Kurt De Meulemeester | 🇧🇪 Wildlifephotography

🐟✨ Friday = Fishday!
This time a Black Kite (Milvus migrans) showed off its hunting skills. With an elegant dive it barely touched the water’s surface, before soaring back up with a fresh catch in its talons. Precision and power in one! 💨🦅

#BlackKite

✨ Today a close-up of the Purple Heron ✨
With its elegant flight and stunning colors, this is truly one of the most graceful herons to encounter. Such a majestic presence above the water! 🪶💜

#PurpleHeron

Little Bittern striking a pose 🌿
Typical behavior: this way they almost completely disappear into their surroundings. Perfect camouflage, except this one was standing right in the middle of a pond on the waterlilies 😅

#LittleBittern #IxobrychusMinutus #BirdPhotography #Wildlife #Camouflage

🐹Last month I had the chance to meet this incredibly cute but rare animal: a wild hamster 🐾. Hard to believe, but this species still survives in a few places in Europe, including… a cemetery in Vienna! 🌿🪦

📸 #wildlifephotography #hamster #naturelovers #vienna #urbanwildlife #conservation

Some time ago I was able to capture this male red-backed shrike holding a field cricket in its beak. A perfect example of their hunting skills: shrikes are small but fierce predators that feed on large insects like crickets, beetles, and grasshoppers. 🦗

#redbackedshrike #grauweklauwier

✨ A little egret glowing in the golden light of the Albanian sunset. Calm waters, soft feathers, and pure magic, a moment where nature reveals its quiet beauty. ✨🌅

#LittleEgret #EgrettaGarzetta #Egret #kleinezilverreiger #feather_perfection #HeronFamily #BirdWatching

Close-up of the Red-backed Shrike

I’ve photographed this species before, but never this up close and personal. Nicknamed the “butcher bird” because of the habit, particularly of males, of impaling prey onto plant spines within their territories.

🐹✨ In an unexpected place: I photographed this European hamster on a cemetery in Vienna.
These graveyards are known hotspots for this rare species, which has declined dramatically across most of Europe. 🌍💔
#EuropeanHamster #WildlifePhotography #Biodiversity #NatureLovers #Conservation

thanks

A moment of pure connection ✨
In mid-air, a parent swallow feeds its chick. No branch, no nest – the sky itself becomes the stage of care and trust. To me, a beautiful symbol of how powerful the bond can be. 🐦💙

thank you!

thanks a lot!

🇬🇧 “Fast. Precise. Relentless.”
This purple heron landed right in front of my floating hide, planted its feet in the water, and in one explosive move caught a fish. A moment later it took off again — prey secured. Witnessing this up close, and capturing it, was just incredible.

In the heart of La Brenne (France), this black kite (Milvus migrans) snatched a fish with breathtaking precision.
A swift dive — wings wide, talons ready — and within a split second, it soared back up, prize in claw.

📸 Rare sighting: a flying stag beetle (Lucanus cervus) – the largest beetle species in Western Europe! Adult males are easily recognized by their impressive antler-like jaws. They fly for just a few warm summer weeks to search for mates.
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#LucanusCervus #StagBeetle #FlyingInsect #WildlifeEducation

bedankt Bernard 🖖🏻

A female marsh harrier, gliding and hunting above the reed beds. That silence, that focus, that graceful lethality… always a breathtaking performance in the sky.

#bruinekiekendief #marshharrier

Bluethroats are back from their southern journey, bringing spring in their wake. Their song, their colors… it feels like nature is breathing again. This moment was pure magic.
#blauwborst #bluethroat 💙

An unforgettable moment! This majestic golden eagle flew right past me in the Alps, and I was lucky enough to capture it. The power and elegance of this bird of prey are truly breathtaking! 🦅✨ #goldeneagle #steenarend #wildlifephotography #naturewonder

In the last golden rays of sunlight, the short-eared owl glides by in silence. A magical moment in nature! ✨🦉 #ShortEaredOwl #GoldenHour #NatureBeauty

Majestic beauty in black. 🖤 The elegance and intensity of the black swan captured up close—its piercing red eyes and striking beak make it truly mesmerizing. Nature’s art at its finest!

#BlackSwan #WildlifePhotography #NatureLovers #BirdPortrait #CloseUpNature

dankjewel 🙏

Pure joy in a golden glow ✨
This sanderling has caught its breakfast – a shrimp as the perfect prize! 🦐🐦 Such a magical moment to capture by the shoreline. 🌊📸

Love is in the air… or rather, in the water! 🦩❤️🦩 On this Valentine’s Day, I chose this special photo where two flamingos seem to be kissing. But if you look closely, you’ll see there’s actually a third flamingo in the frame! Can you spot it? 👀💘
#ValentinesDay #Flamingo #WildlifePhotography

he sure was… thanks a lot🙏

thanks 🙏

🌊🐾 This beautiful grey seal looked curiously at the camera while relaxing in the water. Grey seals are known for their playful and curious nature, and this photo is the perfect proof of that. 🌟

✨#Seal #Marinelife #Nature #WildlifePhotography #OceanLove #Photography #NatureLovers

🦩🦩🦩
#Flamingo #BirdPhotography #NatureLovers #WildlifePhotography #NaturePhotography #BirdWatching
📸❤️

✨ 🏔️ Meet the White-winged snowfinch, a fearless mountain dweller! This hardy bird thrives in alpine regions, often seen foraging around ski resorts. Rarely venturing below 1000 meters, even in harsh winter weather, the snowfinch is a true survivor. 🗻❄️🐦 #Snowfinch #MountainBird #AlpineWildlife

You’re welcome! I could take this picture in Wallis (Swiss).