Whooper swans in Tysslinge

Five weeks back we visited the lake Tysslinge just outside Örebro. 
The lake is quite long, narrow and shallow which is perfect for all sorts of birds throughout the year but 

the highlight is when almost 5000 wooper swans arrives to the fields to feed and socializing 

for couple of weeks up to a month before continuing up to the northern parts of Sweden to get chicks.
The whole area around the lake is a nature reserve and it`s surrounded by fences so nobody can get too 
close to them and disturb.
Just imagine when 5000 whooper swans "talks" to each others - the noise is pretty cool :))

Boring Weather...

It has been bad weather almost a week now and I really have not had any desire to go out and shoot. But I've gone on walks down to the Rivelin valley where the kingfisher is, I've seen it a couple of times but since it rains so much water becomes muddy and it seems that the kingfisher do not like it so it disappears from the site.
I hope it comes back.
But here are some pictures of the cautious pheasant, they visited my feeding place in the woods before Christmas.

Have a nice day!
                                                                 

Male

Female

Mandarin Duck Couple

Yesterday morning I went for a walk through the Botanical Gardens and then to Endcliff Park and there I saw The Mandarin couple.
I had no camera with me but I thought that I will be back there in the evening and hope they are there still there.
Once I went out at evening it was dark clouds in the sky and the rain was close, but it can provide interesting pictures so I continued down to the pond.
The ducks were still there so I picked up the camera equipment, and just then it started to rain and it was a real shower, they 1.5hours that I was there, it was mixed weather. Then it's nice to have a camera equipment that can withstand rain.
It was actually the first time I photographed Mandarin female, I've seen it before but did not have my camera with me.
It was getting dark and the Mandarin couple wanted apparently not stay there overnight so they flew away.
Camera equipment: Nikon 3Ds and nikon 200-400 f4 lens with Kenko 1.4 konverter.

Crocus

Yesterday I went down to the Botanical Garden to shoot the beautiful crocuses.
In one place where it was most of them, it was probably 12m in diameter so it really looked fantastic.
I tried to shoot them with different lenses, but I thought it was really hard to get a good composition.
Last week it has been really nice spring weather with a +8 in the shade, so it really feels that spring / summer is on the way.
Next week it seems  to be even warmer, with temperatures to +15 :))
This morning I was up to Redmires reservoirs, but there the wind still felt cold and there is also snow in many places.
But a saw many migratory birds such as, Golden Plower, Meadow Pipit, Curlew, Lapwing, Snipe and many more. I also looked after the water vole but it is 1-2m snow in the ditch where they live, so maybe in couple of weeks they are coming out.

Camera equipment: Nikon 3Ds, nikon 50mm f 1.8, 24-70mm f2.8 and tamron macro sp90 Di

Last photos from Kalix

Then I'm back home in england again after two nice weeks in Kalix.
Next trip will probably be in July / Aug and then it will be a week's fishing trip in the mountains.
Before I went from Kalix I tried to shoot small birds behind brother's house where he has a feeding place for them.
The bird I was after was the bullfinch, but it was incredibly shy so I did not really know if I would be able to shoot it.
But I sat down to take pictures of other small birds, and then suddenly it came and sat down at the big tree 10m away, so I sat still and waited and hoped that it would get closer as it did.
But it was not as close as I wanted but I had to be satisfied with just getting some pictures of it.
For me the trip meant that i got three new species pictured, may not sound much but it's winter and there are not so many birds there right now :))
The three birds: Hazel Grouse, Parrot Crossbill, and Bullfinch.
Now I'm looking outside and the the weather here in England is cloudy, foggy, rainy and little chilly. And so it will  be for some time, not at all eager to go out and shoot.

Bullfinch (male) Domherre (hane)

Williw tit/Talltita

Blue tit/Blå mes

Jay/Nötskrika

Logde moor to Hathersage

As it was such a lovely morning, off we went for a walk through the Peak District NP. This time we took a path from Logde moor past the Redmires Reservoirs, Stanage Edge and ended up in Hathersage. Took the opportunity to look for water voles and any new coming birds, but only black headed gulls and ducks were there.
The walk along the Stanage Edge is always awesome and today full of rock climbers. Amazing how they can climb on some seemingly impossible walls. After that it was straight down to Hathersage for coffee and bus home.
Until today I thought that the distance was 6km but according to Mr Google Maps it's 9, which didnt matter as it was perfectly easy and short as my periosteum hurts.

Stanage  edge, rock formations

Rock climbers, Stanage edge

I liked the colours on these rock walls

Dipper

At last, the dipper has arrived to the little river, down in the Rivelin Valley, I've always liked this tough bird, do not really know why but I think because it is so small and seems to be so tough. It is so fun to watch it when it searches for food in the river either diving or walking on the bottom of the river.
And for the first time, I got both the female and male in the same picture, they tend otherwise keep some distance from each other, I dont know why but thats how I experience it.
Now I think they are close to each other because it is time for mating soon, especially considering how much they sing to each other.
I also think it is the same couple who were there last year, will see if they choose their old nesting location.
Since I usually spend a lot of time to try to shoot them in the spring and summer they usually get used to me after a while and sometimes I can get quite close, but right now they are still a little shy.

Camera equipment: Nikon D90 and nikon 200-400mm f4 lens.

Male on the left, a little bit more colorful :)

Do u see it under the water

Searching



Ready to dive

Signs of spring and more..

Spring flowers are really trying to coming out now, but every now and then the winter comes back for short periods. But spring flowers are tough and they are fighting on despite the snow and freezing temperatures.
It is mainly snowdrops and some yellow flower do not know the name of that one who is steadfast, but  I'm also a little surprised when I see that some rhododendrons already begun to bloom,  isn't that a bit too early but they seem to do well. Even magnolia is starting to get big buds but it will probably take some months for them to bloom.
I Saw a nice dove that I not have seen before, it is called Collared Dove, they have a very nice song  and also a creepy red eye :))

Collared Dove/ Turkduva

 

Ångra ändringarna

Alpha

The Beautiful Mandarin Duck

As I wrote in the previous blog post, I then went down to Endcliff park and there was the beautiful Mandarin duck in place.
I'm Always happy to see the nice colorful duck, so it was just to take out the camera and take pictures.
I managed to get pretty close to the Mandarin, which has not happened before, but maybe it's the cold / winter which makes them less shy of humans.
Since the birds surely need more to eat, they know well that people usually will feed them with bread  and for that reason they cant resist to eat easily earn food.

camera equipment: nikon D90 and nikon 200-400mm f4 lens