Pictures of 2013

Picture of December 2013

This last monthly picture shows a well-known place in the border region of Germany/Belgium - the "Brackvenn" - during a beautiful sunset. We will say good-bye this month to the region of Aachen-Roetgen-Eifel and move into our new home in Keltern(Baden-Württemberg).

Picture of November 2013

A lovely weekend we spent last month in the lagoon region of the Pomeranian Baltic coast. We took part in a photography workshop the "Crane protection of Germany" organization had organized. Early rising was required, the subject "crane" is ubiquitous in this region especially in autumn. For us a nice opportunity to interact with like-minded people. More Photos are available at "Birdwatch".

Picture of October 2013

Fall is here, for getting us a very interesting season, in the forest walks one can literally smell the changes that take place in nature. The first leaves, the chestnuts are falling already, mushrooms grow and we await the first bird trains to the south. What is missing is a beautiful foliage and also a bit of sun, then everyone is happy.

Picture of September 2013

The sea lion gets undoubtedly a place in our gallery of the best moments of the year. On our Galapagos trip in August 2013, we met the Galapagos sea lion (Zalophus californianus) on almost every island, also when snorkeling and diving after. They live in colonies, on land they move on all fours, fins are used only for swimming. The bulls are quite aggressive particularly during the breeding season, whereas the females and young animals are less, to the contrary. One of the rules of the National Park, to approach the animals not closer than 2 meters, can be very difficult to implement, because they are very curious and know no danger.

Picture of August 2013

Despite the cool temperatures in this spring we have experienced in our garden and the surrounding meadows bloom as rarely before. The red poppy is particularly beautiful to look at, so we have dedicated to it our photo of the month. We have set about "colors of nature", a new category in our photo gallery under "Creative / Colours".

Picture of July 2013

We were again on live aboard in the Red Sea, this time with the M / Y Independence II. Two very special highlights were a dive with quite curious hammerhead sharks and snorkeling with spinner dolphins at Shaab Sataya (Fury Shoals), who even introduced us to their pups.

Picture of June 2013

During the short randomly happening periods of no rain last month, you could enjoy the rich yellow color of the rapeseed fields really not known as bird friendly, yet seemingly a magnet for some of them. Especially interesting is the same color yellow wagtail (Motacilla flava) to find actually on wet meadows and the edge of swamps, but obviously in some regions also appear on fields and farmlands.

Picture of May 2013

We were back again for a few days on the island of Texel and finally could watch the Bluethroat singing in the area, a truly unforgettable experience!

Picture of April 2013

The winter just does not want to leave. This photo has been taken the end of March during a walk on a lake, we originally wanted to photograph waterfowl. By the icy east wind this and other "ice-creations" incurred that are very unusual for this time of year.

Picture of March 2013

Our personal highlight in terms of "Wildlife & Photography" was the meeting with three foxes in their natural habitat. So the choice of the picture of the month was not complicated. A special thanks goes to two photo-friends, without their "preparatory work" and tips for us this very special photo would not have been possible.

Picture of February 2013

Patience, luck and warm shoes, does one need anything else to see a kingfisher close by? Unfortunately the tripod jammed and the sun also peaked only sporadically. But the experience was really unique because kingfisher family was quite cheerful.
You can find more bird photos in our Photo Gallery (animals / birds) or under "Bird Watch".

Picture of January 2013

What happens next in Egypt? The "Arab Spring" seems not yet to be over. Demonstrations on Tahrir Square in Cairo continue.
For us Egypt and the Red Sea since 1996 has been a fascinating diving destination, just over 4 hours flight time away. We have experienced great days and dives here, met many friends, and for the summer of 2013 we again booked a live aboard.
We wish Egypt and its people that the situation in the country does not escalate again, unfortunately we can only watch the "outside".