A little owl folds its wings. Picardie, France.

With the size of a starling, the little owl is one of the smallest owl species. But what it lacks in size, it makes up for in character. The ancient Greeks were particularly enchanted by it and considered it to be the special bird of Athena, goddess of wisdom. This is likely why we see owls as purveyors of wisdom in Western societies. With its large eyes, round head and chunky body, you can’t help but fall for the charm of this little creature when you watch it excitedly bobbing up and down on a branch. Though cute as it may appear, it has a fierce temperament and can kill prey close to its own size. A spectacular example is this little owl captured by André Eijkenaar with a weasel in its talons.

For two centuries the Greek tetradrachm coins (5th century BC pictured) carried an image of Athena’s head on the obverse, and a little owl with an olive branch and a crescent moon on the reverse. The new Greek one euro coin shows the same little owl design. Images by Classical Numismatic Group (tetradrachm coin; CC BY-SA 3.0) and European Central Bank (euro coin).

This week I was finally able to get out in the field again, the first time since my adventure in Chile past February. I drove to France and my friend Joris De Raedt joined me on the way (who made the beautiful blue whale illustration for my feature story in National Geographic this month). I have thoroughly enjoyed the attention that the award brought forward, but spring always feels like a race against time—everything I’ve been longing to photograph happens in the span of just a few weeks—and it’s a relief to be back in the French countryside.

While I was photographing barn owls last summer, I built a nest box tailored to little owls and installed it in a walnut tree. I was hoping we would get a chance to photograph the little owls in the walnut, but on our arrival we found a rather different family of birds living in the nest box. Three bold, helpless starling chicks lie waiting for their parents, who are slaving away to bring enough food to their rapidly growing offspring and carry out their poo.

A family of starlings took up residence in the little owl nest box. One week old chicks. Picardie, France.

After eight days the young starlings open their eyes for the first time. Picardie, France.

Luckily we received reports of little owl sightings nearby. We set out with a portable speaker playing little owl recordings to try and find Athena’s bird, hoping the owls in the area would respond with their characteristic call. This would make it easier to find them and allow us to cover a lot of ground quickly.

Playing back little owl sounds to locate nests. Picardie, France. Photo by Joris De Raedt.

Looking for little owls with Joris De Raedt (left). Picardie, France. Photo by Joris De Raedt.

But covering a lot of ground didn’t turn out to be necessary. We soon located three pairs, one nest, and even caught a glimpse of a mating. The next day we set up two camera traps near a group of pollarded hornbeams lining a meadow where we had heard a pair. Old pollards often become hollow and provide excellent nesting opportunities for little owls.

Whenever you work with a new animal, whether it is as a biologist or as a photographer, it takes a while to get used to its behavior. This is an issue particularly when you use camera traps. Where is it going to land? How fast does it fly? From which direction will it come? Lacking the experience we didn’t have high expectations when we settled into camping chairs with our binoculars to start our first evening of observations from the edge of the meadow. Much to our surprise we were both rewarded with several photos of little owls landing on a post—still a long way from the images I’m after, but it is definitely an encouraging result.

Pollarded hornbeams lining a meadow make for excellent little owl habitat. Picardie, France.

Just yesterday afternoon we found three more nest holes only several hundred meters from the other ones. I’m really surprised by how many owls there are in the area. Unfortunately Joris had to leave shortly afterwards, but I will be here for a few more days. At the moment the owls don’t show much activity during the day and I have a sense that this means it is still a little early in the season for chicks. Time will tell. In the mean time I’m working on a different project that I hope to share with you soon.

Stay tuned!

Read In Search of the Bird of Athena at Joris van Alphen Photography.

Opening spread of 'Passie voor de walvis' in National Geographic Magazine Netherlands/Belgium, May 2012.

Ten pages of it! Now in newsstands and stores across the Netherlands and Belgium. My first feature story for National Geographic, Passie voor de walvis (Passion for the whale), about my adventures with the Centro de Conservación Cetacea protecting the blue whales of Chile.

It’s a very special feeling to hold the first copy in my hands—to say I’m excited would be an understatement. I’m very pleased with what the editors have done with it. The layout is beautiful, and I’m also very happy with a beautiful drawing contributed by Joris De Raedt that illustrates the sheer scale of this giant of the oceans. You can read the first paragraphs over at National Geographic.

Now what are you waiting for? To the newsstand, go and get it! And don’t forget to tell me what you think!

Read It’s Out! at Joris van Alphen Photography.

Panoramic view point. Rhône Alpes, France.

I just returned from a week’s vacation in the French Alps. My map marked this bench as a “panoramic view point”—how do you like the panorama?

Read Panoramic View Point at Joris van Alphen Photography.

My friends Nate Dappen and Neil Losin at Day’s Edge Productions are working on a noteworthy conservation project and they need your help to get it off the ground. They want to put photography and science together into an original coffee-table book about the threatened Ibiza wall lizard that inhabits Ibiza, Formentera, and the surrounding islets. You may remember this alluring reptile from a short film Nate and I created last year.

Who better to introduce the project than Nate himself?

Over the past years Nate and Neil have already completed a lot of work for the book, but they need to return to Formentera one more time to finish it, and they need to raise funds for the publication of the book’s first edition. They are now running a Kickstarter campaign that you can join. As I write this, they have already raised almost half of their $15,000 goal, with 29 days to go. If the video piqued your interest, head over to Kickstarter to learn how you can help, and what you will get in return.

And finally, if it makes any difference, funding their project will also bring new photos from Formentera to this blog—perhaps even a new film—as I will be sure to pay them a visit in the field if they succeed!

Read Kickstart This Book at Joris van Alphen Photography.

Noor van Schaik at the entrance of the academy building. Groningen, the Netherlands.

After a brief hiatus while I was on assignment in Chile, my photo feature in Universiteitskrant Groningen is back this week with a photo of Noor van Schaik. As head of student information & administration, she’s responsible for the enrollment of the university’s 28.000 students every year. To symbolize her role as ‘gatekeeper’ I asked her to pose at the entrance of the university’s academy building.

Get the paper from the familiar blue bins around town, or read the digital edition below to learn more about Noor van Schaik:

Click to enlarge (requires Flash).

Read Joris Kijkt: Noor van Schaik at Joris van Alphen Photography.

European tree frog in the reeds. Kiskunsági Nemzeti Park, Hungary.

I’m introducing a new regular feature to the blog, the Photo of the Month. This will be a place to highlight a photo from my archives every now and then that hasn’t seen the blog before. First up is this photo of a European tree frog in the reeds. I made it in 2007 when I was in the marshlands of Kiskunsági Nemzeti Park in the south of Hungary to study penduline tits.

You can find tree frogs by tracing their mating calls during spring. Males will sit near ponds in overhanging trees or low shrubs near the water and call to attract females. They’re only about three to four centimeters in size, but they can leap ten times their own body length! This is what a tree frog serenade sounds like:

Read Photo of the Month: European Tree Frog at Joris van Alphen Photography.

Northern Pike in 't Veenmeer, the Netherlands.

Noorderkrant, March 7, 2012.

My underwater photography will be on display as part of the new exhibit Festival de l’Animal at Atelier Horneman in Ten Boer. In addition, the exhibit features beautiful paintings by Eduard Bezembinder, Gerda and Theo Onnes, and Martin Horneman, as well as sculptures by Ingrid Mol, and etchings by Jittie Wildeman.

The exhibit opens this Sunday, March 11, at 15.00 and can be seen until June 9, 2012. Naturally, there will be snacks and drinks at the opening. I hope to see you there!

Visitor Information

Address: Ticheldobben 8, 9791 CZ Ten Boer
Visiting hours: Friday and Saturday from 11.00–17.00, 1^st Sunday of the month 13.00–17.00 (April–October), or by appointment (call +31650563099)

Read Exhibit at Atelier Horneman at Joris van Alphen Photography.

Archeological conservator Gert van Oortmerssen pieces back together an old vase excavated in Italy. Groningen, the Netherlands.

For the January issue of my monthly feature in Universiteitskrant Groningen I photographed Gert van Oortmerssen.

This work remains a matter of feeling—it can’t be automated.

Gert van Oortmerssen is conservator and analyst in the Laboratory for Conservation and Material Studies of the Groningen Institute of Archaeology (GIA). With the greatest care he restores the centuries old pottery, jewelry and other objects excavated by the GIA. Vases like this one are often in dozens of pieces and it’s no small task to put the right shard back in the right place. Automation is not possible—computers simply don’t have the power yet. For the time being it remains a matter of feeling and a lot of patience. Doesn’t that get boring? “Never. Every puzzle is a new one.”

Click to enlarge (requires Flash).

Read Joris Kijkt: Gert van Oortmerssen at Joris van Alphen Photography.

Interview with Joris van Alpen in Bionieuws, February 4, 2012.

While I was away, Bionieuws published a nice interview about my photography. It was this small newspaper that published my first photos several years ago, and sent me on my first paid assignments. It’s extra special for me now to find a portrait by Reyer Boxem of me in the same space where some of my own pictures appeared before.

Biologiestudent en natuurfotograaf Joris van Alphen gaat voor National Geographic in Chili een fotoreportage maken van de blauwe vinvis. ‘Een prachtkans om de wereld in te gaan, dingen te zien en met anderen te delen.’

For those curious about my activities in Chile, the article also provides some background information on the project I worked on. If you receive Bionieuws in the mail you will find the interview on page two of the second issue. Otherwise you can get the PDF from the publicity page in the About section of the site.

Read Interview in Bionieuws at Joris van Alphen Photography.

The field station of Centro de Conservación Cetacea on the island of Chiloé, Chile.

“The next post will be from Chile!” Well, barely.

It feels like I’ve only just arrived in Chile and yet my time here is already up. I’ll be boarding my plane in a few minutes, so I will leave you with this photo from last night of the cabin under the Milky Way that was my home for the past three weeks. I’m sorry I didn’t get to post anything from the field—I really wanted to share my experiences with you as they were happening, but I had my hands full with working on the project. I’m signing off now—the next post will be from home!

Read The Field Station at Joris van Alphen Photography.