HIGHLIGHTS (?) 2011

 Bilder på blogg blir lett litt "forbruksvare",- dvs. de vises i kraft av å være ferskevare som nye og glemmes fort i skyggen av en stadig strøm av nye bilder & nye impulser. Det å sette sammen en "highlights"-blogg er for meg derfor kun et påskudd (!!) til å vise noen "gamle" bilder på nytt,.. noen bilder jeg selv er fornøyd med og som det derfor er morsomt å "flashe" på ny. Jeg har nok litt problem noen ganger med å skille opplevelsene fra bildene... og er slik sett litt "inhabil" til å gjøre et utvalg. Illustrerende nok er kona mi helt uenig (!!) i utvalget mitt, og hun sier at hun ville vinkla dette vesentlig annerledes. Uansett har dette vært et fint fotoår for meg. Bloggen har hatt mer enn 20 000 besøk i 2011 ... fra absolutt hele verden, og jeg er veldig takknemlig for de som gidder å legge igjen kommentarer (særlig de positive !!). Kommentarene har ofte løfta meg ut av negative tanker og lurende "deppiser". 

Kjære venner : Tusen takk skal dere ha !!!  

Jeg har hatt drøye 90 reisedøgn med biofoto i 2011, dvs mer enn 3 mnd. Jeg har opplevd fantastiske steder, dyr, stemninger, situasjoner, lys og hyggelige folk. Jeg bare gleder meg til fortsettelsen !!

English : Like last year, I have challenged myself to blog 2 shots from each month throughout 2011. Difficult, because I have problems keeping the experiences of being there from the pictures themselves.  Thanks for following my blog and for leaving your comments. I really do appreciate it, and it`s really been a great inspiration for me !!!! Thank you so much.

I hope you still like the pictures

JANUARY

Alligator in the Trail City area, Everglades NP, Florida

Woodstorks once roamed the marshes of Everglades NP in great numbers. The population is now reduced to a minimum, and is now being very rare. They are now considered to be an indicator specie in the Everglades eco system. 

FEBRUARY

Tiger. Kanha NP, India 

The Checkered Keelback is a non poisonous water snake known to be rather aggressive. This one was approx 2 m long, and the picture is shot seconds before it came splashing out of the pond. 

Kanha NP, India 

MARCH

Young goshawk (hønsehauk) in dry winter-grass. 

Jæren Norway

Whooper swans (sangsvaner) during early spring migration.

Tysslingen, Sweden.

APRIL

Toad (padde). Frogn Norway

Capercaillie (tiur). Aurskog Høland, Norway 

MAY

Male adder (huggorm). Frogn Norway

Grass-snake (buorm). Frogn Norway

JUNE

Osprey (fiskeørn) on the lookout branch. Dalen Telemark, Norway

Osprey (fiskeørn) on the lookout branch. Vaala finland

JULY

Black throated diver (storlom). Vaala Finland

Red throated diver (smålom). Vaala Finland

AUGUST

Female adder (huggorm) swallowing mouse. Frogn Norway

Grizzly bear looking for clams on low tide. Lake Clark NP, Alaska

SEPTEMBER

Spawning sockeye salmon. Russian River, Alaska

Female adder (huggorm). Frogn Norway

OKTOBER

Sparrowhawk (spurvehauk) chasing a common jay (nøtteskrike). Dalen Telemark, Norway

Little auk (alkekonge) in sunset light. Bundefjorden Akershus, Norway

NOVEMBER

Iberian ibex (steinbukk). Sierra de Gredos, Spain

Griffon vulture (gåsegribb). Pyrenèes, Spain

DECEMBER

Young goshawk (spurvehauk). Flatanger, Norway

Golden eagle (kongeørn). Flatanger, Norway

I wish you all a happy new year !!

NOVEMBER-ØRN / NOVEMBER EAGLES

D3s, 200-400 4,0 / 400mm, f4,0, 1/400, -0,33, ISO 5000

Jada, ....vinterbilder av kongeørn på foringsplass har vi sett før, og det jeg viser her er da heller ikke spesielt spektakulært, men uansett hvor "gjennomfotografert" denne arten er : det er en ubeskrivelig følelse å være så nær denne store, stolte og utilnærmelige villmarksfuglen.....høre lyden av store stive fjær og være så nær at man ser blodårene i ørne-øynene. Det gjør alltid inntrykk, og jeg kommer aldri til å bli lei av dette.....og jeg blir vist aldri lei av å sitte i kamuflasje heller, ...selv om aktiviteten denne gangen var heller laber pga den varme høsten. !

Ikke kommer jeg til å bli lei av å reise til Flatanger heller. Her har jeg møtt mange utrolig mange hyggelige mennesker!

Bildene er tatt i slutten av november.

God jul !!!

English : Pictures of golden eagles are taken i Flatanger, Mid Norway, in late November.
Booking : www.norway-nature.com.

 D3s, 600 4,0, f5,0, 1/200, -0,67, ISO 1600

 D3s, 600 4,0, f4,0, 1/160, -0,33, ISO 1600

 D3s, 600 4,0, f400, -0,33, ISO 1600

 D3s, 600 4,0, f5,6, 1/400, -0,33, ISO 1600

 D3s, 600 4,0, f5,6, 1/200, ISO 1600

 D3s, 600 4,0, f5,6, 1/200, ISO 1600

 D3s, 600 4,0, f5,6, 1/250, +0,33, ISO 1600

 D3s, 600 4,0, f5,0, 1/400, -0,33, ISO 1600

 ...og så kom den første snøen
D3s, 200-400 4,0 / 210 mm, f5,6, 1/200, +0,33, ISO 800

Menneskelig varme i "Ørneredet" i Flatanger : Fra vennstre undertegnede (han med ørnenesa!), Arnfinn Johansen, Ole Martin Dahle, Staffan Widstrand og Petter Thorsen
14-24 2,8, f 2,8, 1/800, ISO 6400

UNG HØNSEHAUK YOUNG GOSHAWK

(Det ble noe krøll med denne hønsehaukbloggen (rota det til med en kladd til highlights), så jeg legger den ut på nytt)

I sluttten av november er det MØRKT i hønsehaukskogen i Flatanger !! ....og spesielt mørkt var det da stormen "Berit" raste i tretoppene. En fotografisk utfordring selvfølgelig, men også veldig stemningsfullt. 

Late November in Norway in the thick goshawk forest is a DARK experience, and especially when the demolishing hurricane "Berit" was raging the treetops ! A challenge photographically of course, but also very special. 

 D3s, 600 4,0, f4,0, 1/60, -0,33, ISO 6400

 D3s, 600 4,0, f4,0, 1/80, ISO 1600

 D3s, 600 4,0, f4,5, 1/50, ISO 3200

 På jerpe / with hazel hen prey

D3s, 600 4,0, f4,5, 1/80, ISO 3200

 På rype / with ptarmigan prey

D3s, 600 4,0, f4,0, 1/100, -0,33, ISO 3200

 D3s, 600 4,0, f4,0, 1/60, ISO 6400

Nøtteskrikene var vettskremte / the jays were terrified !

D3s, 600 4,0, f4,0, 1/100, -0,33, ISO 1600

LAMMERGEIER !!

Shooting landscapes with long lenses from small hides is not an easy option. This is one of the slopes in foot of a cliff visible from the hide.

D3s, 200-400 4,0, 400 mm, f6,3, 1/640, ISO 500 

Spanish Pyrenèes nov 12th 2011 : Beeing totally overwhelmed by the griffon experience (gåsegribb) my photographer friend Dario Mesonero Romanos and I had in the remote Pyrenèes that morning on the 12th of November (see last blog), the silence in the hide after the vultures had left was... total. I honestly expected nothing more of Torre de Tamurcia !! However Dario kept talking about the lammergeier (lammegribb), about the bird being a loner, extremely shy and rare, and said we had a chance for it since the swarm of griffons now was gone.

I was in "deep flashback emotions" over the incredible griffon adventure, as Dario suddenly whispers : "Lammergeier !!"  I thought the guy was joking (would have been a very bad joke Dario !!!), but he kept going "Lammergeier, lammergeier".  Then I saw it too, a quick shadow in the air above, with that typical lammergeier silhouette :  long arrow-shaped tail, slightly angled wings, a huge bird with wingspan close to 3 m and still : with that quick raptor flight. My heart was up in my throat beating !!
These vultures eat bones, not meat. I knew they would just pick a knuckle and leave again. We had the birds (a pair) for only a minute or two. Cameras went like machine guns ... and then, just as suddenly they appeared, ..... they were gone again, "eaten" by the vast Pyrenèe landscape !!

I smiled all the 700 km back to Madrid

The pictures are not the best, I know that,- but for me it was a great experience and still : a good photographical  start. I will definitely come back for this one !! 

My first close encounter with this majestic bird

D3s, 600 4,0, f5,6 1/1000, ISO 1000

On ground for very short time

D3s, 600 4,0, f5,6, 1/2000, ISO 1000

Wingspan up to 2,95 m makes a pretty big bird !

D3s, 600 4,0, 5,6, 1/640, ISO 1000

Typical angled wings and arrow-shaped tail is visible. Holding a knuckle by the claws.

D3s, 600 4,0, f5,6, 1/640, ISO 1000

I have been shooting red kites (glente) before, but never had them close on ground before.

D3s, 600 4,0, f5,6, 1/1000, ISO 1250

Red kite (glente)

D3s, 600 4,0, f5,6, 1/800, ISO 1250

Red kite (glente)

D3s, 600 4,0, f5,6, 1/800, ISO 1250

Red kite portrait (glente)

D3s, 600 4,0, f5,6, 1/320, ISO 640

Red kite flight (glente)

D3s, 600 4,0, f5,6, 1/1000, ISO 1250

Red kite flight (glente)

D3s, 600 4,0, f5,6, 1/1000, ISO 1250

Red kite flight (glente)

D3s, 600 4,0, f5,6, 1/800, ISO 1600

This is what a scabies-infected (skabb-infisert) fox looks like. Poor animal !!!

D3s, 600 4,0, f6,3, 1/1000, ISO 640

A scandinavian wagtail on winter holiday in Spain ?

D3s, 200-400 4,0, 280 mm, f6,3, 1/640, +0,33, ISO 2000, handheld

D3s, 600 4,0, f6,3, 1/250, +0,33, ISO 500

D3s, 200-400 4,0, 400 mm, f5,6, 1/640, +0,33, ISO 1600, handheld

THE SPANISH FLY

In the remote Pyrenèes a local fly happened to come into our car. Her full name was :

Carmen Maria Quebrantahuesos Tamurcia
For us, she was only : Carmencita

We were not aware of her presence in the car as we were leaving Torre de Tamurcia, and by accident ....she came with us all the 700 km back to Madrid. Carmencita of course had a family in Torre de Tamurcia and her ancestors have been surviving on cowshit and local carcasses up there for decades. Now she`s suddenly and unwillingly become a "country girl in the big city of Madrid", ...which of course, may pose some minor problems. 

So, Carmencita, if you ever read this, we want you to know that we are so sorry for putting you in this situation !! 

Now, our best piece of good advice  to you would be as follows : Get rid of that silly country accent of yours, adapt some fancy urban habits and try to look "pretty cool". Over time we are sure that you will find yourself a handsome and caring city-boy for future husband. Yes, city carcasses are hard to find (in best case you would normally just find a dry, half eaten hamburger), but with your sense of smelling, you will surely find a proper place for many future eggs in your future city life.

Good luck Carmencita !!