May, 2013
 

Over the past couple of weeks we had a great time photographing cute wild European rabbits. It’s a common animal of the British countryside, nevertheless it is such a good feeling to spend some time close to them.
Our photographed family of rabbits had five adorable kittens with one of them being very brave and curious.

A typical wild rabbit day starts at dawn. Eating, grooming and playing continuous until about mid morning. Time around mid to late afternoon is spend for resting and sleeping in the most extensive burrow system called warren which is dug to a depth of 3 meters. But our brave kitten didn’t need a warren all the time - it had a favorite sleeping spot over ground. It was such a delight to watch how its eyelids were getting heavier and heavier and it slowly was falling asleep…

Kittens become active again in the early evening. Eating is on the top of the list. They would graze heavily and rapidly for roughly the first half hour, followed by about half an hour of more selective feeding.

Time after dinner is perfect for grooming.

Rabbits are very alert mammals. It’s not a surprise that they listen to every single sound by rotating their cute ears. Our kittens were always alerted by a call of a magpie or a noise of an air plane crossing the sky. It used to take just a glimpse of a second for them to disappear inside the burrows.

A maze of interconnecting tunnels served superbly as a hiding place. They would trick us by disappearing in one burrow and appearing in the other.

During the day kittens may look a bit sad

Sometimes a bit naughty

But always very sweet and lovable...

Rabbits may live over two years in the wild, but when predators are numerous and weather conditions are extreme, they seldom live up to a year. Hopefully our rabbits will be the lucky ones.

June, 2013
 

We've just got back from a trip to Bulgaria, a perfect destination for bird and animal lovers. It’s a place which could be easily described as true wilderness. Photographing European Bee-eaters (Merops apiaster) during a busy young feeding time was the main target. In general Bee-eaters breed in southern Europe and in parts of Africa and Asia. They have attempted to nest in Britain on at least five occasions. A recent pair on the Isle of Wight have the potential to become a third successfully breeding couple. Upon arrival in Sofia airport we were met by our friend ornithologist Boris Belchev who drove us to the North East of Bulgaria. We' ve settled down in a cottage located in a small village in "Suha reka" region. The area is rich in wildlife and nearly 200 species of birds are recorded here. 
The first morning we climbed to a tower hide 9 meters above the ground to photograph brightly coloured Golden Oriole. Unfortunately there was no sign of the bird. Nevertheless the tree was visited by Common and Lesser Whitethroat, Corn Bunting, Linnet, Tree Sparrow and other passerines. In the afternoon when the weather cooled down a bit, we headed to a Bee-eaters site. We saw quite a few birds but photography wise it was not the best day. 

As the birds are active feeding early in the morning, we decided to come back to the site at dawn. We set-up our hides before the sunrise and to our big relieve birds started to turn up with the first light.

There was a good bird activity, unfortunately they were not feeding the chicks. Bee-eaters are strongly migratory birds, wintering in tropical Africa, India and Sri Lanka. After a cold and long winter they had arrived back into Bulgaria 2-3 weeks later than normal. It was a bit disappointing however we still had good photo opportunities of this incredibly colourful bird.

As the name suggests bees are on the top of the menu for Bee-eaters, though they’ll prey on dragonflies, butterflies, moths – just about anything that flies.

Smaller insects are eaten while still airborne, but bees are brought back to the perch to remove a stinger for a venom free meal. Only then the food is swallowed safely.

As the name suggests bees are on the top of the menu for European Bee-eaters, though they’ll prey on dragonflies, butterflies, moths – just about anything that flies.

After a good meal, preening and stretching activities follow...

To our delight the following morning two or even three birds were landing on a perch.

There was plenty of action around.

Our morning photo sessions used to finish around 10 am as it gets hot during the day and the sun is simply too harsh. With the rising temperature Bee - eaters seemed to be less active and perched with the beaks open which helped to beat the heat.

Most of the evenings we used to spend roaming along farmland roads in the car and photographing any birds we encountered. We came up with pretty good results: Common Linnet,  Black-headed Bunting, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Whitethroat, Turtle Dove, Lesser Grey Shrike, Red Backed Shrike, Goldfinch, Corn bunting and others. There are some of the photos:

We were happy to spot Ground Squirrel known as Suslik. They are very cute animals and generally live on or in the ground, rather than trees.

Susliks are shy and that day they were constantly disturbed by Booted Eagles what made photography a bit tricky.

While driving along the country roads all of us were really hoping for an encounter with a Hoopoe. To our big surprise, on the third evening of our trip we've spotted this remarkable black and white tipped crest. It definitely was a Hoopoe.

We photographed Hoopoe from a car. Overall we've spent probably 1.5 hours with the bird as it was disappearing in the grass, flying away and coming back again. It was one of the best photographic moments although the pictures are not exceptionally great.

Driving along the roads, we even spotted a Roller. The next day we set - up a temporary hide close to the place where the bird was seen. It was pretty quiet most of the time only couple of times these guys cheered us up.

After a few hours of waiting, a Roller landed. It was a brilliant though very short moment.

For the last morning we tried Golden Oriole tower hide again with no luck. Only we have managed to disturb an Edible Dormouse which scared Boris to death :)

Before leaving Suha river area, Boris drove us to the northern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. We've reached Kaliakra with first light of dawn. While walking along the coast we were accompanied by Bottlenose dolphins and Alpine Swifts.

Pied Wheatear was very common and we had good photo opportunities.

The last evening of our trip we've spent in Pleven where we spotted Little Bittern, Roller, Great Reed Warbler. Little Egret came pretty close...

Overall it was a great experience with nice memories and challenging photography what made it all more rewarding. Bulgaria is a really nice place for nature lovers and it has so much to offer. 

July, 2013
 

There are plenty of islands around to visit but one of our favourite places is a very quiet, peaceful and remote location – Shetland Islands. This year we decided to spend some time in Fair Isle which is the most remote island in the United Kingdom with only 70 inhabitants.

It is a really small island - only 5 kilometers length and 3 kilometers width. Over 100,000 pairs of 17 species of seabirds breed here. Fulmars, Kittiwakes, Guillemots, Razorbills and Puffins form the majority of this figure. Gannets, Shags, Arctic Skuas, Great Skuas, Common Terns, Arctic Terns and Black Guillemots breed in smaller numbers. 

Fair Isle can be reached from the Shetland mainland either by a cargo ship "Good Shepherd" for 12 passengers or by 8 - seater “Islander” aircraft. We have chosen an adventurous ferry journey. Looking back we can say that it was not clever at all… Seasickness turned our trip to a pure misery. It was 2.5 hours of torture. Obviously we've booked plane tickets for our return trip.
With the return journey sorted and stomachs getting happier our full attention was focused on adorable puffins - “little brothers of the north" as their Latin name “Fratercula arctica” means.

The main puffin colonies are located in the North of Fair Isle. As we stayed in South it meant we had to walk ~ 2.5 miles each way, which to be honest we quite enjoyed; especially very early mornings in cool and mystic atmosphere.

Fair Isle is not the warmest and sunniest place. With the average of 136 hours of sun in July we were very lucky to have  beautiful golden light, great sunrises and sunsets. By the way, December has an average of 20.6 hours of sunshine.

Atlantic Puffins are true seabirds considering they spend most of their lives at sea, returning to land at the start of the breeding season in late spring. The birds line their nests, which are at the end of 70-110 cm (27-43 inches) burrows, with grass, seaweed and feathers. All the necessary material is carried in the beak, which by the way becomes deeper with age and gets up to 3 grooves.

 We are not sure what this puffin intended to do with a bone but other puffins seemed to be interested in it too…

Puffins are really cute and it's a pleasure to photograph them.

Puffins raise one chick at a time and feed it 5-8 times daily. Obviously it is a very busy season for them and great time for us photographing birds with the beaks full of sand eels. In the UK a record catch by one puffin is 62 sand eels.

During the middle of the day the life in the colony is quiet; some puffins spend time preening, others are down in the burrows or out at sea feeding, some stand by their burrow entrances and interact with other birds.

Pairs of puffins strengthen their bond by preening each other and tossing their heads.

Puffin colonies vary. Some are big, some are small; some are easy approachable, others are difficult to reach but we have noticed that in all of them puffins seemed to be very curious. If we sit still for a while, puffins would start poking out their faces from their burrows and come closer and closer to us.

Photographing puffins in flight is very challenging as they fly up to 55 mph. Fast 300 mm f2.8 lens, good wind direction and light enables to capture some flight images. In our case the light could have been a bit better, but still it was a nice feeling photographing this charismatic bird.

Most puffin colonies are empty soon after mid-August. Puffin chicks leave a colony when they fledge and head off to the ocean without their parents.  They return to land when they are 2-3 years old. Adults will come back to their breeding grounds next spring. 

Puffin Yawning

If you have any queries or would like to leave a comment, please drop as an e-mail.  We are always happy to hear from you.

July, 2013
 

This year our full attention was focused on photographing adorable puffins - “little brothers of the north" as their Latin name “Fratercula arctica” means. Fair Isle is a brilliant place for puffins and we had some amazing time there.

A blog just about puffins in Shetland islands you can find here.

Photographing puffins in Fair Isle was a part of our photography holidays, the rest of our time in Shetland islands we've decided to spend in Noss, Bressay, Lerwick, Mousa and Sumburgh.

Noss is a small (313 hectares), previously inhabited island off the east coast of Bressay. Last year we could not make a trip to this tiny island because of the poor weather and rough sea. This year luckily we have managed to cross a narrow, 150 metres wide sound by a ferry - an inflatable boat. The earliest time to reach the island is 10 am and the last ferry is at 5 pm.

A small information centre is housed in an old farmhouse on Noss where you can find a more detailed information about 10 km path around the island.

Noss is a National Nature Reserve and part of a sheep farm. So it is quite common to meet this beauty. 350 sheep maintain a suitable sward for many species of ground nesting birds by simply grazing the grassland. 

In Noss years of wind and ice have created thousands of ledges in sandstone cliffs. Over 80000 seabirds of 13 different species come to breed here every year. 

Photographing Northern Gannet was our main target. Noup cliffs at the south-east of the island rise up to 181 metres and hold big numbers of gannets. Although it is not the largest gannetry in Britain, Noss is fairly easy accessible one, combining large numbers of birds with a spectacular scenery. There is no possibility to get morning or evening light because of the time restriction visiting the island. Nevertheless it is a good site and there were good photo opportunities.

Northern Gannets nest very close to each other.

Neighbouring birds are aggressive and quarrelsome, they may attack and kill unguarded chicks.

Adult gannets leave the colony between August and October and fly 800 - 1600 km from the breeding grounds. Each bird returns to it's own particular nest site for its entire life.

During the breeding season cliffs at Noss are full of live. They provide ideal nest sites for Common Guillemots,  Kittiwakes, Shags, Razorbills.

And of course puffins... We have spent lots of time with this adorable bird on Fair Isle but still could not resist a temptation to photograph them in Noss.

Noss is a small island but a walk to the top of Noup cliffs is a little bit challenging. The first day we followed a route by a coastline and it took us about 2 hours of an intensive walking. The next day we followed another path but ended up being targets of Great Skuas. Noss holds the 5th largest great skua colony in the world with over 350 breeding pairs.

Great Skuas, known as Bonxies or pirates of the seas, are aggressive birds and famous for dive-bombing.

There were lots of times when we have witnessed Great Skuas chasing the birds until they drop food but for the first time we've spotted a Bonxie feeding on a dead rabbit on sandy coast. 

Noss with it's moorland, grazing lands, sandy and boulder beaches supports a variety of wildlife. One of our favourite encounters was with a Common Ringed Plover.

Another highlight - spotting a Twite.

By going down the cliffs we've discovered good possibilities to photograph Common Eiders and Seals.

Another highlight was spotting a Black Guillemot on the  lower cliffs of Noss.

Definitely Noss is a great place. There is so much to see and do that all the time we ended up running to catch the last boat to Bressay. From their we used to walk 3 miles instead of driving to the ferry. Surrounding fields hold a variety of birds. Photographing a Dunlin was a highlight for us. 

Last year we were lucky to have a brilliant possibility to photograph Golden plover, unfortunately this year we saw this bird from a distance and only had to be pleased with sweet  memories.

We've checked the loch were we've photographed Red-throated diver last year and were very pleased to see it again.

A tiny island of Mousa was our next destination. It lies just 14 miles (22.5 km) south of Lerwick and is famous for a noisy colony of Storm Petrels which is possible to see during a night boat trip. Our target was Black Guillemots.

Visiting time in Mousa is very restricted. We came to Mousa by boat at 10.30 am. and had only 2.5 hours to explore the island. Over this time, we've spotted three Black Guillemots. This one with a catch was our favorite. 

Black Guillemots dive for fish and can stay underwater for up to 2 minutes and 20 seconds.

While waiting for the ferry we were watching graceful Arctic Terns soaring above our heads.

The last day of our visit in Shetland islands we've spent in Sumburgh. Sumburgh Head is well known for large numbers of seabirds including guillemots, razorbills, fulmars, kittiwakes, puffins. 

Northern Wheatear, Meadow pipit, Oystercatcher were common too. Curlew was seen from time to time.

There is a small selection of the images from our second trip to Shetland islands. Lots of beautiful memories from a truly amazing place.

If you have any queries or would like to leave a comment, please drop as an e-mail.  We are always happy to hear from you.

October, 2013
 

Red deer photography during the annual rutting season is a truly thrilling experience. This year we were a bit worried that we have missed it as we had to make a trip abroad. Luckily, ten days later the mating season was not over.

At the beginning the weather didn't cooperate with us very well.

After a few rainy days, finally we were rewarded with some beautiful mornings and sparkling jewels of dew.

Luckily the weather cooperated and rewarded us with a beautiful sunrise during red deer rut in early autumn.

Mist gives marvelous photographic opportunities. One of the misty mornings was particular memorable.

Mist have definitely added an air of mystery to a glorious early morning while photographing red deer - the largest wild land mammal of UK.

A week later the mating season was over for most of the stags ... except one. He kept roaring and chasing females for another week.

A few days later sadly but we had to admit that red deer rutting season was over.

As fallow deer rut peaks a week or two later than the Red deer, we decided to look for fallow deer sites. It was a very good decision as we managed to photograph a fight between male fallow deer. It was definitely worth a watch.

• Please check out other images from deer photography during the rutting season in this blog.

If you have any queries or would like to leave a comment, please drop as an e-mail.  We are always happy to hear from you.

March, 2014
 

Dumfries and Galloway on the Scottish borders we've reached after 7 hours of travelling by tube, bus and three trains. Finally in Castle Douglas we were met by Alan McFadyen who brought us brilliant news – good Sparrowhawk activity in his site. Over the course of three days we were hoping to photograph male, female and juvenile Sparrowhawks.

Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) is quite common bird of prey nowadays though by the late 1950's theirs numbers crashed across the UK and they almost disappear from eastern England. Today the British population is about 32,000 breeding pairs with some 8,000-12,000 pairs in Scotland. The birds prefer lowland therefore they are often absent or at very low densities in upland areas of Scotland, the Western Isles and Shetland. 

The time spent photographing Sparrowhawk was really memorable. We have experienced different weather conditions – from beautiful clear skies to heavy rain, but most important we were lucky to see male and juvenile Sparrowhawks. 

Without a doubt the first day was the best - the male Sparrowhawk gave us a superb show though the  beginning of the day was not promising at all. Four hours of waiting without a sign of a Sparrowhawk was a bit nerve racking but finally an opportunist Sparrowhawk couldn't resist a temptation to visit a feeding station which attracts an extraordinary number of small birds. 

The male Sparrowhawk landed on of the post and scanned the area looking for birds. He looked incredibly focused. 

Sparrowhawk is a top predator though only 10% of hunting attacks are successful. This particular Sparrowhawk was quite a good hunter. He was successful on the fourth attempt with a great tit as his prey.

Not without a reason Sparrowhawk is so-named; 98% of Sparrowhawks's diet consists of other birds. It's interesting to mention that resemblance to the Sparrowhawk helps the Common Cuckoo to avoid aggression from the small birds whose nest it seeks to parasitise.

After catching a great tit the Sparrowhawk was much calmer. He decided to spend some time preening while taking afternoon sunbath at the same time.

Eurasian Sparrowhawk

Before he flew back to the woods, he posed for us again.

The juvenile visited the site an hour later.

April, 2014
 

In Britain Red Kites are present throughout the year, whilst the majority of birds in central Europe move south to spend the winter in Iberia.
For more than 400 years the Red Kite was killed as vermin and became extinct in England and Scotland. In the early 1930's only two breeding pairs of Red Kites were known to survive in Wales. Today the Welsh population is between 750 and 900 pairs.

The English reintroduction of Red Kites took place in 1989 in Chilterns. Chicks were brought in from Spain and Sweden and released at specially protected sites. The woodlands, chalk grassland, hills and varied farmland of the Chilterns provided ideal habitat for the birds. The English population increased rapidly as birds started breeding at one year old. 

​Chilterns is definitely well worth visiting. We have spent several days photographing red kites at this beautiful location. 

The first reddish-brown bird with angled wings and deeply forked tail we spotted along M40 motorway between High Wycombe and Oxford. We took a 2-3 mile public footpath. Red Kites were soaring overhead for the biggest part of our journey. We also spotted Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella), while Chaffinch, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Robin, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Pheasant were more common birds. 

 Watlington Hill is the best place for red kite photography. It also provides beautiful panoramic views.

For hours we watched red kites soaring and gliding over the fields. Wind direction is very important for kite photography. Kites tend to fly into the wind, so it is ideal if light and wind are in the same direction.

Red Kites can stay in the air with hardly a beat of its wings. Their body is relatively small and surprisingly lightweight but they have a wingspan of 175-179 cm (60-70 in), whilst buzzard - 109-136 cm (43-54 in).

Red Kites are well known for their agility and marvellous aerobatic skills. They make tight turns and sudden twisting dives which we watched with fascination. Photographing this particular high speed moment was not very easy even against the blue sky. 

They swoop down the air while twisting their forked tail like a rudder.

There were some frustrating moments trying to track the birds swooping down but we have managed to capture couple of shots.

Watching sunset from Watlington Hill was one of the memorable moments. We used to keep fingers crossed for clear skies so we can make silhouette pictures.

Just after the sunset we used to head home following the same path through the fields and small wood. We would like to say it was a scary and spooky, but to tell the truth we quite enjoyed late walk under the light of full moon and our torch. One late evening we have noticed that something tiny moved on the path. When we got closer and lit the area, we saw a tiny wood mouse. We stood still for good couple of minutes and this little beauty didn't pay a slightest attention to us. Unfortunately we packed away our cameras and didn't have a chance to photograph it.

Overall we have to tell that we had a really enjoyable time photographing distinctive Red Kites. Back in London, for couple of days we couldn't stop looking for Red Kites in the sky. Of course with no luck but it's good to know that once near extinct bird is recovering steadily in most parts of the UK. 

If you have any queries or would like to leave a comment, please drop as an e-mail.  We are always happy to hear from you.

July, 2014 
 

We’ve just got back from a memorable trip to Iceland. The journey started great, later it got worse but to our big relieve it had a very happy ending.

Hornstrandir Nature Reserve was our base for the biggest part of our trip in Iceland. It is a largely unspoiled and untouched place in the northernmost part of Iceland's West fjords peninsula.

We prepared for the trip very carefully as there are no shops or hotels, roads, electricity, internet, phone reception, hot water, nothing except beautiful nature, birds and Arctic foxes.

Hornstrandir hosts probably the highest density of the Arctic Fox in Iceland. Hunting restrictions and food availability due to large bird cliffs and long coast line makes the location perfect for encountering this animal which is a true Icelander with roots from last ice age when it came to the isolated island over the frozen sea.

Photographing this tough and fascinating mammal was our target.

But most important we wanted to see Arctic fox cubs which are so cute and adorable.

The Hornstrandir Nature Reserve is reachable by ~2.5 hour boat trip from a small town of Isafjordur with a population of about 2,600. The town stands on a narrow spit in the fjord Skutulsfjordur, which meets the waters of the larger fjord Isafjardardjup and is surrounded by mountains.

 We arrived to the town a day before our departure to Hornstrandir as we had to sort out the ferry tickets, buy gas for camping stove and of course get some extra food. The rest of the time was spent exploring the area.

Upon arrival, we settled down in the camping site in the place called Hornvik. The first two days we explored the area. It was quite a challenge to walk 10 – 15 km across the hills with our cameras and cross ice cold 50 meter wide river. It was tough but definitely well worth it. We enjoyed beautiful panoramic views, bird cliffs and black sandy beaches but most important we saw quite a few foxes roaming the mountains and along the beaches.

We were surprised how small they were - around half the size of a red fox. 

It’s interesting to mention that Arctic fox comes in two colour variations – white and so called “blue”. Only a third of Iceland’s foxes wear white winter coat which in summer turns grey to brown on the face, legs and upper body, while under body fur becomes lighter coloured.

The “blue” morph never turns truly white in colour. In summer they are dark drown, black, light grey. Brown fur provides the est camouflage in the coastal regions. That’s why the foxes of “blue” morph are common in Hornstrandir.

The last year’s winter was very tough even for this well adapted animal. As we spoke to the Arctic fox guide and researcher from the Arctic Fox Centre Ester, she informed that quite a few carcasses were found in spring. Due to the bad weather cubs were late this year too. Luckily during the next few days we had great photo opportunities of one fox family with five cute cubs. Little ones were 3-4 weeks old. At this age they are very cute and sweet.

Cute Little Arctic Fox CubThis little Arctic fox cub was quite adventurous and sneaked out of the den on his own. Arctic Fox Cub

With a distinctive whimpering sound, mum would call the pups to come for suckling. In a second they would be out of the den bouncing across the ground with joy.

 Later they try to push each other to get a better suckling place. 

Father Fox helps to raise the cubs too. We have not seen him much during the day but in the evening he would bring lots of tasty treats for the little ones. Once we have noticed him rushing to the cubs with a kittiwake.

He would ask the little ones to come out with the same distinctive call. The cubs never refused a tasty meal; any food received from the parents they used to drag inside their den.

The other day we saw the mum bringing a small bird for the cubs.

In many other countries the Arctic Fox feeds mainly on lemmings. There are no lemmings in Iceland, so the main food is birds, eggs, carrion, invertebrates and berries in late summer.

When the mealtime is over and the bellies are full, playtime starts. It’s a pleasure to watch how the cubs pounce, jump, crouch and bite each other.

Little ones were particularly  playful chewing on objects they found and play fighting for any "toy" with each other.

A blossom of a Sow Thistle or any other grass attracted their attention many times too.

Mum was also quite often involved in the games. 

When the parents are not around or if the cubs hear or see something unusual, they would run to their den for safety.

Cubs do not really go out from the den if the parents are not around. They wait for the distinctive call. Though we have noticed that one of the little cubs was quite adventurous and would sneak out of the den from time to time.

The weather for photography was good for 5 days. We have enjoyed warm days (~13 C) and nights (~10 C). It was quite fun to live in the tent.

Day and night was a bit of a mix because it did not get dark during the night. Our sleeping habits had changed a bit but it didn’t really affect us very much. We loved late evening and very early morning walks.

Before we came to Iceland, we always came across sentences like: “Iceland is a land of very mixed weather” or “Visitors should prepare for all weather types at Hornstrandir as it can be highly changeable”. On Monday ranger Linda and her husband Hoskuldur who stayed in Hornvik camping site informed us that heavy rain and strong winds up to 35 m/s are expected and advised us to move to a military tent. 

That day one Belgium, two German and two Polish hikers came to the camping site as they were advised to stop travelling because it was simply too dangerous. Bad weather hit us Tuesday night. The noise of wind and rain, flapping of the tent kept us awake a good part of the night. Couple of times we had to go out to fix pegs because the wind just pulled them out of soil. It was a bit of a scary night - we didn’t know how strong the metal construction of the military tent was and strange thoughts started coming to our heads. Luckily we passed a very disturbed night, unfortunately the wind and rain was still strong. The temperature had dropped to 6 C. The ranger managed to contact the coast. She informed us that there were up to 6 meters waves out in the ocean and the boat which was scheduled to pick us up on Thursday would not be able to come. We expected the wind to ease down a bit but most of the time it was the same day and night on Wednesday and Thursday. During the day we tried to get out of the cold tent for short walks. The views have changed a lot: majestic bird cliffs simply shrouded in cloud and mist, surrounding fields and meadows had plenty of water puddles, the river which we used to cross overflowed.

When the weather was a bit better, we used to check the foxes. Clearly the adults found lots of dead birds by the ocean because of the stormy weather. 

As the bad weather continued two German travels decided to move to an emergency shelter, a Belgium hiker joined us in the military tent. Polish guys were still in their tent in the field.

Friday morning the ranger brought us some emergency food as we only had one protein bar and one bag of “Mountain House” ready meal left for both of us. Luckily we did not need the emergency food after all. Early afternoon after our usual short walk we got inside a tent. Not even 5 minutes later we heard a noise of an approaching helicopter. It clearly flew over our tent and seemed that it landed. All three of us jumped out of the tent in seconds. It was difficult to believe our eyes - an orange coast guard helicopter came to check if we were ok.

The crew took us all on board and safely returned to Isafjordur.

Icelandic Coast Guard Helicopter

Once again we would like to thank all Icelandic Coast Guard Helicopter team and especially Henning Adalmundsson who looked after us so well. As we didn’t make our flight to Reykjavik, it was decided to flew two of us further from Isafjordur to Reykjavik. To this day, if we hear a noise of a helicopter a smile appears on our faces and good memories of our rescue trip come back.
Photographic Arctic fox turned out to be one of the most unforgettable experience.

In 2017 we went back to Hornstrandir in winter. A full story how we photographed arctic foxes is placed  here

If you have any queries or would like to leave a comment, please drop as an e-mail.  We are always happy to hear from you.

Atoki gamta, kvapą gniaužiantys statūs ir uolėti krantai, gausios ir itin triukšmingos jūrinių paukščių kolonijos. Taip būtų galima apibūdinti Šetlando salas - salyną Britų salose, kurio krantus iš rytų skalauja Šiaurės jūra, o iš vakarų – Atlanto vandenynas. Artimiausi kaimynai – norvegai. Jie už 360 km į rytus.

Šetlando salyną sudaro virš 100 salų, tačiau tik penkiolikoje jų įsikūrę 23000 žmonių. Didžiausia - Mainland sala su Šetlandų sostine Lerviku. Negyvenamos salos priklauso augmenijai ir gyvūnijai. Tad salynas pilnas gyvybės bei skrajūnų šurmulio. Šetlando salose peri virš 70, o praskrenda virš 430 paukščių rūšių.

Lengvai pasiekiamas, nors ir ne itin gausias,  jūrinių paukščių kolonijas galima išvysti jau už poros kilometrų nuo Sumburgh oro uosto esančiame gamtos draustinyje. Aplinkinėse pievose bei ūkininkų laukuose peri Šetlando karetaitės, kūltupiai, pieviniai kalviukai, jūrinės šarkos, ganosi Šetlando poniai, kurie buvo naudojami žemei įdirbti, nešuliams gabenti bei darbui anglių gavybos šachtose atlikti.

Kvapą gniaužiančiose Sumburgh Head uolingose pakrantėse peri laibasnapiai narūnėliai, tripirščiai kirai, alkos, šiauriniai fulmarai ir kt.

Labiausiai išsiskiriantys ir bene charizmatiškiausi jūriniai paukščiai yra mormonai (Fratecula arctica).

Atlantic Puffin in Flight

Juos matėme įvairiose Šetlando salyno pakrančių vietose, tačiau dėl gerų fotografavimo sąlygų Fair sala yra mūsų mėgstamiausia. Joje peri virš 100 000 porų paukščių, iš kurių - 25 000 mormonai.

Fair sala 3 km pločio ir 5 km ilgio.  Joje gyvena apie 70  žmonių, yra mokykla, dvi bažnyčios, parduotuvė, paukščių stebėjimo observatorija. Salą galima pasiekti keltu dvylikai žmonių arba lėktuvu. Pasirinkome pirmąjį variantą, tačiau greitai supratome, kad vykti reikėjo kita transporto priemone. Jūros liga kelionę pavertė tikrų tikriausia kančia, kuri truko 2.5 valandos. Be jokių dvejonių nusprendėme, kad grįšime mažyčiu aštuonviečiu lėktuvu.

Fair saloje, kaip ir kitose Šetlando vietose, nuo birželio vidurio iki rugpjūčio pražios naktimis nesutemsta. Mažiausiai vėjuotą liepos mėnesį saulė čia vidutiniškai džiugina 136 valandas; kaip kontrastas gruody – 20.6 valandas. Dėl šiltosios Golfo srovės čia temperatūra retai nukrenta žemiau nulio. Pagrindinės mormonų kolonijos įsikūrusios salos šiaurinėje dalyje.

Mormonai  didžiąją gyvenimo dalį praleidžia atvirame vandenyne. Į krantą grįžta pavasarį perėti ir auginti jauniklių. Tad ant kranto pirmąsias dienas jaučiasi nerangiai, tačiau su kiekviena diena įgauna daugiau pasitikėjimo ir skuba ruošti perimvietes - urvus, kurių ilgis paprastai siekia 70-110 cm. Atsiveda mormonai vieną mažylį ir maitina jį 5-8 kartus per dieną kaskart po vidutiniškai aštuonis gramus maisto. Šetlando salose apie 90 proc. mažylių raciono sudaro nedidelės žuvytės tobiai, vadinamos "sandeels".  Atlantic Puffin with Beak Full of Sand-eels Jie snape, kuris beje didėja su amžiumi, vienu metu ir nepraryjant geba nešti kelias žuvytes: sugriebia vieną, prispaudžia liežuviu, nepaleisdami pirmosios čiumpa antrą, tada trečią ... Didžiojoje Britanijoje užfiksuotas rekordas – net 62 žuvytės.

Sutvirtėję jaunikliai lizdą palieka naktį dar nemokėdami skraidyti. Eidami, bėgdami bei plakdami sparnais jie vieni, be tėvų pagalbos, pasiekia vandenį. Į krantą parskris tik po 2-3 metų.

Suaugę paukščiai rugpjūtį taip pat grįžta į vandenyną, kur pavieniui gyvens visą žiemą. Kolonija lieka tuščia iki kito pavasario.

Fair Saloje galima pamatyti ir Šiaurinio padūkėlius, tačiau jų kolonija sunkiai pasiekiama.

Į jau beveik šimtą metų negyvenamą Noss salą keltu kėlėmis fotografuoti kito įspūdingo jūrinio paukščio - Šiaurinio padūkėlio (Morus bassanus). 

Čia šių paukščių populiacija siekia 10 000 porų. Įdomu paminėti, kad kovo – rugsėjo mėnesiais Didžiojoje Britanijoje peri apie 70 proc. viso pasaulio Šiaurinių padūkėlių populiacijos. 

Stačios ir aukštai iškilusios pakrančių uolos baltuoja nuo Šiaurinių padūkėlių gausos, o šių paukščių skleidžiamas garsas ir kvapas pasiekia už keliasdešimt metrų. 

Šiauriniai padūkėliai peri kolonijomis, labai arti vienas kito. 

Šie kaimynai deja visiškai nenusiteikę draugiškai ir geranoriškai. Į mažiausią neatsargų teritorijos pažeidimą visada reaguojama itin agresyviai - pasitaiko ir sužalojimų, ir žūties (paprastai jauniklių) atvejų. 

Perėjimo sezonui pasibaigus, jaunikliams sustiprėjus ir priaugus apie 4 kilogramus svorio, suaugę Šiauriniai padūkėliai vėl grįžta į vandenyną, tačiau paprastai neskrenda toliau nei 800 -1600 km nuo perėjimo vietų. Jaunieji, nusileidę į vandenį, negali paskristi dėl per didelės kūno masės. Po 2-3 savaičių netekę svorio, jie išskrenda į pietus. Pilnai subręsta penktais gyvenimo metais.

Ant 180 metrų siekiančių Noss salos uolų peri ir kiti paukščiai: laibasnapiai narūnėliai, tripirščiai kirai, alkos, šiauriniai fulmarai, mormonai.  

Pakrantėse bėgioja jūriniai kirlikai,  aulėje šildosi gagos bei ruoniai, ant žemesnių uolų nutupia raudonburnės taistės.

Pelkėtuose laukuose tenka spartinti žingsnį nuo virš galvų zujančių didžiųjų plėšikų. 

Noss saloje galima būti tik iki 5 valandos vakaro, tad persikėlus atgal į Bresey (Bressay), mes pasivaikščiodavome aplinkinėse pievose. Čia pavasarį bei vasarą galima stebėti Šetlando karetaites, juodakrūčius bėgikus, kūltupius, geltonsnapius čivylius, dirvinius sėjikus bei kt. paukščius.

Mažuose ežerėliuose galima pamatyti retą ir vieną mėgstamiausių mūsų paukščių – rudakaklį narą.

Hermaness gamtos draustinis Unst saloje – viena išskirtiniausia Šetlando salų vietų. Čia uolos alsuoja nuo šiaurinių padūkėlių, alkų, tripirščių kirų, kuoduotuojų kormoranų gausos, pakrantėse juokingai krypuoja mormonai pilnais snapais mažų žuvyčių.

Kur ne kur matomi gagų pulkeliai bei saulėje besišildantys ruoniai. Didieji plėšikai pasitinka nuklydus giliau į pelkėtus viržių. Hermaness draustinyje peri trečia pagal dydį pasaulyje šių paukščių kolonija. 

Eidami švyturio link, pakrantėje pastebėjome negyvą kašalotą.

Į pietus nuo Unst esanti Fetlar sala pasižymi apvaliasnapių plaukikų gausa - net 90 proc. Didžiosios Britanijos populiacijos. Tai nebaikštus, pakrantes mėgstantis paukštis.

Lankydamiesi šiaurinėje Šetlando salų dalyje didžiausią dėmesį skyrėme ūdrų fotografijai. Tai mielas, bet baikštus, ne itin lengvai pastebimas gyvūnas. Šetlanduose suskaičiuojama jų apie 1000. Skirtingai nuo daugumos ūdrų, kurios aktyvios būna naktį, Šetlando ūdros adaptavosi prie ilgų vasaros dienų ir matomos šviesiuoju periodu, visgi dieną jos nėra aktyvios. Beje, jos būtinai turi turėti priėjimą prie gėlo vandens, kad grįžus iš žvejybos sūriuose vandenyse galėtų išplauti iš kailio druską.

Ūdras fotografavome ryte iki 10-11 val. bei vakare nuo 5-6 val. Nuo to, kada prasideda potvyniai ir atoslūgiai, priklausydavo ir mūsų fotografavimo laikas. Ūdros nepasižymi geru matomumu, tačiau labai reaguoja į bet kokį judesį ar netikėtą, aukštą, iš aplinkos išsiskiriantį siluetą. Jų uoslė itin jautri, tad artindavomės taip, kad vėjas mums pūstų į veidą arba nuo vandens.

Teko stebėti ūdros patiną ir dideliam mūsų džiaugsmui dvi pateles su mažyliais. Daugiausia laiko praleidome fotografuodami ūdrą mamą su vienu mažyliu.

Patinas nesirūpina ūdriukų auginimu ir visą priežiūrą palieka patelei. Ūgtelėję mažyliai maitinami įvairia žuvimi, krabais.

Ūdriukai augdami išmoksta žvejybos subtilybių, sužino vietas, gausias žuvies ir svarbiausia įgunda, kaip prižiūrėti kailį. Nuo mamos atsiskiria būdami vienerių metų.

Šetlando salų bioįvairovė ir neišdylantis laisvės pojūtis traukia grįžti į šį nuošalų, vėjo neapleidžiamą, bet mielą gamtos kampelį.

Liepa, 2014 m.

Poliarinės lapės (Vulpes Lagopus) aptinkamoms Arkties bei tundros regionuose, kurie driekiasi per šiaurinę Europą, šiaurinę Aziją bei Šiaurės Ameriką. Europoje Islandija išsiskiria poliarinių lapių gausa. Į šią vulkaninę salą poliarinės lapės atkeliavo ledu paskutinio ledynmečio pabaigoje ir šiuo metu šių gyvūnų skaičius siekia apie 2000. Didžioji dalis jų aptinkama šalies šiaurės vakaruose esančiame Hornstrandir gamtos draustinyje. Tai mažai žmogaus paliestas gamtos kampelis, kur medžioklės draudimas bei ilgi, paukščių pilni pakrančių ruožai sudaro puikias sąlygas poliarinių lapių plitimui.

Kelionei į minėtą gamtos draustinį ruošėmės itin kruopščiai, apgalvodami kiekvieną smulkmeną. Hornstrandir nėra parduotuvių ir viešbučių, elektros bei karšto vandens tiekimo, telefono ar interneto ryšio. Paskutiniai nuolatiniai gyventojai iš šios vietovės išsikraustė 1952 m.

Viską, kas reikalinga savaitei išgyventi ir fotografuoti gamtoje, turėjome atsigabenti su savimi.

Dieną prieš išplaukiant į Hornstrandir, apsistojome kalnų apsuptame, 2600 gyventojų turinčiame Isafjordur miestelyje. Čia papildėme maisto atsargas, nusipirkome dujų maisto gaminimui (dvi talpas po 450g ir vieną 230g), o likusį laiką skyrėme pasivaikščiojimui po apylinkes. 

Į Hornstrandir draustinį plaukėme nedideliu laivu. Diena pasitaikė rami ir šilta; žvilgsniu sekėme praskrendanžius jūrinius paukščius bei tolyje likusias aukštas, kur ne kur sniegu padengtas, uolėtas pakrantes. Vietovę pasiekėme apie vidurdienį, o popiet išsiruošėme žvalgytis poliarinių lapių. Vakare bei ankstyvą rytą kalnai atgyja nuo šių gyvūnų balsų.

Poliarinės lapės paprastai asocijuojasi su balta spalva. Lapės, kurios žiemą paprastai yra baltos, vasarą patamsėja, įgauna palšą atspalvį ir atrodo truputį keistokai. Hornstrandir teko sutikti tik dvi baltąsias lapes.

Islandijoje paprastai sutinkamos rusvo–melsvo atspalvio poliarinės lapės, prisitaikiusios gyventi pajūrio zonoje. Vasarą jos taip pat keičia kailio spalvą, įgauna tamsiai rudą atspalvį.

Nors ir žinojome, kad poliarinės lapės nedidelės, vidutiniškai 55 cm ilgio, išvydę pirmąją lapę truputį sutrikom - ji buvo kur kas smulkesnė nei mes įsivaizdavome. Nuėjome ne vieną kilometrą ir netgi bridome per ledinę upę ieškodami šių gyvūnų. Dienomis oro temperatūra siekė 13-15 C laipsnių, naktimis apie 10 C. Apskritai Hornstarndir rekomenduojama lankytis tik nuo birželio vidurio iki rugpjūčio pabaigos. Kitu metų laiku gamtinės sąlygos ne itin svetingos, tačiau jos neatbaido poliarinių meškų, kartkartėmis žiemą užklystančių iš Grenlandijos.

Liepos mėnuo šiame atokiame krašte šilčiausias. Beje tai ir tinkamiausias metas pamatyti poliarinius lapiukus. Vidutiniškai poliarinės lapės susilaukia 5-8 mažylių. Mes daugiausia laiko praleidome fotografuodami lapę su penkiais jaunikliais, kurie gimsta rusvai pilkšvu kailiuku. 3-4 savaičių mažyliai mieli ir guvūs. Jie tampa drąsesni ir kartkartėmis vieni, be tėvų priežiūros, išlenda iš urvo susipažinti su juos supančia aplinka.

Cute Little Arctic Fox CubThis little Arctic fox cub was quite adventurous and sneaked out of the den on his own.

Kiekvienas garsas jauniklius gąsdina. Sunerimę jie tučtuojau neria atgal į olą saugiam prieglobsčiui. 

Lapė, sugrįžus iš medžioklės, kviečia mažuosius lapiukus išlysti iš urvo. Pati į jį nelenda.

Mažieji akimirksniu sukrunta ir skuba pas mamą.

Didžiąja laiko dalį jaunikliai leidžia žaisdami.

Jaunikliai labiausiai rungiasi dėl rasto "žaislo" - plunksnos, medžio gabalo ar žievės.  

Pienės žiedas mažuosius taip pat domina.

Lapiukais rūpinasi abu tėvai. Lapinas paprastai pasirodydavo vakare nešinas įvairiu maistu. Vieną dieną nustebome išvydę jį parskubantį įsitvėrus tripirštį kirą.

Mažieji džiaugėsi tokiomis lauktuvėmis ir pasistumdydami traukė paukštį į urvą.

Daugelyje šalių pagrindinis poliarinių lapių maistas yra lemingai. Islandijoje šių graužikų nėra, tad lapės maitinasi paukščiais, jų kiaušiniais, bestuburiais, gaišena bei uogomis. 

Hornstrandir islandiška vasara džiaugėmės kelias dienas. Poliarines naktys nebuvo tamsios ir šaltos, tad gyventi palapinėje buvo smagu. Valgiu, nors normuotu ir ne itin gausiu, nesiskundėme. Pusryčiams valgėme avižinę ar grikių košę, kiaušinienę su lašinukais, juodą duoną; užkandžiams - riešutus, džiovintus vaisius, šokoladą, baltyminius batonėlius, vakare skanaudavom vištieną su ryžiais, lašišą su bulvėmis, lazaniją ar daržovių troškinį. Skamba neįtikėtinai, tačiau mums tik reikėjo užpilti karštą virintą vandenį ant sauso dehidratuoto maisto (naudojome "Mountain House") ir valgis po 10 min būdavo paruoštas. Jei kam įdomu, naudojome Coleman F1 degiklį (atsargoje turėjome Optimus Crux)  bei du MSR Quick 1,5 ir 2,5 l puodus.

Hornstrandir gyvenome apsupti krioklių, vandenyno, upės bei kalnų.

Žmonėms išsikrausčius iš pusiasalio, namai čia liko stovėti. Dabar savininkai tik kartkartėmis juose leidžia vasaros atostogas.

Kai lapiukai nebūdavo itin aktyvūs, dienas leisdavome fotografuodami paukščius (baltabruvį strazdą, sniegstartę, jūrinį kirliką, gagą, apvaliasnapį plaukiką ir kt.).

Prieš atvykstant į Islandiją, žinojome apie šios šalies ypač permainingą, o kai kada ir ne itin svetingą klimatą. Pirmosiomis viešnagės dienomis tikrai nesiskundėme oru, nors saulę kai kada pakeisdavo lietus ar pakildavo stipresnis vėjas. Blogos žinios pasiekė mus ketvirtą kelionės Hornstrandir dieną. Kempingo vietos prižiūrėtoja pranešė apie besiartinančią liūtį ir vėją, galintį siekti 35 m/s. Mums patarė persikraustyti į didesnę ir tvirtesnę kareivišką palapinę, kurią buvo palikę laivo, plaukdinančio turistus į Hornstrandir, savininkai.

Pirmadienio vakare kempinge apsistojo belgas, vokiečių pora ir du lenkų turistai. Jiems buvo patarta sustabdyti savo kelionę per kalnus dėl artėjančių blogų ir pavojingų oro sąlygų.

Ketvirtadienį, lietui truputį aprimus, planavome pereiti kalną ir taip pasiekti kitą pusiasalio krantą, į kurį atplauktų laivas mus paimti. Ketinimą teko atmesti, mat dėl smarkaus lietaus upė patvino ir aplinkinės pievos skendėjo vandenyje. Likome gyventi palapinėje. Kitą dieną vėjas nerimo; buvo aišku, kad laivas ir šiandien netplauks. Trumpam išėjome į lauką prasimankštinti ir sušilti, bet pradėjus lyti smukome atgal į palapinę. Nepraėjus nė 5 minutėm, išgirdome lyg malūnsparnio, praskrendančio virš mūsų, garsą. Suklusome atidžiau ir regis jis kažkur netoliesi nusileido. Nėrėme visi iš palapinės ir sunkiai galėjome patikėti savo akimis - tai tikrai buvo pakrančių saugumo malūnsparnis, atskridęs patikrinti, ar mums viskas gerai. 

Akimirksniu susipakavome savo mantą ir visi septyni išsišiepę stovėjome prie malūnsparnio pasirengę skrydžiui.   

Icelandic Coast Guard Helicopter

Dar kartą dėkojame Islandijos pakrančių saugumo komandai ir ypatingai Henning Adalmusson už rūpestį ir pagalbą parskraidus mus iki pat Reikjaviko.   

Ekstremali poliarinių lapių fotografija Islandijoje ilgai išliks mūsų atmintyje. 

2017 m. žiemą sugrįžome į Hornstrandir. Aprašymą, kaip mums sekėsi fotografuoti lapes, galite rasti čia

October - January, 2014

When autumn comes and October approaching, we have a few things to look forward. Deer photography during the rut is definitely on top of the list. This time of year is full of amazing action and dramatic scenes. It would be a shame to miss it.

This year autumn was warm with temperatures well above average. With such summery conditions we couldn’t expect to make photos of a roaring deer on a frosty morning. Fortunately we had some great misty sunrises with spectacular light.

Red Deer Stag during the RutRed deer photography during the annual rut is always exciting experience especially if it's a cold and misty morning.

During the peak of the rut stags behave aggressively, chase off their rivals, roar and grunt all day long trying to impress females.

This young male tried to blow away hinds with a superb "hairstyle".

We have witnessed some fights between  young males, stags and even females.

Admittedly, some of the fights are really brutal and end up with injuries and scars.

Red Deer During the Rut Red Deer Bellowing

Little ones kept a distance from the fights and stayed closer to their mums. 

Birds sitting down on deer always gives a smile. It's a good resting and feeding place; deer hair is also a perfect nest material. Magpies and starlings are one of the most adventurous birds.

While photographing deer, birds always chirp around.

European stonechat and wren are common but they like to keep a distance from people. This year a bit of camouflage helped us to get closer and make the pictures we were quite pleased with.

Rogue jackdaws were not too bothered about our presents but always kept a distance.

By a narrow stream we used to spot Grey heron trying to catch a fish. 

One of the days was very lucky for both Heron and us. 

October is the the peak of the deer rutting season. At the beginning of November the tension among stags is calming down. In the middle of November the rutting season is over.

In December we had couple weeks of colder weather, so we decided to revisit the deer sites again.  Cold, frosty and sunny winter mornings were brilliant for photography.

The picture was taken on the 31st of December - a cold and frosty winter day.

European stonechat looked like from a Christmas card. 

Stonechats are robin sized birds. Females lack the male's black head, but have brown backs and an orange chests.

Overall this year's deer photography was a brilliant experience. 

If you have any queries or would like to leave a comment, please drop as an e-mail.  We are always happy to hear from you.

January-February, 2015

Sea Lion Island holds more than 90% of the Falklands Southern Elephant Seal population and is the most important breeding spot in the islands. We stayed here for four nights and truly enjoyed every minute of it.

The Southern Elephant Seal is the largest seal in its family. Adult male weights up to 4 tones. Elephant seals spend most of the time in the ocean but go ashore for two reasons: to breed and moult.

Breeding season is between September - November, followed by the moulting season during which seals loose fur and skin in large patches.

When moulting occurs seals are easily susceptible to cold, so they must stay on land rather than in cold waters. This means that on land animals fast and rely on stored body fat. Even from time to time they stop breathing to lower their heart rate and conserve energy.

During the moulting process Elephant Seals are constantly disturbed by Blackish Cinclode locally known as Tussock-bird.

This small creature picks through the skin and flash of seals that sometimes it was painful to watch.

Clearly seals didn't like the "attacks" and tried to shoo the birds away.

During the day the atmosphere on the beach is sleepy and relaxed. Everybody enjoys a rest or snooze in the sun.

Elephant Seal Pup on the Falkland IslandsDuring the day the atmosphere is very sleepy on the beach in the Falkland islands. Elephant seal pup clearly enjoys a snooze in the sun.

Even blowing sand doesn't make any difference.

When onshore, Elephant Seals may look a bit unwashed and snotty-nosed because of eliminated excess salts. As the days were unusually worm in the Falkland Islands (to our big surprise temperatures reached 18-19 C), animals were struggling a little bit. Southern Elephant Seals tried to cover themselves with sea weed or flip sand over themselves to keep their bodies cool.

There are no fights during the moult period. From time to time seals will have arguments over a better spot on the beach or enjoy a bit of wrestling in the water.

We remember one evening, we were on the way back to the lodge. At the moment of sunset, intense yellow and orange colours painted the sky. We just sat and enjoyed the view.

Orcas are one of the main predators for Elephant Seals. They mostly prey on inexperienced young. December is the best month to see killer whales but we were very fortunate to spot one too.

Small Southern Sea Lion colonies can also be spotted around the south coast of the island. Unfortunately Sea Lion population suffered a steep decline due to massive hunting and even at peak times there are less than 100 of the animals. So the name of the island is a little bit misleading. Seals can only be  photographed from the cliff here, so telephoto lens is very handy.

Sea Lion males are much larger than females. They weight up to 350 kg.

Pups are born between December and February. For a week mothers don't leave the little ones alone. Later females have to make trips to the sea to get their own food. Pups enter water when they are about four weeks old.

More detailed information about our trip to the Falkland Islands you can find in this blog.

If you have any queries or would like to leave a comment, please drop as an e-mail.  We are always happy to hear from you.

November - December, 2018

Our two week trip in Ethiopia was dedicated to photograph two endemic mammals: Gelada Monkey and Ethiopian wolf.

As the name suggests, Ethiopian wolves are found in Ethiopia where they are restricted to the highlands of the country. Ethiopian wolf is also known as Abyssinian wolf, Simien fox, Simien jackal.

It is recognized as the rarest canid species in the world with the population of around 500 individuals. More than half of Ethiopian wolves are found in the Bale Mountains National Park, located 400 km from capital Addis Ababa.
Journey by car from Addis Ababa to Goba Robe airport (commonly known as Bale Robe airport) takes 5 - 6 hours. Road infrastructure, though greatly improved in recent years, is still rudimentary. Self-drive car rental is very rare. In most cases vehicle is rented with a driver. An average cost per day is $150. For a cheaper and quicker way of travelling we used domestic flights.

Bale Mountains National Park occupies 2150 square km. Web Valley and Sanetti plateau have the highest density of Ethiopian wolf population. In order to reach both areas it is necessary to have a car and a driver. We have noticed that in Sanetti plateau wolves are less shy than in Web Valley, so they are easier to approach without a car. In Web valley a car is a must for wolf photography.

There are no hotels near by, so camping is the only option for Ethiopian wolf photography, especially in Web Valley area. In Sanetti plateau there is a possibility to stay in a high-end Bale mountain lodge (£200 per night) or travel back to Goba town. Both lodges are located quite far from wolf sightings. 

Ethiopian wolves live in Afro-alpine grasslands and rocky areas in elevation from 3000 to 4200 meters above sea level. For wolves this altitude is fine but humans have to adapt to it slowly.

Ethiopian wolf is similar to the coyote in size, weighting around 16 kg; comparing to its relative grey wolf, Ethiopian wolf is smaller in size and weight.

Their thick fur coat is suited for colder habitats in high altitudes. Wolves can cope temperatures as low as -15^o C. We must admit that temperature drops quite a bit during nights in the mountains and the morning especially with the north winds  are pretty chilly.

Ethiopian wolves live in packs but tend to hunt alone.

They typically eat several rodent species that are common in the area. According to researchers rodents account for 96% of the prey occurrences and 97% volume in the droppings. The preferred prey is Big Headed Mole Rat which is endemic to Ethiopia's Bale Mountains. Males in this species are noticeably larger than females, weighting up to 900 grams.

Ethiopian wolf needs to eat around 3 giant mole rats a day. Unfortunately giant rats are endangered and threatened by habitat loss through overgrazing by domestic livestock.
Occasionally small packs of wolves can be spotted chasing after young sheep, antelopes or hare.

Wolves are well suited for seeking rodents out from their underground burrows with their long muzzles.

Ethiopian wolves have no interest in humans and there is no record of one attacking  a person.

Typically wolves are long lived (~ 10 years) animals but habitat loss due to increasing human population and dog-related disease such as rabies and canine distemper virus are the most pressing. 

In 2008 a rabies outbreak killed 70% of the wolves in the Bale Mountains. The remaining animals were saved by an emergency vaccination program. During vaccination program wolves are tagged for monitoring.

Up till today there are teams of dedicated people working to save the Ethiopian wolf through vaccination programs.

Seeing and photographing this unique animal was truly an amazing experience. Overall it was not a very easy trip with unexpected challenges with dishonest guide and crazy solutions. Travel is not without its ups and downs but fortunately challenges were overcome and we had great wolf sightings and even very close Ethiopian wolf encounters in their natural habitat. It is a truly unforgettable photographic experience.

Spalis, 2019

Neseniai sugrįžome iš Brazilijos, kur aplankėme Pantanalio regioną - didžiausią pasaulyje pelkių ir šlapynių sritį, užimančią beveik 190 000 km².
Palyginimui, Lietuvos plotas 65 000 km².  Tai viena geriausių vietų ne tik Brazilijoje, bet ir visoje Pietų Amerikoje pamatyti bei stebėti laukinius gyvūnus. Nors Pantanalis 28 kartus mažesnis nei Amazonės miškai, jis gali pasigirti itin didele biologine įvairove ir didžiausia laukinės gamtos koncentracija žemyne. 2000 m. Pantanalis įtrauktas į UNESCO pasaulio paveldo sąrašą.

Pantanalio pavadinimas kilęs iš portugalų kalbos žodžio pântano, reiškiančio pelkę. Lietinguoju sezonu lapkričio - balandžio mėnesiais vandens lygis pakyla net iki 3 m, užliedamas 70–80% Pantanalio. Nesunku suprasti, kodėl pirmieji portugalų tyrinėtojai, išvydę vandenyje skendinčius plotus,  klaidingai pavadino šį regioną Xaraés jūra.

9272 kilometrų atstumą nuo Londono iki Rio De Žaneiro įveikėme per 11 valandų. Pantanalį pasiekėme  dar dviem 1.5 valandos trunkančiais vietiniais skrydžiais.

Pantanalis išskiriamas į šiaurės ir pietų regionus, atitinkamai žinomus kaip „Mato Grosso“ ir „Mato Grosso do Sul“. Vartai į pietų Pantanalį yra Campo Grande miestas,  į kurį atskridome iš San Paulo. Likusį 250 km. kelią iki fazendos Barranco Alto, įsikūrusios ant Rio Negro upės krantų, pervažiavome visureigiu per 6 valandas.

Fazendoje praleidome 5 dienas. Įsimintiniausias buvo susitikimas su jaguaru plaukiant dviese baidare. Niekad nepamiršim to adrenalino antplūdžio, kai fotografuojant ir baidarei pasroviui artėjant prie jaguaro, mūsų žvilgsniai susitikdavo. Atrodydavo, kad jaguaras negali apsispręsti ką pasirinkti pietums - mus ar kitame krante besibūriuojančias kapibaras. 

Piranha Fishing
Tai iš tiesų buvo nepamirštamas nuotykis, kaip ir piranijų žvejyba, kelionė baidare sutemus, kai šviečiant prožektoriui, aplink blizga kaimanų bei šikšnosparnių akys, maudynės tamsiuose ir paslaptinguose Rio Negro vandenyse ir  ankstyvos kelionės pėsčiomis bundančios gamtos garsuose.

Iš Barranco Alto į šiaurės Pantanalyje įsikūrusį Porto Jofre miestelį skridome mažu šešių vietų lėktuvu. Porto Jofre apylinkės, apsuptos Trijų Brolių, Cuiabá ir Piquiri upių, yra viena geriausių vietų pasaulyje pamatyti jaguarus.

Sausuoju sezono metu liepos – spalio mėnesiais vandens lygis upėse nuslūgsta ir gyvūnai buriasi arčiau likusių vandens telkinių. On the way to Photograph Jaguars Tad jaguarai dažnai pastebimi upių pakrantėse ieškant grobio, geriant vandenį ar ilsintis pavėsyje.

Porto Jofre praleidome penkias dienas, motorine valtimi ieškodami jaguarų bei kitų gyvūnų. 

Jau po trumpos viešnagės, išties galima teigti, kad Pantanalis itin turtinga ekosistema.

Čia stebina ne tik paukščių gausa, bet ir jų įvairovė. Išskirsime tik keletą jų.

Brazilinis Jabiru (Jabiru) – tai Pantanalio simbolis. Šis gandrinių šeimos paukštis sveria 8-9 kg, palyginimui baltasis gandras – 4.5 kg.

Pantanalis - retos Hiacintinės mėlynosios aros (Hyacinth Macaw) namai. Prekyba šiais paukščiais drastiškai sumažino jų populiaciją. Manoma, kad laukinėje gamtoje išlikę iki 6500 arų, iš jų – 5000 Pantanalyje. Hiacintinės mėlynosios aros - vienos didžiausių papūgų. Jų ilgis siekia  iki 1 m.

Sunku nepastebėti Didžiojo Tukano (Toco Toucan), išsiskiriančio dideliu ryškiai oranžiniu ir geltonu snapu.  
Nors snapas atrodo sunkus, iš tikrųjų jis iš keratino (kaip mūsų nagai), tad yra labai lengvas. Geltonkrūtės aros (Blue and yellow Macaw) peri aukštai negyvų medžių, paprastai palmių, drevėse. 
 

Paprastoji kalita (Monk parakeet) dažnai matoma skraidant mažuose, triukšminguose būreliuose. 
 

Raudonkojė Kariama (Red-Legged Seriema) išsiskiria savo grakštumu bei įspūdingu, net už 1.5 km girdimu balsu.

Plikaskruostis kraksas (Bare-faced curassow) - kalakuto dydžio paukštis, mėgstantis laikytis pamiškėse. Dėl medžioklės ir prarastų buveinės plotų jų populiacija mažėja.

Pietinė kuoduotoji karakara (Southern crested caracara) - dažnai matomas, smalsus ir visai nebaikštus plėšrusis paukštis, sutinkamas pievose ir palei upių krantus.

Tuo tarpu paprastai naktį aktyvų Paprastąjį potį (Common Potto) ne taip lengva pastebėti, kaip ir Pietų Amerikos didįjį raguotąjį apuoką (South American Great Horned Owl).

Amerikinis žalčiagalvis (Anhinga) daugiausia minta žuvimi. Po žvejybos jis išskėtęs sparnus peršlapusias plunksnas džiovina saulėkaitoje.

Pietų Amerikos garnys (Cacoi Heron) labai panašus į Lietuvoje dažną pilkąjį garnį. Snieginis garnys (Snowy Egret) paprastai matomas kantriai žuvaujantis sekliuose vandenyse. Pasisekus sugauti laimikį, praryja jį visą. 

Jei jūs pamatytumėte Pietų Amerikos naktikovį (Capped Heron), turbūt sutiktumėte, kad jis vienas gražiausių garninių paukščių.

Pantanalyje sutinkami penkių rūšių tulžiai. Žaliasis tulžys (Green kingfisher) dažnai pastebimas tupint ant šakelių šalia vandens telkinių.

Pantanalis pasižymi ir roplių gausa. Vienas išskirtinių – Žakarė kaimanas (Yacare caiman), kurį fotografuoti teko neįprastomis sąlygomis.

Caiman Photography, Brazil
 

Įdomu pastebėti, kad kaimanai, kartu su kitais krokodilų būrio nariais, vis dar gyvuoja, nepaisant to, kad jų giminaičiai dinozaurai išnyko prieš 65 milijonus metų.

Pantanalis gali pasigirti itin gausia ir stabilia Žakarė kaimanų populiacija, tačiau 1970 - 1980 m. dėl negailestingos medžioklės  jie buvo prie išnykimo ribos.

Žakarė kaimanai yra palyginti maži, užauga iki 2–2,5 metro ilgio ir sveria apie 60 kg. Vidutiniškai jie turi 74 dantis.

Beje, kai kurie apatinio žandikaulio dantys gali išlysti per viršutinį žandikaulį. Dėl šios savybės Žakarė kaimanai dar vadinami “Piranija kaimanais“.

Kaimanai negali kramtyti, todėl mažesnį grobį paprasčiausiai praryja. Jie dideli piranijų mėgėjai.

Pantanalyje suskaičiuojama iki 236 rūšių žinduolių. Čia be abejonės sutiksite didžiausią pasaulyje graužiką - iki 60 cm ūgio ir apie 70 kg sveriančią Kapibarą (Capibara).

Tai labai socialūs gyvūnai, sudarantys grupes net iki 100 individų, tačiau paprastai būna apie 10–20. Kapibaros – puikios plaukikės, galinčios beveik penkias minutes sulaikyti kvėpavimą po vandeniu. Paukščiai mėgsta sukiotis apie jas ir kartas nuo karto tupia ant nugarų paieškoti įvairių vabzdžių.

Pantanalyje pavyko pamatyti ir nufotografuoti nykstantį Lyguminį Tapyrą (South American tapir). Jis pasižymi aštria uosle ir klausa, paprastai ganosi naktimis, tad yra sunkiai pastebimas. Beje, tapyras yra geras plaukikas, o sprukdamas nuo jaguaro, paneria vandenin.

Iš 80 000 gamtoje išlikusių Pampinių elnių (Pampas Deer), dauguma jų sutinkami Brazilijoje. Pastarąjį fotografavome saulei leidžiantis Pietų Pantanalyje.

Šešių juostų šarvuotį (Yellow Armadillo/Six-banded Armadillo) nėra itin lengva pastebėti, mat jis mėgsta pamiegoti savo urvuose iki 18 valandų per parą. Dėl prasto regėjimo, norėdami rasti maisto, jie kliaujasi uosle. Minta vabzdžiais, mažais bestuburiais, dvėseliena. Pantanalyje jie itin mėgsta ir vaisius. Buvo juokinga stebėti, kaip vienas šarvuotis, naudodamasis proga, kol kaimynas miega, vogė Macauba palmės vaisius iš jo teritorijos.  

Tiesa, po 10 min buvo nugintas pabudusio šeimininko.

Brazilinė ūdra (Giant Otter) – itin reta ir deja nykstanti ūdrų rūšis. Šių gyvūnų medžioklė bei buveinių naikinimas drastiškai sumažino ūdrų populiaciją, kuri dabar siekia apie 5000.

Brazilinės ūdros  užauga iki 1,8 m ilgio, o sveria apie 35 kg. Tai didžiausios ūdros pasaulyje. Per dieną jos  suėda apie 4 kg maisto, paprastai žuvies.
Brazilinių ūdrų teritorija persipina su ilgauodegiu ūdrų (Neotropical Otter) teritorija.

Pantanalyje abi ūdrų rūšys gali egzistuoti beveik nekonkuruodamos tarpusavyje.

North Pantanal

Pantanalis, ypač Porto Jofre Šiaurės Pantanalyje, yra viena geriausių vietų pasaulyje pamatyti jaguarus (Panthera Onca). Praleidome čia 5 dienas, ankstyvais rytais išplaukdavome ieškoti jaguarų, o grįšdavome temstant. Kiekvienas plaukimas buvo skirtingas, tačiau paprastai matydavome 2-3 jaguarus per dieną. 

Tikėtina, kad pasaulinė jaguarų populiacija apie 170 000; Pantanalyje jų apie 5000.

Pagal dydį iš katinių šeimos juos lenkia tik liūtai ir tigrai. Vidutiniškai jaguarai sveria 100 kg.

Jaguarai miega apie 11 val. per parą.

Jie garsėja galingais žandikaulio raumenimis ir didžiule įkandimo jėga.
Jaguarai yra puikūs medžiotojai ir dažnai patruliuoja upių krantuose. Beje, tamsoje jaguarai 6 kartus geriau mato nei žmonės.

Jaguarai labai retai puola žmones, tačiau yra keli žinomi atvejai.

Tad išties, Pantanalis kvėpuoja gyvybe ir dvi savaitės šiame puikiame gamtos kampelyje pralėkė akimirksniu. Atėjo diena, kai reikėjo palikti Porto Jofre. Susikrovę lagaminus išvykome į Kujabą miestą garsiuoju 147 km ilgio Trans-Pantaneira keliu, kurį jungia 122 mediniai tilteliai. 

 Patarimai kelionei

• Dėvėkite lengvus, laisvesnius, greitai džiūstančius drabužius. Mes išties likome patenkinti Columbia Omni freeze drabužiais. Medvilnė nėra geriausias pasirinkimas.
• Dėvėkite rūbus ilgomis rankovėmis.
• Neužmirškite saulės kremo. Mes džiaugėmės atradę saulės rankoves, apsaugančias ne tik nuo saulės spindulių, bet ir truputį vėsinančias (dėvėjome Eclipse UPF 50+).
• Itin pravertė ir Buff daugiafunkcinis galvos apdangalas. Jis saugo nuo UV saulės spindulių, vėjo, dulkių, karštą dieną vėsina, o šaltą šildo.
• Uodai visiškai nevargino rugsėjo pabaigoje – spalio pradžioje. Labiau kamavo sparvos (Horse fly), kurių deja uodų purškalas nenuvydavo šalin.
• Ankstyvais rytais plaukiant motorine valtimi praverčia šiltesnis rūbas. Rugsėjo pab. - spalio pr. gali užklupti trumpos, bet stiprios liūtys. Tad patartina įsidėti lengvus lietaus rūbus bei apsaugą kameroms nuo lietaus.
• Neužmirškite poliarizuotų saulės akinių, ypatingai jei planuojat praleisti daugiau laiko prie vandens.
• Maistas geras: paprastai ryžiai, pupelės, mėsa (jautiena ar paukštiena), įvairūs pyragai ir puiki kava. Na o dienos pabaigoje būtinai pabandykite gaivinantį Caipirinha kokteilį!
• Vežėmės 24-70mm, 70-200mm, 300mm ir 500mm objektyvus. Jaguarus paprastai fotografavome su 300mm + 2x telekonverteriu bei 500mm. 70-200mm objektyvas taip pat praversdavo jaguarui pasirodžius arčiau. 
• Dieną temperatūra Pantanalyje pakyla iki 35 - 40 C. Jei palnuojate fotografuoti jaguarus, užsisakykite valtį su stogu pasislėpti nuo saulės.
• Aplankyti Pantanalį brangu, ypač Porto Jofre Šiaurės Pantanalyje, kuris garsėja jaguarais. Ekologinis turizmas padeda kovoti su jaguarų išnykimu, nes žemės savininkams, ūkininkams bei vietos bendruomenėms jis suteikia nemažą papildomų pajamų šaltinį. Išgelbėti jaguarą yra naudingiau, nei jį nužudyti. 
• Pietų Pantanalis siūlo ramesnį, mažiau "suturistintą" poilsį gamtos apsuptyje. Fazenda Barranko Alto ypač rekomenduotina.
• Geltonojo drugio vakcinacija įvažiuoti į Braziliją nėra privaloma, tačiau itin rekomenduotina. Pantanalyje maliarijos nėra.
• 'Latam' vietiniuose skrydžiuose rankinis bagažas negali viršyti 8 kg. Nusipirkę įlaipinimo pirmenybę neturėjome jokių problemų su sunkesniais kamerų krepšiais. 

October, 2019

We recently returned from Brazil, where we visited the Pantanal region.

Travelling to the Pantanal in Brazil from London means spending lots of hours in the air. The first 11 hour flight was to Rio de Janeiro. Later on  we took two more flights to reach Campo Grande in the south of Pantanal.

Brazil’s Pantanal is the world's largest tropical wetland area covering almost 190 000 km²; in comparison England’s area is 130 000 km² and our native country Lithuania occupies only 65 000 km². Extending from the Amazon which is 28 times larger, Pantanal offers one of the largest concentrations of animal life. The Amazon rain forest may get all the attention, but when it comes to wildlife watching adventures, South America's star is the Pantanal. In 2000 Pantanal has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Pantanal, which name came from the Portuguese word pântano, meaning swamp, consists of a network of rivers, waterways and swamp lands.

During the rainy season (November – April) 70 - 80 % of Pantanal is underwater. Water levels could rise by 3 meters. It is easy to understand why the first Portuguese explorers mistook the region with an inland sea, naming it the Xaraés Sea.

Pantanal is divided into Northern and Southern regions, known as Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul respectively. During our two weeks visit in Brazil we travelled to South and North of Pantanal as each part has its own distinctive characteristics and offers a different experience.

The South Pantanal is accessible via Campo Grande. It can be reached several times daily by domestic flights from all major cities of Brazil. We flew from San Paulo (1hr 30min flight). Fazenda Barranco Alto on the banks of the Rio Negro was our base. 4x4 transfer journey from Campo Grande to Barranco Alto involved large amount of tough dirt roads (6 hours’ drive) which was an adventure itself and by the way a brilliant way to spot lots of wildlife.

Our five days in Barranco Alto delivered the sense of wonder, adventure and unforgettable encounters that we hoped for. The most memorable and unforgettable was spotting a jaguar.

The female jaguar blessed us with a sighting for an hour while two of us were canoeing down the Rio Negro.

The jaguar was watching capibaras on the other shore of the river. In half an hour or so, she started silently creeping towards the water and started swimming towards capibaras.

Jaguars are quite good swimmers. They even can hold their breath and stay underwater.

Barking capibaras jumped into the water and hid beneath the surface.

Piranha Fishing It was a truly unforgettable experience not to mention piranha fishing, sunset canoe trip with lots of caiman and bats eyes twinkling in the darkness of the night, solitude walks in the wild, swimming in the Rio Negro's dark and mysterious waters and of course many photographic possibilities of the surrounded wildlife. Thanks a million for everybody at Barranco Alto especially to Claudia, Fernando and Stefan!

From Barranco Alto in the South we flew to Porto Jofre in the North Pantanal with a small six-seat plane. Porto Jofre surrounded by the Three Brothers, Cuiabá and Piquiri Rivers is the best place in the world for spotting Jaguars. On the way to Photograph Jaguars
We spent five days in Porto Jofre exploring this area of Pantanal in a motorboat and searching for Jaguars and other wildlife that live there.

Even after short visits, we can truly say that South and North Pantanal are teeming with wildlife.

The bird life in the Pantanal is spectacular. It is an excellent place for bird watchers, wildlife photographers, or in general nature lovers. We were able to see many different bird species. There is a selection only of some of them.

The Jabiru, the symbol of Pantanal, is the tallest flying bird found in South and Central America. Its name means "swollen neck".

The Pantanal is home to endangered Hyacinth Macaws. In the 1980s, around 10 000 birds were taken from the wild for bird trade. While overall greatly reduced in numbers, Hyacinth Macaws remain quite common in the Pantanal where many ranch - owners protect the macaws on their land. 

It is difficult to miss Giant Toucan with its large, bright orange and yellow beak. Even though that beak looks long and heavy, actually it is very light because it is made of keratin (as our nails). 

Blue-and-yellow macaws like to nest in the cavities within trunks
of dead palm trees. 

Monk Parakeets can be often seen in small, noisy flocks.

It is a delight to spot a Red-Legged Seriema with its visually distinctive crest, red bill and long legs.

Bare-faced curassow is a turkey-sized ground-dwelling bird. It forages alone or in pairs at woodland edge.

Southern Crested Caracaras are spectacular raptors and quite a common sight particularly in open grasslands and along riverbanks. 

Night active Common Potoo is not the easiest to spot. The same can be said about largely nocturnal South American Great Horned Owl. It generally occurs in more open areas and avoids dense humid forests. 

Anhinga or Water Turkey cannot fly with wet feathers. For this reason, it can be often spotted perched on branches or fallen trees with wings and tail spread to dry. 

Cacoi Heron is very similar to Grey Heron and can be easily seen along the water. Snowy Egret stands  in shallow waters and tries to catch fish, insects or amphibians.

If you manage to see Capped Heron, you will probably agree that it is one of the most beautiful herons.

There are 5 species of kingfishers in the Pantanal which surprisingly are not shy at all and very easily approached by a boat or canoe. Green kingfishers are quite often seen perched on branches close to water.

The Pantanal is home to a fascinating reptile - Yacare Caiman. Caimans along with the other members of the crocodilian group are still going strong, despite the fact that the dinosaurs became extinct 65 million years ago.

 Photographing Yacare caimans was one of the unforgettable and unusual experience.  Caiman Photography, Brazil

The Pantanal has a thriving population of Yacare Caimans. But in 1970 – 1980 they were ruthlessly hunted for skin. 

Yacare Caimans are relatively small-sized crocodilians.

They grow to 2–2.5 metres in total length and around 60 kilograms in weight. They have an average of 74 teeth. Some of the teeth on the lower jaw can poke through the upper jaw. This feature has been compared to piranhas, which has established the common name "piranha caiman".

Caimans continuously shed and replace their teeth in order to keep them razor sharp. 

Caimans cannot chew so swallow smaller prey whole. They love to snack on the razor-toothed piranhas.

The Pantanal is home to many species of mammals. Here you are guaranteed to see the world’s largest rodent – Capybara which is up to 60 cm tall and 66 kg weight.

They are highly social animals and can be found in groups as large as 100 individuals, but usually around 10 – 20 individuals. Birds love to hang around capybaras to get a free meal of bugs and debris from their fur.

Capibaras feed on grass, reeds, grains, melons. They also eat their own poop to get beneficial bacteria to help their stomach break down the thick fibre in their meals.

It was a delight to spot and photograph endangered South American Tapir who leads a solitary nocturnal life. Tapirs have sharp sense of smell and hearing that are useful in evading predators mainly jaguars. 

Of the 80,000 Pampas Deer that live in the wild, majority of them are found in Brazil. We used to spot them in early mornings and late afternoons in South Pantanal. Pampas Deer is listed as Near Threatened.

We were very delighted to spot ancient – looking Yellow Armadillo known as six-banded armadillo. They usually sleep around 18 hours in their burrows and are not very social creatures. Due to the poor eyesight, they rely on the sense of smell to find food. In Pantanal Armadillos love fruit. It was funny to watch how one Armadillo was stealing Macauba palm fruits from its neighbour’s territory.

After the discovery furious armadillo emerged from its burrow and chased the thief away. 

Among the rarest animals to inhabit the wetland of the Pantanal is the Giant Otter.

Fewer than 5,000 of them remain in the wild. Their population was devastated by poaching and habitat loss. Giant Otters are the largest of any otter in the world growing up to 1.8 m and weighting up to 30 kg. They can eat up to 4 kg of food per day.

Each Giant otter has a different throat pattern which becomes very useful while registering otter sightings and observing their population.

The Pantanal hosts quite a healthy population of Neotropical Otters. They are more solitary creatures, versatile in their habitat selection, and tolerant to environmental change.

In the Pantanal both otter species can exist with little or no competition.

North Pantanal The Pantanal is home to around 5000 Jaguars (Panthera onca).
It is one of the best places in the world to see jaguars in the wild, as the cats can often be spotted on riverbanks hunting for prey, taking a drink or resting in the shade. The best time is during dry season (May - October). 

We spent 5 days in Porto Jofre exploring this area of Pantanal in a motorboat. Every day was different, but on average we used to see 2-3 jaguars a day.

Jaguars sleep around 11 hours.

Jaguars are the third largest cats after lions and tigers; average weigh - 100 kg.

Jaguars are famous for powerful jaw muscles and a huge bite force.  They can bite straight through the skull of their prey, and pierce the thick skin of a caiman with ease.

The front (incisor) teeth are small and flat which allows Jaguar to scrape the smallest pieces of meat off the bone. The carnassial teeth at the back work like a pair of scissors, cutting meat into smaller pieces. The canine teeth of the jaguar are used for killing prey, biting, holding and tearing food apart.

Jaguars are excellent hunters and often patrol along the riverbanks.

Jaguars very rarely attack humans but there are few known cases.

Two weeks in the Pantanal have passed very quickly but they were very memorable; we can say with confidence that the Pantanal is all about wildlife.

Our trip to Cuiaba airport via famous 147 km long Trans-Pantaneira road finished our wildlife extravaganza in Brazil.

Tips for the trip

• Bring light, quick drying clothes. We were happy with Columbia Omni freeze range. Cotton is not the best choice for hot climates.
• Wear long-sleeve shirts and long light trousers.
• Of course, sun cream is a must. For us a real discovery was Upf 50+ sun sleeves (from Eclipse). They are not only great for sun protection but they cool arms a bit as well.
• If it rains, it can cool down a bit. Light waterproof clothes are very useful + rain covers for cameras. Early mornings might be a little bit chilly especially in the motor boats at high speeds.
• We were wearing Upf 50+ protective and cooling buff every day. It was super useful.
• We brought a mosquito repellent but did not use it. There were not many mosquitos around at the end of September – beginning of October. Horseflies bothered a little bit. Their bite is quite painful. Unfortunately mosquito repellent does not help to keep them away.
• Wear polarised sunglasses especially if you will be spending a lot of time near water.
• Food is nice - mainly rice, beans, meat (beef or chicken), cakes and of course very nice coffee. Do not miss refreshing Caipirinha cocktail at the end of a hot day!
• We photographed jaguars using 70-200mm, 300mm and 500mm lenses depending on the situation as sometimes jaguars can be approached from a very short distance, but in general 300mm with 2x extender and 500mm were used most of the time. Tripod is useful as well.
• During the day temperature is high - around 35 - 40 C. So for jaguar photography book a boat with a canopy, it's super helpful.
•  Pantanal is expensive, especially Porto Jofre in the North Pantanal, which is famous for jaguars. Eco tourism helps jaguars to fight extinction as it brings a significant source of additional revenue for landowners, farmers and the local communities. It's more profitable to save jaguar than to kill it. ar The financial benefits of jaguar tourism in South America outweigh the costs to livestock farms 
• South Pantanal offers more relaxed less touristy wildlife experience. Fazenda Barranco Alto is highly recommended.
• Yellow fever vaccination is not required for entrance into Brazil but it's strongly recommended. There is no malaria in the Pantanal.
• Latam cabin baggage allowance for domestic flights is 8 kg. We booked priority boarding and had no problems with our overweight camera bags. 
   

July, 2013
 

About 600,000 pairs of Atlantic Puffins nest in Britain and Ireland, the majority on offshore islands. Farne islands, Foula, Skomer Island are among few popular destinations which offer great opportunities to see and photograph Puffins.

The Shetland Islands are home to roughly a fifth of Scotland’s puffins. So it is a perfect destination for puffin photography. 

If you arrive to Sumburgh airport, do not miss Sumburgh Head RSPB reserve. It is a lovely place offering many photographic opportunities. Early July is a perfect time for puffins in flowering sea thrift.

One mile north of Sumburgh Head is the settlement of Grutness, which is the terminus of the Shetland Mainland to Fair Isle ferry service.

For us Fair Isle in Shetland is one of the best places to photograph Puffins. It’s a magical 'get-away-from-it-all' destination, not overcrowded with tourists. But most important it is one of a few places where you are able to stay overnight on the island, which allows you to photograph birds in the morning and evening light. 

Fair Isle is a very quiet and remote location, in fact it is the most remote island in the United Kingdom. The island is tiny as well:  only 5 kilometers length and 3 kilometers width. It is inhabited by thousands of seabirds but only by 60 people.

Fair Isle can be reached from the Shetland mainland either by a cargo ship "Good Shepherd" for 12 passengers or by 8 - seater “Islander” aircraft. Due to very fast changing weather, fog, strong winds or bad seas, ferry and flights can be cancelled. So leave plenty of leavay. It is possible that you might not be able to get on or off the Fair Isle on the day you expect. If you are suffering from seasickness, we strongly advise not to take a ferry. It is a very rocky ride. Our 2.5 hour trip seemed an awful long way. For our return trip from Fair Isle to Mainland we've booked plane tickets.

The main puffin colonies are located in the North of Fair Isle. Accommodation wise, the ideal place is Bird Observatory & Guesthouse. Puffins are nesting just a few minutes walk from the Observatory. We did not book the place early enough so we stayed in South Lighthouse bed&breakfast. It meant that we had to walk ~ 2.5 miles each way to the puffin colonies, which to be honest we quite enjoyed; especially very early mornings in cool and mystic atmosphere.

With the average of 136 hours of sun in July we were very lucky to have  beautiful golden light, great sunrises and sunsets. 

Atlantic Puffins are true seabirds considering they spend most of their lives at sea. First puffins return to Fair Isle in late March.
The birds line their nests, which are at the end of 70-110 cm (27-43 inches) burrows, with grass, seaweed and feathers. All the necessary material is carried in the beak, which by the way becomes deeper with age and gets up to 3 grooves.  

 We are not sure what this puffin intended to do with a bone but other puffins seemed to be interested in it as well…     

Puffins raise one chick at a time and feed it 5-8 times daily. It is a very busy season for puffins and obviously a great time for us photographing these  birds with the beaks full of sand eels. Traditionally puffins feed on a mixture of fish, but nutritious sand eels make up a high proportion of their diet.

During the middle of the day the life in the colony is quiet; some puffins spend time preening, others are down in the burrows or out at sea feeding, some stand by their burrow entrances and interact with other birds.  

Photographing puffins in flight is very challenging as they fly up to 55 mph. Fast 300 mm f2.8 lens, good wind direction and light enables to capture some flight images.  

Most puffin colonies are empty soon after mid-August. Puffin chicks leave a colony when they fledge and head off to the ocean without their parents.  They return to land when they are 2-3 years old. Adults come back to their breeding grounds next year in spring. 

If you travel around Shetland islands, we would advise to visit Hermaness Nature Reserve. The cliffs are home to numerous nesting seabirds including a big colony of puffins. It's about an hour walk from the car park to the cliffs.

A tiny island of Noss has around 2000 pairs of puffins and offers amazing views of  23,000 gannets, 24,000 guillemots and 10,000 fulmars nesting on the cliffs.

To get to Noss you must take a ferry from Lerwick to Bressay, and travel three miles across the island to get on a inflatable motorboat which takes you across the narrow gap of water to the island.  
 To sum up, we would totally recommend visiting Shetland Islands. It is a place where you will definitely enjoy amazing seabird colonies.

If you have any queries or would like to leave a comment, please drop as an e-mail.  We are always happy to hear from you.

December, 2012
 

A picture of red squirrel in the snow was in our minds for some time. Last year we headed to Scotland where the biggest population of UK red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) is found. Unfortunately we did not get a chance to photograph this ginger coated beauty in the snow. Unusually for Scotland, February was without snow. This year we've decided to head to Yorkshire Dales which is recognized as an important habitat for red squirrels. Upon arrival we've settled down in a small family run hotel. In the morning we had a very nice surprise as the weather temperature had dropped and it felt that the snow was on the way. We headed to the woods. The first snowflakes of the season arrived early afternoon and the ground was covered in white in no time. 

A real challenge began when a heavy snow band moved in. Big  flakes made focusing very tricky but we couldn't stop trying...

Cute red squirrel sitting in the snow covered with snowflakes. Winter in England. Animals in winter. The whole scene turned into a winter wonderland. 

Late afternoon we headed back to the hotel. Dinner was served in the light of candles as there was no electricity due to heavy winds. 

Next morning  we headed back to the woods and there was still plenty of snow on the ground.

Cute red squirrel sitting in the snow covered with snowflakes. Winter in England. Animals in winter.

The squirrels were coming so close that we managed to make an image with a wide angle lens. This one is our favourite shot. 

To our big shock one of our cameras stopped working after yesterday's harsh conditions and high humidity. Without a doubt it was very frustrating. Luckily we found another way of using it ... We placed couple of peanuts inside the lens hood. We were amazed by one squirrel which was not shy at all and showed a lot of interest in the camera.

Couple of minutes later the squirrel have managed to get inside a lens hood.

We photographed red squirrels in Yorkshire Dales. One ginger beauty was not shy at all and got inside a lens hood for a nice shelter. Even a small lens made an impression...

It was simply amazing but to tell the truth our faces looked a bit worried. Sharp nails and teeth of this brave little beauty could have easily scratched the lenses and cameras. Luckily the squirrel behaved and have not done any damage. 

It was simply an unforgettable experience. The journey was brilliant and we were left with a terrible heartbreaking feeling of wanting to stay much longer. Back at home, we dried out the camera properly and it started working...

Gruodis, 2012
 

Jau kurį laiką norėjome nufotografuoti paprastąsias voveres (Sciurus vulgaris) sningant, todėl vasario mėnesį nusprendėme keliauti į Škotiją, kur palyginti su kitais Jungtinės Karalystės regionais, yra didžiausia šių gyvūnėlių populiacija. Deja, sniego taip ir nesulaukėme. Tad nutarėme mėginti kitur. Po paieškų internete paaiškėjo, kad verta bandyti laimę Šiaurės Anglijoje. Vietos fotografas informavo apie kasmet čia didėjančią voverių populiaciją, o meteorologai pranašavo tinkamą orą. Taigi išsirengėme į Jorkšyro slėnių nacionalinį parką (Yorkshire Dales). Lūkesčiai buvo dideli, o kuprinės dar didesnės.
Apsistojome mažame Jorkšyro grafystės miestelyje. Pabudus ryte paaiškėjo, kad orų prognozės nebuvo iš piršto laužtos. Sunkūs debesys slinko nešdami geras naujienas. Mes nieko nelaukdami išskubėjome į mišką. Pirmosios snaigės iškrito ankstyvą popietę.

Po valandos sniegas jau dribte dribo. 

Cute red squirrel sitting in the snow covered with snowflakes. Winter in England. Animals in winter.

Juoduojantys žemės plotai akimirksniu užsiklojo baltu sluoksniu. Spaudė šaltukas, įsismarkavęs vėjas vis skaudžiau žnaibė skruostus, bet nuo minties, kad sena svajonė pildosi, darėsi kiek šilčiau. Didelės snaigės tapo gana rimtu iššūkiu fotografuojant, nes buvo gana sunku fokusuoti vaizdą. Negana to, vis mažiau klausė sustirę pirštai. Pūga šėlo pora valandų. Sušlapę voverių ausų plaukučiai styrojo lyg antenėlės, tačiau atrodė, kad jų toks oras nė kiek nevargina.

Iš miško grįžome šlapi, sušalę, bet laimingi. Viešbutyje mūsų laukė staigmena – dėl įsismarkavusios pūgos dingo elektra. Tad vakarieniavome ir rytojaus dienai ruošėmės žvakių šviesoje. 

Išaušęs rytas teikė tikrai daug vilčių - spaudė šaltukas ir sniegas netirpo. Išskubėjome pas voveres. Jos kaip ir vakar buvo guvios bei aktyvios. 

Cute red squirrel sitting in the snow covered with snowflakes. Winter in England. Animals in winter.

Deja, nuotaika subjuro paaiškėjus, kad vienas mūsų fotoaparatų per vakarykštę pūgą sudrėko ir nustojo veikti. Kad ir kiek bandėme, jo atgaivinti nepavyko. Laimė, nejučia šovė mintis, sugedusiajam paieškoti kitos paskirties. Netrukus tragedija tapo gerąja naujiena.

Vietos voverės mus matė jau antrą dieną ir buvo kur kas drąsesnės, todėl nusprendėme kiek paeksperimentuoti. Norėdami jas privilioti papozuoti prie neveikiančio fotoaparato, įdėjome keletą riešutų į objektyvo gaubtą. Nelabai ko tikėjomės, todėl tikrai nustebome, kai vienas drąsesnių ir smalsesnių gyvūnėlių po kiek laiko panoro apžiūrėti fotoaparatą.

... o vėliau net įsigudrino įsitaisyti kameros apsauginio gaubto viduje.

We photographed red squirrels in Yorkshire Dales. One ginger beauty was not shy at all and got inside a lens hood for a nice shelter.

Matydami, kad voverės tikrai nieko prieš taip su mumis pažaisti, padėdavome riešutų, o šios, supratusios, kad gardėsių vis atsiranda, pamiršo drovumą ir ėmė dar uoliau tikrinti aparatą. Nesutriko net tada, kai didįjį objektyvą pakeitėme mažesniu.

Vėlų vakarą grįžome namo kupini neišdildomų įspūdžių. Na o fotoaparatą gerai išdžiovinus, jis pradėjo vėl veikti. 

July-August, 2015

If you want to see and photograph brown bears, there are not many better places than Finland.

This year we've spent a week in July and a week in August photographing bears.

Travel info. We landed in Kuusamo airport and later were transferred to Martinselkonen nature reserve. The journey by a car which was arranged via Martinselkonen wilds centre took about 2 hours (~150 km). The reserve is situated close to the Russian border in Eastern Finland. It is 170  km from Kajaani, 180 km from Kuhmo and 270 km from Oulu; so you can choose to fly to these airports instead of going to Kuusamo.

Photographic experience. The first bear photo session starts the following afternoon. The hides are around 15 minutes drive from the lodge. There is an option to book a main big hide for group of people or pro hides for 2-3 people. We've chosen pro hides in three different locations: swamp, lake and forest. 

All the trips can be booked directly using Martinselkonen website. 

Lenses. Lenses of length 300-600mm are most useful in pro hides. Most often we used 300 and 500mm but 70-200mm was always ready on a spare camera for the moments when bears come very close to the hide. ...and it actually happened quite a lot.

There is no need to bring a tripod, however you may wish to bring a tripod head.
We were taken to the hides around 4 pm and stayed overnight till about 7 am. July is the best month to photograph bears.

On our arrival to the swamp hide, the rain had poured nearly all day. The forest was a slop of mud and puddles, and the water level have risen dramatically.

Towards the evening, we spotted a bear with two cubs crossing the swamp.  

They came a bit closer to the hide but did not stay long. Mom and cubs looked alert and kept scanning the woods for male bears.​ 

Brown Bear

The following day we headed to the pond hide. This year cub activity by the pond was very poor. Couple years ago there was plenty of action from fluffy bear cubs who kept climbing up and getting down the trees all evening. 

This time the area was left mainly for tough adults or adventurous "teenagers".

Brown Bear at Dusk Reflection of Brown Bear Male Bear Climbing the Tree

Most of the days we've spent in the forest hide. There is always a good activity not only from adult bears but from cubs as well. Of course, the area first is scanned by huge males. 

A grown male weighs on average 250 and 300 kilograms (550 and 660 lb), females typically range between 150–250 kg (330–550 lb). In fact, the largest Eurasian brown bear - 481 kg (1,058 lb).

Claws can grow up to five inches long. It's like a human finger. 

Is Eurasian brown bear a threat to humans? Actually, brown bears don't seem to be a great threat towards humans. They only attack humans when defending their cubs or when they are starving. There was a tragic case that took place in June 1998, Finland. A man in his forties was out jogging in the forest. He surprised a female bear with a cub close to the jogging track and was killed.

Bears live as long as 30 years. Meat takes 15 % of the diet.  Bears mostly eat berries, roots, leaves, insects, and fruit. Bears have been known to go after human grain stores for food, with some Russian Bears actually getting drunk on grain alcohol.

This year we've witnessed quite a lot bears standing on the legs. The reason behind this behaviour is to get a better smell, sight or sometimes a good scratch...

The cubs behave in the same way when they want to get a better picture of the surrounding area. 

Ancient Eurasian tribes worshiped the bear; its ability to stand and walk on two legs led them to believe it was a their brother.

One of the days was particularly warm, and some of the bears kept sitting on their hind legs in the forest trying to cool themselves down. We have not witnessed this kind of funny behavior before.

Brown Bear "Hi Five"

When the environment is safe with no male bears around, there is plenty of action from fluffy cubs.

We never get bored of seeing brown bears and each trip presents itself with new challenges and opportunities.

Thank you for visiting. Hope you enjoyed it.

If you have any queries or would like to leave a comment, please drop as an e-mail. 

9th October 2021

We were very lucky to witness Teddington Athletic FC pitch invasion by a rutting red deer stag in Bushy Park.

Deer stag jumped over the fence into the football pitch while chasing his rival.

A game between U10 Dragons (in striped kit) and Epsom & Ewell Colts was stopped after 20 minutes from the kickoff.

The young footballers were amazed when an extra player suddenly appeared in the middle of the pitch. The game was paused for around 10 minutes as the fearless stag stalked around the field.

Bushy Park is one of the royal parks in London. There are currently about 320 red deer.

The pictures were published in ‘The Times’, ‘Daily Star’, Heute newspapers and several online portals, like Mail Online, New York Post,  Daily Post L.A, NY Press news and etc.