Sunday, June 29, 2008

Absolutely amazing meeting

30 meters away...

Mother Nature never stops surprising me. I have just had the most incredible experience just a couple of hundred meters away from my house and I am still shaking a bit. This is was happened.

It has been a typical Swedish summer day with a bit of sunshine and a bit of rain and I was feeling a bit bored. To get out of my mode, I took my camera and went for a walk up a forest path that I use to go when I have not particular goal, just want to get some fresh air. Suddenly I hear a laud noise to the left of me and I can see the back of the moose I have already written about. Or at least it is very likely that it was the same. I realized that it was gone and that it would not be possible to get any picture of it this time but that is normal and nothing to get too upset about. Then, about 40 meters ahead of me I can see two brownish, tiny backs and realize that there are two calves coming across the path. I froze and aimed the camera towards the point I guessed they would come to. Slowly, slowly they raised their heads and strolled up the side of the path. They were now within the reach of my zoom lens and I fired away, confident that they would run away but to my amazement, they just looked at me and started to walk towards me!!!

Two meters away.

I hardly dared to breath but kept the camera firing and did not realise that they had now come so close to me that they were actually too close for the camera to focus properly. With their necks stretched, they looked like curious, friendly dogs and I felt a wave of emotions coming. They really wanted to connect with me, felt no fear and behaved in the same way babies do when they stretch their hands towards anyone who smile or looks interesting. I popped the flash and took a few more pictures without the calves reacting at all until I moved my arm a bit more and they slowly walked to the other side of the path and disappeared among the threes. I felt that I had tears in my eyes and walked slowly back to my cottage to share this moment with you.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I've visited the site and looked at those little creatures several time. It's just so amazing that you managed to come so close to them, or rather, that they walked so close to you. This must truly be something to remember.