New Land

Winter has now properly begun here in the Netherlands, and I have just finished selecting appropriate seasonal photos for my current assignment at the National Park Nieuw Land (which literally translates to ‘new land’ in English) in the province of Flevoland.

During the past few months, I have travelled around all four nature areas that make up this new national park, in search of some exciting winter images. This wasn’t easy, to say the least – just one day of proper snow, barely any frost, and not too many human visitors around. The area’s wildlife, on the other hand, did manage to show itself in abundance, mainly in the reed marshes of the Oostvaardersplassen and in the waters of the Lepelaarplassen. And even the newly created Marker Wadden islands seem to already have attracted wildlife. I only spotted some common shelducks on my short visit to the islands (a work in progress, as they're very much still 'under construction' Dutch-style, i.e. being reclaimed from water below sea level... hence 'new land'), but the area will definitely make for a safe haven for many more bird species in seasons and years to come.

My favourite moments? Seeing some out-of-this world clouded skies rolling in above the Markermeer and spotting a red deer stag crossing an icy stream, managing to crawl itself up the steep bank on the other side, and running away in a proud pose, leaving behind a trail of water dripping from its coat. Luckily, I was quickly able to snap up some good shots of this unique moment…

On to a new season – and to new adventures in Nieuw Land!