I went up to "Erik-Knutsåsen" observation tower nearby Gördalen, along the northern borders of the national park Fulufjället. It's a lovely viewpoint upon a wild area covered by a high ground, sparse forest with spruces and birches, wavy hills alternated with marshes and small ponds. Just got to the top, I spot on the platform some tiny masses of material, which at a closer look reveal to be droppings (or hairballs) from an owl. I raise my eyes: twenty meters away I cross the magnetic ones from a hawk-owl, which clearly chose as well to take advantage of the view from the tower. A wonderful encounter, unexpected and not so usual. You can’t be ready for anything anytime, and I had climbed the tower with a landscape, “short” photo set up: thus this picture is a generous crop, which, however, reflects the spirit of the original composition, where the animal (by choice, by need or both) is placed in the environment. The kind of wildlife image I prefer. It's been a good beginning of March. The night of the 1st the northern light has showed up in Särna, the very first one since we moved here (almost 4 years now). Nope, you won't see it in these Chronicles: sometime you have simply to "be", you have to enjoy the moment without thinking about to "get", to take a photo (you can still see it in a time lapse at this link: the display is exactly the same, just in a different location). While I was with my eyes up, a Tengmalm's owl started singing. What else ask for? In the following days the weather has been mild, even with temperatures above zero: March is mad at this latitude too, and, in spite of good weather, for a couple of days a strong wind raged, giving a taste of desert storm to the mountain.
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All site contents are: © Vitantonio Dell'Orto, all rights reserved worldwide. The Chronicles of Särna, and other stories from the North.
I live in Sweden, in Särna (Dalarna). The Chronicles are a photo diary about the nature (but not just) here around and from all the Scandinavian areas where my photo job takes me.
My book: "My Sweden - Tales from an Italian photographer in the North" is available in the bookstores and by the publisher.
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