Osprey

Last winter in the end of January i made the reservation to Pohtiolampi. There it is possible to photograph Ospreys fishing. It is really great to watch and take photos when Ospreys are splashing into the water. It´s remarkable to see them falling with high speed into the water and catching fish. There are six different hides for photographers to watch and capture the show. From the hides you can see very well to the pond but to watch to the sky is harder. Very often the Ospreys were flying around the pond and then suddenly they made a turn to fall into the pond to catch a fish. Usually they catch a prey. The moment the Osprey falling into the water and below the water surface is really, really fast.

Pohtiolampi Osprey Center welcomes all visitors to watch ospreys' impressive preying of rainbow trout. They can be observed from a public bird-watching tower. You have also the opportunity to photograph the prey taking place at the ospreys' fish catching pond just some 40 meters away from the public tower.

Photographing the ospreys can take place also in the bird hides around the fish catching pond and in the high tower, close to the public tower.

Osprey, one of our noblest bird species, is also one of the most widely distributed species in the world. After eagles, it is our largest daytime bird of prey. Ospreys are generally well known among people for the reason that they differ greatly from our other raptors in both appearance and habits.

Osprey's diet consists almost exclusively of fish. The bird has an extraordinary way of preying its fish by plunging into the water straight from the air. Preying is always a unique and spectacular show worth watching.

The weight of prey fishes is around 300 grams. Formerly, ospreys were bitterly thought of as "fish robbers". Nowadays, however, every knowing fisherman acknowledges osprey as the undeniable king of fishing waters. Moreover, the fish caught by ospreys are often secondary to humans.

Osprey always builds its nest in the uppermost fork of a tree with an open view on the surrounding. In Finland, suitable nesting trees are usually limited to old pines having a flat crown with strong uppermost branches. Of course, other pillars rising far above the surrounding go as well. Consequently nests have been found in old geodetic towers as well as on top of sea marks, for instance. The Osprey's nest is an unbelievably messy heap generally built of dry sticks. Both the height and diameter of an osprey nest may end up being over a few meters after many years of use. Often the same nest can be used for decades.

Osprey is the provincial bird of the Häme region where near the City of Tampere in Kangasala the Osprey Center is located.

Here below is pictures from two different trips to Pohtiolampi.

Here begins the dive!

There was not a catch everytime

There were also two young Grey Herons playing

Gulls did not like it

Splish, splash

To the end two funny shots!

Olli

Mid Winter Light

Mid winter light is very special. The angle of the sun is extremely low and the best months to catch it are December and January.

I  watched the weather forecasts for Kuusamo area during the whole autumn. Finally in the beginning of December it looked like there was slight possibility to have sun shine there. I bought flight tickets to Ivalo where I had my superior off road four wheel drive Lada Niva. I had planned to drive my Lada to Kuusamo where I was going to need it much more during the winter time. At our  Ivalo cottage we would manage with snowmobile through the snowy season. 

The flight arrived at Ivalo at 1 pm and in one hour I was on the road to Kuusamo. It was Tuesday and my plan was to drive that day to Oulanka Research Station, which is quite near Olli Lamminsalo´s eagle hide. 

Distance from Ivalo to the Station is four hundred kilometres or two hundred fifty miles. Driving started nice and smooth, but after two hours of driving, just before City of Sodankylä, started the umber engine warning light blinking. I thought that was because of moisture in the system after two months unused period of the car. But just in case I stopped at a car workshop to check out the warning. That was a quick stop and in half an hour I was on the road again. The weather was nice and dry, temperature little bit below freezing point, but dark because up north the sun doesn´t rise at all at this time of the year.

The driving was pleasant until after an hour and half the driving shaft bearings or gear box started to keep suspicious noise. Eventually I had to slow down speed to 30 km/h or 15 miles/h and continue crawling towards Kuusamo. I decided not to turn to the small road towards Oulanka because it was more than obvious that the car was not going to last much longer. I made it to the Ruka ski resort junction which is thirty kilometres or twenty miles from Kuusamo. For the next hour I was on the phone trying to get a tow truck to take me and my Lada to some local repair shop. That was quite a troublesome task but I finally managed it. 

Instead of the cheap research station at Oulanka I spent the first night in an expensive hotel in Kuusamo. Anyway I was in the eagle hides´ hoods even without any car. 

With help of my friends in Kuusamo it wasn´t a problem and here below you can find pictures from the next two days. First day near Russian border at Lämsänkylä and the other in Oulanka National Park.

The days were absolutely fabulous, the moments when an eagle arrived were breath taking, I enjoyed every minute of it.

 

The weather wasn´t so sunny all the time...

 

...but the views were beautiful

 

and I suppose the White-tailed Eagle agreed upon it

 

in Oulanka the star was the Golden Eagle

 

 It left quite soon but would be back...

 

even in better light

 

 

and with a partner

 

the light was beautiful

 

 

 

there were not so many sunny days in December but I was lucky 

 just before sun set

Olli

Down in Africa #3

These last pictures I took mostly in Moremi area. Good luck had followed us during the whole journey but here we were particularly lucky. We saw few really breathtaking and amazing scenes. It was absolutely outstanding to follow leopard tracking impalas. The focus of the big cat, predator, was cold-bloodedly in impalas and nothing disturbed it. An other fortune was an encounter with African wild dogs. That happened in Xakanaxa area at Third Bridge. From Xakanaxa we also made a boat trip to Okavango Delta which is a huge wetland. We experienced a great moment with Red Lechwes which were standing in shallow water. The whole pack was frightened by something and in a blink of an eye were they all on the move. For a few seconds there was chaos among antelopes, maybe they saw a crocodile?

                                                             Warthog, quite an apocalypse

                                                             Lady like eyelashes

                                                                 What a beautiful starling

                                                             Red-billed Oxpecker and Giraffe

                                                                Vervet Monkey

                                                                African Wild Dogs in morning light

                                                               Little Bee-eaters

                                                   Red Lechwes escaping something

                                                             Rufous-bellied Heron

                                                             African Darter

                                                            Great White Egret

                                                                 Last sunset

Goodbye Africa, for now.


Olli