Eagle is coming

White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) diving in Flatanger, Norway.
Canon EOS-1D mark III, 17-40mm f/4, 1/400sek @ f/6,3, iso 800

My White-tailed Eagle archive is constantly growing and I am now at the point where I’m really looking to do something different with these amazing creatures. Spending a couple of days with Ole Martin at Norway Nature I was constantly shifting between my 500mm, 70-200mm and even trying out the 17-40mm. In a way I believe my best shots where with the wide zoom. Of course I got some really nice sharp images with the tele, but by adding the incredible scenery I felt the pictures got another dimension.

White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) hovering in Flatanger, Norway.
Canon EOS-1D mark II,500mm f/4, 1/2500sek @ f/4, iso 200

One great advantage with going to Ole Martin for the Eagles is that you meet lots of good people. On the last morning I was out with Wild Wonders photographer Sven Zaĉek from Estonia. It was pouring down with rain and we where having a great time shooting with high iso as the eagles came diving through the drops.

Keep updated as Sven will appear shortly as my next guest on the blog.

White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) diving through the rain at Flatanger, Norway.
Canon EOS-1D mark III, 70-200mm f/2,8, 1/500sek @ f/2,8, iso 800

Playing under water

Swimming in the Adriatic Sea, Croatia
Canon EOS-1D Mark III, 17-40mm f/4, 1/500 sek @ f/5,6, ISO 200, EWA-Marine house

Now I’m back for a day just to update the blog ;-) Makarska Riviera of Croatia is truly a beautiful place. This time around I decided to take it easy and just have a holiday, but of course I had to bring my camera. I’m planning to do some underwater work later this winter so now I had the opportunity to experiment in warmer waters. It sure was hard to get decent pictures under the surface, but some images came out quit nice. This image will be a contrast to my current location in northern parts of Norway, working with White-tailed Eagles.

Though it was hard to adapt to using the camera under water, and fit in a EWA-Marine housing, I'm now more comfortable with the technique and ready to try it out again. Read more about the housing at www.ewa-marine.com.

Croatia

A Chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra balcanica) in the mist in Biokovo National Park, Croatia

Canon EOS-1D Mark II, 70-200mm f/2,8, 1/800sek @ f/7,1, ISO 200

This week I will be in beautiful Croatia dipping in the crystal clear waters of the inner Adriatic Sea. I also visited this brilliant coastline last year, bringing my camera into the nearby National Park of Biokovo. I was lucky enough to have “bad” weather with mist, which made photography a lot easier than what is normal around the Mediterranean in the summer. This year I’ll only stay for a week and intend to spend more time with my wife, as I’ll be travelling directly to Northern Norway afterwards, followed by Finland in September and the Falkland, South Georgia and the Antarctic peninsula in October and November.

Important notice

European Eel (Anguilla anguilla) will crawl on moist rock to pass waterfalls, Rogaland, Norway
Canon EOS-1D Mark III, Sigma 150mm f/2,8, 1/160sek @ f/4, iso 200, flash

Few other animals are surrounded by myth more than the European Eel. Their birth and lives have been a mystery since Aristotle. The Greek philosopher thought that the snake like fish was born from worms and mud. Today scientists have agreed that the Eel breed in the Sargasso oceans of the coast of Cuba and Bahamas, before drifting for 2-3 years with the currents to the European shore. In earlier years the number of glass eels, as the youngsters are called, caught in rivers was so great that they were used as fertilizers on fields. Since then, thing have taken a dramatic turn.

Single European Eel (Anguilla anguilla) migrating up a river, Rogaland, Norway
Canon EOS-1D Mark III, 17-40mm f/4, 1/100sek @ f/5,6, iso 200

The Eel population has had a alarming decline since the 80’s, and the species are now considered critically endangered. The most pessimistic research claims that the population is only 1 % of the 1980 level. There are many factors restricting Eel movement and behaviour, but the latest results on the matter is truly terrifying. It seems only half the amount of the chemical pollutant PCB allowed in Eels used for human food is enough to kill of all embryos in a female fish. In a worst case scenario no fish in developed countries are reproducing and the result might be that the fascinating European Eel will be extinct in a couple of generations.

Keep you eyes open; not only Polar Bears, Tigers and Pandas are threatened, and we are obliged to protect all animals.

European Eel (Anguilla anguilla) migrating up a river, Rogaland, Norway
Canon EOS-1D Mark III, 70-200mm f/2,8, 1/13sek @ f/9, iso 200

Fish up a tree

Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) hanging from a branch by the Bjerkreim River, Norway
Canon EOS-1D Mark III, 70-200 f/2,8, 1/80sek @ f/2,8, ISO 200

Fishing season is well on its way, and I’ve been out trying to capture the mood of this annual event. After a night out in thunder and heavy rain, the weather cleared up and the fish started taking the fly. After a couple of hours the lucky angler caught this beautiful silvery Atlantic Salmon just over 3 kilograms. This will be a feast!