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One thing I have learned from my travels. One of the most important ingredients is a good local guide.
His name was Duc. He was 28 years old and passionate about his country and, in particular, Halong Bay. He got more excited than we did (which means he got very excited indeed!)
Let me describe the day………….
After breakfast on deck aboard the junk, we spent the morning kayaking. We visited grottoes, sea caves and watched monkies watching us from the rocks.
Then we kayaked to a secluded beach for a bit of swimming and sunbathing. Lunch was a delicious seafood barbecue right there on the beach beneath white sunshades.
After an après lunch swim we kayaked back to the boat where it was all hands to the sundeck as we cruised across the bay to ………..
One of the many islands. Here we were taken by a small boat to a tiny jetty with steps leading up to a large and beautiful cave.
We spent maybe an hour in the cave then Duc led us out of another exit about 100 feet above a tiny beach …………………
………………….. just as the sun was setting.
Thanks Duc.
Listening to …….
My interview on Google Local Guide Connect
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My interview on Google Local Guide Connect
All Photos Are Copyright To Paul Saad , Unauthorised Use Is Not Allowed Without Prior Permission. © Some rights reserved ©
My interview on Google Local Guide Connect
All Photos Are Copyright To Paul Saad , Unauthorised Use Is Not Allowed Without Prior Permission. © Some rights reserved ©
Burghead Scotland
There had been reports of rafts of auks being washed inshore due to lack of food / illness ?Pleased to say I did not see much evidence of this in the Moray Firth area, in fact local guides said there were no more than normal. The guillemots sheltering in the harbour seemed healthy and were diving and feeding regularly. I did report a couple of seemingly poorly birds to SSPCA and understand they were collected and taken to hospital !
My interview on Google Local Guide Connect
All Photos Are Copyright To Paul Saad , Unauthorised Use Is Not Allowed Without Prior Permission. © Some rights reserved ©
My interview on Google Local Guide Connect
All Photos Are Copyright To Paul Saad , Unauthorised Use Is Not Allowed Without Prior Permission. © Some rights reserved ©
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[In Explore 14 August 2022]
My interview on Google Local Guide Connect
All Photos Are Copyright To Paul Saad , Unauthorised Use Is Not Allowed Without Prior Permission. © Some rights reserved ©
My interview on Google Local Guide Connect
All Photos Are Copyright To Paul Saad , Unauthorised Use Is Not Allowed Without Prior Permission. © Some rights reserved ©
My interview on Google Local Guide Connect
All Photos Are Copyright To Paul Saad , Unauthorised Use Is Not Allowed Without Prior Permission. © Some rights reserved ©
[In Explore 05 May 2016]
My interview on Google Local Guide Connect
All Photos Are Copyright To Paul Saad , Unauthorised Use Is Not Allowed Without Prior Permission. © Some rights reserved ©
My interview on Google Local Guide Connect
All Photos Are Copyright To Paul Saad , Unauthorised Use Is Not Allowed Without Prior Permission. © Some rights reserved ©
My interview on Google Local Guide Connect
All Photos Are Copyright To Paul Saad , Unauthorised Use Is Not Allowed Without Prior Permission. © Some rights reserved ©
Taquile (Spanish: Isla de Taquile; Quechua: Intika) is an island on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca 45 km offshore from the city of Puno.
The inhabitants, known as Taquileños, speak Puno Quechua.
Taquileños are known for their fine handwoven textiles and clothing, which are regarded as among the highest-quality handicrafts in Peru. Knitting is exclusively performed by males, beginning in early boyhood. Women spin wool and use vegetables and minerals to dye the wool to be used by the community. Women are also the weavers of the Chumpis, the wide belts with woven designs worn by everyone in the community of Taquile.
Taquileans are known for having created an innovative, community-controlled sustainable tourism model, offering home stays, transportation, lodging for groups, cultural activities, local guides and restaurants.
(Ploceus castaneiceps)
Leganga - Arusha
Tanzânia
We just returned from about two weeks spent in Tanzania, and I have to say it was by far our worst trip ever. The country, the people, the landscapes, and the birdlife and wildlife in general warrant a return visit — but the guide we somewhat naively chose was an absolute disaster.
A presumptuous, egocentric, narcissistic, arrogant, Trump-supporting, climate-change-denying, constantly self-flattering individual who fancies himself a great photographer (he describes his own photos as "fucking good").
His photos are mediocre, some even out of focus, but for a birder just looking to document sightings, that’s normal, and I accepted it. If only he’d had the humility to simply show us the birds and let us handle the photography. Instead, every time we had a chance to photograph a bird, he’d lecture us on how we should do it—even scolding us for checking our shots on the camera. He never did that himself, using his Nikon D850 (what a waste) almost in point-and-shoot mode (his own words).
He kept insisting he was a photographer and knew all about the importance of light, but every single day, we saw it was pure theory—he had zero practical skills. He’d constantly forget and sulk when we pointed it out. Basically, if the background was blue sky, the light was good; if it was cloudy, the light was bad. That was the extent of his knowledge of light and photography.
On the very first day, his first attempt was taking us to a lake hoping to find an African Black Duck. Well, as our friend A. Guerra would say, ironically, when things go bad, at least we didn’t see it—because the photos would have been a complete disaster. The access to the lake was directly facing the sun, with glare all over the water. It would have been a huge frustration.
At the middle of day, with terrible strong light, he decided show us a colony of Taveta Weavers — only for our disappointment to deepen as they were entirely backlit. When we mentioned the lighting issue, he simply ignored us (something he’d do systematically for as long as we endured him). I had to push through thick vegetation and small water ditches to find a better angle, while he seemed annoyed at how long we took to get a decent shot.
(Another thing that bothered him was us not knowing a species’ name or mispronouncing it.)
But that was just the first day. The following days were a series of unpleasant situations, multiple arguments — the last one shouting — until we gave up on his services (already paid for) and had to scramble for an alternative. I’ll talk about that in future posts.
I won’t name him here, but if you send me a private message, I’ll tell you who he is — so my friends don’t make the same mistake we did.
The only partially positive thing I can say is that, with the help of local guides, he did find the hardest-to-spot species—even if it meant risking our lives, subjecting us to two hours of being thrown around in the vehicle while completely lost off any passable trail (even for a 4x4). Not to mention his dangerously reckless driving on main roads.
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Acabámos de regressar de cerca de duas semanas passadas na Tanzânia e, tenho de dizer, foi de longe a nossa pior viagem de sempre. O país, as pessoas, as paisagens e a avifauna e fauna em geral merecem claramente uma nova visita — mas o guia que escolhemos, de forma algo ingénua, foi um verdadeiro desastre.
Um indivíduo presunçoso, egocêntrico, narcisista, arrogante, Trumpista, negacionista das alterações climáticas, sempre a autoelogiar-se, que se julga um grande fotógrafo (descreve as próprias fotos como “fucking good”).
As fotos dele são medianas, algumas até desfocadas, mas para um observador de aves que só quer registar os avistamentos, isso é normal — e eu aceitava. Se ao menos tivesse tido a humildade de simplesmente nos mostrar as aves e deixar a fotografia connosco. Em vez disso, sempre que havia uma oportunidade para fotografar uma ave, fazia questão de nos dar uma lição sobre como o devíamos fazer — chegando mesmo a ralhar connosco por vermos as fotos no ecrã da câmara. Ele próprio nunca o fazia, usando a NIkon D850 (que desperdício) quase em modo point-and-shot (palavras dele).
Insistia constantemente que era fotógrafo e que percebia a importância da luz, mas todos os dias víamos que isso era só teoria — não tinha qualquer implementação prática. Esquecia-se de coisas básicas e ficava amuado quando lho fazíamos notar. Basicamente, se o fundo era céu azul, a luz era boa; se estava nublado, a luz era má. Esse era o nível do seu "conhecimento" sobre luz e fotografia.
Logo no primeiro dia, a primeira tentativa foi levar-nos a um lago à procura do pato-preto-africano. Bem, como diria o nosso amigo A. Guerra, ironicamente, quando as coisas correm mal, ao menos não o vimos — porque as fotos teriam sido um desastre completo. O acesso ao lago era de frente para o sol, com irritantes reflexos de luz sobre cada molécula de água. Teria sido uma frustração enorme.
A meio do dia, com uma luz fortíssima e péssima, decidiu levar-nos a uma colónia de Tecelões-de-cabeça-ruiva — apenas para a nossa desilusão aumentar ao vermos que estavam completamente contra a luz, já de si péssima devido à hora do dia. Quando mencionámos o problema da iluminação, simplesmente ignorou-nos (algo que passou a fazer sistematicamente enquanto o aturámos). Tive de abrir caminho por vegetação densa e atravessar pequenos regos de água para conseguir um ângulo melhor, enquanto ele parecia irritado com o tempo que demorávamos a conseguir uma fotografia decente.
(Outra coisa que o incomodava era não sabermos o nome de uma espécie ou pronunciá-lo mal.)
Mas isso foi só o primeiro dia. Os dias seguintes foram uma sucessão de situações desagradáveis, várias discussões — a última já aos gritos — até que desistimos dos seus serviços (já pagos) e tivemos de procurar uma alternativa à pressa. Falarei disso em publicações futuras.
Não o vou nomear aqui, mas se me enviarem uma mensagem privada, direi quem é — para que os meus amigos não cometam o mesmo erro que nós.
A única coisa parcialmente positiva que posso dizer é que, com a ajuda de guias locais, ele de facto encontrou as espécies mais difíceis de localizar — mesmo que isso implicasse pôr a nossa vida em risco, sujeitando-nos a duas horas aos solavancos num veículo completamente perdido fora de qualquer trilho transitável (mesmo para um 4x4). Sem falar da condução perigosamente imprudente nas estradas principais.
My interview on Google Local Guide Connect
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Yucatan, MX May 2021
I recently returned from a brief trip to Mexico. I took a one day birding tour with a local guide and managed to get 46 new species on my life list, which now totals 1,202. I carried my camera but photography was difficult and most shots were from a great distance and kept for documentation. I will post a few each day. Just great to be traveling again!!
My interview on Google Local Guide Connect
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Neolithic Stone circle under the Milky Way, July 2022. I had this location entirely to myself once golden hour was over. Prior to that there was a friendly Sony Alpha 7 user with her local guide.
Some light painting from me waving my mobile phone torch around while the shutter was open.
The eagle-eyed will note some branches on the cork oaks looking a bit blurry from the wind on this exposed site. It's a small price to pay for not being bitten by mosquitoes though (too windy for them).
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almendres_Cromlech
Technical
Taken with (new to me) Nikon Z6, FTZ adaptor and a Nikkor 20mm prime lens. A 25 second exposure meets the "rule of 500" for astrophotography.
This is a single shot, which has had the ground and sky processed separately before recombining to make the final image. Special mention goes to the Astrophotography filter in Affinity Photo that helped to reduce the impact of sodium light pollution on atmospheric haze. There was quite a lot of red dust in the atmosphere.
Work put into this
Research into the location, weather forecast, Moon status and astronomical alignments: about 4 hours.
Travel round-trip from accommodation: just over 3 hours.
Waiting for sky to darken after setting up: 2 hours.
Actually taking photos and realising I'd left the Arca-Swiss foot for the camera/tripod behind: about 1 hour. Note that Google says the site is open 24 hours a day, but as I was leaving I did find some small print on a sign that said it was only open sunrise to sunset (presumably to stop anyone camping there). Sorry, I didn't mean to break the rules, my research beforehand didn't say anything about that.
Post-processing (including the trial and error process of learning how get the most out of the images and then dumping the first two unsatisfactory attempts completely): about 8 hours.
64 shots taken; one success.
(Xenoglaux loweryi) B28I7151 Fundo de Alto Nieva - North Peru
Rare, local and poorly known; reported from only a few localities in humid montane forest in Amazonas and San Martin, 1900-2400 mt.
Endemic Tour in Peru : Guide Alex Durand alexdurand8bg@gmail.com
So hard to get this species : walking on a very dark night in a muddy and slipping mountain (myself falling many times) with a local guide, waiting hours under some rain falls and only 3 seconds for shooting : big challenge but finally we did it.
GAMBIA TOUR // This first year winter bird, found at the local sewage treatment works, giving a noisy alarm call, as it took to flight. The heads become pure white, on adults, a migrant that does not breed in the Gambia. It was a amazing sight seeing them fly, so graceful
All birds found without tour or local Guides..
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THANK YOU, for visit and any comment, am visit wading through hundreds of images, please bare with me. ....Stay safe and God Bless...... ....Tomx
My interview on Google Local Guide Connect
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My interview on Google Local Guide Connect
All Photos Are Copyright To Paul Saad , Unauthorised Use Is Not Allowed Without Prior Permission. © Some rights reserved ©
Glistening Jewel - Sunbirds are the Old World ecological equivalent of New World hummingbirds. They certainly are equally stunning!
Special thanks to local guides for making this image possible.
Species: Purple-rumped Sunbird (Leptocoma zeylonica)
Location: Karnataka, India
Equipment: Canon EOS R5 + EF 400mm 2.8 II
Settings: 1/1600s, ISO: 400, f/6.3 @400mm, Handheld, Electronic Shutter
This defensive cannon was made in 1874. One of well preserved cannons of the Dutch VOC colonial period in Bengkulu - Sumatra.
#cannon
My interview on Google Local Guide Connect
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A cherry blossom is a flower of many trees of genus Prunus. The most well-known species is the Japanese cherry, Prunus serrulata, which is commonly called sakura. They are widely distributed, especially in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere including Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Mainland China, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Myanmar, Thailand and West Siberia. Along with the chrysanthemum, the cherry blossom is considered the national flower of Japan. Japan has a wide variety of cherry blossoms (sakura); well over 200 cultivars can be found there. All varieties of cherry blossom trees produce small, unpalatable fruit or edible cherries. Edible cherries generally come from cultivars of the related species Prunus avium and Prunus cerasus. S_8759
This Common Potoo was in the Metropolitan Park in Panama City, a large protected area within that heavily urbanized city in Central America. I was lucky to see it thanks to a knowledgeable local guide with whom I visited the park. (There is some colour from its slightly open eye due to reflection from the flash I used in its shady setting.) This species occurs widely in South America, and as far north as Nicaragua in Central America.
My interview on Google Local Guide Connect
All Photos Are Copyright To Paul Saad , Unauthorised Use Is Not Allowed Without Prior Permission. © Some rights reserved ©
My interview on Google Local Guide Connect
All Photos Are Copyright To Paul Saad , Unauthorised Use Is Not Allowed Without Prior Permission. © Some rights reserved ©
My interview on Google Local Guide Connect
All Photos Are Copyright To Paul Saad , Unauthorised Use Is Not Allowed Without Prior Permission. © Some rights reserved ©
My interview on Google Local Guide Connect
All Photos Are Copyright To Paul Saad , Unauthorised Use Is Not Allowed Without Prior Permission. © Some rights reserved ©
A copperhead snake. This little beauty was just beside the path. We could have easily walked past and not noticed it, but we had an experienced local guide who was quick to point it out.
My interview on Google Local Guide Connect
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"Taquile is a hilly island located 45 km (28 mi) east of Puno. It is narrow and long and was used as a prison during the Spanish Colony and into the 20th century. In 1970, it became property of the Taquile people, who have inhabited the island since then. The highest point of the island is 4,050 m (13,290 ft) above sea level, and the main village is at 3,950 m (12,960 ft). Pre-Inca ruins are found on the highest part of the island, and agricultural terraces on hillsides. From the hillsides of Taquile, one has a view over the white snow tops of the Bolivian mountains. The inhabitants, known as Taquileños, are southern Quechua speakers.
Culture is very much alive on Taquile, which can be seen in the traditional clothes everyone wears. Taquile is especially known for its handicraft tradition, which is regarded as among the highest quality handicrafts not only in Peru, but also in the world. Knitting is exclusively performed by males, starting at age eight. The women exclusively make yarn and weave.
Taquileans are also known for having created an innovative, community-controlled tourism model, offering home stays, transportation, and restaurants to tourists. Ever since tourism started coming to Taquile in the 1970s, the Taquileños have slowly lost control over the mass day-tourism operated by non-Taquileans. They have thus developed alternative tourism models, including lodging for groups, cultural activities, and local guides, who have recently completed a 2-year training program. Furthermore, the local Travel Agency Munay Taquile has been established to regain control over tourism.
The people in Taquile run their society based on community collectivism and on the Inca moral code ama sua, ama llulla, ama qhilla, (do not steal, do not lie, do not be lazy). The island is divided into six sectors or suyus for crop rotation purposes. The economy is based on fishing, terraced farming horticulture based on potato cultivation, and tourist-generated income from the roughly 40,000 tourists who visit each year."
My interview on Google Local Guide Connect
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This Northern Potoo blended in very well among the surrounding vegetation on its daytime roost in Jamaica. We were able to see it thanks to the knowledge of local guides who we went out birding with a couple of times. Despite the second part of the scientific name, this species is not restricted to Jamaica, being also found elsewhere in the Caribbean and in Central America and Mexico.
We just returned from an incredibly exciting scouting trip to The Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica with the Out Of Costa Rica Staff. Their Wildlife Photography Conference is going to take place July 27th to August 3rd, 2019. They will have seven instructors that will be available for excellent help and guidance as well as many choices of workshops to choose from .
The beautiful Osa Peninsula is breathtaking and the the wonderful lodge where you will be working from is not only outstanding, but also has a great staff that is there to meet your every need. There is so much wildlife right on the property that you could spend days without ever leaving the grounds but there will be workshops leaving to various areas of the peninsula giving the photographer every possible opportunity .
The owners of the Crocodile Bay Resort have done an outstanding job catering to the needs of photographers and understand what their clients want to experience. Their local guides are very knowledgeable on all aspects of wildlife and nature and are always there to assist.
If you would like more info about this adventure go to costarica.outofchicago.com.
My interview on Google Local Guide Connect
All Photos Are Copyright To Paul Saad , Unauthorised Use Is Not Allowed Without Prior Permission. © Some rights reserved ©
My interview on Google Local Guide Connect
All Photos Are Copyright To Paul Saad , Unauthorised Use Is Not Allowed Without Prior Permission. © Some rights reserved ©
My interview on Google Local Guide Connect
All Photos Are Copyright To Paul Saad , Unauthorised Use Is Not Allowed Without Prior Permission. © Some rights reserved ©
My interview on Google Local Guide Connect
All Photos Are Copyright To Paul Saad , Unauthorised Use Is Not Allowed Without Prior Permission. © Some rights reserved ©
My interview on Google Local Guide Connect
All Photos Are Copyright To Paul Saad , Unauthorised Use Is Not Allowed Without Prior Permission. © Some rights reserved ©
My interview on Google Local Guide Connect
All Photos Are Copyright To Paul Saad , Unauthorised Use Is Not Allowed Without Prior Permission. © Some rights reserved ©