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.

#WildlifePhotography #BirdPhotography #NaturePhotography #BirdWatching #Birding #EuropeanStonechat #SaxicolaRubicola #Yellowhammer #EmberizaCitrinella #Roodborsttapuit #Geelgors #BirdsOfEurope #DutchNature #RegteHeide #NatureNetherlands #BirdLovers #NatureObservation #WildlifeMoment #NatureStory #FieldObservation #BirdBehavior #Heathland #Brambles #BlackberryBush #NatureWalk #Canon5DMarkIV #Sigma100400 #HandheldPhotography #PatienceInNature #WildlifeEncounter #BirdSpotting #NatureDetails #WonderingLens

🇳🇱 Goedenacht, slaap zacht. #Geelgors
🇩🇪 Gute Nacht und schöne Träume. #Goldammer #DreiGleichen #Thüringen
🇬🇧 Good night, sleep tight. #Yellowhammer
🇨🇿 Dobrou noc a hezké sny #StrnadObecný
#EmberizaCitrinella

Ta ta ta (ta) taaaah. Beethoven heeft er waarschijnlijk z'n 5e op geïnspireerd. Geelgors.
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#geelgors
#yellowhammer
#emberizacitrinella
#beethoven
#vijfdevanbeethoven
#natuur
#natuurfotografie
#nietzondernatuur
#nature
#naturephotography
#dichtbijgroen
#natuurmonumenten
#dutchnature
#vogel
#vogelfotografie
#vogelbescherming
#mooidrenthe
#drenthe
#oerdrenthe
#noorderland
#roegtv
#rtvdrenthe
#wandelen
#hiking

Doesn't it look like the birds are dancing? Maybe Swan Lake? #birds #emberizacitrinella #nature #finland

🌍🌏 Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella) #EurasianBirds #EuropeanBirds #AsianBirds | #Yellowhammer #EmberizaCitrinella | #Yellowhammers #Buntings #BuntingFamily #PerchingBirds 📷: Photo by Erik_Karits🦜 #birdsoftheworld #birds

Slight and superficial frustrations today when I finally had time (read: motivation) to bird but the thick fog made it impossible to see anything beyond 30 or so meters. So I did a bit of backyard bird watching from the hide, great stuff!

BUT!! ravens were vocalizing like mad from somewhere nearby and I couldn't for the life of me locate them through that fog. I think they were after some newly caught prey, they do this funky guttural sound, it seems this sound is associated with either locating food or the presence of a bird of prey. Still fuzzy on Raven talk.

ANYWHO. Yellowhammers were up! This one had just had a bath in the stream and was looking hella fresh and defined.

#birdlife #emberizacitrinella #yellowhammer #keltasirkku

Goldammer / Yellohammer / Bruant jaune
Slideshow: https://archive.org/details/077930
#EmberizaCitrinella #BruantJaune #Vögel #Goldammern #video #slide #slideshow
#animals #birds #songbirds #yellowhammers #Foto #Fotografie #photo #photography