Fallen

 

The leafs has fallen on the cobbles of the square Gråbrødre Torv, named after the Franciscan friars who in Medieval times had their monastery near here.

Partial

 

When the sky over Copenhagen is grey and dull and the need to snap is high, why not go for something unusual instead of the ordinary? Like this reflection of a red car. For the next few days expect a few unusual shots.

King of the hill

 

The male of the lions in the Copenhagen Zoo seems to be king of the hill here. Even though I like to snap a few photos of the lions I mostly find them a bit dull as they pass most of the day sleeping. Only when the cubs are around are the adults a bit more active, mostly trying to fend off the sneak attacks of the little ones.

 

A kind of savannah

 

In Copenhagen we've got our very own savannah, well kind of. In the zoo there's an area where some of the species from the savannah are roaming among each other; zebra, gazelle and rhino are in the same enclosure, with the giraffe in their own area bordering the rest. Theses two youngsters seem to get along pretty good regardless of differences.

 

Critters

It's not only the big and famous animals in the Copenhagen Zoo that I find fascinating. They've got a fair share of smaller critters as well, like the banded mongoose on this photo. A very active and social animal they're fun to watch.

Portrait of a tiger

 

As told on this blog before the tigers in the Copenhagen Zoo are among my favourite models. They always seem to be on the prowl and it's fairly easy to get some nice shots, even though the background is often a bit of a problem. Not on this one, though, as the sun made a nice dark shadow behind the big cat.

 

A new baby hippo

 

Just a few days ago a new hippo calf was born in the Copenhagen Zoo. Maybe the hippo on this photo anticipated the coming new one and new that rest would be scarce, so it might as well start yawning beforehand.

 

A giraffe calf

The Copenhagen Zoo got a new giraffe calf, and even though it's only half-a-year old it's as tall as a grown man already. And already very used to people with cameras.

In Danish only

On fixed times throughout the day, you can watch the animals of the Copenhagen Zoo being fed and activated. And the zookeepers will give you a lot of information about the animals, their natural behavior and how to handle them in the zoo. Except that it's in Danish only, so tourists here will have a hard time following the action. On this photo the zookeeper is telling the audience about the sea lions.

Find those carrots

The elephants of the Copenhagen Zoo have a very nice and big area and house, designed by Norman Forster. And they are kept on their toes so to speak trying to find the carrots and other treats, as they're hidden in all the odd places the zookeepers can think about.

Wanted: Pool guy

The tigers in the Copenhagen Zoo have a nice enclosure with both places to lick sun and places to jump. And they've even got a pool, except it seems to pool guy doesn't visit very often. The tigers don't seem to mind, though.

Opportunistic

It's not only the animals in the Copenhagen Zoo that get fed at lunchtime. The local population of seagulls, crows and herons are eagerly awaiting the opportunity to snatch a meal. This seagull was a bit quicker than the penguins this time around.

Moving soon II

As told before, the polar bears in the Copenhagen Zoo will soon be moved to a new home. The new enclosure for these magnificent predators will be finished at the beginning of the new year and it is something to look forward to for both the animals and the visitors. It'll be possibly to watch the polar bears and the seals swim next to each other, only divided by a thick glass wall, and a tunnel will lead the visitors underneath the big basins. This area, called the Arctic Ring will also feature a bird cliff with North Atlantic birds.

Watching

 

The lions in the Copenhagen Zoo enjoy a bit of autumn sun, while the families enjoy a very close view of the big cats.

 

Early morning light

In the weekends it's obvious that a lot of people enjoy the days with good weather. And it seems like quite a few are doing it behind a DSLR. This one wanted the same as me on this morning in Dyrehaven; early morning light hitting the autumn trees.

Carpet of fire

With the defoliation the parks look like they're covered in carpet of fire.

Ministry of Silly Walks

Sometimes the antics of the people working out in the parks reminds me of the old Monty Python sketch, Ministry of Silly Walks. Maybe it's just me feeling guilty about not getting enough exercise done at the moment...

Head to head

When out with the camera I often look for pics that are a bit unusual. This one from the park Kongens have, where the head of the statue of Hans Christian Andersen "meets" a passerby is one such photo.

A wooden animal?

This detail of a fallen tree looks to me almost like the head of an animal, maybe a dog or a bear. Maybe you can see something different?

Remembrance Day

The 11th day of the 11th month is Remembrance Day in Britain and the Commonwealth, the day where all the dead of the armed forces are remembered. This day, also called Armistice Day or Poppy Day has been a tradition since the end of World War I, which ended in 1918 on "The 11th Hour of the 11th Day of the 11th Month". There's not many British war graves in Denmark compared to many other countries, but it's possibly to find a few. This one is a monument in Vestre Cemetery in Copenhagen and was raised in 1920 to honour the British soldiers who died in Denmark during their detention here. The inscription reads: 

TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN LOVING MEMORY OF NINETEEN BRITISH SOLDIERS WHO DIED IN DENMARK 1918 - 1919 ON THEIR JOURNEY HOME FROM CAPTIVITY

Autumn light

The light you get when a low sun filters through the autumn leafs is almost heavenly; golden and soft. This photo is from Dyrehaven north of Copenhagen.

Dreaming

I think most photographers know the feeling of "been there - done that" kind of boredom. To fight that feeling I try to experiment from time to time and this is one of the results of that. In this photo I've used a slow shutter speed while moving the camera vertically while among the trees. While the result wasn't as good as hoped for, I actually think it was not too bad for a first try.

Keep warm

Walking with the family in Dyrehaven is a popular thing to do on a nice Sunday like this, but in the autumn in Denmark, you need to dress for the weather. Remember that even though it's sunny, the temperature is usually not high and the wind can be a bit more than just chilly. And it might change for the worse during the day. A thermos of hot coffee will as often as not be a hit to bring along on the walk.

Mother and kid

Today's pic is another one from Dyrehaven north of Copenhagen, showing a deer and a kid almost posing for me. It's nice when the animals play along so I can get a nice photo of them.

A kind of nature

For autumn photos I've got a few favourites, as the regular reader of this blog knows. The park Dyrehaven in Klampenborg just north of Copenhagen is a major one of those favourites, especially as you can get really close to the deer there. And with three different species, a total of 2100 deer, 11 square kilometers and very varied terrain, there's more than enough motives for a more than a few days.

And down it went...

I did catch this sequence of the demolition of the Valby Gas Silo yesterday, so now the view from my balcony has changed.

Going down

 

This 108 m high landmark of Valby, Copenhagen is going down today with a big bang. At 12 o'clock it will be gone, weather permitting. The gas silo was built in 1965 to replace a gaswork that blew up, though at that time it wasn't intentional. The blast in 1964 killed 4 and wounded 200 in the area of Retortvej, crushing 100.000 windows and making a lot of Copenhageners think that a nuclear bomb had gone off. The silo went out of use in 2007 and even though it has been suggested to convert it into something else, the project to rebuild it was too expensive. So this time it is a demolishion that will be heard when the 50kg of explosives will tomble the silo for the last time. And the view from my balcony will change.

 

Where?

These three hooded crows seemed a bit confused as they looked to all sides while sitting on the railing. Maybe they had lost something?

Fighting autumn

Yesterday I showed you a tree that rebelled against autumn, today it's a daisy. Even though the first frost has been to Copenhagen this little flower obviously wants to cling to the summer.

Why be a crowdpleaser?

This tree from the park Kongens Have in Copenhagen decided to postpone autumn a bit. And why not go against the crowd?