Napapiiri

Today a long drive further north, from Kuusamo to Inari (450km). Near Kemijärvi we crossed the Arctic Circle, Napapiiri in Finnish. We ended up in youth hostel Vasatokka. I spent the evening at the garden of the YH looking over the magic Mutusjärvi lake and enjoying the Goldeneyes (Bucephala glancula/Brilduiker) in the mist. The Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus/Koekoek) was a lucky ‘catch’.

Calypso

From 1 to 9 June I joined as partipant and bus driver the Birding Breaks tour to Finnish Lapland and the Varanger fjord.
We started in the lake district near Kuusamo, Finland. To hear ‘our’ winter birds like Redwing (Turdus iliacus/Koperwiek) and Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris/Kramsvogel) sing and defend their nest against obtrusive Hooded Crows (Corvus cornix/Bonte Kraai) is an amazing experience. It somehow closes the circle. Despite intensive efforts we didn’t see any owls. But we did see several singing Red-flanked Bluetails (Tarsiger cyanurus/Blauwstaart) at the well-known hills of Valtavaara. Other personal highlights were Velvet Scoters (Melanitta fusca/Grote Zeeëend) and Little Gulls (Larus minutus/Dwergmeeuw) in full summer plumage.
Another colorful surprise was the beautiful Calypso Orchid (Calypso bulbosa/Bosnimf). They are only to be found in undisturbed northern forests, such as those in Oulanka National Park, close to the Russian border. It is the only species classified in the genus Calypso, which takes its name from the Greek signifying concealment, as they tend to favor sheltered areas on conifer forest floors.
With respect to photography I had to make compromises, but all in all this was more than compensated by traveling with a diverse group of experts. On my own I probably overlooked these tiny shadow-lovers.

The last one to disappear

Last year I already showed you an overview of the rich flowering field (see post of May 20th 2009) that I found accidentally not far from where I live. This year I went back to make some close-ups and to identify these beautiful dark purple orchids.

Here is some additional Wikipedia info: The Western Marsh Orchid (Dactylorhiza majalis/Brede Orchis), also called Broad-leaved Marsh Orchid (Breedbladige Orchis), is a terrestrial European orchid. Its flowering period begins at lower elevations as early as the beginning of May and ends in higher elevations at the end of July. The Western Marsh Orchid grows in nitrogen-poor marsh areas that consist of several plant communities. The range extends in Europe from the Pyrenees to the Baltic and to the Don, possible even to the Volga. It is not found south of the Alps and is rare in southern Scandinavia. As with many marsh plants, the numbers of this species have been dwindling for quite some time. The main causes are the entry of nitrogen via fertilizer, drying out of the habitat, and intensive conversion to pasture. The Western Marsh Orchid does not react so sensitively to changes in its habitat. Therefore, it is usually the last of the native orchids to disappear. This tolerance makes it a still relatively common species.

Keeping your balance

The Scarce Chaser (Libellula fulva/Bruine Korenbout) is a dragonfly species of special concern due to loss of its specific ideal habitat. The adult ♂ has a bright blue abdomen with black patches, while the adult ♀ and juvenile ♂ each have a bright orange abdomen. It is about 45 mm in length with an average wingspan of 74 mm. It is distributed throughout Europe. They live on marshes with dense, abundant vegetation. ♀♀ deposit their eggs in slow-current streams, like abandoned channels. Once deposited, the eggs lie embedded in the mud of the riverbed and the larvae develop underwater for usually two years. Adults live from May to August, during which time they mate and lay eggs.
The photos show the birth of an imago and a fresh ♂ on Wild Chervil (Anthriscus sylvestris/Fluitekruid).

Golden hour

This morning at 6h45 AM, I witnessed this impressive sunrise above the steaming lake. Compare this photo with the upload of April 9-th, 2010. It is taken at the same place from a slightly different angle.

Blackthorn blossom

After we moved my daughter’s furniture on Saturday to Breda, I went for a short evening walk to a young forest patch close to my home. A lovely little Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita/Tjiftjaf) showed up at exactly the right branch. It is spring time!

Cloudy sunrise

I usually spent long hours, days, and even weeks to make the photo that I have in mind (and sometimes I will not succeed at all), but the reverse also happens. This weekend I had not much time for photography, because my daughter Evelien went into rooms in Breda where she studies “Communication and Multimedia Design”. But on Friday morning, when everybody was still sleeping, I went for a short visit to Soerendonks Goor and saw this cloudy sunrise.