This year I spent New Year’s on Schiermonnikoog, a small island in the north of the Netherlands. I’ve spent already many months on this island. A great place to relax and be in nature. We have rented a small cottage in the polder and are often surrounded by 1000ds of Barnacle and Brent Geese. Today we had near gale winds, so it was a good time to clear the fog in our heads. Not much was happening on the beach, but then there are always the Sanderlings running along the shoreline. Despite the cold weather and the wind, I laid down on my belly within minutes to get a nice low angle at these agile birds. Every now and then I had to move away quickly to avoid a wave and there was only very little light. The longer shutter speeds resulted in many out of focus images, but a few a nice addition to the many Sanderling images I already have in my library.