Now and then one should get down on his or her knees, literally to see the tiny vulnerable life on earth. For instance this dung beetle: active throughout the year, even in winter. They cover great distances pushing their balls of dung and disperse the seeds that were eaten by the dung-producer. Because they are active in winter, they serve as food for the wintering great grey shrikes. The nice thing about this photo is the combination of clear colors, the background and of course the beetle itself. On our knees …. maybe also figuratively to show our humility and respect to mother earth.

Cheers, Niels

Yesterday evening I saw the augury for a special night. The sky was clear and the moon was illuminating a blanket of fog over the river Rhine. Fog in combination with severe night-frost will cause a special effect the next morning. The alarm went of at 6:30 and I could not yet see what had happened overnight. But on my way in the car, my prediction was confirmed. At a number of locations the trees were covered in a thick layer of ice crystals. On my arrival at the Ederheide I got out of my car, it was the coldest night in 26 years, temperatures were minus 20 degrees celsius or lower. My toes were frozen instantly and the temptation to get back in the car was strong. But the special light, the snow and the hoar frost made me resist the cold. See here the warm light after the coldest of nights.

Cheers, Niels