7-Mile Island Beach at Avalon

We returned to the same stretch of 7-Mile Island Beach. It's a quiet rebellion against novelty.

https://islandinthenet.com/7-mile-island-beach-at-avalon/

The Hermosa Beach pier. It was an opportunity for this shot. The clouds were playing nice. #hermosabeach #cloudphotography☁️📸 #photography #beachwalks

The Hermosa Beach pier. It was an opportunity for this shot. The clouds were playing nice.
#hermosabeach #cloudphotography☁️📸 #photography #beachwalks

The tiny drama on the shoreline

At the beach of Oranjezon in Zeeland, I stumbled into a miniature comedy act starring two birds with very different personalities. In Dutch we call them a Steenloper and a Drieteenstrandloper — but internationally they’re known as the Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) and the Sanderling (Calidris alba).

The Turnstone was doing its usual business: flipping over shells and stones with impressive determination, searching for hidden snacks. But right behind it — practically glued to its tail — the Sanderling trotted along, refusing to be shooed away. The back-and-forth between them felt like watching a feathered version of the Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote, tiny legs moving at ridiculous speeds.

Photographically, this was a fun challenge. A dark grey day, the sea rolling in behind them, and me lying low with the Canon 5D Mark IV and Sigma 100–400mm at 400mm. Because of the poor light I had to work with a slower shutter speed (1/250s). Tracking two hyperactive birds at that focal length is like trying to thread a needle in a storm — but somehow it worked. The legs slightly blurred just enough to show their speed, while the birds themselves stayed sharp.

I’m honestly proud of this one. A little slice of nature, comedy, and chaos — exactly as it happened on that windy Zeeland beach.

#RuddyTurnstone #ArenariaInterpres #Sanderling #CalidrisAlba #Shorebirds #BeachBirds #Zeeland #Oranjezon #DutchNature #BirdWatching #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #NatureLovers #Canon5DMarkIV #Sigma100400 #TelephotoMagic #TrackingShots #LowAnglePhotography #BirdBehavior #FeatheredFriends #CoastalWildlife #NatureComedy #FastLittleLegs #BlurAndSharp #WildlifeMoments #EuropeanBirds #AvianLife #BeachWalks #StoryBehindTheShot #FieldNotes #NatureDiaries #ScientificCuriosity #PhotographyChallenges #GreyDayPhotography #BirdingNetherlands #NatureReserve #CoastalEcosystem #AnimalInteractions #TinyDrama #ByMaikeldeBakker

Bye bye, Westkapelle It’s been an unforgettable trip — four seasons in just one week! From storms to sunshine, every moment brought new opportunities to capture the beauty of this place. Now that I’m home, still recovering from the long journey and endless laundry, I’m slowly making my way through all the photos. There are so many still waiting to be shared.

For now, I’ll keep it short and let the images do most of the talking. Here are two shots of Westkapelle’s iconic lighthouses, taken with my Canon 5D Mark IV and Sigma 100–400mm, and one captured with my Canon 5DsR paired with the Sigma ART 24–70mm.

There’s something timeless about lighthouses. They don’t just guide ships — they remind us that even in rough seas, a steady light can lead the way.

I am off to bed now...

#Westkapelle #Lighthouse #SeasideViews #CoastalPhotography #CanonPhotography #SigmaLens #Canon5DMarkIV #Canon5DsR #SigmaArt #Seascape #OceanMood #DutchCoast #Zeeland #PhotographyLovers #NaturePhotography #ByMaikelPhotography #TravelPhotography #BeachWalks #LightAndSea #DailyWonder