Not because I have a beard myself, but I think these are nice monkeys, the bearded monkey (Macaca silenus) as we called it in Dutch. More officially he is known as Lion’s Tail Macaque or as Wanderoo. It is a macaque species of about 55 cm. Both sexes have grayish black fur with large, gray sideburns that run in a wreath around the face. This has given them the nickname ‘bearded monkey’. The tail ends in a dark plume, just…
I thought the stern look of this Dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus) was a nice photo for Halloween. But they are actually cute and also quite impressive birds with their frizzy head feathers, large orange throat pouch and a wingspan of up to 3.50 meters. Until the 15th century, we had populations of these pelicans in the Netherlands. They were found mainly in the mouths of the major rivers and in the lakes along the coast. Unfortunately, due to overhunting and…
Cotman watercolours tubes, Faber Castel Pastel pencils on Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolour paper 300gsm 35.6×25.4 cm Hot Press Grain Satiné. The first thing I knew when I saw the beautiful male of the White-rumped shama (Copsychus malabaricus) (Blijdorp Zoo in Rotterdam, the Netherlands): I had to paint it. I had to have some patience, but finally the bird sat down in such position that I could take a good picture from it, with its beautiful long tail (can grow…
I usually come across the black-tailed skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum) sitting on the ground, sunbathing on grass/mud paths and gravel. Then unfortunately they are not so beautiful to capture on the photo because their shape and wings are not very good visible against the usually busy background. But luckily you also encounter them in better photography conditions. So did this male of the black-tailed skimmer I came across, nicely sitting against a barren branch with not too much background nearby. Then…