Link – Birds as Poetry —— Just because I WANDER doesn't mean I'm LOST

Our story comes from Lassi Rautiainen, a wildlife photographer with a passion for documenting and conserving Finland’s large carnivores. Lassi brings people close to the wildlife he so admires and his efforts have positioned him as a key figure and pioneer in the field of Finnish photo tourism. He first developed a love of photographing bears in April 1978 when, perched in a tree, he hoped to capture photos of a bear who had killed an elk near where he sat. Bears captivated him, he says: so much so that they “took over my whole life.” He soon expanded to wolverines and eventually to wolves, writing books about all three, making observations and lecturing on these carnivores he so respected at international events and arranging photo safaris for nature-lovers.

See the Nikon Europe blog for the whole story and some awesome pictures.

http://blog.iamnikon.com/en_GB/wildlife/wolf-bear-nature-wildlife-photography-romeo-and-juliet/

We had gazed at weather tv presenters, peered at tiny newspaper weather maps, and consulted the occassional web weather site, and it seemed pretty conclusive.
A high moving in during the day would give us that special “Golden Hour”. Nothing else to do really except pack in a cuppa, the cameras, the WTP access key, drop a note to the controller of our intention, and drive.

We had a spot in mind, and as it turned, we arrived travelling in the wrong direction to the sun. Not an error, but just the way things worked out. And of course, as we had already half expected, a White-bellied Sea-eagle was on a post against the light and looking pretty elegant, resplendant, and pretty well pleased with itself.
And then it flew. And EE was the only one out of the car, and the bird passsed on her side of the road, and I couldn’t get the door open as I’d stopped right up hard on a bush, and well, I missed it.

The spot we were heading for has a little bit of open grass and usually good beach on low tide. (Twas high this night!), and an outflow. And a couple of good radio mast perches.

A young Black-shouldered Kite had chosen the area to perch on while Mum gathered food. So we sat, enjoyed the sunshine, the Earl of Grey, and the antics of this beautifully marked bird.

Even if the bird hadn’t been there the weather was so nice.