wildlife
European Bison photo-tour
Last week I returned from Eastern Poland where, along with fellow photographer, Marek Kosinski, I led two back to back tours. The target species was the European bison and Bialowieza (and it’s surrounding meadows and forests) is the only place in Europe where you can see large herds roaming freely. We led a successful tour last year (see HERE for the trip report) and hoped for more of the same on this occasion! Although not as cold and, at the start at least, not as much snow as last year, with Marek’s skill and knowledge of this vast area we were able to enjoy photographing them in a variety of situations and conditions. Undoubtedly, the most memorable for me was in the heavy snow as it transforms the landscape and adds real atmosphere to the images.
As last year, the accommodation and home cooking provided by Viera for both breakfast and evening meal was outstanding! Varied and delicious and washed down with a glass (or 2!) of her herb and fruit infused vodka! It’s worth returning for her cooking alone!
Thank you to all those that attended…James, Marie-Laure and Ian, Mike and Bea, Chris, Anna, Kevin, Patrick and Jim. It was hard work for some, sometimes, but with your enthusiasm and tenacity, I am sure you have returned with some memorable images.
I can see you!
The snow was so heavy that the autofocus just couldn’t lock on and as the bison was stationary for some time, I activated Live View, zoomed in to the horns and focused manually. I used this technique quite often throughout the trip.
Inside looking out. I was searching for something different and decided to try and produce an image that gave the impression of me secretly peering through the forest at the bison. I then converted it to black and white.
Workshop guest, Mike, braving the elements.
A day was dedicated to entering the Strictly Protected Area (SPA) of the Bialowieza forest which you can only do so with a licensed guide. Although Bialowieza National Park covers an area of about 105 km.sq; much of this is managed with smaller protected areas within. The finest part is the SPA, a truly spectacular forest covering an area of 57 sq.km. An untouched, primeval forest, the largest and finest of it’s kind in lowland Europe. Massive, several hundred year old oaks, maple, hornbeam, ash and spruce stand 40 metres plus as a result of the nutrient rich soil and their need to reach for the light in this crowded environment. A stunningly beautiful, yet eerie, place where no forest management takes place and the only means of transport within the forest is by horse and cart and a, practically, silent buggy used by the rangers. Where trees fall, they remain and among the tangled vegetation and fallen, decaying trees, wolves, lynx, boar and bison roam. Black storks, lesser-spotted eagles and all 10 species of woodpecker exist within this area, not to mention the endless list of flowers, fungi and insects.
Workshop guests, James and Marie-Laure photographing the forest
Praying to the Bison God! It never ceases to amaze me how we photographers can spend so long photographing such things as lichen!
A simple wooden cross marks the memorial. A sobering reminder of Poland’s involvement in the world wars.
Oyster mushrooms. Some may mock it, but the camera’s pop-up flash can come in very handy, sometimes!
Spotted nutcracker
Marek has a marvellous garden bird hide where you can photograph a number of species including these, spotted nutcrackers. They are such great characters and would use their massive, powerful bills to open a hazelnut by wedging it into the crack of a tree.
Last rays of sunlight penetrating forest.
There were occasions when we were unable to locate the bison and with the light casting a warm glow on the forest, we made the most of the situation.
Occasionally, the conditions were quite difficult to work in but were most definitely worth it!
With half the group, (on my 2nd week) Marek went out looking for bison while myself and 2 others were booked into his garden and forest hide for woodpeckers and the like. Marek, however, put a spanner in the works (in the nicest possible way) by saying to us that the white-tailed eagle hide was empty and would we like to try that instead? I was more than a little keen as was (it has to be said, Kevin!) and when I suggested this to Patrick, he also felt it would be worth a go. So, by 5.30 the following morning, we were settled in the hide, waiting. We did see the eagles. 2 infact, perched in the distant trees, plus ravens and jays but, sadly, they never came down to the bait. It was a real pity but nothing ventured. Kevin, with his bionic eyesight, spotted this gorgeous fox in the distance which gave us a few moments to rattle off a few images.
Red fox
While half the group were enjoying (as we later found out) a bumper session in Marek’s hide, we were out looking for bison which he duly located. And what a herd it was. 60+ animals.
From here, we revisited a forest that had 3 bulls and for the next hour and a half, followed them and, while keeping a very respectful distance, enjoyed them as they relaxed and fed.
My kit bag (Think Tank Airport Acceleration) consisted of 2xNikon D300′s, 12-24, 28-105, 70-200 f2.8 and a 200-400 f4 with, occasionally, a 1.4x tele-converter attached. Support was provided by a Manfrotto 055 CX3 carbon fibre tripod fitted with a Markins M10 ball head. I’m not a big fan of those Manfrotto’s where, in order to use at ground level, you need to adjust the centre column so it runs parallel to the ground. Far too fiddly for my liking, especially when working in the snow!
Eventually, it was time to get up and boy, he sure was a big fella! Especially when peering through a telephoto!
From the forest, they entered the clearing providing us with wonderful opportunities to photograph them without any trees obscuring them.
Yellowhammers would fly back and forth, feeding at the bison’s feet.
A fantastic end to a great trip. Marek and I will be doing the same tour next February from the 3rd to 8th so, if you are interested in joining me to this amazing region, do get in touch. Alternatively, click HERE to get more information from my website.
First and only? I hope not!
Well, it’s 7 days now since here in Kent (along with most of the UK) we “enjoyed” hard frosts and quite a bit of snow. It’s so infrequent now that when it does occur I (and I’m sure 1000′s of other photographers) rack our brains to think of where to go in order to capitalise on this short lived event.
For the last month, or so, I have set up a bird feeding station quite near to where I live on the North Kent Marshes to see what I could pull in different to the usual woodland species that I have photographed time and again in subsequent years. With regular visits I could see that I wasn’t getting anything particularly interesting coming in aside from tits and greenfinches. So, I decided to go to Knole Park where they have a large herd of fallow and sika deer. With a wonderful hard frost, I enjoyed a good few hours from dawn, milking the conditions for all it’s worth!
Sika deer
This was the first time I used my 200-400 f4 that I acquired a couple of months ago and it really proved it’s worth with me being able to shoot close-ups and contextual, without moving or adding tele-converters.
Sika deer
Fallow deer buck
Sika deer
For all the sika deer photographs, I used a Manfrotto monopod as continually altering the legs on a tripod can be both tiresome and time consuming which may result in missing a shot. For the fallow deer buck image, I hand-held the camera while laying down, utilising the VR.
Sika deer
I was just sitting down, upwind from this sika and it came closer and closer, sniffing the air every few steps.
Inquisitive Sika deer!
The day after, heavy snow was forecast for the Sevenoaks area, predicted for around 12 o clock. I wasn’t going to miss this, so arrived at 9 and just waited. The fallow were very shy and with such a strong wind, understandably, took shelter in the wooded areas.
Fallow deer fawn and doe
Fallow deer fawn
After the above encounter, it was a full hour before I got anywhere near close enough for a decent size image. I came across 4 bucks and by keeping a respectful distance, they took little notice. And, as if on cue, the snow REALLY started to come down. Perfect!
Fallow deer buck
Fallow deer bark-stripping. They do this as a source of food, most often in winter.
Fallow deer buck
A few days later and with snow still on the ground I headed to my hide on the marshes where I witnessed the most extraordinary thing! As I walked to my hide to top-up the feeder I noticed a fieldfare in a hawthorn, not 4m away! Amazing. They are generally very wary so what on earth was it doing, just sitting there? I stood and watched as it sat and picked off nearby berries. The camera was in the car so I walked back the 100m or so, fitted the camera to the tripod and returned, only to find it was still there! It remained so for the next minute, allowing me take a few shots before it dropped to the ground, picked up a few berries and flew off to join the rest of the flock. I guess, it’s the hard weather that makes wildlife bolder.
Fieldfare
I then got comfortable in my hide, observing greenfiches, blue and great tits come and go and then a bird appeared on a thistle seed-head I had only ever seen a few times before and certainly never photographed. A lesser redpoll. I took a few tentative photographs as it fed frantically on the seed-head. It flew to a nearby hawthorn then immediately returned. I let it feed for a while, took another shot and this time it took no notice. This was a rare opportunity to get close-ups of a bird I hardly see, so didn’t hold back in the amount of images Thankfully, quite afew came out sharp!
All images on this post were taken using a Nikon D300, 200-400 f4 and, more often than not, iso 800. For the redpoll shots, at f5.6 I used a shutter speed of 1/1600 sec.
Lesser redpoll
Lesser redpoll feeding
Lesser redpoll
Lesser redpoll
Personal favourites of 2012
This is the first time I have done an end of year round-up and I have to say, I rather enjoyed it. I like to think of myself as a fairly productive photographer but as the months and years roll by, often forget what I have taken in just 12 months.
So, hear they are and I do hope you enjoy my recap and, if you’ve never done something like this before, why not give it a try?! It’s sure to bring nack some wonderful memories and, perhaps, point out those subjects that you need another stab at.
Realising that many of you are photographers and that I often get emails requesting technical data, I have included this in the caption so hope you find this useful. However, as I have said previously, please don’t get too bogged down with gear and shutter speeds. Being out there, whatever the weather and with whatever equipment you own, is the key to witnessing and recording nature in all it’s forms.
Barn owl.
I had been working on these owls for some time on private land on the Isle of Sheppey. On each visit, I would park my 4×4 in more or less the same spot and so they became quite used to my presence. On this particular occasion it perched on an oil drum opposite me and thinking that, perhaps, it might fly past my window to one of it’s favourite perches, I pre-focused on a spot approximately 6 feet from me so that the autofocus wouldn’t have to move too far to lock on.
Nikon D300, 300mm f2.8, iso 800, 1/800 sec. f3.5, handheld.
European bison crossing railway track
I led a tour to Eastern Poland in February where we enjoyed near perfect snowy, bright conditions. Marek Kosinski, our guide, had noticed that the herd were making their way to a railway embankment which they would probably climb and then walk over the railway track. It was a good 10 minute fast-paced hike but worth it when all of us were in position just as they crossed.
Nikon D300, 300mm f2.8, iso 280, 1/2000 sec. f5.6, Manfrotto 055XB, Manfrotto 501 HDV head.
Greylag geese in territorial dispute
Spring on the marshes is a special time of year when lapwing, redshank, avocet and geese, amongst others, are vying for attention and squabbling with competing males. This par had been chasing one another both on and off the water for some time and when they took to the air it was enough for me to keep them in the frame, such was their speed and acrobatics!
Nikon D300, 300mm f2.8, 1.4x tele-converter, iso 800, 1/5000 sec. f6.3, handheld.
Short-eared owl
Short-eared owls are not all that tolerant of other owl species so it came as no surprise that once they took up residence on the same spot as the barn owls, the latter soon disappeared! I have an adage. “If you’re not there, it won’t happen!” In other words, if you don’t put yourself in situations, regardless of the light or time of day you may lose out on capturing a one-off image. This was a case in point. The forecast was for wet and windy but I drove the 15 miles, anyway, just to see if anything turned up and I always love spending time on the marshes. The weather was horrendous with strong winds and hail. The owls were clearly tucked up. Sheltering. After an hour, the dark, brooding clouds moved on, the sun came out and the shorties hunted for a full 30 minutes, just metres from my car!
Nikon D300, 300mm f2.8, 1.4x tele-converter, iso 800, 1/1600 sec. f8, handheld.
Storm clouds over the Sheppey Crossing
Just as above, the weather looked far from promising but I went regardless. For 90 minutes the clouds morphed into wonderful formations. It would have been foolhardy to use a tripod as the conditions were changing so rapidly. I had never before, or since, witnessed a cloud spectacle quite like I did that afternoon. Biblical!
Nikon D300, 12-24mm @ 19mm, iso 200, 1/50 sec. f10, handheld.
Cattle grazing on the North Kent Marshes at sunrise
Cattle are an essential part of the management process, here, producing areas that provide ideal breeding conditions for such species as redshank, meadow pipit and skylark. It was one of those pefect mornings. Still and misty with the sound of birdlife all around. I guess you could say I was simply in the right place at the right time.
Nikon D300, 70-200mm f2.8 @ 150mm, iso 200, 1/200 sec. f14, Manfrotto 055CX3, Markins M10 ball head.
Dragonfly on the North Kent Marshes at sunrise.
It was a beautiful, still dawn on the marshes when I went searching for dragonflies. Determined not to produce straight record shots, which say little about the environment in which they live, I went about producing a more pictorial and contextual image in order to impart onto the viewer the kind of morning I was experiencing.
Nikon D300, 12-24mm @ 14mm, iso 560, 1/40 sec. f16, handheld.
Sea mist sunset
I was leading a workshop at Dungeness when we had the most magnificent sunset. I, like the others, began shooting boats silhouetted against the setting sun until I turned 180 degrees and saw the simplest of compositions, more powerful than those I had composed moments earlier.
Nikon D300, 28-105mm @ 127mm, iso 200, 1/3 sec. f16, Manfrotto 055CX3, Markins M10 ball head.
Swirling stream
Working in the Dark Peak region of the Peak District, I avoided shooting wider scenes, instead looking for details. Hard to do in autumn when there is so much colour surrounding you! I came across this small waterfall and branch that dissected the image and attached an ND filter in order to create the swirl.
Nikon D300, 28-105mm @ 48mm, iso 200, 13 secs. f16, ND X16 filter, Manfrotto 055CX3, Markins M10 ball head.
Saffron-drop bonnet mushroom in beechwood
I had spent several days shooting autumnal scenes in a very small area of beechwood and became more and more fascinated by the symbiotic relationship between the miniature and the gigantic. With this in mind I strove to illustrate this as best I could.
Nikon D300, 105mm f2.8 Micro, iso 200, 3 secs. f8, Manfrotto 055CX3, Markins M10 ball head.
I would like to say a big thank you to all of you that have taken the time to read my blog and, or, follow me on facebook. To my workshop and tour guests and, generally, for supporting my work over the last year. I look forward to meeting some of you, again, in 2013 as well as seeing new faces and wish you all a happy and fulfilling New Year.
Should you have time, do let me know in Comments which is your fasvourite!
Presentation at Folkestone Camera Club
I’ll be giving a talk at Folkiestone Camera Club tomorrow (26th) illustrated with my most recent images taken over the last year with bison and the northern lights making an appearance! I have spoken, many times, to this group over the years and I always enjoy returning as they are such a friendly and enthusiastic group. All are welcome as you do not need to be a member to attend.
Photography Workshop Gift Vouchers
I now offer gift vouchers for my wildlife and landscape photography workshops.
Photography workshop gift vouchers
Vouchers can be produced, to order, of any denomination from £10 upwards and can even be workshop or overseas tour specific. If you would rather the recipient didn’t know how much you spent, I can simply leave off the cost and, if the holder decides they would rather go on a different workshop or tour, no problem, the voucher can be redeemed against one of his or her choice!
For more information, please see HERE.
About Robert Canis
Robert Canis is a professional photographer specialising in the natural world.
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