This Roller had just spat out a vomit ball.
Among the remains, you can clearly see bits of beetle shell - a silent witness to his preference for large, nutritious insects. The hunt is acrobatic: with impressive ease it plucks its prey from the air, always looking for something big, something worthwhile.
In the distance, the female waits patiently.
She stays at the nest while he feeds her and watches over their territory.
I observed these birds for days in rural Spain.
In the heat of the day - when the air sizzles and the insects dance - their colours become most beautiful: deep blue, vibrant turquoise, with orange highlights that light up in the sun.
As if summer itself has wrapped itself in feathers.
What stayed with me most was the devotion between the two.
The care, the vigilance, the constant back and forth.
They protected their nest with a determination you could almost call human.
I consider it a privilege to have been able to see - and record - this.
Just as it is a rare moment in spring to see horses bringing forth new life,
so too is it special to see these birds caring for their future.
Hello I am Hans . My technical training and work come in handy when it comes to my work as a photographer and filmmaker. The now many decades that I have been involved in photography give me the support and experience needed to know what is really special. Form and.. Read more…