August 15, 2005
Picture Imperfect (and why I hate digiscoping)
A slight change of pace this weekend, as I headed NE to the Kuhmo region to watch Brown Bears (Karhu) on the Russian border. After arriving in Tarvius and meeting the group and tour guide, we made the short trek to the "hide" shortly after 5pm. It was a great evening - we had amazing looks at 6 different bears throughout the evening and night, although the local wolverine failed to make an appearance. (For tour info, check out www.wildbrownbears.fi)
Unfortunately, after arriving in the hide and setting up my camera gear, I realized that in my morning rush I had bought the wrong film!! Stuck only with the option of using my digital camera, I ended up being unable to capture any good pics -- despite the great evening light. Digiscoping was completely useless ... anyone familiar with the practice knows that it requires far too much light, and it is nearly impossible to photograph anything moving. Besides, the bears were actually too close for digiscoping -- I could hardly even fit a full headshot into a frame!! Despite my photographing woes, I enjoyed the bears fully, along with the company of a nice Finnish couple, two interesting Dutch guys, and a great tour leader (who also happened to be rather cute).
Just as exciting as the bears, we had a close encounter with an adult White-tailed Eagle (Merikotka), which at one point soared as close as 10m in front of the hide, affording spectacular views!! (Again -- impossible to get a photo).
After a relaxing morning at the lodge (breakfast, sauna, a swim, and great conversation), I took my time on the 300km drive home, enjoying the beautiful day and stopping to explore a number of places. It paid off ... I saw a Great Grey Shrike (Isolepinkäinen) on a farm road near Kuhmo, and some other interesting birds such as Bohemian Waxwing (Tilhi) and Parrot Crossbill (Isokäpylintu). Raptors on the trip included a Black Kite (Haarahaukka), two Common Buzzards (Hiirihaukka) soaring over the lake as I enjoyed my morning swim, and two Honey Buzzards (Mehiläishaukka) circling a hilltop when I stopped to stretch my legs in North Karelia.
A great way to spend the weekend ...
Digiscoping the bears resulted in poor "half-head shots", like this one ... blurry and hardly worth keeping. (Click to enlarge)
Using just the digital camera, heavily cropped images like this were the best I could do. Pretty disappointing. (Click to enlarge)
Digiscoping only works for cooperative critters that stay still, like this Hooded Crow (Varis). (Click to enlarge)
... Or this Great Grey Shrike (Isolepinkäinen). (Click to enlarge)