The rutting at the Veluwe is still ongoing, but because of the warm weather the intensity is rather low. The deer preferred the woods over the heathlands en started only in the night with bellowing. They truly have a preference for cool evenings and mornings. However, the forecast for the coming day, at the end of September, was a rather cool morning. That was the trigger for me to make the journey to the Veluwe. While zipping my sleeping bag in my camper-van I heard the males around me in the woods, and I fell asleep confidently. The morning was indeed chilly and a blanket of mist covered the heathland. It was still dark as I choose my position, using the sounds of the bellowing males. In the break of day I was surrounded by four males, one garding a herd. Vanishing in my surroundings thanks to my camouflage, they did not notice me and they came as close as 30 meters (see the video still)! Another wilderness experience, I can’t get enough of.

Cheers, Niels

Steeds vaker crop ik mijn landschappen tot panorama’s. Met de huidige sensors kun je dan nog een aardig groot bestand houden, niks stitchen! In dit geval wil ik het golvende heidelandschap meer naar voren halen, met als ‘konijntjes’ de reeën. Door het panorama wordt nog meer de nadruk gelegd op de horizontale lijnen en de vlakverdeling…. en kon ik een storend boompje op de voorgrond wegcroppen! Maar bovenal wil ik jullie mee laten genieten van de magische momenten die ‘s morgens vroeg meemaak in de defensieterreinen, zoals hier in het ASK Oldebroek. Helaas niet toegankelijk voor het publiek, maar met mijn foto’s hoop ik het toch wat dichter bij het publiek te brengen. Geniet er van!

Groet, Niels

Nowadays I do crop my photos more often than I used to. With the current sensors one can keep enough pixels, no stitching required! In this case I wanted to emphasize the wavy landscape, with the roe deer as cherries to the cake. Using the panoramic crop I could put more emphasis on the horizontal lines and the field division…. and I could remove a annoying tree in front of the scene. But above all, I wanted to share with you the moments that I witness in the early mornings at the defense estates, like here at the Artillery Shooting Range Oldebroek. Unfortunately not open to public, but with my photos I hope to bring it a bit closer to the public. Enjoy!

Cheers, Niels