Bernt-Inge.no

Mid 2018 update blog

Bernt-Inge.no — Sat, 18 Aug 2018 19:04:01 +0000

Since the blog has been neglected the last eight months I thought it would be good to post an update. I have been active on social platforms and “forgotten” to post here regularly.

In January and February I mostly did birding and photography local here in Søgne.

First picture is of a Greater white-fronted geese that visited late in January.

Second picture is of an Eurasian wren that lives in a small local forrest. This picture is taken early February.

In March I visited a hide in Marnardalen to get pictures of the goshawk.

I went into the hide at 04:30 in the morning and the first thing I heard when I had setup was this little guy. It was still dark but I managed to capture him using ISO 6400.

Where there is food there is jays, the noisiest and most colourful bird in the forrest this time of year.

And of course the main attraction did arrive around 11 o’clock. I did manage to get lots of good pictures this day and you can find most of them in this gallery on my 500px account.

April started off slowly with local birding before I did a workshop at Runde.

First off the local birding picture before showing you the results from Runde. This is the first wagtail of the season at a local beach. He nicely posed on a small rock in the water.

End of April I packed up my gear and headed to an island outside my hometown called Runde. It was my first time visiting this location even though I grew up under two hours from it.

The workshop was held by Roger Brendhagen who is a professional Norwegian nature photographer and Nikon ambassador.

I got to the island an hour later then expected due to tunnel and ferry issues that is quite common in these parts of Norway. The first evening we walked up to “Lundeura” where the puffins roam.

We also did a boat trip around the island and got to see the Northern gannets hunting and looking for nesting material.

Unfortunately the nesting material is not always natural but waste from fishing nets and ropes that we are throwing in the sea.

Please do pick up your trash and do not waste our seas #oneocean.

The gannets are majestic birds that really needs to be seen close up.

We got up at 4:30 in the mornings to get the morning light. This guy was a part of a small flock of seven European golden plovers that where resting at the beach. These birds are normally seen in the mountains and not at the shoreline.

If you want to visit Runde you can contact me for some insider tips on where and when to look for birds.

More images from my trip to Runde can be seen on 500px.

In May the temperature started to climb and this is probably the only picture of our lawn green this year. We have had temperatures of 20-30 degrees celsius since and there has not been any rain until late August.

June was my woodpecker month it seems, I got information about a black woodpecker nest just 10 minutes from our house. I went down one morning and this fledgling had left his nest already.

When I was looking for ospreys I met this angry Great spotted woodpecker that wanted me to leave the area as their nest was close by.

July started of with a vacation to Ebeltoft, Denmark. This guy was standing in a field when my oldest kid and me where looking for birds.

Late July the moon eclipse was the attraction. I tried to get the moon behind the lighthouse but the angle from the place I sat was wrong. So then I tried to save the evening with a wide angle shot.

I hope you enjoy the pictures so far this year and there are of course plenty of more pictures on my instagram and 500px account.

Feel free to head over and take a look.

Best photographs of 2017

Bernt-Inge.no — Sun, 31 Dec 2017 14:24:05 +0000

Another year has gone by and its time for a review of my best 10 (11) photographs this year.

January started off with an invasion of Hawk Owls in the area. I had several trips to the area where it was spotted and it was very elusive. This photo was the one I was really happy with.

In April I headed down to Denmark for a weekend nature photography workshop with Morten Hilmer at Skandinavisk Dyrepark. The park was not open for the public yet and we got to experience the animals in a “vacation mode”. The workshop was very educational and I got to test my gear in different circumstances.

Here are the best results from the weekend.

The Steller’s sea eagle is one of the main attraction at the park and we got to see the final rehearsal before the opening. These eagles are fast and accurate in their hunting abilities. Very impressive to see them in action.

The wolves are always interesting to photograph and watch. Since they had been “away” from the public for a while they where very shy and did not want to be close to the path we walked on.

Moving back to Norway, in June the breeding season was in full effect. The Eurasian reed warbler was singing every time I was at the one of the local bird viewing spots. After several attempts I finally got this photograph of one of them singing in the reeds.

The next subject I stumbled upon after a photography trip that resulted in nothing. I was parking the car and heard a familiar sound in the bushes by our house. I grabbed the camera and walked over and got this photo of a European green woodpecker. This was a young bird and after I photographed him we played cat and mouse for five minutes before he flew off and returned to check who I was again.

The next picture is from a local beach. Not easy to get close enough to catch Common greenshank in its natural habitat. Luckily the camouflage helps.

The Black-tailed godwit is an endangered species and uncommon in our area. When the bird had been spotted I was quick to grab my gear and try to get a good photograph of him. I brought my son so he could see what his dad was doing on his photography trips. He was convinced I just went to the local store and got chocolate to enjoy by myself. We found the bird in the middle of the local beach resting for the morning. This is the best photograph we got.

The fall has brought a lot of common and uncommon birds to Søgne. The next one is a common one but very elusive and small. The Eurasian wren is not staying put in one place for more than seconds. Luckily they are curious and are attracted by the sounds played from my iPhone app. Here is the result.

The last photograph is a two part one. We have not had any snow this winter and I was set to get the European robin in snowy conditions. I have had one in our garden every day for the last three weeks. The day before Christmas eve I had some spare time and captured this photograph.

In my head I had an image that was the same but with snow. Luckily I woke up the 30th of December to five centimeters of snow. I got my gear ready and waited for the robin to arrive again. Here is the result of this years last photography session. And its just as I imagined it in my head

I hope you all enjoyed my little selection of photographs from 2017. You can see more on my 500px and Instagram.

All the images can be viewed as a slide show on 500px.

Have a happy new year

Instagrammer of the month

Bernt-Inge.no — Thu, 08 Jun 2017 15:54:08 +0000

Yesterday the local newspaper posted a full page of my pictures as a part of their instagrammer of the month series. I am humble and thankful for the title.

More pictures on my instagram account

Photography workshop in Denmark

Bernt-Inge.no — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 10:51:19 +0000

Last weekend I traveled down to Denmark for a Nature Photography Workshop hosted by Morten Hilmer.

The workshop was held at Skandinavisk Dyrepark just outside Kolind. The park was still closed for the season and we got to experience the animals during their “vacation”. The park has few animals with large areas for them to roam in. This is one of the best animal parks I have visited.

During the workshop we went through composition and techniques related to nature and wildlife photography. There was plenty of crows and Red Kites around in the parks woodland. I got some great shots of the Red Kites playing in the wind.

I got to know my camera and autofocus system pretty good. The hit-rate for shoots went up during the workshop and I got a good understanding on how to use the cameras advanced systems. Canon has given out a manual for the autofocus system that is worth reading for all Canon users. It can be found on the Canon CPN website. Even though this covers the Canon EOS 1D X Mark II, the system is the same for 1D X and 7D Mark II. Getting to know your camera helps you getting the shots you dreamed of catching.

Below are some of the results from the workshop. More images will be posted here and on my 500px account.

Steller’s sea eagle portrait

Siku the Polar bear

Red Kite hoovering

Steller’s sea eagle hunting

Steller’s sea eagle

Northern Hawk-Owl invasion

Bernt-Inge.no — Tue, 17 Jan 2017 18:02:31 +0000

The last two months there has been a lot of Northern Hawk-Owl observation in the southern parts of Norway. I have several times been out and spotted this Owl at a local forrest area. After three photography attempts I walked in to the area this weekend just to check if the owl still was there. The Owl was sitting in one of the highest threes in the area and flew down in an attempt to catch a mouse. After the attempt it landed in a three just meters from me.

Here are the results

Hopefully I will have time to get more shots of this amazing bird.

Mandarin duck in Norway

Bernt-Inge.no — Sun, 08 Jan 2017 19:26:24 +0000

Went for a walk with the family today to a small area in Kristiansand that is called Ravnedalen. A Mandarin Duck had been spotted here lately and I hoped to catch a glimt of it. The area is a known local recreation area and they are feeding the birds. Around 25-30 mallards where residing in the pond along with two swans and the lonely Mandarin duck. This fellow is probably an escapee from a farmer since its not a local specie.

Mandarin duck spreading his wings

Swimming around waiting for food

Female mallard

Male mallard

Second time in a bird hide

Bernt-Inge.no — Mon, 14 Nov 2016 19:58:04 +0000

When I visited the bird hide the first time I did not get to see the Sparrow Hawk. This is the first picture from the second visit. I had just mounted the camera and got a sip of my coffee when I heard the unmistakable sound of the Sparrow Hawk. It was still pretty dark so the picture is taken with ISO 12800.

and more results of the day in the hide

First time in a bird hide

Bernt-Inge.no — Mon, 19 Sep 2016 16:56:35 +0000

This weekend I spent Friday night to Saturday afternoon in a local Sparrow Hawk hide. Leiv Arne has used a lot of time and effort to create an amazing hide with lots of bird activity.

Unfortunately the Sparrow Hawk only scared the other birds away and disappeared again. Oh well better luck next time.

Here are some pictures of the Eurasian Jay and a Hawk Owl that we spotted.

If you are in the Vest-Agder area then you should definitely take the time to visit Leiv Arnes hide in Marnardalen. More information on his website.

Puss moth larva macro

Bernt-Inge.no — Sat, 16 Jul 2016 11:02:10 +0000

My wife found this interesting larva crawling in our garden. Got some pictures of it and focus stacked them into these shots. Enjoy.

More about the larva on Wikipedia

Another day with fun in the sun

Bernt-Inge.no — Sun, 05 Jun 2016 10:47:54 +0000

Yet another sunny day with temperatures over 20 degrees celsius. Started the morning on the ground in the garden with the 5D mk2 and the 100mm macro lens again. The learning curve is steep when it comes to these small bugs. Wherever you sit down there is bugs and ants everywhere. Amazing how much life there is in the grass when you start looking. Here are some results from this mornings session.

Tried to get one of these beetles in flight. This is the best result, I left it uncropped to show the size of them in relation to the tripod foot on the right. They move way to fast for macro.