My backyard wasn´t enough

Common Redshank - Tringa Totanus - Rødstilk
Eos 1D Mk IV - EF 500 f/4L IS - at 1/320 sec - f/4.0 - ISO250

My backyard wasn´t enough :) Had to try new tool a bit more. Went to Husvik-kilen. Lying flat out in the wetlands being eaten by mosquitos..... Several species of birds.  Please enjoy!

Common Shelduck taking off -  Tadorna Tadorna - Gravand
Eos 1D Mk IV - EF 500 f/4L IS - at 1/1000 sec - f/4.0 - ISO100

Common Shelduck family  -  Tadorna Tadorna - Gravand famile
Eos 1D Mk IV - EF 500 f/4L IS - at 1/640 sec - f/4.0 - ISO100

Common Reed Bunting - Emberiza Schowniclus - Sivspurv
Eos 1D Mk IV - EF 500 f/4L IS - at 1/1250 sec - f/4.0 - ISO100

New tool in toolbox - EF 500 f/4L IS

  

Common Blackbird male eating dinner - Turdus Merula - Svartrost han
EOS 1d Mk IV - EF500f/4L - at 1/200 sec f/4.0 ISO 500  

Got a "new" tool in my toolbox. EF 500 f/4L. Inspired after trying same model at Østensjøvannet earlier this month, an upgrade "became" necessary. Thanks to friend and photographer Geir Solberg for making me realize that I just had to invest in a new tool..... :)  Thanks to my father supporting me, and making it possible! Buying used photography equipment is actually quite fun. Makes you meet interesting people, that you never would have met otherwise! Thanks Torstein Bergem and Prabakar Venkataraman :)
Tried out new tool in my backyard this afternoon, scarring my neighbors....... :)

Hooded Crow - Corvus Cornix - Gråkråke
EOS 1d Mk IV - EF500f/4L - at 1/250 sec f/4.0 ISO 125

Main attraction - Photocourse - Great Crested Grebe

Great Crested Grebe, couple mating - Podiceps Cristatus - Toppdykker i parring
Canon 1D mk IV - EF 500 f/4 IS USM- at 500mm - ISO640 - 1/250 - f/4.0

The main attraction of this course were the Great Crested Grebe. This couple mated 3 times during the evening. 21 coursepartisipants firing away. Must have been a total of several thousand pictures taken :) 

Great Crested Grebe, couple mating - Podiceps Cristatus - Toppdykker i parring
Canon 1D mk IV - EF 300 f/2.8 IS USM- at 300mm - ISO1000 - 1/160 - f/2.8

Photo Course - Østensjøvannet - rare individual

Photo: Geir Solberg

Convinced my friend, photographer Geir Solberg to come along at this course.
He got some really good pictures of a rare individual.......... Me :) 
In action, exploring EF 500 f/4 and EF 300 f/2.8. Nice tools! Wildlife photographer Tom Schandy guiding interested "students".

Birdphotography course - Østensjøvannet

Canada Goose - Branta Canadensis - Kanadagås
Canon 1D Mk IV - EF 300 f/2.8 IS USM - at ISO1000 - 1/200 sec at f/2.8

Attended to photography course at Østensjøvannet tuesday. Former Canon ambassador Tom Schandy and wildlife photographer Baard Næss shared equipment and knowledge. Fantastic! It was mating time for Great Crested Grebe. The location is a lake just outside Oslo. There are many different species at the location. Fantastic to try out some super telly lenses :) Got a couple of nice shots. I´ll soon publish pictures of Great Crested Grebe mating. 
Got some nice reflection shots too. Please enjoy!

Eurasian Coot - Fulica Cristata - Sothøne
Canon 1D Mk IV - EF 500 f/4 IS USM - at ISO1000 - 1/60 sec at f/4.0

Smooth Newt

 Smooth Newt - Male and female - Lissotriton vulgaris - Liten Salamander hann og hun
Canon EOS 1D mk IV - EF24-70 f/2.8L - at 52mm, 1/80sec, f/9.0 iso 200 

Exited to find Smooth Newt (Common Newt) today. I had an idea about using my new go-pro hero2 and try out some UV photo. But "rookie" mistake. The power button had "of course" been turned on long time ago.....


Bad prep perhaps.....or time to by a hard case:)
So I had to use backup plan with a clear glass jar.
The Newts were of course released back to the pond after the shoot.


The location of this pond, I will keep as a secret. Earlier year, I have found the even rarer Great Crested Newt in the same pond. Both species are "red listed" so I feel pretty lucky to be able to photograph these amphibians.

Smooth Newt - Male and two females - Lissotriton vulgaris - Liten Salamander hann og to hunner
Canon EOS 1D mk IV - EF24-70 f/2.8L - at 32mm, 1/160sec, f/7.1 iso 200