A foggy morning in the harbor, and the thick mist seems to be clinging to the masts of the ships in the harbor. There’s a feeling of mystery in the air as the fog creates an eerie atmosphere and obscures the details of the vessels.
The kutter in the harbor is not really a majestic sight, but it will fit for our pelagic trip to the Baltic Sea. Its hull is a gleaming white. She is tied up to the dock and her anchors are lifted. The skipper is smoking out of a small window. He looks down to the birders arriving on board. A lonely sailor is preparing her for our voyage ahead, ensuring that everything is in order.
The fog was is still thick as we stepped onto the boat. I expected the calling of Herring Gulls (Larus argentatus) and Common Black-headed Gulls (Larus ridibundus) but the only sound I could hear was the lapping of the waves against the hull. I felt a chill run down my spine as I thought of how easily the fog could swallow us up.
I made my way to the bow of the boat and as I looked out into the thick mist, I felt a strange sense of peace. I took a deep breath and felt the fog embrace me. It was a strange sensation, like I was being enveloped in a blanket of calm.
The boat started to move, slowly at first and then picking up speed. I kept my eyes fixed on the grey horizon. The first Great Crested Grebes (Podiceps cristatus) apeared in the water as we are leaving the harbor. A Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus) is swimming right near the ship. We moved through the fog, navigating in northern direction, the direction to the open sea. The boat rocked gently, lulling me into a state of serenity.
The boat finally emerged from the fog, revealing the sun gleaming off the calm waters of the sea. It was strange, but I felt a wave of relief wash over me, thankful for the safe passage. It was as if we had been in a different world, and now we were back.
I turned to my friend and smiled. We had made it through the fog and the first ducks swimming in the chilly water could be detected. Eventually we saw Greater Scaup (Aythya marila), some Common Eider (Somateria mollissima) and lots of Long-tailed Ducks (Clangula hyemalis) and Common Scoter (Melanitta nigra). We looked up at the sky, thankful for the sun and for the beautiful atmosphere we had arrived in. A beautiful sunny day on the Baltic Sea was lying ahead of us.
To cope with the growing demand for top shots of the rarer species of the Palearctic Bird-Lens is keen to enrich the range of pictures of birds you can find in the western palearctic. Trips to remote places like this one to capture images not only of rare birds of western palearctic were very successful. The nice image of the blog is only a first impression, what you will find in the gallery in the “Picture Shop” very soon. Just give bird-lens.com a message, if bird-lens.com could serve you with an image needed before the new pictures are online.