TomKal foto

It was not another Bird trip. On that day I had no plans to take photos. A miracle happened, though. I didn’t have my 600 focal length lens on that day. I only took 100-400. I took some pictures. However, there was little light and the focal length was insufficient. Fortunately, all these inconveniences were compensated by  my guide (the kindest regards to Kerem). But for him, my Turkish bird trophies would have been far more modest. When it comes to the equipment, its shortage caused the collection of the pictures I had taken to be of only documentary value (Lesser Spotted Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Red-rumped Swallow, Eurasian Penduline Tit). The photos were taken in June 2014 in the period of the Spring revival of birds. Although I didn’t have much time there, it was a good idea to organise a workshop lasting a couple of days, because there were many interesting species of birds to take photos of. During just one day in the outskirts of Istanbul, it was possible to see over twenty species of birds, including several species that I had never photographed before. I start with the Mediterranean Gull.

It is very difficult to photograph this bird in Poland. In the vicinity of Istanbul, during the cruise across the Bosporus, I was able to take an interesting collection of photos, using my 400 focal length camera. The Mediterranean Gull has the wingspan of 1,1 metre and its weight is up to 350 grams. When it comes to its size, it resembles the Polish Black-headed Gull.  I photographed them on the shores of the Black Sea, which is their natural habitat and where they are ubiquitous. When you approaches them to nearly, for example, some 10 metres, they immediately take off. There were so many opportunities to take their photos that creating a collection of their photos posed no difficulties. Welcome to the gallery.