TomKal foto

A winter expedition to the Hel Peninsula ended with capturing several species, and taking first pictures of the smew. Unfortunately this bird can be found in our country only in winter, when it comes here to escape harsh winters of Scandinavia and Siberia. There it raises its young in tree hollows, like the mandarin duck. The observed flock of smews was unusually skittish, and it felt best in the company of goosanders, dozens of which could be seen there. Unluckily, due to their bashfulness, they wouldn’t allow me to photograph them from a distance shorter than a few dozen meters, and yet they would fly up in the air together with goosanders every now and then, to come back after a while. Warm and amiable name of this species corresponds to its appearance, which is true especially in case of males. Indeed, you can make fluffy copies of them and give kids as mascots. Let’s hope that one day I will have a chance to take photos of them from a smaller distance, in a favorable light, so that the gallery could be enriched. The smew’s weight does not exceed one kilogram, and its wingspan is only 70 centimeters.
Last minute news 01/2022
Almost nine years after my first accidental encounter with Smews i ahd another opportunity to photgraph it. Over the course of these 9 years, I was looking for information, a place where I could meet it, and finally I could take photos that will turn a documentary gallery into a very good one. I have checked water reservoirs in Wielkopolska in winter, but to no avail. Without help, it would be difficult, especially since smews are very skittish birds. Krzysiek and Darek came to me with this help, special thanks to Darek. He knows the habits of smews and has indicated a place where I can try to photograph it. Coming to the reservoir on which there are smews during the day will cancel out the possibility of taking pictures and it will only end up scaring the birds off. If it is an hour or two before sunrise to the previously prepared place, the chances are higher. Of course, for a better perspective of the photos I had to, to sit in the water. Yes, this gallery was "satiated" in the water and it's a bit of extreme photography. The air temperature ranged from 0 to 2 degrees, sometimes it was snowing. A few hours after sunrise, at least for me, my endurance threshold. But in the end it worked. There is progress, there is an improvement in the quality and quantity of photos. I guess my masking was finally accepted, but still, without a converter, I couldn't do it. There was also some lack of light. High ISSO, long times and the need for framing had an impact on the quality of the photos. But after a few tries, we managed to choose the good ones and finally the gallery's status changed from documentation to very good. At last!