elks and me

With the onset of winter, elks come back to us. They return to the pinewoods. We have a lot of young pine afforestation here, which elk like very much. Yesterday, just before sunset, crossing a dirt road, we first noticed only the head of a elk with large antlers. When we approached the hill there were two elks, one adult and the other very young. First, I took some photos from the car. When I left and wanted to gather a bit and take pictures from a different angle, the animals started to escape slowly. After a few minutes they hid in a pine forest. It was an unexpected but also a pleasant meeting. It’s worth having your photographic equipment with you.

late autumn colours

It must be said that they are basically missing. You need to look for images of moodiness.The second half of October and November are quite gloomy, gray days. Almost all trees have lost their leaves and uniform colorless landscapes prevail. Only the color of the sky at sunrise and sunset can be beautiful and colorful. It’s difficult to choose something suitable for photographing. Exposure conditions are usually poor. Here are some photos below from my surroundings.

autumn colours

It seems to me that autumn has the most beautiful colors in the last days of September and the first decade of October. True, it depends on the weather. Later, there are few leaves on the trees and the landscape becomes more gray. There are often morning mists at this time and there is an opportunity to take very interesting pictures, especially when the sun’s rays begin to break through the fog. This is often a short moment that should not be missed. It is obvious that a tripod is necessary for such pictures.

foggy morning

We had a long drought throughout the summer until almost the end of September. There was a foggy morning. I set off at 6 am to take some photos in these unusual conditions. The fog was very thick, the light was dim and the photos were almost gray. Later, the sun’s rays began to penetrate and the results were more interesting. However, the expectations of better photos have not been met. Here are some better photos, in my opinion.

Riga - old town

It was late afternoon on August 24 - Riga. We went for a walk through the streets of the old city. A lot of people everywhere on the streets. Almost every street has cafes. A very nice atmosphere contributes to us. We see the wealth of the inhabitants of old Riga. We reach the other end over the Daugava River. After a short walk on the waterfront we are back. On the edge of the old town is a beautiful large opera house. What I photographed, I put here.

Recently, due to the convenience of photographing insects using a smartphone. If you practice a little, you can get good results. You do not always have a camera on hand when you encounter an interesting insect. Here are some examples of recently made.

my new moth

I have not placed pictures of my new insects quite a long time ago. This time it is the yellow shell (Camptogramma bilineata). Increasingly, I take macro photos using a smartphone. it’s always at hand. They are not always of the best quality, but the insect does not wait. I often come across insects accidentally and I do not have a SLR with me. Below are two pictures of male brown meadow (Maniola jurtina)

elks have appeared in our forests

As you can see, the quality of the photos is not very good, but I am happy with the result. I made it after 18.00 and it was already quite dark. I was able to adjust the display parameters to such scant light. Elks in our area have appeared a few years ago. During a walk in the forest I could see their traces, places of rest and foraging on young pines. I met a moose for the second time and always after sunset. That’s when they go out to the fields to feed. The female and the young showed up. Shooting is very difficult. The animals did not avoid me, but rather I was afraid that the female and the young did not attack me. Then, when it was almost completely dark, two more elks appeared. The female attacked them very dynamically in defense of their young. Unfortunately, I regretted that I was not able to photograph such an interesting scene. Maybe it will be possible to photograph next time.

Is it spring?

On February 27, larks and starlings flew into us, and at night I heard the cries of a large flock of geese flying by. Is it spring? Today and yesterday, unfortunately, it is very unpleasantly windy and cold, even snowflakes are circulating in the air. I have been repairing the old breeding hat for starlings and today we will hang on a tree. I hope this cold is short-lived. If you want to listen to the singing of the skylark and starling and in your surroundings there is no way to hear in nature, then the following are available

singing lark

singing a starling