I admit that when I was getting up at 5 am in August in Swinoujście to go to the seaside with the camera I was quite skeptical about what I could photograph. The holiday season in a place like that means people on the beach practically around the clock. But without trying I will have no pictures for sure. When coming to the beach I could confess my fears proved correct, even so early you could count a dozen people. A novelty for me was that when I slowly approached closer to the plants thrown out of sea during the night I could see a cluster of tiny birds feed on the leftovers. It was surprising that they accept people walking by the sea (within few meters). Annoying thing, however, was that If I had not been there other people, particularly some older women would pass without noticing feeding birds. But if they are interesting for someone to photograph them, then they are worth taking a look at, very carefully indeed. Women passed treating me as if I were invisible and came up closer and closer, so that scared off everything that could pick up the flight. Despite my respect for the elderly, I cannot understand why they behaved like that and I do not know if it was an ordinary carelessness or malice. Anyway it wasn’t nice of them. Fortunately, the birds returned, but because of the growing number of people on the beach there were fewer and fewer birds. After 9 o’clock it was hardly anything to photograph. But never mind, the outdoors session was successful. Birds let me approach close enough to take some good photos that I could publish in the gallery. The lighting conditions at the rising sun were perfect. I was fully satisfied because of the fact that I was able to photograph the new species -dunlin, red knot, turnstone and ringed plover. Not only the new species but also of a satisfactory quantity and quality. Too bad that the ringed plovers soon abandoned this place because of the walkers. It is a long time I have not not managed to take pictures of the representative of the genre, and they aren’t satisfactory either in quality or shots. This comment will be common for photos added to the gallery in August, during that session. There are several reasons. The most important fact is that the whole session lasted several hours when birds were continuously disturbed, and as a result I was waiting and waiting for them returning. In such conditions, it is difficult to tell stories about the natural behavior of the species. Just like with the sounds of birds. Although the microphone was turned on all the time but after listening you could only wring your hands, or better ears. There was recorded everything, apart from the sounds of birds. The sounds of the port, the ships, walkers’ conversations, dog barking ... It is a pity, even far from perfection sound but recorded on my own is better to listen in correlation with pictures of the species than downloaded from another source of sounds. Short description, sound, photos, it's almost a movie, complete report of communing with nature. My diary. But it is not a market. What and how we can capture is always a lottery. This time the effect of several hours’ activity, without camouflaging, couching was stunning. Welcome to my galleries: Dunlin, Red Knot, Ruddy Turnstone and Common Ringed Plover. The red knot, like the ruddy turnstone is seen in Poland during its migration. The red knot lives in North Asia and winters in North Africa. The weight of a red knot does not exceed 180 gram, with a wingspan not exceeding 50 cm.
Last minute news – 09/2013
Another open-air shooting at the Baltic Sea was fruitful for this gallery as well. Former view of this gallery, just like the one of a ringed plover, was monotonous in colors, “sandy”. Pictures added in September gave diversity. Red knots was the largest group of birds and I had no problems with taking pictures of them at a short distance of a few meters. They were just walking among other sandpipers, plovers, ruffs and preying on the beach. See for yourself ...
Last minute news – 06/2014 Iceland
I’ve added a few images of the red knot from Iceland. As the photos were taken red knots were accompanied by Arctic terns and ringed plovers feeding nearby.
Last minute news – 08/2020
After the visit to Mikoszewo, the gallery was rebuilt.
Last minute news- 09/2020 Heligoland – Germany
I have added some dynamic pictures of the red knot. Birds preying on the seashore took flight from time to time, only to return to the same feeding place after a while. Thanks to this, dynamic shots of sanderlings, bar- tailed dowits and red knots were created.