Wild Wonders of Europe - The Blog!

New Wild Wonders Blog

2008-07-04T12:18:00.003+01:00

The WILD WONDERS OF EUROPE wildBLOG has moved to: http://www.wild-wonders.com/blog
Check out the new features and latest images from around Europe! Please update your bookmarks to the new address.

Staffan Widstrand - Flatanger, Norway 01

2008-06-25T06:32:00.001+01:00

June 20, 2008
Eagle owls, Sea eagles and summer flower colours in Sleneset and Flatanger, Norway

From the shores of a still Living Sea, I can report that the Sea eagles and Eagle owls are doing very well. Up here, along the Norwegian North Sea coast lives the most dense population of these birds in the world.
The Sea eagles living from the vast riches of the sea, and the Eagle owls living on those who live from the riches of the sea (gulls, terns, geese, ducks, auks and water voles). Through the help of very friendly guides Ole Martin Dahle from Flatanger and Frode Johansen from Sleneset we managed to see more than 25 Eagle owls and about 40 Sea eagles in a few days time. And get really close to the eagles.
It is an experience that I would recommend any person with any interest in nature to do at least once in your life. See the incredibly charismatic eagles sweep down and catch fish just beside the boat, 15 metres away! Along with a great flock of always hungry and wonderfully beautiful gulls of several species.
On land, the vegetation is bursting out in green and vivid colours from the sunshine 24hrs a day, in this Land of the Midnight sun. Flowers that are veritable gems in the warm evening light. Some of the true Wild Wonders of Europe!

Staffan Widstrand

Milán Radisics - Lake Skadar, Montenegro 03

2008-06-17T19:35:00.003+01:00

Click on the title of the blog to watch Milán at work!

25 May 2008
The journey

Driven 13 hours. Playstation 3 feeling accompanied me through South-Serbia. Pushbikers and policemen turned up from the bushes. Not even counting the cows, sheep and fag dealers. I stopped at the very first barbecue shack because they sell the best “cevapcica”. Small rolls of three type of grinded meat in a taco with lots of onion and a special cottage cheese called "kajmak". I know it's difficult to pronounce but there is a lot simplier local name for it: “ten with onion”. Although you can't get it wrong 'cause there's no other choice anyway.

At the Montenegro border I had waited for the toll-keeper to finish his dinner in the next village and an hour later he just waved that I'm allowed to go. That's OK, at least I could experience that nighttime 4 centigrade in the Durmitor National Park feels cold enough comparing to the thirty-some at Skodra Lake. By the way Montenegro is preparing for the touristic season so they put the main road under construction but in their own way. In the Moracsa river's canyon at the narrowest bit the road is closed for 3 hours twice a day at 3 different points. Which means that this bit is closed for 24 hours, because first I wait 3 hours for opening the road, then I wait another 3 hours for the cue to move forward. Anyway, I don't want to go into details...

Fortunately I had drinks and food on me so I didn't starve to death. I hope they finish the reconstruction before the high season 'cause it's not very tempting like this. To avoid this mess on the way back I came through Bosnia but that was not adventure-free either. The toll-keepers asked me to pay some insurance to enter the country. Don't ask me why, I still don't understand myself. I was furious 'cause I didn't have any local currency and there was no ATM located among the great mountains. Finally I found 20 pounds in the deepest corner of my purse and we agreed that this is about as much as I should pay to get through the stretch of Serbian Republic found in Bosnia in safety but without any of us knowing the actual exchange rate.

Well, I can't see why they had to turn the good old Yugoslavia into so many small countries.

Milán Radisics - Lake Skadar, Montenegro 02

2008-06-17T19:28:00.004+01:00

16 May 2008
About the lake.
Wonderful place. The biggest lake in southeastern Europe. A real transboundary lake. One half belongs to Montenegro the other half to Albania. When the carps are spanwing fishing is prohibited on this side but on the Albanian side it is not. Montenegro's anglers are unarmed while the Albanians won’t leave their guns at home.

This side is rarely inhabited, that one is overpopulated. That's why this could be a National Park and the other not. South side is rocky full of islands but the Northern shore is very swampy because of river Zeta. It's greatest speciality, 5 different biotopes can be found within 100 meters: open water, swamp, floodplain forests, deciduous forests, karst spots. The lake's surface is 370 - 550 square kilometers, avarage depth is around 5 meters and 280 species of birds can be found. One third of the Pygmy Cormorant's population of the world lives here. The Dalmatian Pelican is nesting here, which is the symbol of the National Park as well. Quite interesting that there is an island where seagulls are nesting that escaped from the tourists. In the last twenty years the terns got more common, living in 9 colonies and setting over 1.200 nests.

Sheer wild beauty.

Milán Radisics - Lake Skadar, Montenegro 01

2008-06-17T19:21:00.000+01:00

12.05.2008
What to take with you for such an assignment? Well, I did not want to miss anything at the scene so I packed an aweful lot of stuff into my car. I even had to take the seats out to squeeze everything in. There was all sorts of things from a torch to scuba equipment just like in a flea market. I have been there before and I know the local language so I didn't expect a surprise. But there was some.
Firstly the anglers didn't know the terns the type of birds I was up to take photos of. What more, one of them tried to explain me that what I meant was the pelican and another tried to avoid me from taking photos of terns because they scrape out my eyes just like in Hitchcock's movie. Some suggested me not to go into the water because the sludge is very deep. So I had to wait another two days till Monday to meet the National Park's fellows. They were too busy to help me straight away just showed me the place of the nest and they promised to take me there by boat the next day. Finally I can take some action-photo after 3 days landscaping. So I thought.
But this is where it ended, a storm came. Wind started to blow and raining and thunders were flashing over the 1.600 m high mountains. Just about enough to cancel the next day's boating. And it was off of course because of the high waves so I went to look for anglers in the surrounding villages again. Devastating result: no one was willing to help. Reason: repainted the boat and it is still wet or didn't believe that someone wants to take photos of birds from water or didn't want to wake up early or they were just a bit lazy. Finally I could agree with a boy who had a twinkle in his eyes starting the job. From then I was taking photos of terns for 4 days from dawning to glooming. Third day I had an idea: luring the birds with tiny fish and shooting them at hunting. Easy thinking - hard managing. I had neither tiny fish nor net in my car therfore I asked for some from the local angler. I couldn't get any even though native people fish for a living. I went to the capital thinking I can get net or tiny fish there. I realized that they keep none of them. Next time I put them on my extended list. I am going to bring a net and a damn boat myself.

Orsolya Haarberg - Iceland 02

2008-06-13T07:54:00.001+01:00

I loved Myvatn from the first day I saw it, but after a few days staying there, I could not wait to look around in the north-eastern part of the country. My eagerness does not always give the best advice, as was in this case, because some of the roads I wanted to take were still closed after winter, so my possibilities became rather limited on this trip.
Anyway, I could visit a seabird cliff that was actually a torture for our car to get close to (most roads are not designed for a 2WD in Iceland), but it was worth it.

A lovely northern gannet colony, puffins, razorbills, guillemots and kittiwakes that were breeding on the steep cliffs of the northeast coast.

Orsolya Haarberg - Iceland 01

2008-06-10T11:44:00.003+01:00

Our ferry docked in Iceland on the 20th of May. I was sent here to take pictures of colony-nesting seabirds (puffin, razorbill, guillemot etc.), skuas, waders, harlequin duck, gyrfalcon, arctic fox, in addition to the landscapes of volcanic Iceland (geysers, steam vents), a series of waterfalls and glaciers. A very ambitious goal for a two week mission. I feel a little more comfortable after deciding to spend 3 months on the island. This is also for our own purpose, as my husband, Erlend Haarberg, came with me on the trip.

When I arrived in Iceland, nature was just awakening from its long winter dormancy. Though the trees had no leaves yet and the landscape was a dull brown, many signs told you about the oncoming summer. The migrating birds had arrived, some were already playing on the nesting grounds, others waiting on mountain heaths and agricultural fields, for the retreating of the ice at higher elevations. Thousands of pairs of greylag geese, pink-footed geese and whooper swans could be seen along the roads, ready for the highlight of the year, the rearing of the new generation.

My first destination was Myvatn, where the last sheets of ice retreated right before my arrival, and was occupied by thousands of ducks. The name of the lake has the answer why they are all here.
It is called “Midge water” for the billions of insects (midges and black flies) that are invading the lake and the surrounding area at the start of the vegetation period.

I was lucky to see (and unlucky to feel on my skin) the swarming of these insects that – according to the researchers – was the best in 2008 out of ten years.

I have never been to Iceland before, so I asked for the help of an Icelandic nature photographer, Daniel Bergmann, about the best places to visit. At lake Myvatn I met him personally. After he showed me around the lake, I jumped straight into work. I had some nice days during the first two weeks which I used for bird photography from different hides I set up around the lake.

Myvatn is a paradise for bird watchers and photographers, probably one of the best places in Europe to observe ducks. Sometimes quite special ones, like the harlequin duck or the Barrow’s goldeneye that are only breeding on Iceland in Europe. My first interest turned towards the tiny, gaudily patterned species, the charismatic harlequin duck. Compared to other ducks, this species is special for it can be found in rivers with a strong current, diving for food close to rapids and waterfalls.
This was followed by the long-tailed duck, the greater scaup, and the Slavonian grebe, that I was lucky to work with. Only the sometimes miserable weather disappointed my ambitions.

Sandra Bartocha & Claudia Müller - Italian Orchids 03

2008-06-04T14:31:00.002+01:00

04.05.2008
Right now we are a little tired of the Monte Sacro region as we have covered most of the species in the given conditions and are a bit frustrated about the strong wind and dull light. It’s hard to fulfill the mission of WWE’s “unseen, unexpected, unforgettable” under these circumstances. We begin to question ourselves and all the work we have been capturing on our flash cards so far, although we know that we have been fighting for every picture. At home without the timely pressure we wouldn’t have dared to grab our cameras, we would have waited for better conditions.
So we decide to take a little break – there are quite a few types of ice cream that we didn’t try yet and the Illy espresso is really good. Driving the coastal road to Vieste, we suddenly discover a hillside with white and pink spots all over. We agree to take a closer look and there – in between burned branches and Naples garlic (Allium neapolitanum) we find a few orchid species that are new to us. Within seconds we are highly motivated again. Ice cream can wait.
Instead of the usual Gargano-sound (the sound mix of cow bells, cuckoos, orioles and bee eaters) we are now accompanied by the sound of crushing waves and constant traffic. We are in the middle of a cloud of salt, leek and fumes – photographing orchids … somehow a little surreal.

Sandra Bartocha & Claudia Müller - Italian Orchids 02

2008-06-01T19:56:00.006+01:00

01.05.2008

We do like flowers … but we never came across so many orchid species before, as there are only a few species where we live. Thoughtfully we skim through our field guides, trying to address the plants by their correct name. Especially the Ophrys species are difficult to differentiate and leave us a little helpless at times. Bugs and bees fly from Ophrys tenthredinifera to Ophrys bertolonii to Ophrys garganica etc. etc. – the outcome are more than 50 different hybrids in the Gargano region alone.

For the start the exact identification doesn’t matter too much. They are in most cases quite beautiful and we dig deep into our camera bags to portray them appropriately. Tripods and raincoats are set up as sails to soften the harsh light and as fans of maximum apertures we are able to use shutter speeds from 1/250s upwards. In combination with 6 frames per second and orchids that are swinging happily in the wind (storm), the focus should be at the right spot – at least in some of the pictures. ;-)

Accompanied by the continuous sound of the Gargano cattle, we twine around stones, thistles and cowshit like fakirs – trying to picture the selected beauties in the best light possible. Bruised, scratched, sunburned and full of black and blue marks, we agree that the road to success is paved with thorns. :)

02.05.2008

We get the feeling that half of Europe is meeting here at Monte Sacro. It is a colorful blend of people … either just nature lover or real orchid freak. The freaks document all newly found species very accurately with ring flashes and are busy ticking them off in their notebooks. Unfortunately, some of them do not hesitate to place the object of desire into the best light by relocating the orchid from its original position into one with a better background. They do not understand why we carry tripods, they do not understand why we need shadow and even more so, they do not understand how we can spend 2 hours with one little orchid. After all we are just two young and inexperienced women who seem to be a little crazy.

Nevertheless, a very amiable Italian guy tried to give us a crash course into the manifold realm of Ophrys. With crimson head he swished up and down the hills – almost like a lightning-ball. “Cloooodia, Zaaaaandra, Com’on, Com’on” – “Neotineamakulatafirsttimebiscutellahybridcornutayouseehirmantiglossumtinikum”??? We regretted that we didn’t bring a dozen flags to mark the spots. Many thanks for the interesting lesson.

Sandra Bartocha & Claudia Müller - Italian Orchids

2008-05-31T09:46:00.003+01:00

25.04.2008

Fully prepared we started our trip to the secret Mecca of European orchid lovers – the Gargano peninsula in the south of Italy. With 69 species of orchids it is said to be the place with the greatest concentration of different orchid species in Europe.

The first days elapse with driving serpentines up and down, trying to match our maps (we have 3) with the actual roads. It happens that our maps (printed in 2002) are just too old to show the roads that have been built shortly after. As we come from the flatlands of Northern Germany, we are not used to drive bend after bend – so it’s not too difficult to get lost (it has nothing to do with gender … ;-).

We try to get a feeling for land and light around the Monte Sacro, our first destination within the Gargano National Park. Crouched down we inspect promising meadows and hillsides - searching for species of Anacamptis, Orchis, Ophrys and Serapias which hide successfully behind flowering plants and rocks. Looking for orchids is a little like collecting mushrooms – if you’ve found one, you’ll find’em all. GPS would make our lives easier as there are brochures that depict the exact habitat of the different orchid species, but unfortunately we do not have GPS and no brochures. :-) But even a blind hen sometimes finds a grain of corn, so we trust that we’ll find some floral surprises during the next days. …

30.04.2008
When we travel to unknown regions, we usually have a vision of some ideal images we want to capture. In our case we thought of exuberantly colorful landscapes … plants that glisten like rainbows in the morning dew … warm and diffused light … dramatic clouds and a play of colors in the evening - just enough to drive home with a wide range of spectacular pictures on the flash card – happy and in pleasant anticipation of spaghetti and pizza.

Spaghetti and pizza have been really delicious. :-) In all other aspects we have been dreamers. What we found was neglected grassland, not really rich in vegetation … sunny days with extremely bright light and harsh contrasts … no dewdrops in the morning due to the permanent wind (22miles/h) … a pale sun that is setting behind the hills before getting a chance to warm up … and the chalky rocks in between leave our camera light meters clueless. There will be a time in year when the sun will set with golden light between the hills of Monte Sacro – but I guess there will be no orchids at that time. :)

However, it’s beautiful up here … and every day we discover so many new and unseen things …

Markus Varesvuo - Hungarian Puszta 07

2008-05-29T22:39:00.003+01:00

Back in the office, reflecting back on the two-week trip, clearing the office backlog, looking through the material from Hungary, it is easy to say that Bence has made birding in Pusztaszer very interesting, exciting and satisfying. There are not many areas like it in Europe, where you have genuinely wild birds, many species, packed in relatively close places, and photography has been made easy. For a bird photographer it is like a toy store to a kid. With hard work, and long days, it is possible to cover many species and a wide range of action. It shouldn’t be forgotten though that the birds should not be unduly bothered, the shooting (even though it quite vexes a photographer at times) must be done on their terms.

www.matebence.hu

Bence Máté, thank you. And keep up with the good work. The more you build hides, the less you take great photos (from a rival photographer, not as jokingly as you might think…). And equally much so, my warmest thanks to Ágnes Kiss, Pelicàn, Daniel Selmezci, and Attila in Hortobágy.

Good luck to my fellow photographers, and the Wild Wonders of Europe team, in pursuing the successful outcome of this great project.

P.S. Sorting through the material I came across this blackcap showing the chaffinch who is the boss.

Which wildlife is not coming back?

2008-05-28T05:48:00.001+01:00

OK, all European wildlife is not coming back.

Things are definitely not THAT good.
A number of species are disappearing.
And that is really bad news.
For all of us.

Whereas wildlife in earlier centuries disappeared because of persecution, over-hunting, collecting and poisioning by industrial pollutants, the main threat today most of all comes from our changes in land use.
And increasingly also from Climate change.
Every type of landscape has its wildlife and wild flora.
One farming method gives one kind of wildlife.

Another method gives another.
And when you turn the farmland into industrial areas or cities, wildlife changes again.
Problem areas right now are old-growth forest species and the wildlife of the ancient farming and pastoral landscapes.
Because those habitats are rapidly disappearing in the modern world.
And are replaced by industrial forest, exotic species, monocultures, industrial farming, GM-crops and growing town- and cityscapes.
The area of human-managed lands is growing all the time.
And the wildlife changes accordingly.
Some species disappear, other species profit from it.
We simply get the wildlife we deserve.

Too bad for all of us, many of these new landscapes are much more poor in wild life, with less diversity and less suitable habitats for animals, birds and plants.
Less known maybe, but equally problematic is the completely disasterous sea fishing practices in Europe.
Oversized, EU-subventioned fishing fleets have wasted the once huge fish stocks in European waters, and we are now having to import fish from all over the world. Which means we are ruining their fish stocks as well. That is a subject for a blog in itself, later.

These are some of the wildlife loosers:
• Almost all the large insects – in the farmland they are killed by pesticides, the pastoral lands are disappearing, and in the forests, they need tree trunks much older than what modern forestry allows. This is bad news also for all species that prey on them – rollers, woodpeckers, shrikes...
• Many of our classic farmland birds, because there are much fewer insects in the industrial farmlands. Starlings, skylarks, swallows and sparrows are decreasing.
• All commercially harvestable fish species. For this there is just one word: Disaster. The utter mismanagement of European fisheries is the biggest wildlife scandal of our times.
• Weeds of all kinds in the farmlands.
• Lichens, fungi and plant life that need old growth forests to survive.

What you and I can do about it?
- Avoid buying fish from a number of threatened species, like tuna or cod.
- Buy Organically grown food.
- Ask for FSC-Certified Forestry products (paper, construction wood etc)
- Recycle more, and use less paper.

More suggestions are welcome.
After all it is up to you and me, not anyone else.
It is our own daily decisions that count the most.
Our daily voting with our own wallets.
What we buy and what we don’t buy.

Staffan Widstrand

Markus Varesvuo - Hungarian Puszta 06

2008-05-24T23:30:00.000+01:00

Last morning found me greeting the sunshine in a Roller hide at 4.30. Thanks to Marc Guyt for nice company!

I had placed an order for a snake shot. The Roller would catch a snake, bring it to the roof of the hide and beat it to death before taking it to the female perching on a branch in front of the hide. We waited and waited – got quite good material of the Rollers just sitting, flying, eating – and finally, just as we were deciding to give up, the male arrived with a lovely tasty snake, landed on the roof and yes! started to beat it against the roof. Can you imagine my exasperation when the female suddenly took off, flew up to the telephone wire a good bit from the hide and the male flew over to her with the snake. Way out of the reach of my camera! A very stooped photographer eventually emerged from the hide and shuffled back to base.

But I had a nice session taking flight shots of Bee-eaters, which lifted the spirits again. And then it was time to head off to the hotel, pack up and leave.

Friday 23 May 2008

My last full day was spent in a drinking place hide, the same where I had been flooded the previous time. This day was calm, exasperatingly calm! With hardly any birds. Seven hours with a couple of measly shots of Blue Tits and the rest of the time mostly admiring the great light which would have been really nice for fantastic action shots… Saw the Sparrow Hawk again a couple of times, and eventually also a Goshawk who came down to perch on the side of the pond for about 1 sec. So no joy in shooting them, and they kept all the other birds away too.

The Wildlife Is Coming Back!

2008-05-23T21:52:00.002+01:00

Considering all bad news we receive on a daily basis nowadays, how about some good news from nature, for a change?

Wildlife in Europe is coming back!
Yes you read right.

Definitely not all species and not everywhere.
But in general, wildlife is coming back in Europe, big time.

Mammals and birds that have been mercilessly persecuted, over-hunted, poisoned and almost made extinct from industrial pollutants – they are actually coming back.
Since more than a decade there is a revival of European wildlife, in almost all corners of the continent.

OK, there are still some black spots where primitive stupidity still stands in the way (bird massacres continues in Malta, forest arson in Italy, shooting of iberian lynx in Spain, tuna and cod fisheries...) .
OK, there are systematic problems with EU-funding used to destroy wildlife habitats.

But almost all over Europe things are also changing to the better:

The otter is coming back.
The beaver is coming back.
The lammergeier and the other majestic vultures are coming back.
The sea eagles and the golden eagles and the imperial eagles are too.
And the cranes, and the whooper swans.
And the wolves and the bears and the lynx and even the wolverines.
And the great bustard and the white stork.
And the grey seal and the harbour seal.
And the killer whale and the beluga whale and the minke whale and the humpback whale and the sperm whale.
And even the blue whale.
And the walrus and the european bison.
And the eagle owl, the great grey owl and the ural owl.
And the arctic fox.
And the peregrine falcon.
And the red deer and the wild boar.
And the spoon-billed stork, the grey heron, the cormorant, and the egrets.

And...

The reasons for it vary, and I will talk about that in a later blog.
But it all has to do with a fundamental change in attitude among Europeans today. We are just being a little bit more respectful towards these animals than before, and immediately we are rewarded with their return.
It is all about respect and tolerance.
We are maybe starting to respect our natural heritage just a little bit more than before.

And the effect is already dramatic.
Now what wouldn’t happen if we started respecting that heritage just a little bit more again?
Giving species and ecosystems just a little better chances to do their thing in peace?

And why not start with the ones that are worst off right now?
Who are they?
I will tell you, of course.
But that’s for another week.

Staffan Widstrand

Markus Varesvuo - Hungarian Puszta 05

2008-05-21T22:22:00.003+01:00

I spent one more night in a shore hide, hidden inside a reef barrier, facing a small man-made pond where Bence had hauled almost 100 kg of fish to attract egrets. But before the egrets, we got the ever quick gulls, filling the air above the pond, in front of the hide’s window. The gulls took their share of the fish, and gradually the egrets started to gather, taking their que from the gulls and venturing out to feast on some fast food. Great White Egrets, Grey Herons and some Spoonbills formed our gang in the beautiful, fading sunset light. The show of feeding, flying, rivalling birds, and beautiful springtime plumage is a grand sight.

My main focus was on getting super portraits but I was also swopping between different size lenses, from 14 to 500 mm. With the 500 mm and using 1.4 and even double extenders, I tried to get extreme close ups of heads and bills, sometimes also some plumage details, and with a 14 mm lense, very wide group shots of a bigger crowd, showing also the environment and the sunset.

Markus Varesvuo, Hungarian Puszta 04

2008-05-20T22:15:00.004+01:00

After arriving back from Hortobágy this morning, I went into a birds’ drinking place at around one in the afternoon. The birds were jittery and few for the first hour, then the light went out, and thunder started, with hailstorm the size of quail eggs. The rain was so sudden and so heavy on the dry land that the ground just could not soak it up. Flooded my hide with 20cm of water!

Luckily it was over as quick as it started, and I spent a half hour emptying the hide of water and trying to get my gear salvaged. After the storm, beautiful light and a serene pond, but not a single bird. There was enough water to drink on every leave in the woods, and no need to bathe just now. So, emptyhanded from this gig.

Markus Varesvuo, Hungarian Puszta 03

2008-05-19T21:42:00.006+01:00

I spent two full days in the Hortobágy Nemzeti (National) Park, in a superb Red-footed Falcon hide, up four metres at eye level with the falcons who were nesting in boxes opposite the hide on one side, and a very eager Hoopoe visiting me many times a day on the other side. It was really just checking out the competition (its own reflection in the window pane) and making sure there would be no imposters. It is a beautiful bird to watch and admire. And photograph.

So are the Falcons, they are small in size yet very imposing. Their symmetry is faultless and colouring most sophisticated. I followed this one couple for two days, and the first day, caught them very busy mating, I witnessed six times. Even on the second day, they mated at least three times. There were three eggs in the box so pretty soon they would probably not be mating anymore.

The Red-footed Falcons in this particular bit of woods and farmland had very good hunting grounds just next to their nesting box. The field is full of mice and moles, and big insects for the Red-footed to feed on.

The only drawback with the hide was the heat, at noon it started to get almost unbearably hot and the heat lasted well into the evening. There was thunder and lightning on both evenings, the second evening also had some good rain. I was lucky to have the two good shooting days.

The entire Hortobágy Park population of Red-footed Falcons is 150 – 200 pairs, and near the hide about 15-20 pairs breeding (2007).

More about the Hortobágy Park at www.hnp.hu

Despite the meager hardships a wildlife photographer faces at times, I wouldn’t change a day. I have followed birds all my life, first twitching, gradually moving into photography, and professional since 2005. What is frustrating is living with the “almost” shots, and “almost perfect” shots. You don’t know about them because the ‘almost’ photos don’t get published but I have to live with the shots I missed. But it is good to download the material and wade through it, to find a couple of shots that are satisfying, and the occasional Yes! Got that! Wow! moments are fantastic.

Markus Varesvuo, Hungarian Puszta 02

2008-05-17T14:00:00.001+01:00

Just back from the shore hide loaded with Egrets, Spoonbills, Gulls, in their fish eating frenzy. Now to the Hortobágy National Park for a two-day Red-falcon project. See you again after Hortobágy.

Markus Varesvuo, Hungarian Puszta 02 - FRENCH

2008-05-17T13:50:00.000+01:00

Je reviens juste d’un rivage rempli d’aigrettes, de spatules et de mouettes, dans leur partie de pêche. Maintenant, direction le «Hortobagy National Park» pour un projet de deux jours sur le faucon kobez. On se voit après!

Markus Varesvuo, Hungarian Puszta 01

2008-05-16T21:00:00.005+01:00

With one week behind and one to go in the Hungarian Puszta, I can only say, again, that it is not easy. Up at four this morning to catch sunrise with the Egrets at the Lake Csaj, midday and early afternoon chasing Bee-eaters hovering and landing in strong wind (that managed to blow over my tripod, with my camera, 500 mm telelens and remote control system), and late afternoon and evening 70km away from basecamp at a drinking place set up in the woods in Pusztaszer.

My specific targets were Golden Oriole and Green Woodpecker, I have seen them there but have not yet caught on camera. Some shots of the Green WP but it was mostly sand bathing behind the pond so nothing spectacular.

First hour was busy enough but there were no exciting species, and not even a sighting of my two targets. It was often totally empty and quiet. Then a male Sparrow Hawk made its first attack sending a good ten birds that had been bathing to all directions in complete panic. And caught one. Quite a hunter. Sometime later I spotted a female Sparrow Hawk sitting on a branch near by. No wonder there was no action! With two predators hanging about, the others were not going to bathe and drink.

So I am still waiting for the Golden Oriole and Green Woodpecker but have some nice Sparrow Hawks to compensate. And there were the regular Starlings, and some Tits, Nightingale, Chiffchaff, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Mistle Thrush, Songthrush, Blackbird, Greenfinch, Yellowhammer, Hawfinch, Chaffinch,Turtle Dove, Hoopoe, Blackcap. I heard a Black Woodpecker calling but it didn’t venture out to bathe, like two days ago. Neither did the Cuckoo.

Now, at ten in the evening I am heading out to a small hide in the midst of high reeds on Lake Csaj to photograph Egrets, Spoonbills, Gulls, Herons etc. Last night’s sleep, all two hours of it, are starting to feel a little bit too short. Not much time for sleep tonight either!

Ps. The Turtle Dove’s wing beats were in sync with my camera speed. First 8 pictures were totally identical with the wings spread out beautifully, but in front of its face. Then its wing beat rhythm changed and I caught the face too. It was an incredible stroke of luck to catch a Turtle Dove hovering over the pond water.

Markus Varesvuo, Hungarian Puszta 01 - FRENCH

2008-05-16T20:50:00.000+01:00

Au milieu d’un séjour de deux semaines dans le «Hungarian Puszta», je peux seulement dire, une nouvelle fois, que ce n’est pas facile. Levé à 4h ce matin, à attraper les rayons du soleil levant avec les aigrettes du lac Csaj, à midi et en début d’après-midi à poursuivre les guêpiers en vol plané et à l’atterrissage dans un vent violent (qui a réussi à renverser mon trépied avec mon camera, mon objectif 500mm et mon dispositif de télécommande), et en fin d’après-midi et soirée à un point d’eau en pleine forêt, à 70kms du camp.

Mes objectifs spécifiques sont le loriot d’Europe et le pic-vert. J’ai déjà pu les apercevoir mais n’ai pas encore pu les prendre en photo. Quelques prises de vue sur le pic, mais il est la plupart du temps en train de prendre un bain de sable derrière l’étang… rien de spectaculaire.

La première heure a été assez remplie, mais il n’y avait pas d’espèces très «excitantes», pas même de traces de mes deux oiseaux. C’était souvent vide et calme. Puis un mâle épervier fit sa première attaque, envoyant une dizaine d’oiseaux paniqués (qui se baignaient) dans tous les sens. Il en attrapa un, un vrai chasseur. Un peu plus tard, je repérai une femelle épervier assise sur une branche non loin. Pas étonnant qu’il n’y avait pas d’action ! Avec deux prédateurs rôdant, les autres n’allaient pas aller boire et se baigner.

Donc j’attends toujours le loriot et le pic, mais j’ai eu de beaux éperviers en compensation.
Il y a avait aussi quelques étourneaux, mésanges, rossignols, merles, pics épeiches, verdiers, pouillots véloces, grives draines, grives musiciennes, grosbecs, tourterelles des bois, huppes fasciées, bruants jaunes, fauvettes à tête noire. J’ai entendu le cri d’un pic noir, il y a deux jours, mais il n’a pas osé se baigner. Pareil pour le coucou.

Maintenant, à 10h du soir, je me vais me diriger vers un affût au milieu des hauts roseaux sur le lac Csaj pour photographier aigrettes, spatules, mouettes, hérons, etc. Les deux heures de sommeil de la nuit dernière commencent à se faire sentir. Ce soir, encore très peu de repos !

Ps: Le battement d’ailes de la tourterelle était synchronisé avec la cadence et la vitesse du déclencheur de mon appareil. Les huit premières photos étaient toutes semblables, avec les ailes magnifiquement déployées, mais cachant sa tête. Puis, la cadence changea, et je réussis à photographier la tête. C’était un coup de chance incroyable de photographier une tourterelle en vol plané au dessus d’un étang.

Interview with Staffan Widstrand - FRENCH

2008-05-12T23:17:00.002+01:00

Staffan, tu es le directeur du Wild Wonders of Europe. Comment t’est venue l’idée de faire un tel projet?
C’était pendant, le «World Wilderness Congress» en Alaska, quand l’«International League of Conservation Photographers» a été créée, j’étais inspiré par l’idée de travail d’équipe du ILCP, et j’ai réalisé que c’était une combinaison… magique. Un gros travail qui devait être fait, une histoire qui devait être racontée, et une méthode qui devait être utilisée. Donc, avec Niall Benvie, qui était aussi présent, nous avons pensé un plan pour un projet d’une cinquantaine de photographes, avec un relais média important. Nous avons rassemblé des forces avec nos chers collègues Florian Möllers et Peter Cairns. Et nous voilà!

Quel sera ton rôle, tes tâches dans ce projet?
Je vais essayer de diriger le travail et les personnes qui sont en charge des différentes parties du projet, pour que nous donnions la priorité à ce qui est nécessaire et réalisions ce qui est promis. Mais les personnes impliquées se sont toutes autopropulsées, et savent très bien quoi et comment faire, tous sont de grands professionnels, donc ce n’est pas très difficile. Je suis aussi impliqué dans la recherche de fonds de la part d’organisations, de fondations ou d’entreprises. Nous avons encore besoin de financer des parties du projet, donc toutes les suggestions de partenaires intéressantes sont les bienvenues. Quand sera venue l’heure de photographier, j’aurai en charge des reportages sur l’aigle de mer et l’aigle royal en Norvège, les loups et les ours en Finlande et les vautours en Espagne.

Un gros projet comme le WWoE requiert un nombre important de supports (techniques, financiers…). Comment arrives-tu à «attirer» des partenaires? Quels sont les principaux risques?
Nous n’avons pas eu de grandes difficultés à attirer les partenaires. C’est un projet de grande qualité avec un large support média, et beaucoup veulent en être. Nous toucherons beaucoup de personnes, et c’est aussi très intéressant. La principale raison qui fait qu’un tel projet n’avait jamais vu le jour, c’est bien sûr son coût très élevé. Nous avons un coût total de 3 millions d’euros. Aucun magazine ou ONG ne pouvait supporter ce coût.

Aucun gouvernement ne voulait payer cela. Mais en rassemblant des forces et beaucoup de partenaires différents, c’est plus simple, et beaucoup de particuliers veulent être impliqués. Nous avons une liste de volontaires… rejoignez-nous!

Le risque principal étant bien sûr de ne pas avoir assez de budget pour démarrer le projet.

Au-delà de ce projet, il y a une question écologique importante : les photographes vont beaucoup voyager, dans plus de 40 pays… Quid de l’impact écologique? N’est-ce pas un gros risque pour la santé de notre biodiversité?

Oui, c’est un souci, bien évidemment. Mais nous ne croyons pas que les gens doivent complètement arrêter de voyager. Au contraire, pour être capable de sauver la biodiversité sur le terrain dans beaucoup, beaucoup d’endroits, il est nécessaire d’avoir bien plus de «touristes nature», appréciant et payant pour cette expérience. C’est un moyen fantastique d’apporter enfin un plus économique à cette nature préservée. Et pour cela, les gens doivent voyager.

Mais il n’est pas nécessaire de prendre l’avion pour n’importe quelle destination, ou de conduire les plus gros 4X4. On peut voir que ce que nous faisons est un moyen de montrer aux Européens qu’il y a de nombreux endroits fantastiques tout prêt de chez eux. Peut-être qu’il n’est pas nécessaire d’aller en Alaska pour voir les ours, vous pouvez aller en Finlande ou en Suède. Ce n’est pas nécessaire d’aller en Afrique pour voir les vautours et les guêpiers, vous pouvez aller en Espagne et dans le sud de la France. Arrêter de voyager n’est pas vraiment à l’ordre du jour.

Je pense qu’on devrait arrêter les voyages inutiles et dépensiers, c’est un bon point de départ. Montrer les Merveilles Sauvages d’Europe, aux Européens et au monde, est une bonne excuse pour voyager un peu. Mais c’est une question difficile…

Quelle est, personnellement, ta Merveille Sauvage d’Europe? Et pourquoi?
Il y en a tellement. J’apprécie particulièrement la Laponie suédoise et j’aime aussi les côtes norvégiennes et les forêts finlandaises. Pourquoi? Car là-bas, j’ai une forte impression que ces endroits sont mes racines, mon héritage naturel, une part de moi. Après ça, j’aime les montagnes du Caucase, les plus grandes d’Europe, j’aime l’Espagne du Sud, et les Pyrénées, et la Transsylvanië, etc.

Un dernier mot que tu souhaiterais ajouter?
Suivez-nous régulièrement sur le web, il y aura de nouvelles informations environ deux fois par semaine. Diffusez l’information, faites des liens vers le projet, parlez en à vos amis et prenez part dans les prochains événements: concours, votes, commentaires… Visitez notre blog et connectez nous avec d’autres bloggeurs!

Cela concerne VOTRE héritage naturel et son futur!

Interview: Sébastien Beghelli

We thank Naturapics.com for the translation into French

Interview with Staffan Widstrand

2008-05-12T16:28:00.001+01:00

Staffan, you are the managing director of this fabulous project. How did you get the idea to make such a project?
It was during the World Wilderness Congress in Alaska, when the ILCP was created, I was inspired by the teamwork idea from the ILCP, and I realized that this was a magic combination. A big job that needed to be done, a story that needed to be told, and a method that could be used. So I and Niall Benvie, who was also there, started to plan for a 50-photographer project with a massive media output. We joined forces with dear colleagues Florian Möllers and Peter Cairns, also ILCP members. And here we are!

What will be your role, your tasks in this project?
I will be trying to lead the work and the people involved who take care of all the different parts of the project, so that we prioritize right and deliver everything that we are promising. But everyone involved is very self-propelled and they pretty much already know how and what to do, all are great professionals, so it is not too difficult. I am also very involved in finding the funds for it all, from organisations, foundations, authorities and companies. We are still needing to finance some parts of the project and all suggestions of good partners are welcome. When it comes to photography, I will be doing sea eagles and golden eagles in Norway, Wolves and bears in Finland and vultures in Spain.

A big project like WWOE needs a lot of support (technical, financial). How did you manage to "attract" partners? What are the main risks?
We have had relatively easy to attract partners. It is a top-quality project with wide media support, and many want to be involved. We will reach a lot of people and that is attractive too. The main reason why nobody has done such a project is of course beacuse it is so expensive. We have a 3 million Euro cost budget. No magazine or NGO could carry that cost.
No national government would like to pay it. But by joining forces and many different partners it is easier, and also more people become involved. We have a list of volunteers to – please join in!...
The main risk when you start is of course to not find money enough.

Beyond this project, there is an global ecological question : photographers will travel a lot, in more than 40 countries... Can it match with the ecologic impact? Isn't it a big risk for the health of the biodiversity?
Yes, that is a concern of course. But we dont believe that people need to completely stop travelling. On the contrary, to be able to save biodiversity on the ground in many, many places, there need to be far more nature tourists coming there to enjoy it and to pay a fair price for that experience. That is a fantastic way for undestroyed nature to get an economic value it didnt have before. For that to happen, people need to travel. But we dont have to fly everywhere, or drive the biggest 4-wheeldrive cars. One can see what we are doing as a way for us to show the Europeans that there are plenty of fantastic places close to home, that are a good idea to check out. Maybe you dont have to travel to Alaska to see bears – you can go to Finland and Sweden. You dont have to go to Africa for vultures and beeaters, you can go to southern France and Spain. Stopping all travel is not on anyones real agenda. I guess we should try to stop unnecessary travel and wasteful travel, that is a good start. Travelling to show the Wild Wonders of Europe to the Europeans and the world is probably a reasonably OK cause for which to travel a bit. But it is a difficult question.

A question we are going to ask every photographers... What is, personally, YOUR Wild Wonder? And why?
There are so many. I love Swedish Lapland and I also love the Norwegian coast and the Finnish forests. Why? Because there I feel very strongly that these areas are my roots, my natural heritage, a part of me. After that I also love the Caucasus mountains, highest in Europe, I love Southern Spain, and the Pyrenees, and Transsylvania, and...

A last sentence you would like to add?
Follow us regularly on the web, there will be new material a couple of times per week, spread the word around, link to us, tell your friends, and take part in the interactive parts that are soon to be launched: Competitions, voting, comments etc. Check our blogs and connect us with other bloggers.

It is about YOUR Natural Heritage and its future!

-------------------

Interview by Sébastien Beghelli, Naturapics.com

La joie du tout sauvage

2008-05-09T06:00:00.000+01:00

Un chevreuil court dans la rue juste devant vous.
Ou les enfants crient : Papa, il y a un écureuil dans l’arbre !
Ou vous voyez le bois rempli de fleurs d'anémone blanches quand vous le traversez, un jour de printemps.
Ou un merle chante du haut de votre toit, pendant que vous faites un barbecue.

Ce sont les « choses sauvages ». Elles ne nous appartiennent pas. On ne peut pas les contrôler.
Elle grandissent et vont où elles le souhaitent, et elles s’en vont si on ne les traitent pas bien.

On appelle ça la vie sauvage.
Et la vie sauvage est quelque chose de très important pour nous.
Plus important que la plupart ne le pense.

Que se passe t-il quand on rencontre la vie sauvage ?
D’abord, une vive joie.
Un sourire, un sentiment agréable.
Voir le faon du chevreuil peut vous faire la journée.
L’observation du passage d’un aigle est une chose à raconter, chez vous ou au travail.
Presque tout le monde devient heureux en rencontrant, observant ou écoutant un être sauvage.
Ne me dites pas qu’il n’y a pas une ébullition d’émotions dans ces moments là…

Pourquoi devenons nous pratiquement tous plus heureux en rencontrant des êtres sauvages ?
Je crois que cela est dans les gènes, et dans notre héritage.
Ces êtres sauvages donnent des explications sur qui vous êtes.
Sur votre place dans le monde confus de la vie moderne de tous les jours.
Sur vos connections avec les terres, les régions, les pays, les continents…

Et les êtres sauvages ajoutent aussi d’autres dimensions.
Ils amènent l’espoir.
Il y a encore des êtres ici, libres et sauvages, qu’on ne peut totalement contrôler.
Cela ne fait partie d’aucun plan de Ville, d’aucune décision politique ou d’entreprise.

Aucun n'est dans une clôture, n’a d’aile coupée, n’est planté ou enchaîné.
Ils ne font que ce qu’ils désirent faire.
Ils sont spontanés, libres, et décident de tout eux-mêmes.
Ils sont simplement sauvages, et nous aimons et admirons cela.

Et c’est exactement la même chose pour les endroits qui sont sauvages.
Ils représentent de l’espoir pour nous.
L’espoir qu’il y ait encore des endroits où des anciens processus sont toujours vivants et continuent leurs cycles.
Là où l’homme n’a pas encore une prise sur chaque détail de la Nature.
Là où notre héritage naturel est en réalité toujours bien vivant.

C’est ce que Wild Wonders of Europe représente pour moi.
Une célébration des endroits et des êtres sauvages.
Des petits comme des gros, des proches comme des lointains.
La vie sauvage et les terres sauvages.

Une célébration de notre héritage naturel d’Europe.
Quelque chose qui a existé bien avant nous
Quelque chose qui existe encore, tout autour de nous.
Quelque chose qui, on l’espère, continuera à exister, longtemps après notre disparition et celle de nos arrières arrières arrières petits-enfants.

À condition que nous essayions d'en prendre mieux soin, de l'aimer, de nous y reconnecter, de nous amuser avec, d’être calmés et renforcés grâce à elle et de se battre pour elle.

Le Bonheur des êtres Sauvages.
C'est puissant, c’est guérissant, c'est nécessaire et c'est merveilleux.
C’est le Wild Wonders of Europe.
Nous invitons chacun de vous à nous suivre dans ce voyage

Staffan Widstrand

We thank Naturapics.com for the translation into French

The Joy of all things Wild

2008-05-08T13:58:00.006+01:00

A roe deer runs over the street in front of you.
Or the kids cry: Daddy, there is a squirrel in the tree!
Or you see the wood full of white anemone flowers when you bike through, a spring day.
Or a blackbird sings its song from a roof top, when you are barbecuing.

Those are all things Wild. We don’t own them. We can’t control them. They go or grow where ever they like to, and they go away if we don’t treat them well.
We call it wild life.
And wildlife is something very important to us.
More important than most would think.

The result when we meet wild life?
Basic, primaeval happiness.
A smile, a nice feeling.
Seeing the roe deer fawn can make your day.
Seeing the eagle pass over is something to tell, at home and at work.
Almost every person becomes happier when meeting, seeing or hearing things wild.
The hedge hog on your lawn.
Don't tell me there are not emotions bubbling up there...

Why do virtually all of us become happier from meeting things wild.
From meeting wild life?
I believe it is about genes. And it is about heritage.
Those things wild say something about who you are.
About your place in the confusing reality of everyday modern life.
About your connections to the land, area, region, country, continent...

And things wild add another dimension too.
They add hope.
There are still things out there, free and wild, that we can’t control completely.
That are not part of any City plan or a corporate or political decision.
That are not fenced in, wing-clipped, planted or chained.
That do just what they want to.
That are spontaneous, free, and decide themselves about everything in their lives.
They are simply wild, and we love it and admire it.

And the same goes for areas that are wild.
They represent hope to us.
A hope that there are still places where age-old processes are alive and allowed to continue doing their own thing.
Where man hasn’t yet mastered every detail and engineered everything.
Where our natural heritage is actually still alive and kicking.

That is what Wild Wonders of Europe is to me.
A celebration of both things and areas Wild.
Both big and small, both near us, and far away.
Wild life and Wild lands.
A celebration of our European Natural Heritage.
Something that has existed far before us.
Something that does exist still, all around us.
Something that hopefully will continue to exist here, long after we are gone and our grand-grand-grand children too.

Provided that we try to take better care of it, enjoy it, reconnect with it, have fun in it, are soothed by it, strengthened by it and fight for it.

The Happiness of things Wild.
It is powerful, it is healing, it is necessary and it is wonderful.
It is the Wild Wonders of Europe.

We invite you all to follow us on this journey.

Staffan Widstrand