Mallard ducks are boring animals to photographers? I don´t think so. Of course we lose the sense for recognizing the beauty of common animals you can find in every city. You need a closer look and some lost patience to see the beauty again.
I really enjoy seeing the colors and structures of these bird feathers. You can practically see the water repellency of this bird skin.
The photos were taken with the Pentax K3 III and the Pentax 560 mm F5.6 + 1.4x Teleconverter.
Some birds photographed in Stade (Niedersachsen) over Christmas with the Pentax K3 III and the Pentax 560 mm F5.6.
Late summer is the right time to find dead insects at home. Here we have a hornet which just fell down from the sky in the living room. I took the chance to make a close-up photo of this majestetic flying insect.
Photos were taken with the Pentax K1 II and the Pentax DFA 100mm F2.8 Macro.
European wood ants are not easy to photograph as they are fast and always busy doing stuff for their colony. I tried to make good photos of these beautiful ants often, but this time I literally focused on them very patiently using a full frame camera and a 180mm macro lens. 
Photo taken with the Pentax K1 II and the Sigma 180mm F3.5 EX DG APO Macro.
The Eastern Green Lizard (Lacerta viridis) is a very rare reptile species in Germany. It is one of the largest lizards in Europe and is certainly one of the most beautiful animals to be found in Germany. However, it is not easy to find it and that is a good thing, because it is strictly protected and threatened with extinction, especially in East Germany.
During late spring and early summer the males of these reptiles have very great colors with blue or turquoise colored heads and light green bodies.
The escape distance of these rare animals is quite high, but in some cases you can get so close to it that you can take a portrait of her using a macro lens. 
Photo taken May 2021 using the Pentax K1 II and the Pentax 150 – 450 mm F4.5-5.6 zoom lens.
Great crested grebes are enchanting-looking water birds and certainly one of the most popular photo opportunities for nature photographers.
However, especially during the mating season, these elegant birds can also become extremely uncomfortable with one another. 
Photos were taken with the Pentax K3 III and the Pentax 150-450 mm F4.5-5.6 in Berlin Spandau.
Insects are often depicted in absolute close-up with a macro lens. Here I took the old lens Pentax M 50mm 1.7 out of the closet and used the maximum aperture to photograph insects a bit surreal in their own world.
The mandarin duck is a particularly beautiful duck that originally came from East Asia. Due to its splendor of colors, it was kept as a pet in Europe, but was then also able to spread into the wild.
These photos were taken in Berlin Spandau. Despite their familiarity with humans, the animals are more shy than mallards and must therefore be photographed with a telephoto lens.
I used the Pentax K1 II and the Pentax 300mm F4.
