My first talk for Nikon in Tønsberg was a nice experience where I met lots of interesting people. On my way back I stopped on a location I was told should hold a good population of Little Ringed Plovers, Charadrius dubius, which is a very uncommon species on the west coast of Norway where I live. After just minutes of searching I spotted the first bird, and then the second, and the third! After just a short while I had seen five Ringed Plovers in a very small area. This was my first encounter with this cute little bird with the marvellous yellow ring around its eye.
Both the images are taken with the Nikon D3 with 500mm, f/4 @ 1/1250sek, ISO 400
After years of shooting with Canon, I have now shifted to Nikon D3 and D3x. The new system was thoroughly tested with Great Grey Owl action in Finland and extreme winter conditions on Spitsbergen this spring. I am now a Nikon partner in Norway and will be presenting my first impressions at the annual meeting for the Norwegian Society for Photography in the city of Tønsberg this Friday. This is only the first of many events I will participate in together with Nikon the next years. I'll let you know when my next location is scheduled.
My bag is now filled with brand new gear and I am excited to get out and use it!
Finally my second book is due. Yesterday "Kjør - a haven for birds and seasl" were shipped for printing. The following days will be nerve-racking, but luckily we decided to print the book locally so we can follow the process closely.
From the book: “Kjør is a group of islands, islets and reefs which lie just offshore from the Sola district in Rogaland. It is the last land before the North Sea and the area is not easily accessible to people. There are a multitude of sea birds to be found there, both in summer and winter, and the group of islands contains one of the most important areas for grey seals in the south of Norway. In 1982 the KjørIslands were established as a nature reserve. If such areas are to be preserved, we all have a responsibility to take care of and to protect all aspects of these ecosystems. To do that it is important to know what we are surrounded by. This book is a contribution towards that.”
This is a rather small book compared to my last book Exotic Rogaland with only 160 pages and the dimensions 27x21cm. It is printed on exclusive paper, and the layout is light with special attention to the images. Dr. Gunnar Henriksen has specialized in seals, and has been working with the Kjør population for at least ten years. His text is fascinating with lots of facts on the natural history and cultural history on the islets.
The book is bilingual with both Norwegian and English text. Therefore it can even be used as a Norwegian lesson for my English speaking followers :-)
It will be available from the 5th of June, but you might be interested in pre-ordering your own copy? Please contact me to order.
Nowadays you really don't have to travel far to find some action. Spring is really in the air, and birds are singing/screaming their joy. I spent a couple of hours by the nearby wetland area, photographing wetland birds displaying, fighting and courting. It is nice to have a project going at nearby the house. Then you can easily get out of the house and just shoot for a couple of hours when the light is good.
Today I was also surprised to see two Mandarin Ducks hiding in the undergrowth. These amazing ducks originate from the Far East, but are breading freely in the UK. In Norway they are most often considered escaped from breeders. As this bird is not ringed, I suspect it is a British bird, reared in the wild, but I might be mistaken. It was rather shy, and I spent three hours stalking it, before I got some decent shots.
