Thundery sky

Bad weather is good weather for a nature photographer. Strabrechtsche Heide this evening, it just starts to rain. Time for one more 30s exposure and then it is time to pack and go back (the open plain is not a nice place to be when lightning is all around). The Natterjack (see previous post) concert just started here.

* Canon EOS 5D Mark II with 17-40mm/f4 @ 17mm; ISO-100, f11, 30s; fader @ 7 stops; from tripod.

Natterjack in concert

New rock band? No, ... just a couple of toads. When dusk sets in the Natterjack's (Epidalea calamita, formerly Bufo calamita / Rugstreeppad) concert starts. It is deafening; look at the large vocal sac (kwaakblaas). Great to be one of the spectators. Night photography is fun!

* Canon EOS 5D Mark II with 100mm/f2.8; ISO-800, f6.3, 1/60s; handheld, flash set at -0.7 stop exposure compensation.   

Aythya storyboarding

On this grey misty morning a Pochard ♀ (Aythya ferina/Tafeleend) and a Tufted Duck ♂ (Aythya fuligula/Kuifeend) came very close. Why? A possible explanation in the form of Aythya thoughts:

[Pochard] “What is that strange clicking sound? Let’s check it out. It seems to come from that black round hole in the shore vegetation. I don’t thrust it, let’s pretend to fall asleep and keep an eye on it from a distance ...”
* Canon EOS 7D with 300mm/f4 IS; ISO-400, f5.6, 1/200s; +0.7 stop; from beanbag.

[Tufted Duck] ”Hmm, why is that insipid Pochard female all the time in that corner of the pond? Probably she discovered delicious molluscs under the water surface. I’d better be careful because Pochards are big and strong, but above all they are really boring, I don’t like their scaly appearance. I really prefer the uniform brownish Anythia fuligula females, especially if they are young. Although the older ones, with some white around the bill base, seem to be better breeders. Let’s go a bit closer inconspicuously. I swim in that direction casuallywhile doing some feather care.”
* Canon EOS 7D with 300mm/f4 IS; ISO-400, f6.3, 1/200s; +0.7 stop; from beanbag.

[Pochard] “Ieeeek, that arrogant Tufted Duck is coming closer. What a poser with those sloppy hairs, he definitely need a proper haircut. I can easily chase it away, but let’s be decent and avoid a confrontation. I move on. By the way that clicking has not stopped yet …”
* Canon EOS 7D with 300mm/f4 IS; ISO-400, f5.6, 1/250s; +1.0 stop; from beanbag.

[Tufted Duck] “Allright she is gone. This was indeed smart tactics to get here without drawing too much attention. Hey what a funny sound. Further nothing special around, except for that round black hole in the vegetation; I did not notice that before. No molluscs either. Okay, let’s move on.”
* Canon EOS 7D with 300mm/f4 IS; ISO-400, f7.1, 1/320s; from beanbag.

[Pochard] “That black-and-white macho is gone sister. By the way, this is also the way they think. Anythia fuligula are somehow unable to see any shades of grey. But as I told you, it was near this place that I heard a very strange sound. Listen, there it is again. Do you know what it is?”
* Canon EOS 7D with 300mm/f4 IS; ISO-400, f7.1, 1/200s; from beanbag.

The moral of this little story is twofold: 1) Prejudices are the cause of many misunderstandings (as we all know of course), 2) If you try to think as your subject, your photography will improve.

Liquid gold

Just a Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis/Dodaars) which floats in liquid gold on Eastern Sunday early in the morning. And now I have to hurry to be home on time for a brunch with my wife’s family. And after that it is time to watch “Parijs-Roubaix” (a.k.a. the Hell of the North) on the telly with a beer!

* Canon EOS 7D with 500mm/f4 IS; ISO-400, f5.6, 1/640s; from beanbag.

In icy waters

At Suininkikoski, east of Kuusamo, where a lake ‘empties’ into a fast flowing river open water can still be found. The last morning of my trip we went to this place to look for Dippers (Cinclus cinclus/Waterspreeuw). About 5 birds were present, one of them was even singing in these icy waters.
Again, many thanks Olli for taking me around, your help was much appreciated! I would also like to thank Jari and Leena of Finnature for making this trip possible on very short notice. I will definitely come back to wild Finland!

* Canon EOS 5D Mark II with 17-40mm/f4 @ 40mm; ISO-100, f16, 1/6s; from tripod.
* Canon EOS 5D Mark II with 500mm/f4 IS; ISO-400, f5.6, 1/250s; +1 stop; from tripod.

Day in a hide

Another day in the Oulanka forest hide; Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos/Steenarend), Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius/Zwarte Specht), and Siberian Jay (Perisoreus infaustus/Taigagaai). Before today this could have happened only in my dreams!

* Canon EOS 5D Mark II with 500mm/f4 IS; ISO-320, f4.5, 1/800s, from tripod.
* Canon EOS 5D Mark II with 500mm/f4 IS; ISO-320, f5, 1/500s; from tripod.
* Canon EOS 7D with 300mm/f4 IS; ISO-400, f8, 1/320s; from beanbag.

Rewontulet

A magic day! In the afternoon we went to Kuntivaara, a hilltop east of Kuusamo, facing the Russian border. It was quite an adventure to get here by snow scooter. The idea was to photograph the sunset and the shadows of the rising moon on this snow-covered fjell. But things got even better; around 22.30 PM, quite as a surprise, the “rewontulet” (Finnish for Northern Lights) came. The greatest lightshow on earth in this spruce candle paradise was awesome! Something divine was writing in the sky, and the old snowy trees (and me!) were watching the play silently.

The Aurora Borealis (named after the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora, and the Greek name for the north wind, Boreas) or Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon that has been surrounded by mystery and intrigue over the centuries. In the Middle Ages, auroras were commonly believed a sign from God. Amerindians call this phenomenon the “Dance of the Spirits”. The Sami people of northern Scandinavia tell of a lovely tale that when a Fox runs across the snow field his tail brushes the snow and produces sparks which are the Northern Lights.
We now know the scientific reason behind this natural light show. Auroras are associated with the solar wind, a stream of ionized particles (mainly protons) flowing outward from the Sun. The Earth’s magnetic field traps these particles, many of which funnel down and accelerate toward the poles. Collisions between these ions and atoms (oxygen and nitrogen) in the upper atmosphere, above 80 km, cause energy releases in the form of auroras.

How to photograph the Northern Lights? Basically you need a long exposure and wide-angle lens to capture it. The best results that I achieved were by using 5 to 20 second exposures. If I used longer the stars began to trail (google the “500 rule” for more information), which I didn't like. I set my camera to ISO 800 and worked with a relatively small aperture of around f/4.0 to f/5.6. You need a sturdy tripod for the job and I used mirror lock-up to combat any vibration once the shutter has been released.
On the moonlit photo Mars is visible left of the main tree, and in the vertical Northern Lights photo Jupiter (left) and Venus (right) are visible just above the horizon at low altitude.

* Canon EOS 5D Mark II with 17-40mm/f4 @ 19mm; ISO-400, f9, 1/60s; +0.3 stop; hand held.
* Canon EOS 5D Mark II with 17-40mm/f4 @ 25mm; ISO-800, f11, 25s; from tripod.
* Canon EOS 5D Mark II with 17-40mm/f4 @ 22mm; ISO-800, f4.5, 6s; from tripod.
* Canon EOS 5D Mark II with 17-40mm/f4 @ 17mm; ISO-800, f5.6, 15s; from tripod.