Orav nagu orav ikka. Oravaid kohtab linnaparkides palju. Tihti on nad nii julged, et tulevad peost toitu võtma. Olen nänud isegi videot, kus orav on õpetatud tõmblukuga suletavat kotti avama ja sealt seest maiuseid võtma, mis tema jaoks sinna eelnevalt peidetud. Kuid sellel fotol olev orav on minu jaoks esimene metsas kohatud orav. No esimene minu fotojahimehe karjääri jooksul. Eelmisel talvel nägin metsas palju oravajälgi kuid ei kordagi käbikuningat ennast. Ja tänagi oli selle oravani jõudmine pisut omamoodi lugu. Ma olin varahommikust saadik jalutanud metsas ja jõudnud õhtuks ringiga auto juurde tagasi. Tundsin end parajalt väsinuna kuid päike paistis alles üle metsalatvade. Kuulsin lähedalt põõsastest linnulaulu ja liikusin vaikselt hääle suunas. Mõni lind märkas mind kaugelt, jäi vait ning minule märkamatuks, mõnele sain piisavalt ligidale ja linnu ka pildile. Erinevad linnud oleksid niisama kui meelitanud mind autost järjest kaugemale ja kaugemale. Liikusin hommikul käidud rajal ehk siis olin läinud teisele ringile. Paari korra kiviviske kaugusel oli vana talukoht jõekäärus ja seal heinamaa. Otsustasin minna vaatama, mis elu käib jõeäärsel heinamaal enne päikeseloojangut. Tasakesti ja vaikselt liikudes jõudsin sarapuupõõsa juurde, mis kasvas kunagise taluhoone varemetel. Millega orav seal sarapuu otsas parajasti tegeles praegusel kevadisel ajal, ei tea kuid kohtumine osutus ootamatuks meile mõlemile. Minule oli kohtumine oravaga meeldivaks üllatuseks, temale tekitasin ma pisut meelehärmi, sest juhtumisi seisin just nimelt selle oksa all, mille kaudu oli oraval võimalik liikuda edasi teistele puudele ilma maapinnale laskumata. Seal ta siis vaagis ja proovis erinevaid põgenemisteid. Mina olin liikumatult paigal, saatsin kaunist loomakest vaid pilguga läbi kaamera. Peale mõningast edasi tagasi siblimist võttis orav julguse kokku ja silkas teistele puudele oksa kaudu, mille all ma seisin. Tänasin südamest käbikuningat poseerimise eest, vabandasin tekitatud ebamugavuste eest ning läksin vaatasin heinamaal toimuva üle. Sain sealt veel mõned toredad kaadrid ja loodetavasti saan edaspidigi. Metsast oli kuulda paaril korral okste praksumist, liikumas oli keegi suurem loom. Maskeerisin end põõsasse ja ootasin tunnikese kuid heli tekitaja ei ilmutanud ennast seekord. Mõni aeg tagasi üllatas seal mind metssiga, kes jooksis minu selja taga jõest läbi. See käis nii kähku, et seniks kui ma jõudsin arusaamisele, mis ja kus toimub, oli metsanotsu juba keset jõge, siis teisel kaldal ning juba välkusid vaid tagumised jalad puude vahelt. Pilti ei saanud kuid vahva elamuse küll ja see ongi tegelikult põhiline nende looduses kolamiste puhul.
A squirrel like a squirrel. There are many squirrels in city parks. Often they are so brave that they come to take food from your hand. I’ve even seen a video where a squirrel has been taught to open a ziplock bag and take treats that have been hidden there for him beforehand. But the squirrel in this photo is the first squirrel I’ve ever seen in the woods. Well, the first in my career as a photo hunter. Last winter I saw many squirrel tracks in the forest, but never saw the king of the cones himself. And today, getting to that squirrel was a bit of a story. I had been walking in the forest since early morning and returned to the car by the evening. I felt quite tired, but the sun was still shining over the forest tops. I heard birdsong from the nearby bushes and moved quietly towards the voice. Some birds noticed me from far away, kept quiet and remained unnoticed by me, I got close enough to some and took pictures of the birds. It was as if different birds were luring me further and further away from the car. I moved on the path I had taken in the morning, that is, I had gone on the second lap. A couple of stone’s throw away was the old farmstead at the bend of the river and there was a meadow. I decided to go see what life was like in the meadow by the river before sunset. Moving steadily and quietly, I came to a hazel bush growing on the ruins of a former farm building. I don’t know what the squirrel was doing at the top of the hazel tree at this time of spring, but the meeting turned out to be unexpected for both of us. It was a pleasant surprise for me to meet the squirrel, but I caused him a little frustration, because I happened to be standing under the branch through which the squirrel could move on to other trees without descending to the ground. There he looked and tried different ways of escape. I stood motionless, sending the beautiful animal through the camera with just a glance. After some hissing back and forth, the squirrel gathered up the courage and climbed the next tree. I thanked the cone king from the bottom of my heart for posing, apologized for the inconvenience caused, and went to see what was happening in the meadow. I got some more nice shots from there and hopefully will in the future. A couple of times the cracking of branches could be heard from the forest, a larger animal was moving. I disguised myself in a bush and waited for an hour, but the person making the sound did not reveal himself this time. Some time ago I was surprised there by a wild boar that ran through the river behind me. It happened so fast that by the time I came to understand what and where it was happening, the wild boar was already in the middle of the river, then on the other bank, and only its hind legs were already flashing through the trees. I didn’t get a picture, but I did get a great experience, and that’s actually the main thing about these wanderings in nature.
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