Neighbourly Netherlands | AWD & Grevelingendam

Dear Deer & Fun Flamingos

As part of my endeavors to become a better wildlife photographer, I signed up for a workshop with Pixfactory to photograph fallow deer in the Amsterdamse Waterleidingduinen (aka AWD). They offer workshops in small groups and you can be at any level in your photography journey to join.

As this location requires me to take a bit of a drive, I decided to optimize this trip by combining the photo workshop with a stop at the Grevelingendam on my way back as I had read about the large group of flamingos (yes you read that right) spending their winter on that location.

But first off to the AWD! I rose at 4:30am, left the house quietly not to disturb my dear family members and off I went with a full electric car charge and a full traveling mug of coffee.

The AWD covers around 3,400 hectares and is primarily used as a water reservoir area for Amsterdam. Many people love to come here for hiking, wildlife observation and wildlife photography.

There are different entrances to the reserve, I parked my car near the entrance of the Zandvoortselaan where the guide would be waiting at the meeting point. You have to buy a parking ticket for the day and also an entry ticket to the park at a small cost. There was a vending machine right next to the parking area that provided both.

Fallow Deer are the most remarkable feature in this reserve. They are so elegant with the spotted coats and antlers, roaming free through the dunes of the AWD. The workshop was organized specifically in the rut season, as the male deer are very active and noisy as they establish their territories. Their display behavior allows for nice photos.

At the time of visit, this was already week 3 of the rut season so some deer were already a bit tired of the whole circus and preferred to roam around the edges of the forest. This allowed for some good photos in the little light we had available as it was still early morning and there was just a hint of drizzle.

The deer were not shy at all, my chosen 180-600mm was too much in certain instances, but this pushed me to be creative and focus on capturing details of the animals.

My review on the workshop: As it was my first photography workshop ever, I was not too sure how much or what kind of guidance we would receive during such an event. The guide was excellent to bring us to the nice photography spots in the forest and give instructions how to position oneself safely to keep a good distance and prevent any physical encounters with deer that would be running away after losing a fight.
The photography guidance was mostly related to exposure and managing the light outside the forest versus inside the forest and the implications of choosing a fast shutter to have sharp photos during a rut fight but getting less light in.

Again - I cannot compare to any other photography workshops but I had hoped for some more tips and tricks. I cannot define exactly what kind of tips, maybe on composition to capture the fallow deer in this environment, being able to draw the viewer of the photo into the mystical morning vibes of the forest. It made me aware however that I have come a long way since my first steps into wildlife photography, which started in April 2024.

On my way back I stopped at Grevelingendam where 78 flamingos were roaming about in the freezing water. I was able to view them quite close and could have spent much more time there if it weren't getting dark.

Highlights

1. Fallow Deer
The first time I saw a Common Kingfisher in my life was in Bergelen. I had listened to its call many times on the Merlin birding app but never had any luck until that beautiful Autumn morning late September when I visited the newly created small pond in Bergelen. And there he was!
2. Birds
I did not focus on the birds during my workshop at AWD since I was too busy following the group and making photos of the deer.
At the Grevelingendam however I was very happy to photograph the beautiful pink flamingo's!

Things I want to see when I go back

Foxes! I have seen many beautiful photos of foxes taken at AWD by other photographers and will plan a visit during another time of the year to focus on those.