Derick Rethans

@derickr

Hi, I'm Derick. I work on PHP as part of the PHP Foundation. I am the author of @Xdebug. I like #walking, #languages, #photography, #astronomy, and #space, and […] [bridged from on the fediverse by ]

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Derick Rethans@derickr· 3d

Enjoying my afternoon and evening out at Lords for some cricket! #TheHundred #cricket #london

A bright blue sky with a bright green oval of crass upon which people are playing a sport.

Derick Rethans@derickr· 6d

I got myself a sheet of Sun-safe filter material, and McGuyvered a pop-up filter for my lens. The first attempt sort of worked, but I didn't get the filter 100% straight. Luckily I have more material. But this is sort of my first attempt, and a few sunspots are […] [Original post on phpc.social]

A yellow disc, the Sun. With some black spots (sunspots) visible in the lower right limb of the disc.

Derick Rethans@derickr· 10d

But the best thing I saw on my stroll through London's Richmond Park yesterday, was finding a nest of Sparrowhawks. There was one parent and two juveniles. First they were soaring overhead, before one of them landed in a tree right in front of me. A while […] [Original post on phpc.social]

A mostly brown bird, with white specks in its wings is perched upon a branch. It has a bright yellow eye with dark iris. It looks towards the right.

A mostly brown bird, with white specks in its wings soars overhead. You see it from below against a bright blue sky.

Derick Rethans@derickr· 10d

I had a stroll through London's Richmond Park yesterday. I found quite a few Green and Great-Spotted Woodpeckers! #BirdsOfFediverse #Birds #BirdPhotography #Nature #NaturePhotography #London #NoAI

A mostly green bird, with a white belly, and a bright red cap on its head is hanging on a thick tree. It's pointed to the left.

A white and black bird, with a red underbelly and red cap is perched upon a thick tree stump. It's quite far away.

Derick Rethans@derickr· 16d

Staring Contest with an Owl This Little Owl stared at me intensely for a fair amount of time in London's Bushy Park. #BirdPhotography #BirdsOfFediverse #NaturePhotography #Photography #SuperbOwl #London #Birds

A brown owl, with white specks and a white belly stands on a branch face on. It has its head turned towards the watcher. It has big yellow eyes, and a yellow beak. There is some fluff caught in a cobweb behind it.

Derick Rethans@derickr· 17d

Little Owl owlet This lovely owlet was quite easy to find in a London Park, with some help as they camouflage so well! I saw its sibling too. #BirdPhotography #BirdsOfFediverse #Photography #Nature #London #BirdsOfMastodon

A Little Owl owlet, a brown and white flecked bird with a sharp yellow hooked beak, is perched upon a branch in a tree. It's looking at you.

Derick Rethans@derickr· 18d

I went to a park (Bushy Park) to look for some owls. I found Owls (Little and Tawny), but also a Green Woodpecker and two Kingfishers. Snaps from my camera screen, and real photos will follow, but not of the Kingfishers as they were too far away and the photos […] [Original post on phpc.social]

A Little Owl Owlet on a branch on a camera screen.

Derick Rethans@derickr· 20d

I've just finished reading Star Ship Troopers. #Reading #BookList2026

The cover in red, with white cut out letters spelling out the title:

Robert A. Heinlein
Star
Ship
Troopers

The science fiction classic.

Derick Rethans@derickr· Jul 13

I've just finished reading "Schoofhondjes" (in Dutch). A great collection of columns, although I did need to Google some of the names and references as I hadnt heard about all of them! #Reading #BookList2026

Youp

Schoofhondjes
en andere afgerichte huisdieren.

And a photo of a dog with glasses on.

Derick Rethans@derickr· Jul 10

Guinness isn't what it used to be...

A yellow Guinness with a slice of lemon, and all frozen like a margarita.

Derick Rethans@derickr· Jul 8

If you're in London (or Southern England) the ISS is going to make a fly over pass between 23:30 and 23:40 (a little earlier for West of London). If you're further North than London, the ISS shows further South. Almost straight overhead. It's going to be bright. #ISS #SpaceStation #SpaceFlight

Derick Rethans@derickr· Jul 5

But I think my favourite photo was of this Carrion Crow in flight. #Photography #BirdsOfFediverse #BirdPhotography #Nature

A black crow with its wings spread wide. You can easily count the flight feathers. The background is a corn field.

Derick Rethans@derickr· Jul 5

The new birds I saw, were mostly too far away to get good photos. But I saw my first Spoonbill, Corn Bunting, and a flock of Black-tailed Godwits. #BirdPhotography #BirdsOfFediverse

Very blurry Spoonbill preening itself. There are two Shelducks and a Black-headed Gull in the photo too.

Five of the nine Black-Tailed Godwits in a shallow part of the lake. Some are snoozing.

Derick Rethans@derickr· Jul 5

I had a lovely walk around RSPB Bowers Marsh yesterday, where I saw some expected birds, and a bunch of new species. When I got there, there was this welcome committee of Starlings. #BirdPhotography #nature #BirdsOfFediverse #Birds #Photography #RSPB

A bunch of Starlings on a wooden fence. They're looking to the right. There is greenery behind them.

Derick Rethans@derickr· Jun 26

Having a sleep after learning how to create value. #goose #EgyptianGoose #BirdPhotography #Photography #BirdsOfFediverse

A huddle of tiny Egyptian Goose goslings

Derick Rethans@derickr· Jun 23

Look at me being cool! A created tit sits on a branch among some leaves. #BirdPhotogaphy #BirdsOfMastodon #Birds #photography #aves #TheNetherlands #nature

A small yellow bird with a black head, with a white mask and proper white/black quiff.

It is perched on a branch and looks to the right.

Derick Rethans@derickr· Jun 14

Oystercatcher Parent and Chick Standing on the edge of a lake in the Arundel Wetlands. #birds #birdPhotography #Birdsoffediverse #Photography #Nature #Wildlife

Two black and white birds looking at each other. On the left the parent has a bright red beak and red legs. The bird on the right has a more orange beak, and mostly grey legs. It is also fluffy. Some greenery fills the background, and the foreground is water with little ripples.

Derick Rethans@derickr· Jun 8

Song Thrush Tweets: Good Morning #BirdPhotography #BirdsOfFediverse #Birds #Nature #Photography #london

A white and brown bird. The top is brown, and the bottom white. The transition is brown spots. It has yellow-ish legs, and is perched on a branch among green leaves. It looks to the right.

Derick Rethans@derickr· Jun 7

Black-headed Gull in Flight. #photography #Birds #BirdPhotogaphy #BirdsOfMastodon #nature #london #BirdsOfFediverse

A white bird with a black head. The beak is reddish. The wing tips are grey.

The background is dark green and out of focus.

Derick Rethans@derickr· Jun 5

@kolombiken They're nicer than this photo I took, where it is flying away :-D

A bird flying away towards the green trees in the distance.

Derick Rethans@derickr· Jun 3

Goldfinch in a Tree #photography #Birds #BirdPhotogaphy #BirdsOfMastodon #nature #london #BirdsOfFediverse #wildlife

A colourful bird is perched on a branch in the top of a tree.

Derick Rethans@derickr· Jun 2

I've just finished reading The Faith of Beasts, by James S. A. Corey. It's the second book in The Captives' War series, and by the same authors that wrote The Expense series of books and TV series. It's an excellent read, and I can't wait for the third one in […] [Original post on phpc.social]

A colorful sci-fi scene with beams coming out of space ships.

It has the name of the author(s), and the title of the book.

Derick Rethans@derickr· Jun 2

Juvenile Starling in Flight #photography #Birds #BirdPhotography #BirdsOfMastodon #nature #wildlife #BirdsOfFediverse

A light brown/grey bird with whiter wind feathers flies over a lake. There is greenery on the far shore.

Derick Rethans@derickr· May 31

Common Tern Fishing #BirdPhotography #BirdsOfFediverse #Birds #BirdsOfFediverse #Nature #Photography #London #Wildlife

A white bird with a black patch on the top of its head, with a red-orange beak and legs. It has its wings in a narrow V shape, and the tail is broad. You can count the features in the wings and tail. The sky is light blue.

© Derick Rethans

Derick Rethans@derickr· May 26

This is not a good inside temperature. #heatwave #esp32 #london

A little screen with eight by eight pixels in a lego box. The image shows the sun with in red overlain the numbers 33.

There is also a green stick at the back, feeding the box nuclear waste.

Derick Rethans@derickr· May 25

Northern Lapwing On The Move This dapper bird is having a stroll looking for lunch. I like the iridescence in its wings. #BirdPhotography #BirdsOfFediverse #Nature #Photography #London #BirdsOfMastodon

A black and white bird, with a long quiff is walking along a shore. Its wings are iridescent, and it's longish legs orange. The ground is muddy, and the plants in the background small, and brown/green.

Derick Rethans@derickr· May 23

Kingfisher #photography #Birds #BirdPhotogaphy #BirdsOfMastodon #nature #london #BirdsOfFediverse

A kingfisher is perched on a branch, and looking to the right. The background is green.

Derick Rethans@derickr· May 19

I got a new lens. It's a little bit larger, and loads heavier, than my older one. #photography #naturephotography

A camera with a mega 150-600mm zoom lens attached. The old one for scale, is half the size.

Derick Rethans@derickr· May 18

I saw a Kingfisher fishing yesterday! It's not a great photo, but it was great seeing it using the branch as a perch for fishing. #BirdPhotography #BirdsOfFediverse #Nature #London

A shimmering blue and orange bird (a kingfisher) is perched atop a branch in a pond. It's looking towards the left.

A shimmering blue and orange bird (a kingfisher) is leaving the pond in a cloud of water drops. It's flying towards the left.

Derick Rethans@derickr· May 14

On the lookout. A Common Reed Warbler perched on a reed branch. #photography #Birds #BirdPhotogaphy #nature