Night shots from Namibia

The night-sky photography in Namibia was the main reason I took my tripod along with me. The amazing visibility of southern night skyscape with no light pollution was very tempting. And watching the stars on the desert was really a spectacle...

Sossusvlei - Deadly beautiful desert

There are places in the world so magic and beautiful that one just cannot really conceive; places where you must simply sit down and watch all the beauty around that nature has created. That is exactly what I would do in Namibian Sossusvlei desert last October if we had more than just one morning for visit of this wonder from another world…

Waxwings invade Bergen

I remember the winter 2008/2009 when large flocks of Bohemian Waxwings (Bombycilla garrulus) appeared in Czech republic and other European countries – it was a spectacle for ornithologists and photographers. I was lucky to spend few weeks at home during Christmas time and watch these beautiful birds flying around and feeding on frozen fruits left on the trees. Although a good number of these birds appeared, I managed to take a few pretty bad shots with only two of them being of an average quality...

Southern Masked Weaver – the master builder

Although the main goal of my photographic efforts in Namibia were by no doubts the wildlife animals, surprisingly enough, one of the best bird shots I have made in the backyard of Steiners house (see previous article Namibia’s highways and byways)! Right after the arrival to the house I noticed spectacular grass-woven ball-shaped nests attached to the bush and beautiful yellow males of Southern Masked Weaver (Ploceus velatus) flying around them...

Namibia’s highways and byways

Florida XIII – some more birds

Florida XII – Fort Desoto

In my mind, Fort Desoto Island in Florida will remain as the best spot for bird photography. If you want to see many bird species in one place, go to Fort Desoto, you will not be disappointed...

Florida XI – close-up

What fascinates me today – after several years of bird photography – is the detail! The best bird photographs are of course those with some action but such pictures are often a matter of coincidence or long wait in a hide. To photograph birds sitting still might seem boring but one is often surprised when the details are visible during the close-up view. I am a big fan of close-up shots – the pictures where you can virtually see every feather. In these moments you can fully appreciate the beauty and variability of the nature. Florida was great place to make such photos – birds are very tame so one can easily get so close to make „portrait“ snapshots – here are some of them…

Florida X - Egrets and Herons

Florida is a country of sun, oranges and Egrets and Herons. These birds are everywhere. If you check your birding guidebooks, you may find out that Florida regularly hosts 12 out of 13 Egrets and Herons that can be found in USA. How many can you see during short visit of Florida? Count with me...

Autumn migration – some pictures

I like Autumn – it is a time of bird migration to South and time to watch species that are not around during the summer time. The last weekend I visited Herdla nature reserve near Bergen – this flat meadow at the northernmost coastal tip of Askoy island is ideal resting place for migrating birds and their regular refueling station before the long trip to South.

Avocets at Texel Island

Last winter, when I was considering spots to visit this year, the name Texel came to my mind – the island at the northern coast of Netherlands I remembered Juza did his wildlife gathering the year before at. I searched for some information on the internet and without hesitation I decided this could be my hotspot of this season. The reason was quite clear – where else in Europe and within close distance I could watch and photograph tame Pied Avocets (Recurvirostra avosetta)?

Rainy Runde 2010

Almost three full days out of four that I planned to spend with birds on the Runde Island in Norway have been in the name of rain. It was really bad luck because as it was the longest period of constant rain I had experienced so far this summer. Knut, the owner of the camp I always stay in, told me that when the hot days occupy my home Central Europe the bad weather usually strikes Runde area...

Gullfjell – the golden mountain

Gullfjell (987 m.a.s.l.) is the highest mountain and one of the best places to watch mountain and arctic bird species around Norwegian city Bergen. Gullfjell can be translated as “Golden Mountain” – I do not know where the original name comes from but maybe the author had the same experience as I had recently when I made the early morning birding trip up to that mountain slope lit by the golden light of the first sun beams and around the trails the Golden Plovers sang their piping songs...

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Unexpected encounter with Cuckoo

I have always admired photographs of Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) – it has always been a little mysterious bird that I only knew as a voice sounding from the depth of the forests. Also given the small number of pictures on the internet I thought that watching Cuckoo from close distance is one-in-life event. What happened during our trip to Dovre this year was better that all my previous expectations for this bird...

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Going north to south – trip to Dovrefjell (Norway)

I used this strange title to show how relative things are – if I was in my home country and drove from my home 150 km to the north, I would leave Southern Bohemia, cross the whole Central Bohemia and get to the North Bohemia. Here in Norway, if you drive from Bergen (which itself is some 8 hours drive north of the southernmost tip of Norway) 500 km north-east, you are still in Southern Norway and still far before reaching borders of Middle Norway! But I do not want to write about the local geography, I want to write about Dovrefjell and Fokstumyra nature reserve, which is one of the most famous birding spots in Norway...