Memorable Wildlife Encounters....What's Yours?

[agrumpybirdphotographer]

If you're like me there are some occasions when I’m out photographing birds that something happens to make one encounter more memorable than others.
It may have just been a chance encounter, something a little more planned such as a hide day, a trip to a specific location or a species never seen before. It also may not result in the best photograph but the encounter with the particular wildlife just stays with you.

Here’s four of mine, I’d love to hear yours ?

There is a well known location locally, top of a big hill, where Dotterel stop on their way north to breeding grounds in Scotland. I had never seen this species before but laden with camera gear made the climb more in hope than anything else as the birds tend to move on quickly. As it turned out there were several very confiding male and females which would come really close and allow stunning views. It certainly made the long slog worth it.

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Along the coast from Benbecula Airport in the Outer Hebrides is a small inlet known to birdwatchers as “stinky bay” which certainly lives up to the name! It turns out it was a brilliant to watch and photograph waders in full summer plumage, even if it meant lying in amongst the smelly seaweed to get this Sanderling image.

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The Roller was taken on a short stay in southern Spain, these stunning birds winter in Africa and return to the Mediterranean and Eastern European countries to breed. They can be very skittish and get difficult to get close to but I was lucky that one bird settled in a bush right next to where we had parked up in our hired car which meant some frantic snapping but resulted in one very happy photographer.

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Finally the Spotted Flycatcher, a summer visitor to these shores. I was trying to photograph Martins and Swifts at a local river when a pair of Spotted Flycatchers appeared. It looked like there was a nest near by but they weren’t bothered at all by me and happily hunted insects for around an hour giving some great opportunities and close views.

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[Ralph]

If you're like me there are some occasions when I’m out photographing birds that something happens to make one encounter more memorable than others.
It may be a just a chance encounter, something a little more planned such as a hide day, a trip to a specific location or a species I’d never seen before. It also may not result in the best photograph but the encounter with the particular wildlife just stays with you.

Here’s four of mine, I’d love to hear yours ?

There is a well known location locally, top of a big hill, where Dotterel stop on their way north to breeding grounds in Scotland. I had never seen this species before but laden with camera gear made the climb more in hope than anything else as the birds tend to move on quickly. As it turned out there were several very confiding male and females which would come really close and allow stunning views. It certainly made the long slog worth it.

View attachment 16676

Along the coast from Benbecula Airport in the Outer Hebrides is a small inlet known to birdwatchers as “stinky bay” which certainly lives up to the name! It turns out it was a brilliant to watch and photograph waders in full summer plumage, even if it meant lying in amongst the smelly seaweed to get this Sanderling image.

View attachment 16677


The Roller was taken on a short stay in southern Spain, these stunning birds winter in Africa and return to the Mediterranean and Eastern European countries to breed. They can be very skittish and get difficult to get close to but I was lucky that one bird settled in a bush right next to where we had parked up in our hired car which meant some frantic snapping but resulted in one very happy photographer.

View attachment 16678

Finally the Spotted Flycatcher, a summer visitor to these shores. I was trying to photograph Martins and Swifts at a local river when a pair of Spotted Flycatchers appeared. It looked like there was a nest near by but they weren’t bothered at all by me and happily hunted insects for around an hour giving some great opportunities and close views.

View attachment 16679

Gorgeous Gordon!

 

[NorthernFocus]

Excellent set of images and enjoyed the stories. Most of my really memorable moments have been with mammals. If they count I'll post a couple.

 

[agrumpybirdphotographer]

Gorgeous Gordon!

Cheers Ralph

 

[agrumpybirdphotographer]

Excellent set of images and enjoyed the stories. Most of my really memorable moments have been with mammals. If they count I'll post a couple.

Hi Dan, absolutely any wildlife encounters doesn’t have to be birds.

 

[aj500]

The topic Memorable Wildlife Encounters brings to mind my most favorable encounter, 2014 Maasai Mara, Kenya. While on a 2 week photo safari we found a cheetah having breakfast. A pack of hyenas decided they would take her meal. They cheetah moved away from them towards our truck, she walked around to the back and jumped up on the spare tire and then the roof-top. Our group had 2 trucks and Chris Bray provided some photos as it was a little difficult to photograph her from inside our truck. Were we scared? No, more like terrified. As everyone went to the floor John"Patch" and I kept saying "Take the girls they will taste better than us old guys". After a short period of time everyone calmed down and the cheetah laid down on the roof and hood. She appeared to have little interest in harming us. Out came the wide-angle lenses and we took our "up close and personal" photos. At one time maybe a little too close as she took a swipe at my lens. Chris used this as part of his promotions for his photo work shop/tours.

Nothing I've encountered comes even close.

 

[agrumpybirdphotographer]

The topic Memorable Wildlife Encounters brings to mind my most favorable encounter, 2014 Maasai Mara, Kenya. While on a 2 week photo safari we found a cheetah having breakfast. A pack of hyenas decided they would take her meal. They cheetah moved away from them towards our truck, she walked around to the back and jumped up on the spare tire and then the roof-top. Our group had 2 trucks and Chris Bray provided some photos as it was a little difficult to photograph her from inside our truck. Were we scared? No, more like terrified. As everyone went to the floor John"Patch" and I kept saying "Take the girls they will taste better than us old guys". After a short period of time everyone calmed down and the cheetah laid down on the roof and hood. She appeared to have little interest in harming us. Out came the wide-angle lenses and we took our "up close and personal" photos. At one time maybe a little too close as she took a swipe at my lens. Chris used this as part of his promotions for his photo work shop/tours.

Nothing I've encountered comes even close.


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Just brilliant, now thats what I call a memorable encounter! Love it .

 

[aj500]

Just brilliant, now thats what I call a memorable encounter! Love it .

Thank you, that safari was a wonderful experience. I learned a lot of what I really didn't know. The main thing I took away was after purchasing an expensive camera and lenses, having someone ( one-on-one) show and explain how to use your camera, not just point and shoot and have friends tell you what great photos you take. That's pretty much what I did for 35 years. Now, I'm more selective, think about composure, backgrounds, and camera functions. Spend a few bucks take a workshop or 2 and enjoy the results.

 

[Marcus Slade]

Along the coast from Benbecula Airport in the Outer Hebrides is a small inlet known to birdwatchers as “stinky bay” which certainly lives up to the name! It turns out it was a brilliant to watch and photograph waders in full summer plumage, even if it meant lying in amongst the smelly seaweed to get this Sanderling image.

They're all lovely images but the Sanderling image is just beautiful, Gordon. The seaweed just adds so much.

 

[RH Alberta]

If you're like me there are some occasions when I’m out photographing birds that something happens to make one encounter more memorable than others.
It may be a just a chance encounter, something a little more planned such as a hide day, a trip to a specific location or a species I’d never seen before. It also may not result in the best photograph but the encounter with the particular wildlife just stays with you.

Incredible images Gordon! Ahhhh...memories! Thanks for sharing!

 

[agrumpybirdphotographer]

They're all lovely images but the Sanderling image is just beautiful, Gordon. The seaweed just adds so much.

Thanks very much Marcus, worth putting up with the “odour”. Not sure my better half saw it quite that way when I slid back into the car....

 

[agrumpybirdphotographer]

Incredible images Gordon! Ahhhh...memories! Thanks for sharing!

Thanks you very much Ritchie

 

[SamWhits96]

Excellent photographs Gordon!

Great to see a fellow Lancastrian on these forums too.

 

[agrumpybirdphotographer]

Excellent photographs Gordon!

Great to see a fellow Lancastrian on these forums too.

Hi Sam thank you very much. You will know two of the locations, the Flycatcher was at Arkholme on the River Lune and Dotterel up on Pendle.

Im more of a “naturalised” Lancastrian as originally from Edinburgh but have been down here for a very long time now.

 

[SamWhits96]

Hi Sam thank you very much. You will know two of the locations, the Flycatcher was at Arkholme on the River Lune and Dotterel up on Pendle.

Im more of a “naturalised” Lancastrian as originally from Edinburgh but have been down here for a very long time now.

Truly some fantastic work! I know those places well, I'm from Burnley so I live in the shadow of Pendle hill and it's witches.

What gear do you have if you mind me asking? I'm fairly new to photography (bought my first DSLR last year) and just love the level of detail you can get.

 

[agrumpybirdphotographer]

Truly some fantastic work! I know those places well, I'm from Burnley so I live in the shadow of Pendle hill and it's witches.

What gear do you have if you mind me asking? I'm fairly new to photography (bought my first DSLR last year) and just love the level of detail you can get.

Im a Nikon user Sam, invested alot of the years both new and secondhand. For bird photography I’m currently using a D4 or D500 camera and lenses either the 300 f2.8 or 300 f4 PF plus the x1.4 or x2 T.C.

Steve’s site is really, really good for tips and tricks and these forums are full of great people, hope you enjoy it.

 

[Otto]

For me it's actually seeing something I've never seen before. I've just met the Hooded Mergandser, the couple actually. Not even a good image, video is better. Saw one day for a few hours and then they were gone. Maybe they'll come back next year.

View attachment 16692

 

[agrumpybirdphotographer]

For me it's actually seeing something I've never seen before. I've just met the Hooded Mergandser, the couple actually. Not even a good image, video is better. Saw one day for a few hours and then they were gone. Maybe they'll come back next year.

View attachment 16692

Hi Otto yes thats the thing for me as well. Its the experience or as you said seeing something different or a first for you. Would be nice to see one of these beauties around these parts.

 

[NorthernFocus]

Back in the summer of 2015 I went on a bear shoot on the coast of Katmai NP. The shoot was organized by a friend who is a full time pro. There was also one other guy with us who was also a full time pro with 30 years of experience shooting wildlife. Since we were all well experienced the guide just dropped us off by boat every day with a radio and a couple of cans of bear spray. The three of us had the salmon stream that we were shooting to ourselves for a full week. Well, us and the bears.

There was a big old male bear that was the master of the valley where the stream runs into a bay. Our guide called him Scar for obvious reasons. He was pretty well torn up, much of it fresh, from battling for supremacy of his little kingdom. One day on our way back to our pick up spot we ran across the old boy resting in a bed that he had dug out in the sand at low tide. The old ragged looking bear laying in the cold rain really told its own story. The white claws are indicative of an old bear. Our guide said that to his certain knowledge he'd been seeing Scar on this creek for 15 years so he was likely upward of 20 years old.

1) D4, AF-S 80-400@400mm, 1/200s, f8, ISO3200

So in 2018 the same friend and I returned to the same location. Our first day on the creek we were pleasantly surprised to see that old Scar was still around. He was much reduced from his previous size/stature. While still a huge bear(probably 800lbs) he was a shadow of his former self. On his hips, shoulders, spine, and ribs there was very little muscle covering the bones. With no recent battle scars and judging by the lack of deference shown him by smaller bears in the area it was clear that he was no longer king of the valley. One thing that was not diminished on the old boy was the size of his claws. My friend and I discussed how cool it would be to get a good closeup shot of one of his feet(careful what you wish for).

2) D850, 200-500 VR@260mm, 1/1000s, f5.6, ISO2500

Contrary to what one would assume, the largest bears aren't typically the most dangerous. The larger bears tend to get the choice fishing spots so are well fed. And a full bear is a happy bear. Also it seems to be in their nature(the big guys) to be more wary of people and keep some distance away rarely walking the same side of the creek that we're shooting from. On the other hand they seem to completely ignore you as if you're an inanimate object. Not so with some of the sub-adults. Like human teenagers young male bears are trying to find their place in the hierarchy of life and are constantly testing the limits including those with people. That can offer some tense moments.

On the other extreme of the spectrum old bears that have lost their standing in the bear hierarchy struggle to feed themselves. Younger sometimes even smaller bears begin to push them out of prime fishing holes. These old bears can become predatory towards people out of desperation. Many recorded brown bear attacks involve old bears in poor physical shape. After watching this old guy for a few hours that fact found its way into my thoughts.

So one day I was positioned at the point of the gravel bank where the creek split into two branches. I was down on my knees shooting off a tripod. The old bear was walking down the opposite bank then abruptly turned and crossed the creek to my side. Per standard doctrine for operating in bear country I stood up to "get big"(don't laugh). The bear came out of the water directly in front of me about 20 ft away. For a tense moment the thought of the old starving bear situation crossed my mind. But I was watching him closely and he wasn't even looking at me and he turned slightly to pass by me. While keeping my eyes on the old guy with one hand I swung the camera around and without using the viewfinder pointed it in the direction of his feet and fired a burst. Not exactly what I had in mind but I did get one in focus frame of his claws.

3) D850, 500mm f4, 1/1000s, f5.6, ISO500, tripod/Wimberley (full frame image)

Then I got back behind the VF and got this parting shot of his snowshoe sized foot.

4)

 

[NorthernFocus]

The topic Memorable Wildlife Encounters brings to mind my most favorable encounter, 2014 Maasai Mara, Kenya. While on a 2 week photo safari we found a cheetah having breakfast. A pack of hyenas decided they would take her meal. They cheetah moved away from them towards our truck, she walked around to the back and jumped up on the spare tire and then the roof-top. Our group had 2 trucks and Chris Bray provided some photos as it was a little difficult to photograph her from inside our truck. Were we scared? No, more like terrified. As everyone went to the floor John"Patch" and I kept saying "Take the girls they will taste better than us old guys". After a short period of time everyone calmed down and the cheetah laid down on the roof and hood. She appeared to have little interest in harming us. Out came the wide-angle lenses and we took our "up close and personal" photos. At one time maybe a little too close as she took a swipe at my lens. Chris used this as part of his promotions for his photo work shop/tours.

Nothing I've encountered comes even close.


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Now that's a close encounter. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Marcus Slade]

Back in the summer of 2015 I went on a bear shoot on the coast of Katmai NP. The shoot was organized by a friend who is a full time pro. There was also one other guy with us who was also a full time pro with 30 years of experience shooting wildlife. Since we were all well experienced the guide just dropped us off by boat every day with a radio and a couple of cans of bear spray. The three of us had the salmon stream that we were shooting to ourselves for a full week. Well, us and the bears.

There was a big old male bear that was the master of the valley where the stream runs into a bay. Our guide called him Scar for obvious reasons. He was pretty well torn up, much of it fresh, from battling for supremacy of his little kingdom. One day on our way back to our pick up spot we ran across the old boy resting in a bed that he had dug out in the sand at low tide. The old ragged looking bear laying in the cold rain really told its own story. The white claws are indicative of an old bear. Our guide said that to his certain knowledge he'd been seeing Scar on this creek for 15 years so he was likely upward of 20 years old.

1) D4, AF-S 80-400@400mm, 1/200s, f8, ISO3200

So in 2018 the same friend and I returned to the same location. Our first day on the creek we were pleasantly surprised to see that old Scar was still around. He was much reduced from his previous size/stature. While still a huge bear(probably 800lbs) he was a shadow of his former self. On his hips, shoulders, spine, and ribs there was very little muscle covering the bones. With no recent battle scars and judging by the lack of deference shown him by smaller bears in the area it was clear that he was no longer king of the valley. One thing that was not diminished on the old boy was the size of his claws. My friend and I discussed how cool it would be to get a good closeup shot of one of his feet(careful what you wish for).

2) D850, 200-500 VR@260mm, 1/1000s, f5.6, ISO2500

Contrary to what one would assume, the largest bears aren't typically the most dangerous. The larger bears tend to get the choice fishing spots so are well fed. And a full bear is a happy bear. Also it seems to be in their nature(the big guys) to be more wary of people and keep some distance away rarely walking the same side of the creek that we're shooting from. On the other hand they seem to completely ignore you as if you're an inanimate object. Not so with some of the sub-adults. Like human teenagers young male bears are trying to find their place in the hierarchy of life and are constantly testing the limits including those with people. That can offer some tense moments.

On the other extreme of the spectrum old bears that have lost their standing in the bear hierarchy struggle to feed themselves. Younger sometimes even smaller bears begin to push them out of prime fishing holes. These old bears can become predatory towards people out of desperation. Many recorded brown bear attacks involve old bears in poor physical shape. After watching this old guy for a few hours that fact found its way into my thoughts.

So one day I was positioned at the point of the gravel bank where the creek split into two branches. I was down on my knees shooting off a tripod. The old bear was walking down the opposite bank then abruptly turned and crossed the creek to my side. Per standard doctrine for operating in bear country I stood up to "get big"(don't laugh). The bear came out of the water directly in front of me about 20 ft away. For a tense moment the thought of the old starving bear situation crossed my mind. But I was watching him closely and he wasn't even looking at me and he turned slightly to pass by me. While keeping my eyes on the old guy with one hand I swung the camera around and without using the viewfinder pointed it in the direction of his feet and fired a burst. Not exactly what I had in mind but I did get one in focus frame of his claws.

3) D850, 500mm f4, 1/1000s, f5.6, ISO500, tripod/Wimberley (full frame image)

Then I got back behind the VF and got this parting shot of his snowshoe sized foot.

4)

What a great story. I’ve made two trips to Katmai to photograph the Coastal Brown Bears and your words, let alone your pictures, put me right back there. Thanks for this.

 

[Doug Herr]

Several of my most memorable wildlife encounters were in the "good old days" of manual focus film when I spent a few summers in Alaska (1976-1981) though some of the photos don't fully capture the moment.

While I was sitting on a log this Moose cow and calf emerged from the woods to graze in the lake. I got a few photos then realized that as they were grazing they were wandering closer to my log, uncomfortably close. I packed the camera and pondered my options: 1) wait quietly, maybe they'll wander away 2) stand quietly and walk away, risking startling the cow and a defensive charge. I hadn't considered another possibility, revealed when she looked straight at me, lowered her head and stamped her feet. Here eyes were little balls of fire, impending thermonuclear reactions. The message was clear: "You're too close". It seemed wise to leave aside for the moment the question of who had gotten too close to whom and I departed, learning just how quickly I could run through a boreal forest with waterlogged boots and all of my camera gear. I could hear a commotion in the lake behind me but I never turned around to see what the fuss was.

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​

I had heard of a Gyrfalcon nest in a remote area and paid a visit to see if any photographs were possible. Keeping a respectful distance across a canyon from the nest, it became clear that the young of the year had fledged, flying overhead and along both sides of the canyon. One of the birds dropped over the far side of a knoll so I cautiously advanced, mindful of the excellent grizzly bear habitat. Peering over the top of the rise I found the falcon was no more than 20' away and curious. I made a few photos as the bird hopped closer, testing then violating the minimum focus distance of my 400mm lens. Eventually the Gyrfalcon hopped within 6' of the rigid form that looked a lot like my 29-year-old self.

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​

During my time in Alaska's summers I migrated south for the winter to the lower 48, each spring migrating north again. One spring, tired of the Alcan Highway's 1000 miles of mud & gravel, I took the Alaska State Ferry to Haines AK, shortening the drive considerably. Leaving Haines shortly after getting off the ferry I drove north through the extreme northwest corner of British Columbia intending to pass through Yukon Territory and then toward Fairbanks AK, but fate intervened. I spotted a grouse in the road and since the highway was sparsely travelled I stopped in the middle of the road to prepare my camera with 300mm lens. Once the camera was ready I looked up and the grouse was GONE. I'd had enough peripheral vision to have noticed if the bird had flown away so I thought I had gotten too close and couldn't see it over the hood of the car. I backed the car 10', no bird. Another 10', still no bird. Mystified, I shut the car's engine off and got out to investigate.

The grouse ran out from under the car and started attacking my feet, slapping me with his wings and biting my pants, all the while saying such horrifying things as "wwwukwukwuk!". I looked at my lens, minimum focus 13', looked at the feathered fury at my feet, and thought to myself "this won't do". Switching back to the macro lens I managed a few photos between attacks on the lens then remembered the long drive ahead of me and sought to be on my way. I tried to get back in the car but the grouse tried to jump in the car with me. Even if I had managed to get into the car sans grouse it could have run under the car with unintended consequences as I drove off. I knelt down to shoo the bird away and it jumped onto my knee and attacked my coat.

I had been training for a half-marathon and was is good shape so I figured I'd go down the road a way, the grouse would follow then I'd run back to the car leaving the bird in the dust. What I had forgotten is that I had been training for a distance race and grouse have sprinter's flight muscles. I was seriously outmatched.

Picking the bird up, I reminded him that if I were hungry he'd be in serious trouble. About this time another car came by. The driver apparently knew about springtime grouse because he grinned, waved and left. Getting frustrated, I tossed the grouse over a roadside snowbank. Six times.

The remaining drive to Denali was 20 hours and I was laughing the whole way.

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​

My most recent visit to Denali was in 2018; while walking along the Savage River I noticed several Mew Gulls making a fuss over something hidden in the brush on the opposite bank. This often means a predator has been spotted. It could be small like a weasel or large like a bear. Crossing the river I cautiously went to investigate.

Imagine my surprise and delight when a Red Fox trotted out of the brush, down a small gravel bank and sat for a portrait no more than 15' away. From my standing position I was towering over the animal with gravel in the background so I got down to the fox's level to get some foliage in the background.

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[agrumpybirdphotographer]

Back in the summer of 2015 I went on a bear shoot on the coast of Katmai NP. The shoot was organized by a friend who is a full time pro. There was also one other guy with us who was also a full time pro with 30 years of experience shooting wildlife. Since we were all well experienced the guide just dropped us off by boat every day with a radio and a couple of cans of bear spray. The three of us had the salmon stream that we were shooting to ourselves for a full week. Well, us and the bears.

There was a big old male bear that was the master of the valley where the stream runs into a bay. Our guide called him Scar for obvious reasons. He was pretty well torn up, much of it fresh, from battling for supremacy of his little kingdom. One day on our way back to our pick up spot we ran across the old boy resting in a bed that he had dug out in the sand at low tide. The old ragged looking bear laying in the cold rain really told its own story. The white claws are indicative of an old bear. Our guide said that to his certain knowledge he'd been seeing Scar on this creek for 15 years so he was likely upward of 20 years old.

1) D4, AF-S 80-400@400mm, 1/200s, f8, ISO3200

So in 2018 the same friend and I returned to the same location. Our first day on the creek we were pleasantly surprised to see that old Scar was still around. He was much reduced from his previous size/stature. While still a huge bear(probably 800lbs) he was a shadow of his former self. On his hips, shoulders, spine, and ribs there was very little muscle covering the bones. With no recent battle scars and judging by the lack of deference shown him by smaller bears in the area it was clear that he was no longer king of the valley. One thing that was not diminished on the old boy was the size of his claws. My friend and I discussed how cool it would be to get a good closeup shot of one of his feet(careful what you wish for).

2) D850, 200-500 VR@260mm, 1/1000s, f5.6, ISO2500

Contrary to what one would assume, the largest bears aren't typically the most dangerous. The larger bears tend to get the choice fishing spots so are well fed. And a full bear is a happy bear. Also it seems to be in their nature(the big guys) to be more wary of people and keep some distance away rarely walking the same side of the creek that we're shooting from. On the other hand they seem to completely ignore you as if you're an inanimate object. Not so with some of the sub-adults. Like human teenagers young male bears are trying to find their place in the hierarchy of life and are constantly testing the limits including those with people. That can offer some tense moments.

On the other extreme of the spectrum old bears that have lost their standing in the bear hierarchy struggle to feed themselves. Younger sometimes even smaller bears begin to push them out of prime fishing holes. These old bears can become predatory towards people out of desperation. Many recorded brown bear attacks involve old bears in poor physical shape. After watching this old guy for a few hours that fact found its way into my thoughts.

So one day I was positioned at the point of the gravel bank where the creek split into two branches. I was down on my knees shooting off a tripod. The old bear was walking down the opposite bank then abruptly turned and crossed the creek to my side. Per standard doctrine for operating in bear country I stood up to "get big"(don't laugh). The bear came out of the water directly in front of me about 20 ft away. For a tense moment the thought of the old starving bear situation crossed my mind. But I was watching him closely and he wasn't even looking at me and he turned slightly to pass by me. While keeping my eyes on the old guy with one hand I swung the camera around and without using the viewfinder pointed it in the direction of his feet and fired a burst. Not exactly what I had in mind but I did get one in focus frame of his claws.

3) D850, 500mm f4, 1/1000s, f5.6, ISO500, tripod/Wimberley (full frame image)

Then I got back behind the VF and got this parting shot of his snowshoe sized foot.

4)

What a terrific story and certainly was an awesome encounter.

 

[Otto]

And to add more to our stories, something I’ve never seen before live.


I went this particular morning with the mindset that it did not matter if i captured any birds in particular. I picked a very close to stream and sat there with my gear just absorbing the sounds and cool air.

All of a sudden there was this movement in the water and swimming by with no care in the world this little one passed right in front of me. I took three images as it moved swiftly through the water. Quite exciting and then I knew I was not alone!

You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.

 

[agrumpybirdphotographer]

And to add more to our stories, something I’ve never seen before live.


I went this particular morning with the mindset that it did not matter if i captured any birds in particular. I picked a very close to stream and sat there with my gear just absorbing the sounds and cool air.

All of a sudden there was this movement in the water and swimming by with no care in the world this little one passed right in front of me. I took three images as it moved swiftly through the water. Quite exciting and then I knew I was not alone!
View attachment 16754

Thats whats its all about for me and makes early morning rises so worth it