Birds

A pair of great crested grebes ( Podiceps cristatus ) have made their nest not far from land on the Østensjø lake in the Oslo area. An oasis of peace and quiet amongst the straw (and the chaos caused by the colony of black-headed gulls nearby). Nikon D7000 + Nikkor 70-300mm Processed in UFRaw/Gimp

A pair of great crested grebes ( Podiceps cristatus ) have made their nest not far from land on the Østensjø lake in the Oslo area. When I came back the second morning and observed them for half an hour, they had a change of watch -- the one that had being out diving for fish came back and took its turn on the nest while its mate went out to find food. I'm glad I was there and got a glimpse of the eggs! Looking forward to seeing little "grebelings" later on. :-) Nikon D7000 + Nikkor 70-300mm Processed in UFRaw/Gimp

Great cormorant ( Phalacrocorax carbo ) Nikon D5000 + Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 Processed in UFRaw/Gimp

The Djupivogur nature reserve on the east coast of Iceland is definitely worth a visit both for the birdwatching and the scenery. Eurasian golden plovers are among the many species that can easily be observed. Nikon D7000 + Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 Processed in UFRaw/Gimp

A young Eurasian golden plover ( Pluvialis apricaria ), at least I think that must be what it is (?), standing warily by the side of a gravel road near Vopnafjördur, northeastern Iceland. Nikon D7000 + Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 Processed in UFRaw/Gimp

A great skua ( Stercorarius skua ) amongst tourists enjoying the views over Jökulsárlón. Nikon D7000 + Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 Processed in UFRaw/Gimp

A mute swan ( Cygnus olor ) in the middle of a noisy lift-off at Østensjøvannet, Oslo. When processing this photo, I discovered that a nesting great crested grebe can be seen by the water's edge in the background, to the left in the photo. A nice surprise. :-) Nikon D7000 + Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 Processed in UFRaw/Gimp

A mallard male starting to molt. Shortly, he will have acquired his basic (eclipse) plumage. Nikon D5000 + Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 Processed in UFRaw/Gimp

A little surprising to see such a young duckling in the end of July. It had two siblings as well -- hopefully they'll make it. Nikon D5000 + Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 Processed in UFRaw/Gimp