Some mornings reward patience.
During a quiet walk across the Regte Heide near Goirle/Tilburg in the Netherlands, close to the ancient burial mounds that have watched over this landscape for thousands of years, I settled down near a patch of blackberry brambles. The sun was behind me and I sat quietly in the shade, listening rather than searching.
Birdsong filled the heathland. Geese called overhead, herons moved in the distance, and the usual chorus of finches and tits surrounded the morning. Yet two songs stood out—ones I couldn’t quite place. So I opened the Merlin bird app. Two names appeared: Yellowhammer – Emberiza citrinella (Geelgors) and European Stonechat – Saxicola rubicola (Roodborsttapuit).
Now I had to wait.
Nearly an hour passed before the first flash of yellow appeared deep inside the thorny brambles: the Yellowhammer, perched low and partially hidden. Beautiful, but difficult to photograph through the maze of branches.
Then, suddenly, a small shape landed just above it.
The European Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola), perfectly visible and briefly posing as the centerpiece of the scene, while the Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella) remained tucked in the lower right of the bush. Two species, sharing the same patch of bramble for a brief moment.
Moments like this remind me that wildlife photography often rewards stillness more than movement.
Captured handheld with my Canon 5D Mark IV and Sigma 100–400mm, fully zoomed at f/6.4, 1/1000 sec, ISO 500.
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