None of that, of course, detracts from the beauty of the Red Deer. Rut season at the Oostvaardersplassen is a major tourist attraction in Holland, and you can book a day in a mobile blind to observe the Stags in their seasonal dominance battles.
I was interested in the interaction between the Konik ponies and the Red Deer. The Deer were of the ākeep our heads down and pretend we donāt see themā mind, while the ponies were very aware of the deer passing through.
Eventually the herd of Red Deer got free of the herd of Koniks, and raced away to the dryer ground on the other side of the ponds, putting up the geese as they passed.
A Dutch gentleman, perhaps feeling the giddy enthuasium of his fellow countrymen in the observation tower needed some explaination, took me aside to say that, in Holland, the discussion has always been about āhow to be manā and that the Dutch are just learning to respond to the very different rhythms of the natural world. With places like the Oostvaardersplassen, they have made a good start.
Canon SX40HS. Program with iContrast and ā1/3EV exposure compensation. 840mm equivalent field of view. Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness, and color balance (to compensate for the glass).
Wild Konik Ponies of the Oostvaardersplassen
I am just back from 3 days in Flevoland in the Netherlands, visiting the Oostvaardersplassen where the Dutch Birdfair was held again this year, for the first year since 2008. The Oostvaardersplassen is 22 square miles of sea-bed, reclaimed in 1968 with the rest of Flevoland, and now set aside as a nature reserve under the management of the State Forestry Service. It is a RAMSTAR important bird site, and is managed primarily for nesting and migrating birdsā¦and is a major stop-over on the European migration. It consists of part of a large lake (the Markermeer), extensive reedbeds and wetlands, and a dryer upland area. If left on its own, the dryer area would quickly fill in with willow forest, eventually constricting and narrowing the marsh, making the area less attractive for birdlife. To keep the upland more open requires large grazing herbivores. Before human settlement, these would have been the Tarpin (wild horse), European Bison, Red Deer, Moose, and Auroch (wild cattle). To simulate natural conditions herds of Konik ponies, Heck cattle, and Red Deer have been established in the reserve and allowed to develop naturally. Both the Konik ponies and the Heck cattle are attempts to breed back to something like the original wild stock.
On Sunday, between intense rain storms, I hiked out to the observation tower overlooking the plains of the Oostvaardersplassen.
I had been there the day before and seen a few Heck cattle, two Roe deer, and three Konik ponies in the distance, but on Sunday, the whole herd of Koniks was relatively close to the tower. To cap the experience, the sun broke through for a few moments.
These images were taken through the very dirty glass of the observation tower and required extensive work with the spot removal tool in Lightroom, as well as some color balance adjustment.
The Konik ponies are beautiful animals in any light, and even through dirty glass.
All images Canon SX40HS. Program with iContrast and ā1/3EV exposure compensation. Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpnessā¦color correction and spot removal.
Parting with Rainbows! Good-by Holland.
I am back from Holland. This is from my final evening thereā¦appropriate. With the chancy weather I had been looking for a rainbow for 2 days, but it was just hanging there when we walking back to the car on Sunday.
Canon SX40HS. Program with iContrast and ā1/3EV exposure compensation. 51mm equivalent field of view. f4.5 @ 1/1250th @ ISO 200. Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness.