A cloud of Starlings by BSNF

About "A cloud of Starlings"

by BSNF

About the artwork

I took this photo at a very quiet moment in the middle of the day in the Ezumakeech when suddenly a whole flock of starlings kept flying back and forth literally in front of me.
Using a hefty telephoto lens on the camera, I took several pictures's. The sharpness was actually not that important to me, but mainly that the feeling the image that something special is happening in front of your eyes.
In post-processing, -I shootin raw, I opted for a manually created high-key image in this photo.
That and the deliberate blur give the photo more lightness...almost something transparent.

Ezumakeeg is a nature reserve in the Netherlands, in the west of the Lauwersmeer area. This area is owned (like most of Lauwersmeer) by the Forestry Commission.

I regularly go here at various times of the day. Sometimes there are many birds and sometimes it is extremely quiet.

During migration time, many waders can be found here. As there are large numbers of birds here, rarities are also often among the more common species. So-called twitchers often come here to admire unusual species such as Siberian sandpiper, Bonaparte's sandpiper, stilt sandpiper, white-tailed lapwing, Asiatic golden plover, blond plover.

The Ezuma creek is a resting area with little disturbance, which is why species such as stilt-walker (northernmost breeding site in the world), bearded reedling and bittern come here to breed. In autumn and winter, large numbers of ducks and geese are often in the area.