Andor Marton - Wildlife & Travel Photography

Red-crested Korhaan

2011-07-10T15:49:00.015+03:00

Ayre's Hawk-eagle with its breakfast

2011-02-24T23:17:00.000+02:00

As I promised, I'm back again. I have a lot of pictures to post - beginning with macro photos from the last summer and continuing with the pictures taken in Botswana, Zambia and South Africa - just the time is missing for that.

Last year I had a 3 weeks trip through Botswana, Zambia and South Africa. The time was quite short, but I managed to make some good pictures. Unfortunately just a few action pictures. This series is from Kruger - South Africa.

We met this pleasant bird on the way to Lower Sabie Camp in Kruger NP enjoying its breakfast. I couldn't recognize the prey, but probably it was from a common bird species - guinea fowl or lapwing. After a dozen of pictures the eagle took its prey into the bush and just disappeared.

I'll be back soon

2010-12-04T02:29:00.002+02:00

Marrakech - Urban Wldlife

2010-04-21T00:07:00.005+03:00

I was a couple of weeks ago in Morocco in Marrakech. It was a kind of city break - mostly sightseeing, visiting the city and the surroundings, tasting the local culture, food and ... beer :D.
Wildlife photography was definitely not on my list - that's why I took only my 70-200 lens with me.
I had some surprises:
- several nesting storks in Bahia Palace
- songbirds on the hotel roof, where we had our breakfast. The little fellow must have been its nest somewhere in the hotel, because every morning at 6 began his very loud repertoire.

... and something very unusual, not wildlife, but pretty wild - how can travel the hole family on a scooter.

Great Crested Grebe - part I

2010-02-10T22:06:00.007+02:00

It was a really tough job, but here it is my second post.
In the last weeks I had limited time for photography - however is winter outside and some of my favourite birds are in Africa - so I decided to post some pictures taken in September in Hungary @ Lake Tisza.
The Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus) was not on the top of my bird list, that I wanted to photograph there at that time - this bird I would like to photograph in spring during the courtship dance or a family with very small and cute youngsters - but it was very popular there.
Basically I met one family (the parents and a youngster) each day on my way from the "harbor" to the photographing place/hide and back. I made so much pictures with them that I will need to post them in 3 series.
This is the first one and I working already hard on the followings. I hope I will have the possibility to go back in spring and to catch that beautiful courtship dance.

Sparrows

2010-01-13T00:06:00.007+02:00

I begin this year posting some pictures with a very common bird ... at least here is it very common ... the house sparrow.
My mother has in the backyard an evergreen tree, which produces during the winter a lot of seeds. Our neighbours have no more cats (I already wrote about that), so we have in our garden and backyard an extremely increasing bird activity - which is very good. The sparrows discovered during the winter this tree and the its seeds and afternoons they come in huge numbers to feed with them.
The only problem is, that I spend a couple of days in a month there and when I carry all my equipment with me (and it has several kilograms), the weather is very cloudy or it's raining. When I don't have my supertele lens with me, the weather is always fine. After several unsuccessful tries, I had finally in November some luck and was able to take some pictures from the loft of the house (basically from the roof).
Actually I made a lot a pictures with them from every possible angles capturing a diversity of positions - laying on a branch, analyzing the seeds or eating it - and this post is only a small selection. I hope you don't mind this "flood" of pictures.

Wishes

2009-12-24T14:39:00.007+02:00

I need to apologize for the lack of comments, posting and blog activity in the last 1,5 months. I had some very busy times due to my jobs, but this will be changed from January. Now I will have a well deserved holiday and I promise that I will catch up all the missed things next year.

Before to leave I want to thank all of you for your comments and for visiting my blog and to wish you

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Pantanal Mammals

2009-11-11T00:27:00.009+02:00

In the last 2 weeks I was very busy with my job and had no time for blogs ... sometimes I ask myself if it worth.
I will post now something unusual for me - mammals. The Pantanal is home for 1000 bird species but also for some mammals. Probably the most famous is the jaguar, that generates a hole business including fake jaguar safaris organized by ruthless people.
The most common is the capibara, but you can find also otters (giant or neotropical), giant anteaters, tapirs, foxes, howler monkeys or even porcupine.
Last year I had only the possibility to hear these monkeys howling and I can tell you ... they are very very loud. I thought they could be on the next tree, but actually they were far away. This year I had more luck and had twice the possibility to take some pictures with them ... however these moments were very short.

The surprise was the very short sighting of this porcupine. The guide confused it first with a white bird ... LOL. I took only one reasonable picture with it.

Little Bittern

2009-10-29T23:45:00.008+02:00

The winter is almost here, which is actually not a good news, but this allows me to have more time to process the pictures taken this year.
Now is the turn of this small series taken in September in Hungary.

Already on the first day on the discovery trip we spotted this little cutie, but I decided to take more picture with him on the way back. That was a very bad idea, because the bird was no more there.

After several days I found this lazy guy at the end of a canal, which connects river Tisza with the Lake , very close to the Lake. The weather was a little windy, that means - waves. From this reason it was very difficult to control the boat - alone - with the electric engine.
He was very relaxed and allowed me to take some pictures. I could say he was really relaxed.

I tried also to stop the boat parallel with the bird to make some portraits. The first one was taken using F8 and the second one using F10 to have the beak too in focus. The difference in depth-of-field is noticeable.

Unfortunately I hadn't too much time for portraits because he spotted something.

After a few seconds with a very quick strike (I could say a too fast strike for me occupied controlling the boat) he caught this big - almost monster - fish and disappeared in the reeds.

I know, this last picture is very bad, but I only wanted to show the huge capture.

Yellow-headed Caracara

2009-10-22T23:19:00.009+03:00

The Yellow-headed Caracara (Milvago Chimachima) it's a commonly seen raptor in the Pantanal. It's smaller than the Northern Caracara, but has the same behavior - flies above searching for carrion. They feed also on reptiles, amphibians or bugs ... like my subject did.

The location was the Pousada Ararauna - an excellent place to photograph birds. You are surrounded there by a great variety of birds and don't need to walk too much to find some bird activity. You can enjoy the sight from the observation tower (only 5 minutes walk from the pousada) or you can do some boat trips.

Unfortunately the weather was far from perfect. Excepting the first one, I took the the other pictures on the same cloudy morning, when I photographed the American Kestrel.

Please feel free to click on the pictures to see the bigger version in a new form. Many thanks to Bela for the help!

Wasp

2009-10-14T00:34:00.006+03:00

It's autumn ... but if I look outside is already snowing ... and we have 3 major activities in autumn:
- to harvest the grapes and make some wine
- to harvest the other fruits, crush them and let to ferment
- to "produce" schnapps from the fruits after fermentation
I'm living in the concrete jungle of Cluj Napoca but our garden from Jibou (my mother lives there) is big enough to produce each year a small quantity (100-150L) wine and about 50L schnapps.

But why I'm telling you this? You will find shortly.

Last weekend we completed our first major activity - we harvested the grapes, crushed them and we pressed them after 1-2 days. The pressing process is very slow - it takes about 3 hours - and the quantity was so huge, that we needed to press them 4 times. The result of this is the must, which is very sweet. We do this activity outside and because the weather was fine, it has attracted a huge number of wasps. This was a real blessing for them - a huge quantity of sweet must.
Now the major problem was that they were accidentally fallen into the bucket full with must and I needed to rescue them all the time with a sieve. They cannot swim ... I know that ... they don't.
After that they were very dizzy and sticky, but after about 5-10 minutes of cleaning themselves with their front legs and after drying their wings, they were able to fly away. I used this time to photograph some of them.

The hole set represents wasps saved by me ... and the number was really huge. The wasps were either on the edge of the sieve or on the top of the press. The angles and lighting conditions were very different ... of course the subjects too ... and I used normal flash. Unfortunately my circular Sigma macro flash is kaput and I'm not satisfied with the normal flash at all.

The wasp sitting on the top of the press. Fort the first 2 pictures I used F13, but for the last F16. The difference is really huge.

American Kestrel

2009-10-08T01:07:00.008+03:00

The American Kestrel (Falco Sparverius) is probably the most common New World falcon, it is widely distributed across the Americas, that means also in Brazil.

During my 2009 trip in Brazil I stayed at three different places with different ecosystems - Fazenda Barranco Alto, Fazenda Baia Grande und Fazenda Ararauna.
American Kestrel I saw only at Fazenda Ararauna. After the long transfer from Baia Grande to Ararauna and of course after the welcoming barbeque :-), we (with the guide) decided to explore the surroundings of the Fazenda. Just behind the houses we spotted some spoonbills and a very relaxed kestrel sitting on a perch. The light was perfect so I managed to take a pretty large series from many different angles. Being afternoon the bird was pretty lazy, so after the several portraits we decided to head to the birdwatching tower, where we stayed till evening.

The next day morning I went back to that tree, where I saw the day before the kestrel. She was not there, but after 10 minutes she made her presence known. Unfortunately the light was bed, cloudy, no sun at all and this is also noticeable in the quality of the pictures ... my camera is definitively not a high ISO performer. The bird tried several times to catch some food and finally caught a suculent grasshopper. After this quick breakfast she flew away and didn't come back. The rest of the day I spent on the boot trying to photograph a fishing great egret with some success. The egret pictures I will post later.
The third day was rainy, against the rain I took a quick tour around the fazenda, but it was no sign of bird activity or kestrel.

what a ... ? Do I need to land here?

Hmmm ... nothing there ... or did she only check her nails?

finally breakfast

after the breakfast she came even closer ... landscape and portrait

Whiskered Tern

2009-10-01T00:42:00.010+03:00

This is the second series from my trip to Lake Tisza (Hungary) and the first one with the Whiskered Terns (Chlidonias hybridus). The hybridus race is widespread during the summer in Europe, but winters in Africa or Asia. Lake Tisza with plenty of fishes is a perfect place for them.

During a boat trip I found several families - parents feeding their youngsters. Unfortunately the light was far from perfect (after midday), so I took only a few shots. I decided to visit that place in the next days again, when the light would be better.
I don't how it happens, but when I got back at that place, it was no tern there. I waited a few hours but no sign of terns. Frustrated, I went back to one of my favorite places - where I captured the moorhen, but also grebes and ducks - and to my surprise, the terns were right there. Probably they have several favorite "hunting" places and they are changing them after a while.

The youngsters are waiting usually on the "ground" - on some vegetation - and start to scream whenever they see an adult flying around them. When they realize that the adult is not their parent, they stop instantly to scream. The adults are mostly occupied with fishing in the surroundings and with the feeding of the youngsters (as you can see above).

Youngster waiting for some fish ... and getting one.

For the first time I made some flight shots too - I know, I need to practice it, but I'm satisfied with these first tries.

The hole series is pretty large so it will be continued ...

Common Moorhen

2009-09-24T00:31:00.010+03:00

The Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) is from the Rail family, widespread and lives mainly around well vegetated marshes, ponds and canals. Their diet consists of vegetable material and small aquatic creatures including fishes as you can see below. The adults have dark plumage, yellow legs and a red facial shield, but the young are different, they are browner and lack the red shield. They build nests with leaves of aquatic plants usually above the water surface in dense vegetation. They are monogamous and both incubate. After hatching the young are able to move, the parents feed them several weeks and shepherd them up to 2 months until they are independent.
This series represents only juvenile birds. The fishing guy I found completely accidentally. In fact he has landed near to my boat, as I was set up slightly camouflaged to capture some great grebes. He ate first some plants, and caught quickly that fish. After some proteins in stomach he decided to take a bath, arrange the feathers and to prepare to sleep.

Great Kiskadee

2009-08-26T22:53:00.005+03:00

The Great Kiskdee (Pitangus sulphuratus) portuguese name Bem-te-vi is one of the most common birds in South America. It can be found basically everywhere in Brazil.
It belongs to flycatchers and it's normal diet consists of insects and fruits, what you can see very well in 2 of the pictures, but it's not unusual to see it fishing like the kingfishers. After eating some fishes they puke out - like the kingfisher - the not digestible parts ... what you can also see in one of the picture.

Warming up in the morning sun - that morning we had 6 degrees centigrade, which is considered a really cold night for brazilian standards.

They can be found oftenly sitting on a wooden perch and searching for some food

Puking out some not digestible remains from a fish

Catching insects near to a fazenda or on some leaves.

... and one more time sitting in a tree near to the water.

Brazilian bird selection

2009-08-12T23:53:00.008+03:00

Inspecting my hard drives I discovered a lot of unposted pictures from the 2008 Brazil trip. Because I left seriously behind with the postings I decided to post here a wider and not so homogenous bird selection - savanna hawks, turkey vulture, ani, scaled dove, white woodpecker, grey heron, ...

Lady(bird)s

2009-08-03T00:43:00.006+03:00

This weekend I decided to continue the "macro project" and visited one more time the same place. It is 8,5 km away from the city and can be reached by bike in about 40-45 minutes or even more (it depends on your physical condition - you need to climb up seriously). The place is full of surprises - I saw today a lizard in the bushes, but it was impossible to take a picture with it, because it disappeared in seconds and a falcon. I will make some visits this week and I hope I will be able to capture that lizard and even the falcon.
Til now here are some pictures from last week with a hoverfly (I hope this is the name of the fly), a strange mosquito and the ladybird.

Morning Dew reloaded

2009-07-28T01:36:00.007+03:00

Morning Dew

2009-07-23T01:19:00.005+03:00

I have a lot of unposted images from my trip in Brazil, but I decided to post some recent pictures - made on last weekend - for diversification.
I found a very quite open field about 10 km from the city, it is right before a forest and it's very rich in insects. Mornings is relative dark (from the shade of the forest) and wet as well (at 11 o'clock you can find dew on the leaves). If you want to do some sunny pictures, you need to wait til midday or even later, the only problem was the heat - about 35 degrees centigrade at 13 o'clock. At 14 o'clock I gave up, but I will go back next weekend.
This is only a small part of the pictures, I will post the rest of them next week or on weekend.

Black-collared Hawk

2009-07-14T00:04:00.005+03:00

The Black-collared Hawk (Busarellus nigricollis) is a bird of prey found near to rivers or lakes in Central and South America. It feeds mainly on fish, searching the water fot it from the trees and swooping down and catching them using its long curved and powerful talons.
On my first trip in 2008 I have seen none, but this year my luck has changed. I saw one near to Fazenda Baia Grande and several ones on the river at Fazenda Ararauna, which is an excellent place for photographing water birds. Unfortunately no fishing shot with it - maybe next time.

Buff-necked Ibis

2009-07-07T23:41:00.003+03:00

The Buff-necked Ibis (Theristicus caudatus) is a very common bird in the Pantanal. If you go there is impossible to not see one, but being so common sometimes we forget to pay attention to it. It's pretty shame but I have only 3 small series with this beatiful bird after the last trip.

It's a medium sized colorful bird with a distinctive long decurved black bill, black face and a buffy neck. Sometimes they act like a sentinel just like the Southern Screamer or Souhern Lapwing emiting some loud calls, when they see or feel something unusual or dangerous (including humans). It can be found almost everywhere (savanna, wetland or just near to human buildings) and it's diet includes everything from insects, snail to small reptiles.

I took the headshot near to Fazenda Barranco Alto - the light was excellent and the bird was not shy at all, probably because he was used to human presence.

The second picture I took on the road from Fazenda Ararauna to Campo Grande. The last 2 days were rainy and the light was not so good. The bird was also a little bit shy.

Mockingbird portrait

2009-07-02T23:22:00.006+03:00

After a long break I'm back in "business" and I will post on regular basis again.
For this week I have a Mockingbird (Mimus saturninus) portrait taken in Brazil on my last trip from June. It's a common and cute bird and can be found in semi-open areas or near to fazendas. The brazilian name is sabia do campo.
After this trip I'm an expert in the brazilian bird or animal names. The local guides (the guides of the fazendas) usually don't speak english, but they know very well the local wildlife, have an excellent eyesight and have the same field guide, an excellent one from Collins.

Nice and slow

2009-05-21T00:35:00.007+03:00

This is a new snail species what I saw for the first time in our garden. I made only a few pictures with it due the lack of time - I needed to catch the train back to Cluj, but I hope this weekend I will spot it again and I will able to make a reallz nice series with it.

House Sparrow reloaded

2009-05-14T01:36:00.008+03:00

I already posted several pictures with house sparrows, however those pictures were taken mostly on my balcony. I'm working and living now in Cluj Napoca. a large romanian city, but on weekends I'm going home in Jibou, a small city on countryside. We have there a house and a relative large garden. One of our neighbours had til last year some cats and those cats were probably responsable for the disappearing of several birds ... also for the disappearing of robins. Since she doesn't has the cats, is the number of birds in our garden countiously growing ... we have a lot of sparrows, thrushes, chaffinches and for te first time a nesting blue tit family.
I will post now some shots with the sparrows resting, sleeping, feeding or just making some gymnastics.

Blackbird

2009-05-07T02:00:00.005+03:00

After a short pause here I am again with a new post - a female Blackbird (Turdus Merula). A very common bird, excellently adapted to the cities. This series was taken in Stockholm in December in Djurgarden Park.

Macro world

2009-04-30T00:29:00.006+03:00

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
A small collection of some macro shots:
-1., 2. and 3. - a common mosquito (culiseta annulata) - found in the basement during the winter
- 4. larinioides cornutus - also very common in our garden
- 5. "the king of the castle"
- 6. and 7. sarcophaga carnaria - flesh fly

Common Black Hawk

2009-04-24T23:55:00.005+03:00

This pictures are from a single series. I saw this bird in Brazil only once - accidentally - from the car. After a few shots flew away. The last one is a cropped version for a better composition.
Common black hawk - Pantanal, Brazil 2008

Frozen nature

2009-04-21T01:49:00.004+03:00

Tuiuiu - Jabiru

2009-04-17T01:36:00.006+03:00

The Jabiru (Jabiru mycteria) - brazilian name Tuiuiu - is a large stork - height 120-140 cm, wingspan 230-280cm, weight up to 8 kg. It is an emblematic bird for the Pantanal and also very common. It feeds off fish, frogs, snakes, young caiman.
Actually I saw a Jabiru catching and eating a small anaconda, but unfortunately the battery was empty.

Mockingbird #2

2009-04-05T23:20:00.007+03:00

I discovered these shots recently - in the directory with unidentified birds from Brazil - and this bird seems to be indubitable a mockingbird. It was a single shooting - the bird was at the beginning in a tree and after a few minutes alighted on the ground ... and after a few seconds disappeared completely :-(.

Spring

2009-04-04T01:17:00.006+03:00

Last saturday I made a garden "shooting" with a new macro setup - 580EX II with Lumiquest softbox and OC-E3 off camera shoe cord. The flash was suspended about he flowers but it wasn't the best possible solution. I wanted to try out sunday other setups but the weather was very cloudy, awful light, no bees or flys ... so no shooting. Maybe this weekend if the weather will be sunny.

Turkey Vulture

2009-03-30T00:52:00.004+03:00

Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) enjoying the brazilian sun. A large bird - 65-80cm long, 170-180 cm wingspan. It's a scavenger and feeds on carrion, has an excellent vision and sense of smell and that's how it finds its meals.

Crested Caracara

2009-03-25T22:38:00.007+02:00

The Crested Caracara also known as the Southern Caracara (Falconidae family) is a relative large bird - length 50-65cm, wingspan 120cm. It may be found in open and semi-open areas, savannas, river edges but also near humans. It's an opportunistic raptor, feeds mainly on carrion but will steal fodd from other raptors. It is dominant over the Black and Turkey Vulture on carcasses. It also feeds on live prey such small reptiles, insects, worms, fishes.

Mockingbird

2009-03-24T00:26:00.003+02:00

I made only a few pictures with this bird in Brazil without to know anything about it. After a long research I finally know it's name - Chalk-browed Mockingbird (Mimus saturninus)

Snail tale

2009-03-21T15:37:00.005+02:00

Common garden snail, Jibou (Romania) 2008

Flower Power

2009-03-18T01:38:00.003+02:00

Some older pictures with flowers from my garden.

Cattle Tyrant

2009-03-17T01:43:00.006+02:00

Cattle Tyrant (Machetornis rixosa), brazilian name suiriri, is a very common bird in Brazil. It is a flycatcher - feeds mainly on insects - and can be seen often on the ground or around big animals like cattles, horses or capybaras.

Squirrel

2009-03-13T23:33:00.008+02:00

A cute and very friendly squirrel nearby the Vasa Museum on Djurgarden Island (pictures 2, 3 and 4) and an another squirrel @ Skansen Open Air Museum also on Djurgarden Island .

Stockholm - Djurgarden, January 2009

European Goldfinch

2009-03-11T00:52:00.007+02:00

An another "wildlife" balcony photography. The young goldfinch has landed on my balcony and immediately appeared one of the parents trying very loudly to convince probably the youngster to follow the flight. After a short "dispute" they flied away.
European Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis), Cluj Napoca 2008

House Sparrow

2009-03-09T23:40:00.005+02:00

Some "wildlife" balcony shots - the sparrows sing every morning on my balcony and I've decided finally to take some shots with them on a rainy sunday.
House Sparrow (Parres domesticus), Cluj Napoca 2009

Rufous Hornero

2009-03-07T16:15:00.007+02:00

Rufous Hornero (Furnarius rufus), Pantanal, Brazil 2008

Thrush

2009-03-04T00:30:00.004+02:00

I've taken this pictures at Porto da Manga nearby River Paraguay. The Rufous-bellied Thrush is the most common bird in southeastern Brazil and is it also the national bird of Brazil. It has a distinctive orange-rufous belly, was gives the name of the species.
Rufous-bellied Thrush (Turdus rufiventris), Pantanal, Brazil 2008

Fly ... fly away

2009-02-24T01:19:00.003+02:00

Stockholm city tour

2009-02-21T02:06:00.009+02:00

1. The City Hall

2. Djurgarden

3. Gamla Stan - the old city

Black Vulture

2009-02-17T01:37:00.005+02:00

The Black Vulture is a very common bird in the Pantanal, it can be found around fazendas, ports and human populated areas. It's a scavenger and feeds on carrion, but will also eat eggs, young birds, insects, dead fishes. It has an excellent eyesight, but no sense of smell.

Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus), Pantanal, Brazil 2008

Sunbath

2009-02-11T01:05:00.006+02:00

Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga), Pantanal, Brazil 20008

Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura), Pantanal, Brazil 2008

Ibis

2009-02-08T04:12:00.011+02:00

Buff-necked Ibis (Theristicus caudatus), Pnatanal, Brazil 2008

Screamer

2009-02-06T00:02:00.008+02:00

It doesn't look like, but this bird is related to the duck family. It is large (75-95cm), can weight up to 4-5 kg consuming roots, leaves, flowers, aquatic vegetation, seeds or small invertebrates. It's an excellent swimmer and flier living in wetlands. Because its meat is not very tasty, it is rarely hunted for meat. Actually the hunters hate them, because they act as sentinels and emit very loud calls (they scream) which can be heard more than 3 kilometers away.

Southern Screamer (Chauna torquata), Pantanal, Brazil 2008

Fireworks

2009-02-04T00:06:00.008+02:00

This post comes a little bit too late. The pictures were taken on New Years Eve in Stockholm. The length and the amount of fireworks were pretty amazing (the swedes are absolutely not niggard with this stuffs).

PS: the red line in the first picture comes from an unindentified flying object (maybe from a helicopter)

Let's get domestic

2009-02-02T23:05:00.006+02:00

... not only the wildlife can be beautiful. Pantanal, Brazil 2008

Sexy back

2009-02-01T00:55:00.003+02:00

Greater rhea (Rhea americana), Pantanal, Brazil 2008

Vermilion Flycather

2009-01-28T00:24:00.005+02:00

Vermilion Flycather (Pyrocephalus rubinus) , brazilian name "principe", Pantanal, Brazil 2008
Unfortunately it was a very shy one and I couldn't manage to get closer for a better portrait.

The Drottningholm Palace - Stockholm

2009-01-26T00:27:00.006+02:00

The Drottningholm Palace is the private residence of the swedish royal family. Actually it was a big deception - the photography inside is not allowed, outside im winter is nothing interesting to see and the Chinese Pavillion was closed.

Stockholm by night

2009-01-25T00:06:00.007+02:00

Technical details: ISO 100, f 10 - 16 , exp. time 8-30 seconds

The "Cardinal"

2009-01-21T23:57:00.007+02:00

Yellow-Billed Cardinal (Paroaria capitata), Pantanal, Brasil 2008.

Stockholm - Vasa Museum

2009-01-20T19:38:00.008+02:00

The Vasa was built in Stockholm in 1628 and was to be the mightiest warship in the world with 64 guns und 2 gundecks. On her maiden voyage after fireing a salute the ship began to heel over and suddenly sank. In 1956 it was found on the sea bottom and in 1961 was recovered. From 1961 to 1988 the Wasa was housed in a temporary structure and in 1990, after 2 years of buildings, the new Vasa Museum was inaugurated. Inside the musem the warship can be seen from six levels and around the ship you will find several exhibits and models related to the contruction and recovery of it, life on board, skeletons, objects went down with it, etc.

Photographic hints

- a tripod is a must - if you don't have one you can improvise like I did, but the angles will not be the best

- remote control or self-timer combined with MLU

- long exposure - low light inside - at least 25-30 sec. @ f13-16 and ISO 100,

- super wide angle lens - the ship is very long and the distance between the camera and the ship is too small.

PS: the picture are unmanipulated - no adjustments at all

Lapwing

2009-01-10T01:34:00.007+02:00

Southern Lapwing (Vanellus chilensis), brazilian name Quero-quero, Pantanal, Brazil 2008
A very well-known bird in Brazil, it lives near wetlands and is frequently seen near habitation and on farmland. Some farmers use them as guards as they are very aggressive and give out a loud call when disturbed. It feeds on insects, larvae, small fishes or frogs captured on the edge of the water.

Parrots

2009-01-10T00:57:00.008+02:00

Div. Parrots in Pantanal, Brazil 2008

Weakness

2008-12-08T16:14:00.002+02:00

The flora of the Pantanal

2008-12-05T18:21:00.004+02:00

Thru the Pantanal

2008-12-04T17:14:00.004+02:00

parada obligatorie! Aviz amatorilor :D

alcoolul ... foarte comun de altfel (mari "bautori" brazilienii astia)

Ajax ... intr-o alta versiune

o bicicleta ciudata pe post de afis stradal

paratrasnet (sau antena???)

barul Nr. 69

vulcanizare

"home sweet home"

tractor vs. avion

People of Pantanal

2008-12-04T16:58:00.004+02:00

muncitori de la o fazenda

arta pescuitului doar cu un fir si cu un carlig

pescari pe raul Paraguay (tehnica cu fir si pet-uri)

metoda de deplasare in Pantanal in timpul sezonului ploios

cioco

The Pantanal

2008-12-04T16:46:00.004+02:00

1. si 2. apus de pe Transpantaneira

3. drumul spre Grotta del Lago Azul

4. si 5. in drum spre Rio da Prata

6. si 7. rasarit de soare la ferma "Gloria" de pe Transpantaneira

8., 9. si 10. o barca si niste porci langa o fazenda de pe Transpantaneira

Porto da Manga

2008-11-12T12:55:00.011+02:00

Am pornit la amiaza din Corumba, dar inainte sa parasim orasul ne-am decis sa urcam cu masina pe muntele din apropiere, unde se afla o copie a statuii lui Isus de la Rio de Janeiro. Se pare ca exista cateva sute de copii ale acesteia prin toata Brazilia ... in concluzie brazilienii ori sunt foarte religiosi ori le plac copiile.Dupa vreo 10 km de drum asfaltat intram pe Estrada Parque Pantanal do Sul, drum deloc asfaltat, chiar de pamant cu pietre. Drumul e relativ bunicel, dar dupa vreo 20 de km apare prima surpriza - drumul este inundat de apa pe o distanta de cateva zeci de metri. Cine a fost in Pantanal stie ca in perioada ploioasa anumite drumuri sunt inundate oamenii circuland cu masini de teren (unele chiar monstruoase) sau cu camioane, care nu sunt afectate de apa de juma' de metru. Noi am fost la sfarsitul sezonului ploios - inceputul sezonului uscat, cand deja drumurile ar fi trebuit sa fie uscate. In nord pe Transpantaneira nu am avut asemenea probleme, toate drumurile erau perfect uscate, dar se pare ca in sud apa se retrage mai lent. Dupa o mica inspectie decidem sa incercam sa trecem, apa avand doar vreo 10-20 cm. Zis si facut. Scenariul se repeta de mai multe ori ... masina rezista. Ajungem la un pod, nimic nou pana aici, dupa pod drumul e din nou inundat drumul, nici asta nu mai e o noutate, dar de data asta apa de pe drum pare sa fie chiar curgatoare. Apele prin care am trecut pana atunci nu erau curgatoare, pur si simplu drumul era la un nivel mai inferior si apa l-a inundat. Nu avem alta solutie, trebuie sa trecem. Viteza 1 si incepem traversarea. Apa era mai adanca decat ne gandeam si avea o forta destul de mare, impingea masina in mod continuu spre marginea drumului. Motor ambalat la maxim, deja haraind puternic, roata acoperita de apa, dar cu chiu cu vai reusim sa trecem. Iese ceva fum din motor si avem apa de vreo 5 cm in interiorul masinii. Mobilizare generala sa salvam bagajele puse pe jos si sa scoatem apa din masina. Si sa nu uitam ... masina rezista. Tot respectul pentru Volkswagen. Colegul de drum promite ca la intoarcerea acasa sa scrie o scrisoare de multumire celor de la VW pentru modul in care a facut fata masina traversarii apei. Ne continuam drumul ... evident prin alte zone inundate, dar astea au devenit deja o obisnuinta ... si ajungem la inca una, dar de data asta pe o lungime de sute de metri si nu se intrevedea unde se termina apa. Daca tot am ajuns pana aici, nu ne vom impotmoli chiar acum ca si tiganul la mal ... vorba aia. Traversam chiar lejer, apa nefiind adanca, apa din nou in masina, dar pe unde a intrat poate se si iasa si nu ne mai chinuim cu scoaterea ei. Ajungem in Porto di Manga, un satuc uitat de lume cu maxim 20 de case din lemn construite pe piloni la o inaltime considerabila. Prietenii stiu de ce. Saracie mare, caini subnutriti si plini de raie, masini de epoca, vase ruginite - cam la asta se rezuma Porto di Manga. Dar, cum se intampla si in alte locuri, acest satuc adaposteste si o Pousada (un fel de motel/hotel), constructie moderna din beton cu doua corpuri de cladire, camere multe si bine dotate, restaurant - unde se distra deja un grup de turisti occidentali (oameni cu portofelul mai gros). Langa pousada magazin universal (apartinea tot de pousada ... probabil primul business al proprietarului) cu bere rece si vreo 3 mese de plastic, unde deja localnicii petreceau. Dupa ce ne-am instalat in camera ne-am decis sa ne alaturam localnicilor si sa lasam occidentalii sa petreaca in restaurant. Tuica s-a terminat demult, dar ne-am refacut proviziile de alcool, Pitu fiind o bautura foarte ieftina. Intr-un magazin obisnuit poti cumpara o sticla de Pitu de 1L cu 5 USD, iar in Sao Paolo la duty free cu 25 USD!!! Am baut bere cu ei, am ascultat adevarata muzica braziliana, unii au si dansat cu localnicele. Ne-am culcat usor afumati ... dar mai bogati spiritual ... nu-i asa?

Corumba

2008-11-07T19:08:00.008+02:00

niste case inundate in apropierea portului

portul Corumba (vedere de pe vas)

o cladire populara

1/4 din subsemnatul (poza facuta in camera de hotel)

birtul local ... si asta foarte popular

scoala de soferi McLaren ... oare si Massa aici a invatat sa piloteze?

o cladire pitoreasca

piata din Corumba ... cu vanzatoare boliviene (unele chiar obosite)

asa circula lenesii cu bicicleta

Inca pe vapor o doamna foarte "amabila" (a se intelege rechin) a acostat ghidul, ca stie ea o cazare ieftina in oras (in mod normal ghidul ar fi trebuit sa aiba niste variante, ca sa nu mai zic de chiar o rezervare) plus alte texte de genul asta menite sa te combine. Dupa sosire ne-am urcat cu bagajele in spatele unui camion si am acostat la un hotel cu infatisare usor dubioasa - un peste (nu oceanic sau fluvial) statea la intrare in cautare prazii. Camera costa vreo 30-35 de euro pe noapte, stiind faptul ca rechinii incearca prima data sa-ti bage pe gat hotelul scump, ghidul
decide sa vedem totusi un alt hotel. Urmatorul a fost din fericire unul castigator - 25 de euro camera cu mic dejun inclus. Aceeasi doamna amabila si insistenta in acelasi timp (doar de asta era rechin) s-a oferit sa ne organizeze niste excursii in Bolivia. Ca sa scapam de ea ne-am inteles sa ne intalnim la o anumita ora, intalnire la care nu s-a dus nimeni, evident. Camera de hotel nu era tocmai intruchiparea grijii pentru detalii, un dulap mare (model a la bunica) varianta fara usi (cineva probabil le-a folosit pe post de lemn de foc), 2 paturi simple, un sfert de oglinda, chiuveta dar fara apa la robinet, o priza din care ieseau niste sarme si o ramasita de priza. Dusul si toaleta erau la comun - 2 la fiecare etaj. Planul era sa stam o zi in Corumba, sa incarcarcam bateriile (era cam necesar dupa 5 zile fara curent), sa refacem proviziile, sa facem un dus si a doua zi sa ne continuam drumul cu o masina inchiriata cu directia Estrada Parque Pantanal do Sul. Ori pentru a incarca bateriile e nevoie de curent si mai ales de o priza functionala. Ghidul, om intreprinzator de altfel, a rezolvat rapid problema dand jos complet ramasita de priza si legand sarmele direct de un triplu. Eu m-am gandit la niste solutii mai pasnice, ca de exemplu schimbarea camerei cu una cu priza functionala, dar nu mai bine distrugem ceva complet decat sa luam masuri? Colegul de camera s-a decis sa plece fara sa anunte pe cineva, asa ca am coborat in hol sa savurez o bere rece, care s-au facut 3. Pana la masa mai era timp asa ca m-am decis sa vizitez frumusetile orasului ... mare lucru de vazut nu era (din pacate), iar cand am ajuns la marginea orasului (ceva care semana izbitor cu Pata Rat din Cluj), m-am decis sa le las neexploatate . A urmat una din activitatile mele preferate ... masa ... la o autoservire cu pret fix (numele exact al acestui tip de restaurant imi scapa). Ideea e foarte simpla - pretul e fix indiferent de cantitatea de mancare ingurgitata si foarte convenabil - 3-4 euro. Varietate mare de carne (pui, vita, oaie) facuta in diverse feluri si bine condimentata (nu inteleg de ce la noi comanzi un gratar si-ti aduc o bucata de carne prajita fara gust sau sare) cu garnitura care se rezuma de obicei la orez, fasole si cartofi si salata destul de diversificata. Bautura se plateste extra - de obicei berea costa un euro sticla de 0,33 - Skol sau Brahma erau marcile disponibile. Cu stomacul plin, unii s-au decis sa se odihneasca (subsemnatul de exemplu), iar altii sa faca rost de masina (ghidul in speta). In mod normal nu e dificil sa inchiriezi o masina, dar nu si in Corumba - cu o populatie de 100.000 si evitat de turisti. Ghidul Lonely aminteste 2 locuri unde se pot inchiria masini, dar actualitatea informatiilor era cel putin discutabila, la adresele respective aflandu-se cu totul si cu totul altceva. Intre noi (cei care citesc acest blog) fie vorba, ghidul ar fi trebuit sa inchirieze masina in avans si acuma doar sa mearga dupa ea, asa cum ar face un ghid/organizator adevarat. Dupa cautari lungi (pana a doua zi la amiaza) a reusit sa inchirieze o masina, un Volkswagen Gol (fara f si nu e nici o greseala - pur si simplu e o marca produsa si comercializata acolo), cam micuta pentru bagejele noastre, dar acceptabila ca si pret. Intre timp si-a facut aparitia si fiul risipitor (colegul de camera si de excursie), care s-a decis sa mearga cu un mototaxi in Bolivia. Corumba se afla la granita cu Bolivia si se trece foarte usor traversand podul peste raul Paraguay fara control la frontiera ori cu un mototaxi ori cu autobuzul. Imediat pe partea boliviana se afla o asa zisa zona libera (a se intelege o piata imensa), de unde colegul si-a si achizitionat un poncho veritabil. Amatorii de bazaruri si turcisme ar petrece niste clipe ... sau ore ... minunate acolo. Cu masina incarcata pana la refuz am pornit intr-un final spre Estrada Parque Pantanal do Sul ... fara sa stim ce ne asteapta.

Porto Ze Viana - Corumba

2008-11-05T19:00:00.013+02:00

Am avut ocazia sa calatoresc in Brazilia cu un vas de pasageri ... si nu numai ... din "portul" Porto Ze Viana pana la Corumba, un orasel jerpelit aflat la granita cu Bolivia. Pentru ca vasele circula cu o precizie aproape nemteasca, statul s-a decis sa construiasca niste cladiri pe post de "sali de asteptare" dotate cu loc unde sa-ti intinzi hamacul (a se intelege 2 bare de fier intre care poti intinde hamacul), bucatarie, toaleta ... evident fara apa curenta si electricitate. In mod normal nu e o tragedie sa petreci 3 zile intr-un port, cat a trebuit sa asteptam noi pana sosea vasul care mergea la Corumba - datorita bunei organizari a excursiei - dar nu era si cazul nostru. "Portul" se rezuma la o casuta (prima poza), unde-si facea aparitia seful de port, cand sosea vreun vas si asa zisa sala de asteptare, construita pe un teren usor ridicat, fiind inconjurat de ape din toate partile. Practic am stat 3 zile pe o insulita fara apa si curent si cu provizii destul de limitate. In sala de asteptare am dat peste 2 oameni simpatici, unul care lucra ca supraveghetor la o ferma aflata la 70 km de port si care-si astepta tractorul sa vina sa-l ia (apa de juma' de metru - 1 metru nu reprezenta un obstacol serios pentru tractoarele de acolo, cu conditia sa nu se strice) si un subaltern de-al lui. Am aflat ca isi asteapta tractorul de vreo 3 saptamani si nu pareau deloc stresati ca acesta nu soseste. Erau perfecti adaptati situatiei - isi spalau hainele, povesteau, seara cantau pe langa un ceai sau cafea fierbinte ... si se uitau pe laptop la pozele facute cu aparatul compact. Nu tre' sa zic, ca nu te astepti ca intr-un asemenea loc uitat de lume un localnic sa-si scoata laptopul - cu Windows Vista - si sa-ti arate cu mandrie pozele facute de el. Din fericire aveau o barca si au fost foarte amabili sa ne-o imprumute sa vizitam imprejurimile. 2 zile au trecut foarte lejer, vreme buna, plimbare cu barca, dar a treia zi s-a schimbat vremea - am aflat ca o furtuna tropicala poate sa se declanseze in 5 minute in conditii de cer perfect senin - si sufla un crivat ore in sir de-ti inghetau oasele in tine. A patra zi dimineata a sosit si vasul - face exclusiv ruta Corumba - Porto Ze Viana timp de 2 zile in amonte si o zi retur in aval. Timp de 3 zile nu am vazut picior de om acolo, cu exeptia colegilor din sala de asteptare, dar cand a sosit vaporul au inceput sa soseasca ca lacustele oamenii pe tractoare - ba sa-si ridice marfa sosita, ba sa trimita marfa in Corumba, ba sa calatoreasca la Corumba. Ulterior am aflat ca exista o comunicatie radio intre ferme si vasele care circulau pe rau. Vasul avea 2 clase - jos (la clasa a 2-a) puteai sa-ti intinzi hamacul printre butoaiele de combustibil si diferite marfuri transportate si cu niste oi sub tine, iar sus la clasa 1 - puteai sa optezi intre hamacul intins, dar fara oi si marfa sub tine, si cabine (incaperi de 2x2m cu 3 paturi etajate, saltea trecuta de prima tinerete, cearsafuri murdare si rupte si cu mici surprize pe post de gandaci in ele). Surpriza a fost mancarea inclusa in pret, destul de buna de altfel, orez cu carne, mate si cafea dimineata, mic dejun "continental". Vasul reprezenta singura solutie viabila de transport, in afara avioanelor de dimensiuni mici pentru cei cu buzunarul gros, intre fermele aflate de-a lungul raului si oras. Vorba "ies un pic si eu in oras" are aici cu totul alte valente - un pic putand insemna vreo 4 zile dus-intors. Nu recomand aceasta calatorie celor cu probleme de somn - motorul diesel haraind sub tine nu e tocmai silentios plus ca se zgaltaia tot vasul cand acesta torcea mai tare. Nici patul nu era tocmai stabil, se balanganea la orice inclinare a vasului. Sosirea in Corumba a fost o adevarata usurare ... plus ca s-a indreptat si vremea ... erau premisele unei continuari fericite ... sau nu.
Update #1 - pozele cu om vs. oaie reprezinta "marinarii" in incercarea de a indupleca oaia sa urce in vas. Da, e vorba de oile de la clasa a 2-a la pachet cu proprietarii hamacelor de deasupra lor. Si tin sa multumesc pe aceasta cale oilor pentru capusa cu care m-au "incaltat"

Brazilian cowboys

2008-11-04T12:52:00.006+02:00

White Donkey

2008-10-01T17:14:00.002+03:00

Nationalpark Neusiedler See - Seewinkel, Austria 2008

Toucan

2008-09-19T00:32:00.002+03:00

Toco toucan (Ramphastos toco), Pantanal, Brazil

Seriema

2008-09-19T00:30:00.005+03:00

Red-legged seriema (Cariama cristata), Pantanal, Brazil

Green Woodpecker

2008-08-28T18:35:00.002+03:00

Green Woodpecker (Picus virridis), Pantanal, Brazil

Field Flicker

2008-08-28T17:15:00.003+03:00

Field Flicker (Colaptes campestris campestroides), Pantanal, Brazil

Bemtevi

2008-08-28T17:05:00.007+03:00

Great Kiskadee or Bem-te-vi (Pitangus sulphuratus), Pantanal, Brazil

All blacks II

2008-08-23T11:44:00.003+03:00

Neotropic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus), Pantanal, Brazil

2 fast

2008-08-23T11:38:00.004+03:00

Neotropic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus), Pantanal, Brazil

Baby caiman

2008-08-20T23:46:00.004+03:00

Broad-snoured Caiman (Caiman latirostris), Pantanal, Brazil

Caiman III

2008-08-20T23:43:00.003+03:00

Broad-snoured Caiman (Caiman latirostris), Pantanal, Brazil

Caiman II

2008-08-20T23:39:00.003+03:00

Broad-snoured Caiman (Caiman latirostris), Pantanal, Brazil

Caiman I

2008-08-20T10:24:00.006+03:00

Broad-snoured Caiman (Caiman latirostris), Pantanal, Brazil

Jacana

2008-08-20T10:18:00.005+03:00

Wattled Jacana (Jacana Jacana), Pantanal, Brazil

Sunset

2008-08-15T00:54:00.005+03:00

Sunset over Pantanal nearby Pocone, Brazil

The cars of Pantanal

2008-08-15T00:49:00.005+03:00

Some "cars" in Porto da Manga (the 2. and 4.), Corumba (the 3.) and Bonito (the first one), Pantanal, Brazil

Jabiru

2008-08-15T00:46:00.003+03:00

Jabiru (Jabiru mycteria), Pantanal, Brazil

Burrowing Owl

2008-08-15T00:42:00.003+03:00

Burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia), Pantanal, Brazil

Tiger Heron

2008-08-08T00:26:00.004+03:00

Rufescent Tiger-heron (Tigrisoma lineatum), Pantanal, Brazil

All blacks

2008-08-08T00:24:00.004+03:00

Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus), Pantanal, Brazil

Step by step

2008-08-08T00:17:00.004+03:00

Pale-mandibled Aracari (Pteroglossus erythropygius), Pantanal, Brazil

Armadillo

2008-08-08T00:14:00.006+03:00

Yellow Armadillo (Euphractus sexcinctus), Pantanal, Brazil

Massey Ferguson 95X

2008-08-05T10:03:00.004+03:00

Quattro

2008-07-23T17:11:00.001+03:00

Porto da Manga

2008-07-15T23:22:00.007+03:00

Porto da Manga, Pantanal, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

Jacamar

2008-07-12T17:53:00.005+03:00

Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Pantanal, Brazil

Hornero

2008-07-04T01:06:00.006+03:00

Rufous Hornero (Furnarius rufus), Pantanal, Brazil

Caracara

2008-07-02T00:30:00.008+03:00

Southern Caracara (Caracara plancus), Pantanal, Brazil

Gotcha

2008-06-24T09:07:00.006+03:00

Amazon Kingfisher (Chloroceryle amazona), Pantanal, Brazil

The Eye

2008-06-23T01:08:00.005+03:00

Broad-snouted Caiman (Caiman latirostris), Pantanal, Brazil

Flower power

2008-05-11T23:18:00.003+03:00

Stefana @ Polus Tuning Event

2008-04-24T00:21:00.003+03:00

Bourbon Flair Challenge @ Polus Center

2008-04-21T00:14:00.005+03:00

Morning Dew II

2008-04-19T18:52:00.004+03:00