This year, things were a little different at the winter feeding site in the “Sauerland”. For one thing, I somehow seemed to have all the bad luck with the weather on my side — the forecasts were extremely changeable and, let’s say, “reliably unreliable” 🙃
It was also somewhat quieter this winter compared to previous years. The most common species there are Great Tits, Blue Tits, Marsh Tits, Nuthatches, Great Spotted Woodpeckers and Blackbirds — all of which were again well represented. You can see them almost every minute, provided no bird of prey is nearby.
The rarer species, however, were a little more elusive this time — unlike in late autumn. It is hard to say whether this was due to the unsettled climate across Europe this winter (as mentioned in the first part of my Portugal series) or to other factors. We also noticed that activity varies greatly from day to day — and sometimes you simply need a bit of luck.
Nevertheless, every single visit remains a special experience: observing the birds at such close range and always encountering new surprises. This winter, for example, a Crested Tit made an appearance — a species I had not come across there before. A beautiful bird with a distinctive head shape. I was also able to capture some of my best individual portraits of several species to date.
In terms of colour, the location contributed greatly to the series. The woodland consists largely of young birches with reddish branches, as well as young beeches that hold on to their autumn leaves until March. This often creates a beautiful magenta-orange tone in the images.
I hope you enjoy these photographs from the “Hönnetal”.
Many thanks to Wilhelm Waltermann or the opportunity to photograph at this location 😊
Many greetings,
Thomas