Romania and the Last Frontier - Day 7 p.m: A Quiet Afternoon

After the manic morning session with the jackals and eagles, I was feeling in the need for a relatively relaxed afternoon. Another wave of exhaustion had come over me after a very long week of sleep deprivation. I had actually found this trip to Romania much less exhausting than the previous year and  more relaxed. On the trip last year, the lack of sleep obviously had an impact on my immune system as I contracted septic tonsillitis as soon I returned to the UK, an illness I have not had since childhood. I think the spluttering person sat next to me on the plane home may have been the source.  I think this trip had been more chilled,  partly due to it being a repeat visit to the Danube Delta, but also I have tried to take a much more laid back approach to my photography this year. I have grown weary of the degree of ridiculous competitiveness, and the unpleasant undercurrent of deceit that it floats on,  which sadly seems to have developed in wildlife photography in recent years. So I made a conscious decision at the start of the year, that I would set out to immerse myself even more with the wildlife and be removed from the pressure of pleasing anyone except myself. It is for this reason I have entered no photography competitions this year and concentrated on spending more time in the company of a few species close to home. It has been refreshing.

Over a pasta lunch we discussed the plans for the afternoon. Rene having seen some of my Bearded Tit photos from the previous day fancied trying to improve on those he had taken when we first arrived. I offered to take him out to try and help.

We picked up on of the electric buggies and headed out in mid afternoon but the light was still too harsh for trying for the acrobatic tits among the reed stems so we decided we would visit one of the hides to pass some time. The one we selected was a small reed clad hide set on the corner of an L-shaped pond which had some posts set in the water in front of it which frequently seemed to be used by terns.

I was hoping to get some photos of terns landing or hovering over the posts but it proved to be very quiet and the slight breeze was in the wrong direction. We took photographs of the couple of terns, a Whiskered and a Common, that came in and perched up on the posts for a while.

While we were sat that a long thin snake swam across the surface of the channel in front of us before crawling up out on the far bank. After a bit of Google searching we identified it as a Diced Water Snake. Interestingly at home I struggle to get a mobile signal yet everywhere we went in the Danube Delta I seemed to have full mobile and 3G signal!

After a while the sun seemed to be softening down and we decided it was time to go and look for the Bearded Tits. Once again I seemed to find myself photographing Bearded Tits but was more than happy to try and help Rene get some photos and maybe I would get the shot of a male bird I had visioned in my head since arriving. So off we headed down the western track and tried the three places that had been the most productive the previous day. After a bit of effort we managed locate and get some photographs of the birds. Again it was the juveniles that provided most of the camera action.

Right at the end of the session I finally managed to get the photograph I was hoping for of a male bird on a solitary stem at the edge of the reeds.

Rene wanted to head back to the the hotel which brought an end to a relaxed session. As we arrived back at the 'ranch', we bumped into Zoli. He asked if we wanted to see a Penduline Tit nest he had found that afternoon. Rene declined but I was curious to see this odd structure and so found myself heading back along the tracks to a spot a short-distance from the hotel.

The nest was low in a willow tree at the side of pool and proved very awkward to get an angle on for a clear shot of it. The nest is a truly remarkable structure that looks a bit like a small rugby ball made of cotton wool with a small entrance funnel at the top. After watching it for a short while it began to shake a little and the bandit masked face of the tiny Penduline tit appeared in the entrance.

My first opportunity to see one of these birds up close and I was surprised how small it was as I had always envisaged them to be larger. The light was all but gone to try and get any photographs of the bird out of the nest but it gave me some ideas for something to possibly try for the following and final day of the trip which I intend to recount in one large blog post.

Romania and the Last Frontier - Day 4: Sleepy until Sundown

I always think of my trips overseas as a 'holiday' but they are never really very relaxing. In fact they are a bit more like a survival course as they are always fairly punishing in terms of schedule and sleep deprivation. The early starts, combined with the time difference, and long days quickly take their toll with cumulative fatigue. I find it easier by trying to keep organised and sticking to a fairly strict regime whilst away.

On the morning of the 4th day the effects of lack of sleep were starting to take their toll. There was a subdued atmosphere on the boat that morning. Some were more subdued than others.

The boated gently chugged through the back channels of the soft pre-dawn light and we entered into the small western 'Grebe Lake' once more. We had barely entered the lake when the first bird, a Squacco heron,  was in front of us bathed in early light. The mosquitoes seemed to be out in force that morning.

We decided to try and get some tern flight photos, as everyone was keen to try and get some Black Tern shots, but it was never really going to happen as the gentle breeze was  completely in the wrong direction seeing the birds generally flying into the light. If the conditions are wrong it doesn't matter how hard you try, it will always be a struggle to get images. I managed to get my first couple of photographs of the Black Terns but could see it would have been so different if the wind had been blowing the other way.

In the end it soon became obvious it was fairly hopeless continuing, as the camera shutters progressively fell more silent, it was time for the boat of tired photographers to move on. A Hooded Crow flew lazily overhead on the look out for an easy food opportunity

We entered into a back channel and encountered a pair of Red-necked Grebe which we stayed with for a short while before continuing our journey.

A little further on a Squacco Heron preening amongst the emergent aquatic plants.

Onwards we traveled before entering the large lake where we had finished the previous evening and the boat came to rest amongst a large lily bed which groups of Whiskered Tern were hunting insects over. The same frustrating problem though of the wind being in the wrong direction persisted to thwart our efforts with few useful photos being produced.

While we were sat there I decided to make a short video which I thought you may find of interest. The video is not about what you will see but will be hearing so make sure you have some volume on before hitting play. Now you may think this wetland paradise is an oasis of tranquility? It is far from it and what you are hearing in the video, except for the occasional camera shutter, is the constant background chorus of thousands of frogs. The volume of these amphibians increases quite considerably at night.


Tranquility in the Danube Delta from Richard Steel on Vimeo.

The morning outing was over and it was time head back to our hotel. This has been our least productive session on the trip, partly due to making a wrong choice with the conditions and also due to a general lethargy amongst the photographers that morning. Hopefully a dose of carp broth for lunch and an extended siesta would set us back on track and raring to go for our final evening boat session on the Delta.

I had a good sleep and felt much more back on the planet when we assembled on the hotel jetty around 3 p.m. I put this down more to the curative properties of the afternoon nap than the fish and vegetable soup.
The boat slipped away from  the jetty and headed off downstream which meant we would be travelling to one of the large eastern lakes, and probably some pelicans which seemed to be showing a preference for those areas. I must admit I do like photographing pelicans as they always look great either stood on an accumulation of vegetation, swimming around or in flight. I was hoping we could get some more flight photographs during this session.

We encountered a solitary Dalmatian Pelican stood on the same area were we had encountered pelicans previously.

After a few photographs the bird took off and we moved across the lake to a small group of White Pelicans, which provided us with some good flight photographs. Photographing pelicans in flight is relatively straightforward as they are such large birds that they require a long run up to get airborne which allows plenty of time for the photographers to get locked on to the with the cameras.

The boat manouvered back around and we made our way slowly towards two more Dalmatian Pelicans. En-route we came across a male Ferruginous Duck in a patch of lilies, a new species for me. An attractive bird in its rusty plumage.

The boat eased up close towards the two Dalmatians Pelicans which also provided us with some good flight opportunities.

A bonus Purple Heron passed the boat with long slow wing beats  allowing opportunity for a couple of welcome bonus photographs.

On our travels we came across a Little Egret stood on a log mid-channel with the strong currents swirling round it. A fairly tough exposure with the sun still bright and the background relatively dark.

We were heading to the same destination as the previous evening and paused as we entered once more into the large lake for a loafing Pygmy Cormorant. If ever there was a bird species which reminds me of birds reptilian ancestors then this would be it.

The same cast of birds was set out before us as the previous evening, with numbers of herons and ibis picking their way through the large floating mass of weed . The sun was starting to soften down  now and we started with a Glossy Ibis. This bird was not looking as a good as the one from the previous evening with its guano splattered feathers where it had been sat on the lower branches of the roosting tree. An avian analogy of human lives really, with the lower your position on the ladder the more you tended to get dumped on!

A Grey Heron stopped by briefly which was a good reminder of how small both Squacco and Night Herons actually are.

Of course with the light becoming better by the minute the cameras turned back to both of these smaller herons until there was no glow to play with using sensible camera settings.

Another very enjoyable session had come to an end and as we headed back to the hotel, we were treated to a beautiful sunset as the grand ending to our final evening session.

We had one last boat photography session left the following morning, before we headed off to our new destination, deeper into the Delta, to a place known as the 'Last Frontier'. Would a overnight complete change in wind direction finally allow us to photograph the Black Terns the next morning?  Well  you will have to wait for the next instalment to find out :)

Romania and the Last Frontier - Day 3 a.m : A Chorus of Thousands

The irritating relentless beeping of the alarm rose me from my slumber at 4:15 am (2:15 UK time). It was still dark outside, and even through closed windows the incessant chorus of thousands of frogs could be heard, to help remind me where I was and get over the temporary waking moments of disorientation. Some cold water was thrown from the tap in the general direction of face and I slipped into the pre-arranged pile of clothes, picked up the camera kit and was downstairs waiting for breakfast at 4:30am. Coffee and an omelette with a bit of ham and cheese on top slipped down with difficulty but the cold fish on the plate in the middle of the table were certainly not going to be entertained.

By 5 am, the hide boat with the four photographers on board was making its way slightly upstream before cutting right into a narrow channel. Ahead of us the feint creeping glimmer of pink orange light was increasing as the sun moved up towards the horizon. The morning session was going to be spent in what I call 'Grebe Lake' as we had spent a good deal of time there the previous year photographing the Black-necked variety. This was one of my favourite places from the visit last year. The lake is ringed by a perimeter of high reeds with various patches of floating aquatic plants across the placid waters. Being relatively small it conveys a certain feeling of 'intimacy' with the wildlife. A very special and idyllic place to be at first light although not a tranquil one as there is a  tenable throb in the air from the mass of life that inhabits its crystal clear waters.

The boat slowly eased in to the lake and almost immediately encountered a breeding coloured Squacco Heron struggling to subdue its frog breakfast in the soft pre-dawn light. A great start to the session.

The boat continued on in a gentle arc around one side of the lake and it soon became evident that the Black-necked Grebes which were so accommodating the previous year were in a very different mood this time and would not allow approach by the boat. Another change from the threes weeks difference in the timing of our visit. Eventually we came to rest on the edge of large lily patch being used by some Common Terns. Normally when I travel overseas I want to spend my time photographing birds that are difficult to find or absent from the UK. I can find Common Terns speeding around the River Mersey at the end of my street in the UK. However, it is also good to spend some time with familiar birds in different settings.

One of the terns had obviously rolled off the wrong side of its lily pad that morning as it appeared to be less than happy with one of the neighbouring birds.

This resulted in repeated diving attacks and subsequent middle air battles which certainly kept four photographers busy.

It was agreed it was time to move on and see what other avian delights where hidden around this lake. The next bird we came across was a drake Garganey but the bird appeared to have a broken wing so we did not stop and left it in peace and to its fate.

Next stop around this bird photographers' paradise were some Red-neck grebes. I was actually happier that we were getting much better encounters with these than the Black-necked variety given the limited opportunity with them the previous year. They are a fairly small grebe and looked superb in their fine late spring plumage. We spent a while with these birds as they gently cruised around us in front of the boat, occasionally stopping to the preen.

A pair swimming and calling in unison

A interesting feature I noted with the birds is that when the neck is compressed the rusty red tone of the neck become much more intense as shown in the photograph below.

Keeping those feather clean and water tight.

Of course as with all birds every preen is followed by a good shake to get those feathers settled back into position.

This is probably a good moment to tell you a little more about the boat we were on which has been well thought out and is operated by Sakertours. It is very stable and comfortably seats four photographers with all their kit. Being low to the water it gives a good low-level angle whilst photographing birds on the water. A canopy is built over the top of the boat which acts as a hide (blind for those of you in the USA). The boat is fitted with glass windows but we chose not to use them. I personally have a strong dislike of shooting through glass. The boat is carpeted to reduce noise and seating is in the shape of large beanbags or cushions. There are two seats at the front for Romi the boatman and for Zoltan to look out for birds and provides directions with simple hand gestures to get the boat into the right position. Power at the back end is by an outboard motor. A silent electric motor would be preferable but due to the abundance of aquatic plants a more powerful petrol engine is essential.

The  light was rapidly getting more intense and it was time to move on, before leaving the small lake we came across another two more Squacco Herons perched in amongst some lily pads and glowing in the warm early morning light.

The second one quickly dipped into the water in front and plucked a large water beetle off the vegetation which with a quick flick quickly disappeared between its bright blue bills.

With the light intensity and temperature rapidly increasing the boat slipped out of the small lake and into an elongated back channel.  Again this was a reed fringed area with dense patches of lilies, water soldier and water mint dotted with the pale forms of Squacco herons. The fragrance of mint filled the air as the warming sun evaporated the oils of the plants. Here is a brief video as we passed down the channel to give you an idea of the scene.


A back channel on the Danube Deta from Richard Steel on Vimeo.

In the distance we could see a long snake-like neck of a Purple Heron emerging from one of the vegetation patches. This was a bird I was keen to try and photograph on this trip having only previously managed some flight photos of them  in Mallorca. However, they are incredibly wary birds and difficult to get close to. The boat crawled along the edge of the channel to bring us close. The young bird, appeared to catch a newt, before taking off on a short flight and fortunately landed in a patch of water mint opposite us.

This was certainly the highlight of the morning so far. The bird eventually took off away from us and soared over the tall reeds behind in long ponderous wing beats.

We back tracked along the channel to where we had seen another Red-necked Grebe. This one was having a bit of territorial dispute with a Great Crested Grebe. Presenting the two contenders...

The larger Great crested Grebe appeared to win the skirmish.....

....leaving the Red-necked grebe little to do but shake down in defeat.

Drifting back along the channel we picked up another Squacco heron and our first Night Heron of the trip before calling it a morning and heading back to base and the inevitable carp broth that was awaiting for lunch and a quick siesta.

What an excellent morning it had been and you can probably see why I have had to split these days over two blog posts especially as, unknown to us at the time, we had a wonderfully productive evening session in some glorious light to come later that day.