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Winter, hard days for our feathered friends

Wintry extreme cold as a photographic opportunity

Due to the frost that has persisted for a longer period this year, at times with double-digit sub-zero temperatures, this winter is very interesting for us nature photographers.

Icy scenes: rare subjects with a downside

There are subjects that are otherwise rarely seen in our latitudes. Frozen lakes, rivers, and streams, and even bays in the Baltic Sea, look beautiful, but after a certain time they pose a huge problem for wildlife.

Open water surfaces as the key to survival

Many birds, for example, depend on open water to obtain food. Some of them even rely on shallow water areas. If these are not available due to freezing, they have a real problem.

When habitats shrink: risks from pressure and cold

On the one hand, large numbers of individuals gather in the few habitats that are still available, which promotes the transmission of disease and can quickly lead to death in animals that are already weakened. Quite apart from freezing to death in the icy nights.

Species in focus and special photo opportunities

Thus, kingfishers, diving ducks, herons, and bitterns have a hard time surviving the winter.

The concentration of birds and the short flight distance under these circumstances make photos possible that would otherwise be unthinkable.

Experiences on the Baltic Sea: ducks in the frozen bay

In this way I was able to take eerily beautiful photos of various duck species that were enduring the harsh days in a Baltic Sea bay. Their escape behavior was reduced to a minimum.

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