Posts in Category: offenbach
mighty ducks
One thing I like about being out and capturing the animals around me is the fact that you look more closely to animals that are very common, e.g. ducks. They can be seen on any bit of water around here, no matter if in the center of the city or in a remote river hidden in the woods. Especially the male ones are very nice to look at with quite some color palette on their feather dress. Here are a some shots showing how this drake prepares itself and later starts to orchestrate….
wagtail on the hunt
Wagtails are very common around here. Wherever there is water and some bushes you will most likely find one of them, patrolling the shoreline, jumping into the air, flapping and catching insects. Overcast and a little windy, plus the tendency to wiggle and wobble through the air made these shots a challenge. Focus was slow, so was my reaction and I would have needed more focal length to get closer.
trouble ahead
Goose as a race seem to be very vehement when it comes to guarding there territory. As soon as other goose appear far at the sky, they start shouting and threatening the new arrivals. Especially the Egyptian goose seems to have this habit. As there is only so much space on smaller lakes the confrontation is unavoidable and only a question of time. Here are two pairs colliding at the ruin of Mühle Renigishausen. Beavers seem to have build a dam and flooded the forrest behind. A really nice spot, but mostly in the shadows.
Mr. Moon
From time to time I just have to shoot the moon. As much as I love the song by Mando Diao I do love the moon itself. Still unbelievable that humans have already been there. Fun fact: According to the Lunar Society I do own a claim up there, about the size of two soccer fields. Well… unlikely that I will be up there any time soon. Till than the pictures will have to last.
frogs
If there’s water, there will be life! In the last couple of years a lot of renaturing efforts have been made around Offenbach. The Hainbach has been “renaturiert”, hence they broke up the sleek and straight riverbed and generated sidearms that will overflow when enough water is present. This generates new sanctuaries for flora and fauna and animals like beavers are coming back. Same was done in a larger scale at river Main. New sidearms have been created.
While it still looks a little bald around the new formed ponds, life seems to get there quickly. Felled trees with clear signs of beaver teeth are present, as well as lots of birds and amphibians as these marsh frogs. The little pond is littered with tadpoles and you can hear the frogs quarks from a far. Shy as they are, they note when you get close. Took me over an hour to figure how to sneak up to them and get some shots, which almost involved me taking off my shoes and shorts and getting into the lake. In the end I managed it through patients, slow tai chi moving and waiting.
woodpecker
Same day on which I had the luck to meet both relatives of the woodpecker family and this fellow was sitting quite low on trunk. Doesn’t it look very stern?
Light was not the best so I had to crank up the ISO and used some tools to make those images look nicer. Location: somewhere between Maunzen- and Jacobiweiher.
mr. green
They are quite a common guest in the woods around here and they are not even hard to track down once you learned about their call; it sound a little bit like a high pitched laughter. The hard part, is to get a decent shot of the green woodpecker. Quite shy, it stays in the upper reaches of the trees, despite hunting for insects on the ground. So it would take patients and time to get this right. I am not at the point where I am ready to spent a day in a hideout and wait for the bird to come into my viewfinder. All these images here are more or less drive by actions and so this one is shot from below, while it was climbing up a tree and singing… eh.. laughing at me, when on top. 😉
This was taken at the Jacobiweiher.
canadian goose
This was an early trip to Maunzenweiher mostly due to the time change – summer time, although it is still freezing at night. I sadly missed the dispute between two goose couples. Basically they were fighting for being close to me, as I was having a croissant for breakfast. They had been lamenting and shouting at each other for minutes when finally one took off darting at the other couple. Lots of spray and splash and then they went off the other direction, leaving me with my croissant on the muddy floor and this one shot that depicts one goose approaching and shouting for the third attack.
Afterwards the couple that was already close to me came by and started shouting and head banging at me. Probably this is how they beg for food – they got none!
buzzard
Taking a longer walk from the Schlosspark Rumpenheim back home this buzzard was waiting on a tree besides the dam. I was on the dam and on the perfect eye level – sadly it was facing the wrong direction and the sun was right behind it. Too late I noticed that is was actually a couple, but having Spike on a leach dragging me away it is wonder that I even captured it. A lot of retouching later…
White heron
We got quite used to the grey herons. In the last ten years you can find them around almost every billabong, but the white ones, especially the bigger ones, I did not encounter the frequently. This one was very shy and when I crushed into the scene with my bike and its screeching brakes, it was clear that he had a keen eye on me. Half the way on the ladder to the nearby perch it flew off and left me with at least two nice images. Need to learn how to approach shy animals.
mandarin duck fight
Ahhh mating season! Although these shots were from last weeks visit to Maunzenweiher where it was still freezing cold (see the ice the birds sit on?) the first spring feelings among the mandarin ducks were already sensible. There was a lot of pushing, shoving and fighting going on among the colourful drakes. It was almost noon but sun was weak and hanging low, if at all. Most of these shots are retouched and still are far from perfect, but they tell the story.
nut crow
Crows are everywhere in Offenbach. They are smart, get quite old and tend to rummage through waste bins. This fellow found a peanut on the ground. No time to observe it any further, as the Spike was running ahead, while the kids were heading in the other direction – photography takes time and patients…
Cormorants
Cold and slight sleet showers were not the ideal weather to go for a shoot, but I needed to get some fresh air and went for a walk to a nearby lake called Maunzenweiher. Usually there are a lot of ducks and a few herons around, but this time I even noticed two cormorants. I wrongly took the grey feathered head for a sign of age, but it is just the opposite: this one is young fellow – and although a lot of people were hiking, jogging and walking around the lake, it was again me stopping and pointing a big lens (eye) at it, that made it play hide and seek with me. At some point I got a few decent shots of him sitting and cleaning his feathers, but I missed his flyoff, touching the water with his feet, the first few swings. Crap!
Cormorant was NABU bird of the year 2010. Another German name for it is “Berufsfischer” (professional fisher) and indeed fishermen don’t like them very much. They are good divers and and their main dish is fish. Since a couple of years the population seems to grow again constantly after they were consequently hunted throughout the first half of the last century.
Robin
May I introduce you to one of the my beloved bird friends. This is Robin or Rotkehlchen, as they are called here in Germany. They are very common and are all but shy. Quite the opposite: they are very curious and are not afraid of getting close to you. Whenever I come across one of them, if feels like it is rather watching me instead of me watching it.
This little fellow didn’t even move when I approached him with my bike and stayed when I hit the my squeaking brakes and stopped a few meters away from it. He took notice of me, fiddling with my gear and the big lens, was so curious and came closer. In the end, it even sat on my bike, right beside me as it wanted to have a nice chat with me. Love it!
Maunzenweiher
Following Tin Man Lee for quite some time, it was only about two days ago – while bringing the kids to bed – that I read his great guide about taking sharp picture. Immediately I felt the itch to grab my cam and go out hunting again. The next morning after kids where out of house, I dusted off my cam bag and – oh wonder – one batterie was still holding some current. It was about than that I realized it is a good idea to take the batterie out, as the cam drains them, even when not turned on.
With my bike I went for a three ours tour to the nearby Maunzenweiher and the animal “wild” life was quite nice to me. A crane, some exquisite water birds (haven’t checked for the speciss by now) and a great sunrise. Little did I know that Covid would catch up and make me stay at home, the next day for at least a week.
bloody moony.
A moon eclipse and a blood red moon are not quite common and so I set my alarm clock and tried to capture it, without much luck. I was to lazy to go downstairs, dress up, risking waking up Marie and my wife, so I went out on the balcony in shorts and T-Shirt, which was a little cold at 4°C. But it wasn’t only me that was shaking… the moon, while being red, not being quite as bright as usual, made me dial down the F-stops and crank up the ISO. The result is far from being crisp, but you get the impression.
swanlake
A small trip to the Grünen Seen (green lakes) last weeked to catch some fresh air. The sun had dissapeared for… well I don’t know excatly, but it felt like forever…. and now it was out the first day. Till we reached the lake, it already was about to vanish again, but none the less, I caught some swans going after their business in the partly frozen lake. Like the composition and texture of of this, so I share it with you.
common buzzard
Around the Grüne See (green lake) there are alway alot of birds of prey. Usually they are far, up in the sky and if you are lucky and find one on a tree it mostly spots you first and flies off. Not this time. This one turned out to be a very very patient object to shoot. The sund had alrea
R.I.P. grandpa
There is a saying within my family: When death comes around he will pick three of us. How right that saying is we all got to know when grandpa died last month, being number three after my cousins grandma and Lutzi. Ninetysix years is a big number and he made his peace with the circumstances, knowing that he won’t carry on – but the fact remains: Death just hurts for the rest of us, even if we could say good bye. I hope that you and granny are reunited and have a good time now. R.I.P. grandpa. Picture was taken one and half year ago, when he turned 95 and grandma was gone already. He was so brave and carried on as good as he could, not showing any laxity in his routine and always with humor… just carrying on as life came along. Big rolemodel…
Into the spiders nest
Spiders – hoooh! Scary creatures, but if you take a closer look, they are actually really instresting. They got eight eyes and up to eight legs! Found this tiny nest at my marquee on the balcony. The nest normaly keeps a certain temperature and amount of humidity inside. Lowering the marquee seems to have raptured the hull that gave me this insight. Hopefully they wil make it anyway and keep the mosquitos out of my way.
fly like an egyptian
Egyptian gooses are common place right now. A couple of years they where seldom guests in germany, but due to warm winters and the clima shift in general, they are everywhere to be seen. The bad thing about them is that they drive the old inhabitans of like the normal ducks out off their habitats…. well, where did I hear this already… ahh yes, the squirrels. Same here. World is changing constantly – mostly due to our intermission.
toadography
Living in Offenbach has many advantages. One is the “Grüne See” (green lake) is a nature reseve that is just around the corner. While attending it in summer it is hard to find a place for yourself, because everyone seems to be around, winter spring is far better. Big toad was sitting beside the main walkways an was lucky that I did not step on it. Still quite frozen and stiff it gave me the time needed to focus it with my 500er sigma. I already said it and will say it agin… I need a macro lens.
strung out
Today Dexter arrived – our new family member. Lutzi, our old Jack Russel Lady wasn’t taking it too easy, as she had been all alone and was always in the spotlight. Dexter is young and first contact had been made. We’ll have to make sure that Lutzi won’t feel second best and than everything will work out. At the moment the old lady sulks a bit…
breakfast at squirrels inn
Little Mr. Nuts is once again out to get his belly full of tasty buds. I am really lucky that this little mischief ist still around, although I bet it is already the third generation…. all documented on this blog
back to the moon
They do it again! NASA announced to get people back on the moon in 2020. I still look up to that big, fat rock and wonder if they really had been there in the first place. On TV they said that Apollo 11 left a mirror up there that can be focused with a laser on a certain time a day and will reflect the light directly to earth. Let’s face it: If China keeps up the pace of their economic growth and their ambitious space prgramm, the taiconauts wil be the first to find out and I bet they will not keep this as a secret. Mr. Moon…. ta ta ta taa…
lost 2
To find deers in the field you have to look very closely. Often they see you faster than you spot them. Again I just passed it, pretending not to notice, droped my bike and sneaked back. Still I couldn’t get closer than about 40m before it jumped away. Practice, Falk! Practice….
lost 1
“Häschen in der Grube, saß und schlief…” This one wasn’t asleep at all. In fact I had a hard time getting near it. You wonder how close you actually can get if you prentend not go its way and don’t look at it.
barking at the sun
May I introduce you to Lutzi, our little Jack Russel Terrier. Shes quite an old lady by now, but non the less she kept her temperament and is still very agile. Here she’s trying to catch a fly.
wee snail
Snails are a very strange species: tentacles and eyes combined, slow gliding, building and carrying their own house made of calcium carbonate that they can lock with a “door” – well, sounds like they got all they need for living. Indeed snails can reach an age up to 15-30 years, but only held captive in more or less strerile surrounding. Into the wild they usually become 5-7 years old. This littel exemplar has a long way to go… let’s hope it’ll make it and stays out of our sink, where we found it. Did I mention that I need a macro lens – could only go high contrast with this one?
a small prayer
It may be that I repeat myself, picturing all the same animals over and over again…. but winter still keeps us under his control and the sun is on a flying visit. I was just glad to see this old fellow again, jumping over my roof and balcony and finally resting on a nearby tree, enjoying the sun. It looks like it sends a little prayer to the one above that he shall send some warm sunbeams down. Guess we are all fed up with the cold – at least my batteries are empty and need a recharge soon.
Ninhursags messanger
Jonas dropped by with his new Nikon D90 and we went down to Offenbachs harbor. It came in handy as I had to shake off last nights exodus effects from having too much alcohol. This cold winter seems to tap new grounds for the animals. A red fox tried to sneak behind us inwardly but we saw him and for a short moment he sat down and stared at us. Later, when we took a small break at Hafen2, Mr. Reinecke passed outside shocking the gooses and the two sheeps on the lawn.
symmetrics
Winter is comming and everybody is trying to stay at home. I was fed up with the warm, dry heat from the heating and wanted to get my head clear. Andi an me took a little walk in our bario. Here’s the Friedrichsweiher at night. Black and white rules big time.
road to nowhere
Fog, so dense that you couldn’t see 20 feet ahead. Jürgen and me had a little beer in the fields of Bieber. The last shots I took were from the bridge over the B448.
mr. nutz
After the great storm last month, many trees around our house vanished. As if this is not enough for our fellow garden inhabitants, we added a hughe winter garden to our home with lots of noise, people, dirt and action going on. So I was very happy to meet my old chap from last year again. Here’s Mr. Nutz… lately he’s been very bussy scaping of branches from a big tree in our garden. Let’s hope there will be some new blood soon.
waiting angel
Today we – Ingo and me – where out, in order to visit some abandoned industrial halls and places. Our primary target was a hughe complex located in Offenbach, but we failed to get in. An old, italian fogey seemed to live on the area and told us – as far as we understood him – to come back the other day. The reason… we couldn’t find out. So slightly frustrated, we went to the old, nearby cemetary and shot some statues. This and many others were in some sort of waiting pose and I thought it fits the day.
magic moment
Another one from that evening where weather was going nuts. Global warming seems to be not so bad, it just depends on the point of view.
ghoulish tree
Weather was totaly changing the whole day. Sun, thunderstorms and heavy wind. Never the less I took my chances and took my bike and cam and went out. Scenery didn’t let me down and good old sun shad some dramatic lighting over this evil willowtree.
hafen 2
The old harbor crane right at Hafen 2. Sundown, this heavy, old, beasty machine and a cool beer in my hand. Perfect!
poppy in bloom
Poppy flowers all over the place. You can see them out on the fields and almost on evrey photoblog that has some nature pictures in its arsenal – here is mine. A little bit crumpled, but hey, at least its got all its leaves on.
nightstation
Even in Offenbach you can have some spectecular sundown. You will have to search for a good spot, but than…
This one was shot at Offenbach Ost trainstation (obviously).