For a long time my Nikon lens 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II has been upstaged by the 600mm f/4G ED VR when photographing birds. But after a stupid tumble on my part which not only disabled its bigger 600mm sister, but also ripped some parts out of my camera D800 and completely destroyed the GPS, it was ready to shine.
All of the following pictures were taken with the Nikon D800 and the 300mm f/2.8 in Sweden, some in combination with the teleconverter TC 1.4 II.They are all at least 4000px wide.
Stora Karlsö: A Birder’s Paradise
Next to Gotland lies the little island Stora Karlsö where my wife and I were able to rent a little cottage right next to the lighthouse. The whole island is a nature reserve harboring many different bird species. The bird cliffs with several thousand breeding Guillemots (Uria aalge) and Razorbills (Alca torda) are of special interest.
Birdsafari Sweden
Northeast of Stockholm lies the region Svartådalen. Some of its rivers and lakes are designated as wetland of international importance by the Ramsar Convention. I booked four sessions with Birdsafari Sweden to photograph Black Terns (Chlidonias niger), Red-throated Divers (Gavia stellata) and the Great Grey Owl (Strix nebulosa). Unfortunately, not only was the weather pretty bad, but also the 300mm was often too short. We slept in the very cosy and friendly Bed & Breakfast Salbohed Garden.
I owe the the beautiful photos of the Great Grey to my local guide Mikael. He never gave up finding the bird, in spite of the bad weather.
You can soon look at more photos of our Sweden trip in the photo database.