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A juvenile brown shrike (bruine klauwier) was discovered on Schiermonnikoog today! I am on the island and by late afternoon I went to pay it a visit. It was shy but showed itself well in short bursts. Only the 6th seen in the country. #birds

A brown shrike on a branch. It has its back turned to me but appears to look angrily over its shoulder. A juvenile brown shrike looks a lot like a juvenile red-backed shrike, but its wingtip feathers (primaries) are notably shorter and project less far back on the bird's tail.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

A hare came to nibble on the leaves of a freshly fallen branch in the garden of my holiday home. Such a lovely place! #mammals

A hare in a pretty alert pose, leaning forward to nibble on the leaves of a branch.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

The snipe's flight is hard to follow (and photograph), as it zigzags in different directions and follows an unpredictable path, which gave rise to the other, by now less familiar saying, "drunk as a snipe" ("dronken als een snip/als een bezopen snip"). #Waders #BirdOfTheDay #Birds

A common snipe in flight, flying away from us. Its white belly is revealed, as well as the stripey pattern under its armpits. It head is light brown with darker brown stripes.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

A common snipe (watersnip) photographed through a gap in the vegetation as it forages on a fen - I always love the reflections there. In Dutch, the snipe's often muddy bill gave us the saying "having a cold like a snipe" (snipverkouden). #Waders #BirdOfTheDay #Birds

A common snipe seen through the foliage as it forages on a fen left with only a thin layer of water. Its bill disappears into the water. The bird is mirrored in a perfect reflection, but the water is otherwise filled with sticks and small emerging patterns of mud. Much of the water is entirely green through reflections of nearby vegetation, giving the image a multilayered quality.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

It took this Eurasian jay (gaai) a moment to notice me yesterday, when it landed in a nearby tree. Always a nice and colourful bird to come across! #birds

A Eurasian jay sits on a branch. The jay is a mostly light brown bird with a white chin, a black tail and wing tips, and a black bill with a black moustache. It has a white forehead with black specks and a unique blue and black striped pattern on its wing. Its eyes are grey blue with black pupils.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

The local fens now have a shockingly low water level due to the drought. One small positive side effect: the migrating common snipe who love to forage along the water's edge, preferably from the cover of the reeds, have to come out. Absolutely stunning birds, and very alert. #birds

A common snipe walking along the water's edge, but looking up as it is very wary. The common snipe has reasonably long yellow legs and a very long bill, with which it usually pokes in the mud for food. Its plumage is spectacular: various hues of brown, white and some black, mostly in a stripey pattern to provide better camouflage. The bird is mirrored perfectly in a reflection in the water below it.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

The first time I saw an overwintering red-breasted goose (roodhalsgans), the skies suddenly opened and covered all of us, man and bird alike, in something in between hail and rain. Luckily it lasted only a moment! #BirdOfTheDay #BadWeather #Birds

A group of geese in a field with small drops raining down on them. Most of the birds are greater white-fronted geese, but in the centre stands a red-breasted goose, standing upright and flapping its wings - black with white stripes. Because the light has mostly gone the bird's dark red breast and throat no longer stand out as much, but with some effort they can be made out, as can the white lines separating the black and red parts of his neck and face.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #WingsOpenNotFlying and this guillemot (zeekoet) coming ashore is a nice example of that. With the proportion of body size to wing surface it's a bit of a miracle these birds can still fly! #birds

A guillemot coming ashore, standing upright on some rocks as it flaps its wings to dry off. The bird is black and white, and facing us its bulky white torso stands out. Half of the birds head, including the chin and the side of the head, as well as most of the downy looking under wing are also white - in other words, all the parts of the bird that would be facing the water when swimming. The back and upper parts of the bird, as well as the legs and bill, are black.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

There's a modest population of red crossbills (kruisbek) in the woods near Nijmegen, supplemented with more birds from the north during winter. It had been a while since I saw one, so on friday I set out to find one, and after some pretty intense searching I was happy to succeed! #birds

A red crossbill in the top of a pine tree. It is sitting very upright and has a rounded head. Its bill is curved upward and downward, although the curve upwards is obscured here.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

The chestnuts are gathering!

A path covered in fallen chestnuts, as far as the eye can see

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I had forgotten to post this image from last month - an upside down Queen of Spain fritillary (kleine parelmoervlinder) on the heather, a stunning butterfly. It had been a few years since I last saw one so I was very happy to see it!

Purple flowering heather with a Queen of Spain fritillary butterfly on it, seen from below and upside down, with the light against it. This is a mostly orange butterfly with black and white spots, with the white spots looking like pearls, after which the butterfly is named in Dutch.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

The #BirdOfTheDay theme is #BokehBirds, and this spotted flycatcher (grauwe vliegenvanger) on a branch qualifies quite well. This was a parent from a nest I discovered back in 2024, right next to a foot path, and they could usually be seen foraging right next to the path.

A spotted flycatcher sitting on a branch to a very blurry background of foliage.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

These kestrels (torenvalk) I saw today weren't really hidden, but the patterns on their plumage made them blend in surprisingly well. I don't often see a pair together like this, resting in a tree, as they're often out hunting individually. #BirdOfTheDay #Pairs #birds

A male (left) and female kestrel in a tree. The tree still has plenty of leaves, and although only a few are in front of the birds, their spotted plumage and brown colours make them blend in surprisingly well.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

One of the local beaver lodges had a visitor - a common kingfisher (ijsvogel), resting on a branch sticking out (on the left). Kingfishers can benefit from beavers, too, and I've often seen them near their lodges, dams and pathways. #birds

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Sometimes when you see an image you have an irrepressible immediate association.

Het spel "Wie is het" met alleen vrijwel identieke portretten van clerici, in dit geval de martelaren van Gorcum.
The game "guess who" but with only near-identical portraits of clergymen, in this case the "Gorcum martyrs".

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

A carrion crow (zwarte kraai) parent was trying to feed the kids, but they were at serious risk of poking the parental eyes out in their enthusiasm, so they had to be kept at bay at the same time. It isn't easy being a crow parent! #BirdOfTheDay #Corvids #birds

A crow parent, on the right, holds a piece of wet bread (it had been dipping it in the lake) and is being swarmed by two juvenile crows who are snapping at the food. The parent turns their head away so as not to get their eye hurt more (both eyes were already showing damage likely caused by the kids!), and sand is kicked up by all the crows in their enthusiasm.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Maar hij wordt toch echt genoemd in een contemporaine beschrijving van de viering, in 1741, van het 150-jarig bestaan van het Arnhems muziekgezelschap St Caecilia (waar de vernoeming op gebaseerd is), zij het met umlaut. Het Fuckspad mag dus wat langer blijven bestaan.

Foto van een deel van een pagina uit het "Memorie- en Resolutieboek van het Collegium St. Caeciliae binnen Arnhem", met daarop een beschrijving van de viering van het 150-jarig bestaan van het muziekgezelschap in 1741: "sijnde de musicq voor de tafel geeijndigt met het Concert van Cecilia gecomponeert, En aan 't College opgedragen door Valentini Fücks."
Gelders Archief, toegang 2052, Muziek-college St. Caecilia, inv. nr. 1.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Caspian gull (Pontische meeuw) is now so common in the Nijmegen region that I come across them as often as I do herring gulls (zilvermeeuw). Two hours after passing by this juvenile, an adult Caspian gull was in the same spot, so it either aged two years in two hours or another bird arrived. #birds

A second calendar year Caspian gull in flight, with the light behind it shining through its wings, giving it a nice outline effect. Only in its fourth year will this gull have fully adult plumage, when it will be harder to identify from herring gulls. With more juvenile birds the main standout is often that its head is much paler than that of herring gulls of the same age, but it remains tricky. I always try to ID all similar large gulls (herring gull, Caspian gull, yellow-legged gull) I see, just to get more of a feel for it.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

A hobby falcon (boomvalk) just casually snacking on a crane fly (I presume - a very long-legged insect at least) in mid-air, in the Millingerwaard today. #birds

A very stripey falcon has just caught an insect with very long legs with its claws in mid-air.

As it flies, the hobby leans forward a little to inspect its catch - its long legs are bent forward so it claws level with its beak. Its upper legs are covered in feathers, as stripey as its chest.

While still in flight, the bird is leaning down and eating straight from its claws.

The hobby is still soaring and munching, with long crane fly legs seen extending from its beak.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

This is one of my favourite #silhouette photographs, today's #BirdOfTheDay theme. A song thrush (zanglijster) caught mid-song hidden in the foliage. #birds

A song thrush is singing on a branch. It is visible only in silhouette, in a singing pose, with its lower bill reverberating in song. Behind it verdant green can be seen from the leaves.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

(Yes, to my surprise the swallowing attempt was somehow successful.)

The herring gull makes an enormous swallow to consume the crab. Its tongue protrudes and its throat is clearly full up.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

A herring gull (zilvermeeuw) attempting to swallow a crab, who objects. Seemed like an appropriate image for today's #BirdOfTheDay theme #mouthful! #birds

A herring gull is swallowing a living crab. Obviously crabs have lots of pointy parts so, before attempting to swallow, the herring gull spent a fair amount of time positioning the crab just right, so that its legs and claws would go down with the smallest risk of wounding the bird. The claws, and some legs, protrude from either side of the gull's mouth.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

A hobby falcon (boomvalk) coming my way. Luckily, I am not a dragonfly. #birds

A falcon flying towards me and looking straight at the camera. Its wings are pointing down. This is a juvenile hobby - it lacks the red feathers on its "trousers", has an entirely pale greyish blue bill, and is a little darker in appearance.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme is #Woodland. March 2023. A nuthatch (boomklever) inspecting freshly felled trees in a forest that was being thinned. A melancholy image. #birds

Multiple felled tree stems lie on top of and next to each other. They are fairly freshly felled. On top of the stacks of trees sits a nuthatch, its reddish breast similar in colour to the fresh cut wood, and is looking down along the trees below for food.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

The insect was pretty big but I can't place it (probably impossible with this image). It seemed to escape alive. Some kind of shield bug?

The insect flying in mid air. It has large wings and a shield-shaped body. It has a narrow head point out with two long feelers, and two long legs can be seen dangling behind the body. It is flying away from the hobby.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Not quite perfect but all the same very happy with this shot of a hobby (boomvalk) spotting an insect mid-air and deciding it's dinner. Very lucky that the lightest part of the cloud cover happened to be right behind the hobby's silhouette, adding some dramatic flair! #birds

A dramatic sky ranging from bright white to dark grey and then white again. In front of the brightest spot the silhouette of a hobby falcon can be seen: an agile hunter who mostly eats insects, which it catches in mid-air. It is looking sideways towards a large insect which flies in front of grey cloud cover. It is angling its wings to change directions towards the insect.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

A few moments later, the little owls were relaxing even more, taking turns preening each other. #birds

The two juvenile little owls sitting on a very thick coil of rope resting on a fence, which they use as a perch. One of the owls has its eyes closed in relaxation as the other is preening it.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Cycled past two little owl (steenuil) siblings yesterday, who were playing around a bit in a garden. I see these birds fairly often, but I've never seen them so relaxed. Very rewarding. #birds

Two very intent looking juvenile little owls. One is sitting on top of a fence, the other is sitting on a cabinet directly below its sibling. It is holding a stick, which rests on top of the cabinet and leans into its chest, and has a small branch that it is chewing on for some reason.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

A white wagtail (witte kwikstaart) repeatedly hovered around large leaves, as if contemplating landing, before deciding otherwise. When I saw my photographs I realised what had actually happened: it was finding and attacking groups of flies and picking them off, presumably to feed the kids. #birds

A white wagtail flies towards a leaf along a reed field. Its mouth is already filled with flies, but the leaf it is approaching is covered with dozens of flies at rest. There are more flies scattered throughout the image, including one hanging on to the bird's tail.

The white wagtail is hovering over the leaf. The flies take off, appearing as a small cloud of dozens of individuals underneath the wagtail, which hangs over them with its wings spread wide. It is almost as if it is dropping the flies down to the ground.

The cloud of flies disperses in different directions, and the wagtail flies upwards in chase of some of them. (This seems like a challenging endeavour as its beak is already overflowing with flies)

The wagtail is satisfied with the catch at that particular leaf and flies off, either to continue the hunt or to feed the family. The plumage of this bird is very clearly worn down now, at the end of a busy breeding season, with many feathers at the end of their life, giving the bird a somewhat scruffy appearance. But this clearly does not stop it from being active!

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

De afbeelding lijkt niet goed te laden, dus ik probeer het nog een keer...

Een keramieken korhoen, gemaakt door de kunstenaar Gerard Batelaan (1907-1999)

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Ik heb niet voor niets deze op mijn bureau staan! 😅

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

If you're curious about the perspective, this was taken from an amazing (and free!) hide positioned right at the water level, at the Marker Wadden nature reserve, with an underwater view screen so you can even watch small fish bump up to the hide!

A small fish in opaque water bumping up against a viewing screen. The fish is apparently a young pike perch (snoekbaars), still no more than 10 cms in length.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

This common tern (visdief) was too fast and too close by for me to photograph properly, but I still got an exciting snapshot of the life of a fish! #birds

A common tern emerges from the water with a fish, a small common roach (blankvoorn), which it grips by the tail.

The tern's ascent is so fast it is now mostly out of view - we can only see its torso, tail, and parts of its wings. As it flies upwards, drops of water fall down towards the water surface from which it emerged. Although the bird's head is now out of view, it is clear the roach has escaped - its is falling back into view, swinging its tail wildly.

Cropped shot of the roach as it falls and swings its tail in freedom!

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Sleepy tufted duck (kuifeend) chicks. #birds

Two sleepy tufted duck chicks on the water: very fluffy, dark brown chicks. The one on the right has its eyes closed and its head is slightly tilted, resting on its breast. The other is similarly sleepy but has its eye open, showing some alertness. Their mother, out of the shot, was close at hand as well.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

It's the end of the breeding season and a lot of birds are looking worse for wear. This male bearded reedling (baardman) on the (very hot) Marker Wadden was a good example today. #birds

A male bearded reedling, with his characteristic grey head with dark stripes running down from his eyes towards his breast in points, flies from right to left. Its plumage is heavily worn and scruffy looking, and shows a lot of fluffy patches and empty spots.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Ik zag het gisteren ook, echt onvoorstelbaar hoe droog het was! En we zijn nog niet halverwege augustus... Treurig om te zien.

De Oude Waal, zonder Oude Waal: een grote kale vlakte met wat konikspaarden die het gebied verkennen.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

There were more red-backed shrikes a little further down the road, where I saw - for the first time - a young bird practise piercing a prey (a small fly) on a thorn. It didn't quite work but it was cool to see. The bird's dad observed from the sidelines. #birds

The top of a thorny bush. Most of the branches are leafless, showing two red-backed shrikes. On the right sits an adult male, watching their kid - on the left - attempting to pierce an insect on a thorn. The young bird carries the fly at the tip of its bill, and is leaning up and forward to reach a thorn to pierce the fly onto. It didn't quite work - perhaps the fly was too small for the thorn, perhaps it was just out of reach. Still, it may have made for good practice!

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

This has been another great year for red-backed shrike (grauwe klauwier) in the region. This evening I sat by the road and after a brief wait, one individual started hunting in front of me. Always impressive to watch this small but deadly hunter in action! #birds

A red-backed shrike takes flight. It is taking off with a very determined expression, flying towards the top right of the image. The background is greens and browns, from various bushes and trees.

The bird is now flying to a background of the sky, coming ever closer.

The bird has its wings spread - after speeding up it is now coming almost to a dead stop, catching an insect in its beak!

The red-backed shrike appears to be pulling in the insect with the aid of its tongue. It has closely folded its wings to its body and its tail is pointing down, probably to decelerate and start its descent again.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

A lot of birds are silent now, but that doesn't mean they've already left. This female common redstart (gekraagde roodstaart) sat silently in a tree by the path, relying on her camouflage as she waited for me to pass. #birds

A small round bird with brownish hues sits in a small tree. The bird's red tail is obscured by a branch. The bird is quite close by, and the light eye ring around her large black eye is clearly visible.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

A difficult day in the life of a bug. #birds

A Eurasian nuthatch (boomklever) is hanging from a branch. Its beak is open in a snapping motion. On its tongue a small bug can be seen, lying on its back, its legs flailing.

Zoomed in image of the bird's head. The otherwise unidentifiable bug can be seen more clearly on the bird's tongue.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Saw my first partridges (patrijs) of the year only a few days ago. A family of 10, they were quite far away, but that's okay - no need to disturb them. Seeing them move about as a group and forage in a field was rewarding enough. They're unfortunately quite scarce by now. #birds

A fence and some vegetation mark the boundary of a field. The fence runs from the bottom left of the image to the top right, and behind it a group of medium sized, quite round birds can be seen clustered together. This is a family of partridges read to move into the field to forage. Some of the birds are considerably smaller than the others.

The group of partridges seen from a higher vantage point and further away some time later, when they had already moved into the field. One adult bird on the right sits watch, keeping its head up to inspect the surroundings. All the other birds are looking at the ground, and appear as small blobs in the field, a bit like molehills.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Last week I saw this cute juvenile little grebe (dodaars) in the Maasduinen, on one of the few fens that still had water in them. The bird was, of course, a beauty, but I really enjoyed seeing it in this dynamic water. Here it was caught in a bit of a dip in the waterscape. #birds

A little grebe emerges its head from the water. Rather than going for full dives, this individual preferred to sift for food with only its head underwater, and it has just emerged, with a clear line of water pouring out of its beak. The bird had a black and white stripey pattern on its head and yellow on its bill. The rest of its plumage is greyish, brownish, blackish, with no clear pattern to it. The bird is in water that seems to move slowly like treacle, here creating a temporary dip (with the bird in the middle) and rings emanating out from the bird.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

A few days ago as I cycled the sun went down, creating a beautifully illuminated golden sky. A grey heron (blauwe reiger) flew past and also enjoyed the moment, alternating gliding with moments where it was plummeting straight down before landing in a field. #birds

A grey heron is seen in silhouette gliding down, wings fully outstretched, in front of a golden sky with slight horizontal streaking running through it. Below the silhouettes of a treeline can be seen; above, the sky is also black.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Zelfs de schrijver van het boek "uilen in nederland" disst hen

Foto van een stukje tekst uit een boek:
"Roep
Het is nogal een overdrijving om de baltsroep die klinkt als een hees 'schrruw' of 'schrüw' als gezang te betitelen."

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

I always love watching tiny birds, like this marsh tit (glanskop), thoroughly explore something small, like a branch, in their quest for food. Most humans would walk past the branch without a thought, much less inspect it, but this bird spent half a minute closely examining every aspect. #birds

A marsh tit on top of a branch. It is standing upright, but its head is turned down to look at the tip of the branch. The bird is mostly an unassuming greyish brown, with a black cap and chin. A light drizzle is falling, causing the bird to look a little ruffled. Its wet tail is fanned out.

The small bird is leaning all the way forward on the branch, so that it is almost dangling upside down. It is examining the branch from below, looking for small insects or invertebrates. Some rain drops are falling.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Buzzards (buizerd) sometimes practice their hunting skills on unsuspecting pine cones. I didn't know this, until I saw one doing just that a few days ago and thought it was an odd choice of diet for a bird of prey. This buzzard took the job very seriously! (5 images) #birds

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

A remarkable encounter in the Maasduinen: a weasel (wezel) crossed the cycle path ahead of me, from right to left. When I stopped I saw more movement on the right - another weasel had not dared to cross and watched me from hiding! So small and fast, I'd never seen one sit still before. #mammals

The head and neck of a common weasel peek out from the leaf-covered forest floor, right besides a tree. The rest of the weasel's body is hidden by the leaves. The animal is looking right at me. It looks a little mouse-like, but with large, flat ears. It's mostly brown with a white underside.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

At the Maasduinen national park. Thankfully this gorgeous nature reserve is extremely unknown in the Netherlands and therefore very quiet (I always hear more German being spoken here than Dutch) and it's hot now but a delight as usual. However, the signs of drought are very obvious.

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Kor Bosch @korbosch.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

Two honey buzzards (wespendief) circled overhead today. That these birds of prey evolved to favour a diet of wasp larvae found through watching and listening which they get to by digging with their claws makes them, to me, one of the most fascinating raptors we get here. #birds

A honey buzzard in flight, seen from below. From this angle it is mostly brown and white, with a coarsely striped body and in this case light striping on the wings and tail. Most noticeable of all are its very differently shaped head, which is more narrow and elongated, like a pigeon's, and its clear clear yellow eyes. This individual appears to have a grey head, a sign that this is a male bird.

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