Finding wildlife to photograph in early January in Brussels, Belgium is pretty tough. There are very few hours of daylight at this time of the year and the skies are mostly covered with gray clouds during the day (when it is not actually raining). During a quick trip to the botanical gardens in Brussels this morning, I spotted a few birds and was able to capture shots of a Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) and a male Mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos).
The moorhen was swimming and my camera took the shot at 1/13 of a second, which means that the focus is not super sharp, but I like the soft, impressionist feel of the image. The mallard was more or less stationary as he groomed himself at the edge of the pond, but seemed to be keeping an eye on me.
I am here in Brussels for a brief business trip and as is usually the case on such trips, I like to try to fit in a little wildlife photography, even in the center of a city.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Great post 😀
I agree. love the impressionistic look to the moorhen photo. The shimmering water is so beautiful. Thank you.
Totally agree with what Ann Parziale said. The moorhen photo seems very painterly and I find it engaging and almost mesmerizing!
Thanks, Liz. You and I seem to see the photo in similar ways. Sometime photographers get so caught up in trying to make sure things are in sharp focus that we forget that images can attract a viewer’s attention in other ways.
Enjoy Brussels and glad you can slip in some photography amidst business! 🙂
Thanks. There always seems to be something that attracts my eye, no matter whether I am in the city or in the wild.
🙂
The moorhen shot is wonderful – like a vivid painting.
Those colors on that Moorhen! Outstanding 🙂