An Eastern Finncattle bull and a great egret in Laajalahti, Espoo.
According to the weather forecast, the sun was supposed to come out to play yesterday. With that in mind, I decided to go for my longest photo walk yet – around 20 kilometers (~12.5 miles). The sun did not come out though and most of the photos I got are kinda dull. Plants and leaves are starting to wither slowly, but nothing is in vivid colors yet. I did encounter a woolly burdock that had somehow produced a flower despite being almost dead.
Then things got more interesting. I walked to Laajalahti in Espoo to see its nature reserve and wetland. My expectations were not high due to the weather, but to my surprise a great egret showed up in the distance. It’s not a common bird here. I photographed it for a while, and then I heard alarm calls behind me – a Eurasian sparrowhawk had landed on a branch. This was actually the first time I was able to take recognizable photos of it. I have often seen sparrowhawks in the spring and fall when they are migrating, but until yesterday they have always eluded my camera somehow. I hope it does not take years to get a better photo...
Seurasaari was next on my itinerary. But by the time I got there, it had started getting dark. I decided to visit my favorite photo locations on the island anyway and, predictably, took a few photos of subjects I have already photographed plenty of times earlier in better light. However, there was one more surprise in store for me. I spotted someone lying on the ground at the water’s edge photographing something… (Hi 👋 if you are reading this) What was there? Another great egret and it was very close! I even got a few okayish photos of it in the fading light. Definitely a high point of the day!
My feet are a bit sore right now, but the walk was worth it!
#greategret
#ardeaalba
#sparrowhawk
#accipiternisus
#woollyburdock
#arctiumtomentosum
#espoo
#laajalahti
#helsinki
#seurasaari
#september
#fall
#autumn
Jukka
