Extra Bird pictures

that were not suitable for the main page, because they either don't show the bird in a recognisable way, but fun nonetheless, or because there were just too many interesting photo's and the main page only allows 2 slots. Apart from that I offer the pictures fullsize here, where I had to scale some of them down for the main page.

I try to keep the same order for the birds as on the main page, but of course there is no attempt to be complete or have only one entry per species.
Click on a thumbnail to open the full size image in a new window.

Great Crested Grebe Great Crested Grebe - Fuut
Near my parent's, 2008-03-15
"Please only wake me up when the eggs are hatched..."
Great Crested Grebe Great Crested Grebe - Fuut
Meijendel, 2009-04-06
Mating season and 2 male grebes with 1 female. This is the loser.
Great Crested Grebe Great Crested Grebe - Fuut
Vlietlanden, 2009-04-13
This grebe looks like it is imitating a Puffer Fish (Kogelvis).
Mute Swan Mute Swan (male) - Knobbelzwaan (mannetje)
Cronesteyn, 2008-04-09
This swan was very territorial and came swimming at top speed whenever I came anywhere close to the breeding female. The first picture on the main page is of the same swan, but I had a hard time choosing which picture I preferred, so I just added this one here.
Mute Swan on ice Mute Swan - Knobbelzwaan
Korte Vliet, 2009-01-01
Usually swans go south for the winter, so they're not that used to ice. This one was struggling to stay upright (and warm), and just before it failed to take off because it couldn't get enough grip to push off.
Mute Swan Mute Swan - Knobbelzwaan
Vlietlanden, 2009-04-13
These swans came flying over, and accidentally the picture turned out beautiful.
Coots fighting Eurasian Coot - Meerkoet
Near my parent's, 2007-2-3
On the main page there is already one picture of this coot fight that happened right below the bridge I was standing on to take another picture, so I could start shooting pictures right away. This picture might not be the the clearest, but to me it shows the action and their ferocity quite well.
Coots mating Eurasian Coot - Meerkoet
Vlietlanden, 2008-4-10
In contrast to the previous picture, here I managed to catch the brief moment of mating. Actually I noticed one (probably the male) swimming towards the other with a hissing sound and head held low. I didn't recognise it, but assumed it might be be mating ritual, so I readied my camera while the female went to a shallow spot. Even so she was mostly under water, but in this picture you can at least see her.
Coot chick Eurasian Coot - Meerkoet
Stevenshof Park, 2008-05-09
The young coots are found everywhere at the moment, but this one I could approach quite near, so you can see quite a few details of it's head.
Grayleg Goose bathing Grayleg Goose - Grauwe Gans
Valkenburgse Meer, 2009-03-22
Bathing time for the geese.
Mallard's head Mallard (male) - Wilde Eend (Woerd)
Hooghkamer Park, 2008-04-15
Especially in spring they have these vibrant colouring on their heads. Usually it's green, but with the right light it can also appear blue.
Mallard chicks Mallard (chicks) - Wilde eend (kuikens)
Cronesteyn, 2008-04-28
Pretty easy to photograph, but still so cute.
Flying Gadwalls Gadwalls (couple) - Krakeenden (stelletje)
Cronesteyn, 2008-04-15
These ducks are a bit shyer than the mallards, so when they flew in to land right at my feet, they made a u-turn as soon as they saw me. The picture is not that clear, but I just love their synchronicity.
Flying Wigeons Eurasian Wigeons - Smienten
Cronesteyn, 2009-01-31
These ducks are usually found in large groups, often hundreds that spend the winter and early spring here. When they fly up, the sky is full of them.
Egyptian Geese with young Egyptian Geese (couple with young) - Nijlgans (paartje met jongen)
Wassenaar, 2007-4-1, with my Olympus D-520 camera
Passing by, I noticed an Egyptian Goose with 3 young in a meadow. I just stopped for a few pictures when a second one came flying in, and both started waving their wings and honk. It didn't seem aggressive, so I assume it was courtship ritual, even with the kids present.
Egyptian Goose chased by Lapwing Egyptian Goose and Northern Lapwing - Nijlgans en Kieviet
Wassenaarse Slag (Mijendel), 2008-4-22
I've included more than one picture on this site with birds chasing and being chased, but this is one I had to add too: it shows the desperate action of the goose getting out of the way of the lapwing so well.
Egyptian Goose chick - Nijlgans kuiken
Valkenburgse Meer, 2008-05-09
Halfway between a fuzzy newborn and the pretty adult.
Sleeping Tufted Ducks Tufted Ducks (couple) - Kuifeenden (stelletje)
Cronesteyn, 2008-04-15
These small ducks are pretty cute, and when the female started to worry about my presence, I quickly left them alone again.
Crow chasing juvenile Buzzard Eurasian Buzzard and Carrion Crow - Buizerd en Zwarte Kraai
De Leidsche Hout, 2008-4-26
I was just waiting to cross the road between the parks de Leidsche Hout and Oud Poelgeest, when there suddenly appeared a buzzard not 10 meters above me. I fumbled to get my camera ready, and then it disappeared behind a tree. When it reappeared there was a Carrion Crow that tried to chase it off, and I just managed to get this (unsharp) picture right above me, before they were gone. This seems to be a juvenile, since the white areas under it's wings are still striped.
Breeding Heron Gray Heron - Blauwe Reiger
Cronesteyn, 2008-04-15
There is a heron colony in Cronesteyn, with perhaps 20 or more nests. Some already have young, which make quite a bit of ruckus when the parents return. Unluckily the nests are so high up the tree that it's hard to get a good view of the young ones. This one was still breeding, and you can see the guano from the nest higher up the same tree.
Heron in ditch Gray Heron - Blauwe Reiger
Bos van Bosman, 2008-04-28
Gray Herons are common here, and not that shy, so I have quite a few pictures of them already. But this one was standing in such a pretty ditch, with the water mirroring, that I had to add it to this page anyhow.
Breeding Stork White Stork - Ooievaar
de Leidsche Hout, 2008-04-24
This year, for the first time, a pair of Stork have build a nest on the nesting pole in the petting zoo of this park. Here you can see one landing on the nest. The other is sitting on the eggs. (The picture is taken against the sunlight, so you see mostly a contour.)
Landing Stork White Stork - Ooievaar
de Leidsche Hout, 2009-04-02
The storks are back in the park; this one had done it's duty on the nest and was just landing for a meal.
a Gotwit wondering Black-tailed Godwit - Grutto
Cronesteyn, 2008-04-07
"Now where did my nest go?"
Gotwit upside down Black-tailed Godwit and Carrion Crow - Grutto en Kraai
Cronesteyn, 2008-04-17
In Cronesteyn there is quite a bit of aerial combat: lapwings, oystercatchers and godwits chasing crows, and all of them ganging up on the buzzards. This time one lapwing and two godwits were trying to scare away a crow, and somehow the godwit ended up upside down in the air.
Gotwit flying Black-tailed Godwit - Grutto
Cronesteyn, 2008-04-29
Currently the godwits are quite territorial, and are almost aggressive towards humans, so you can get pretty close to take pictures, with them protesting loudly all the time, and even flying up and circling above you every now and then.
juvenile Black-headed Gull juvenile Black-headed Gull - juveniele Kokmeeuw
Valkenburgse Meer, 2008-05-03
This juvenile was still in winter plumage; a week later it's head was already turning black.
Wood Pigeon of Peace Common Wood-Pigeon - Houtduif
Leiden (at the edge of the Coebel district), 2008-04-12
Well, it's not quite an olive branch, but it's getting the idea.
Dove blown away Eurasian Collared-Dove - Turkse Tortel
Leiden (around my block), 2009-03-25
The dove was almost blown out of the tree.
Two Spotted Woodpeckers Great Spotted Woodpeckers - Grote Bonte Spechten
Ter Wadding, 2008-04-08
On the main page I put a picture of this woodpecker. These two had just been 'arguing' and that one landed just in front of me on a low branch. A few seconds later they flew further away, but strangely stayed together. I've included the picture here because it's hard enough to photograph one woodpecker, let alone two together.
Great Spotted Woodpecker during Home Improvement Great Spotted Woodpecker - Grote Bonte Specht
de Houtkamp, Leiderdorp, 2008-05-02
There is a dead tree right next to a path through this park. When passing it, I heard the characteristic hammering of a woodpecker, but didn't see it at first. Then it suddenly poked out it's head from one of the many holes, with the sawdust still on it's beak. Later it came out completely, and sat right next to it's new home while I could approach it closely.
Eurasian Jay drinking Eurasian Jay - (Vlaamse) Gaai
Ter Wadding, 2008-04-08
There are two jays in Ter Wadding who also seem to have a nest in one of the ivy-covered trees. This one took a sip while I (and my camera) watched.
Eurasian Jay in flight Eurasian Jay - (Vlaamse) Gaai
From my apartment, 2008-04-10
Just after I shot the first picture on the main page, the jay flew away. I just caught it at the edge of the photo, and even though it's not a clear picture, you can see the speed of it's dive.
Magpie Eurasian Magpie - Ekster
Zuidduinen - Katwijk, 2009-04-15
With the right light, the black and white magpies have a lot more green and blue colors on their tails and wing tips.
Jackdaws and deer Eurasian Jackdaws on deer - Kauwtjes op ree
de Leidsche Hout, 2008-04-24
The Jackdaws like hair for nesting material. So what to do if they can't find it lying around? They just rip it out of the deer in the petting zoo!
White Jackdaw Eurasian Jackdaw - Kauw
de Houtkamp, Leiderdorp, 2008-05-02
This was a new phenomenon for me: it seems like a normal Jackdaw, behaves like a normal Jackdaw, keeps company with other Jackdaws, but it's completely white. I guess it's sort of an albino, since it's beak is also colourless, only the eyes do have pigment. (I sometimes see Jackdaws with some white in their plumage, but not like this.)
Carrion Crow with apple Carrion Crow - Zwarte Kraai
Cronesteyn, 2008-04-07
Hey there, old lady in black, who are you bringing that shiny red apple?
Parakeets kissing Rose-ringed Parakeets - Halsband Parkieten
Cronesteyn, 2008-04-08
I just love the 'joie de vivre' of these parakeets; always calling out to each other, grouping together, and, like here, kissing.
Rose-ringed Parakeet Rose-ringed Parakeet - Halsband Parkiet
From my apartment, 2006-07-26
A parakeet butcher ;-)
Kingfisher in flight Common Kingfisher - IJsvogel
Bos van Bosman, 2009-03-28
This is what you usually see of the Kingfisher: a blue flash flying away.
Baby Bat Baby Bat - Baby Vleermuis
From my apartment, 2005-06-07
OK, this is not a bird. But it's so cute that I've added it anyhow. That summer there were bats nesting (?) in the eves, and this baby must have fallen out. Surprisingly it survived the four-floor-fall, and a neighbour picked it up before the cats got it. We finally just left it on the wall, hoping the parents would find it. The next day it was gone, so I'm not sure this story has a happy ending.
Winter Wren Winter Wren - Winterkoning
de Houtkamp, Leiderdorp, 2008-05-02
This Winter Wren was sitting right next to the bridge, just singing, and didn't move when I approached it up to 2 meters. Getting so close meant the depth of focus was not enough to get both the front and back of this tiny bird sharp. This picture is still scaled down a factor 2.
Willow Warbler inviting Willow Warbler - Fitis
near Ter Wadding, 2008-04-14
Sometimes I see one of the small songbirds sitting on a branch while quickly flapping with it's wings. I assume this is signalling it's ready to mate.
Willow Warbler Willow Warbler - Fitis
Zuidduinen, Katwijk
Scolding it's neighbours below for making too much noise.
Goldcrest on the move Goldcrest - Goudhaan
Vlietlanden
Taking pictures of the Goldcrest is quite a challenge: it moves constantly.
Robin in silhouette European Robin - Roodborst
(not sure), 2008-10-12
Even in silhouette the feisty little songbird is unmistakable.
Robin eating worm European Robin - Roodborst
Bos van Bosman, 2009-04-02
This Robin just caught a delicious worm and wasted no time swallowing it.
Blackbird posing Eurasian Blackbird - Merel
Bos van Bosman (Leiden), 2008-04-26
This blackbird was sitting there as if posing for the picture, though I find his look still distrusting.
Long-tailed Tit Long-tailed Tit - Staartmees
Leiden, along de Vliet
Such cute little birds.
Great Tits on hand Great Tit - Koolmees
Meijendel (Wassenaar), spring 1983
These are the oldest pictures on this site by far. But it was such a happening that I had to add these scanned slides here. The slides were probably taken with a manual Ilford camera with seperate light meter.
In those times (I was 15) I sometimes went on nature walks with my father (his hand in the highest picture), and we came across a place where the tits were not shy at all. So for fun I tried to lure them on my hand with the only food-like stuff I had on me: manderin peels; and to my surprise they came! So the next weekend we went back with a camera, and some 'real' food. But only the mandarin peels worked for luring them.
Male Chaffinch Chaffinch (male) - Vink (mannetje)
Ter Wadding, 2008-04-16
Of course this picture would be on the main page if it wasn't taken further away from my apartment than the current ones.
Male Chaffinch Chaffinch (male) - Vink (mannetje)
From my apartment, 2007-10-26
I had to take a good look what bird this was, all puffed up.
Ugly chicken head Chicken - Kip
Stevenshof (Leiden), 2009-04-10
Oh no, it's a Rhino chicken with a bad hair day!