Getting close to birds

April was very hot here in Belgium and water supplies got scarce. All birds came to drink at small pools were there was still some water left. I decided to lay myself on the ground at a pool, covered under a camouflage net and my camera in front of me. It didn’t take long until the first birds came to drink. A family of Northern lapwings came to bathe only 1 or 2 metre away from me. I could only choose for a head portrait because the bird was so close. A few minutes later a Yellow wagtail was just a few centimetre away from me, bathing and taking care of his feathers.

In the beginning of this month, I went to photograph a Long-eared owl that went out hunting every day before dark. He had 3 younglings to feed, so he could use some extra time. I was hid in my blind, ready for the owl to come out. What an amazing moment it was, when he started hunting in the meadows in front of me. A few times he flew so close to my blind that taking photographs was impossible. Finally he decided to rest for a moment on a perch in front of me. The bird was completely at ease and didn’t have any clue about my presence.

At moments like these you know why you have chosen to become a photographer. The feeling, connection and adrenaline that you get when this happens is really incredible: being ‘one with nature’.

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