Animated muskoxen

Yesterday I had a go at making an animated GIF made with an image sequence. I used the free ImageJ multi platform and open source Java image processing and analysis program, utilizing the plugins StackReg and TurboReg. Without the registering or alignment the animation would be rather jumpy since I was handholding the camera and lens:

Without registration

Here is result after registration (using StackReg): 

With registration

Images at work

It is always great to see your images published and this week I had the pleasure twice. 

The danish web media on science videnskab.dk is visiting Greenland at the moment. They are using a sequence from my Greenlandic postage stamp muskox turned into a nice gif animation.

Yesterday I saw the cover of the May issue of the scientific journal Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine Research with a photo of mine from Zackenberg:

The reason for these muskoxen on the cover is this nice paper by my colleagues on biomass removal and spatial relocation of nitrogen by muskoxen.

Game capture

Nikon D4, 200-400mm, 400mm, 1/500s, f/6.3, ISO 800

I am currently editing stills and video from a recent game capture "expedition" at Zackenberg. In cooperation with Copenhagen Zoo we captured 14 musk ox cows and provided them with GPS collars. We were having quite some success and had time in spare. We therefore applied for extending the project and got permission to also catch bulls - for tissue sampling and measurements only though. We caught 6 of these big guys.

Mammoth musk ox

Musk ox bull captured in Zackenberg with one of my new camera traps incorporating the Snapshot Sniper II IR release.

Photo facts: 2013-10-19 08:06, Uncropped, Nikon D300, Sigma 10-20/4-5.6 at 10mm, 3 sec, f/11, ISO 3200, home made Pelican case housing and the Snapshot Sniper II.

From the archives - today 6 years ago

2007-06-15 Musk ox bull on the road to the river.

Stamp released today

Today my greenlandic stamp is released. It can be ordered from stampsshop.gl but I will return all letters are cards received in Greenland with a card and the stamp... 

Cards and letters should reach me at

Lars Holst Hansen

Zackenberg c/o Norlandair

Akureyri Airport

600 Akureyri

Iceland

From the archives - today 6 years ago

2007-06-10 The musk oxen are slowly gathering in the still quite snow covered valley.

Stamp now available for order

My greenlandic stamp is now available for order from stampshop.gl as a "pure" stamp and in a number of combinations with the specially issued post card (as depicted) and on first day cover.

Arctic Biodiversity Assesment

As ARC-PIC photographer, I delivered images to the recent report on Arctic Biodiversity Assesment from CAFF (including this cover).

The report itself is a very thorough piece of work.

Here are the key findings:

1. Arctic biodiversity is being degraded, but decisive action taken now can help sustain vast, relatively undisturbed ecosystems of tundra, mountains, fresh water and seas and the valuable services they provide
2. Climate change is by far the most serious threat to Arctic biodiversity and exacerbates all other threats.
3. Many Arctic migratory species are threatened by overharvest and habitat alteration outside the Arctic, especially birds along the East Asian flyway.
4. Disturbance and habitat degradation can diminish Arctic biodiversity and the opportunities for Arctic residents and visitors to enjoy the benefits of ecosystem services.
5. Pollution from both long-range transport and local sources threatens the health of Arctic species and ecosystems.
6. There are currently few invasive alien species in the Arctic, but more are expected with climate change and increased human activity.
7. Overharvest was historically the primary human impact on many Arctic species, but sound management has successfully addressed this problem in most, but not all, cases.
8. Current knowledge of many Arctic species, ecosystems and their stressors is fragmentary, making detection and assessment of trends and their implications difficult for many aspects of Arctic biodiversity.
9. The challenges facing Arctic biodiversity are interconnected, requiring comprehensive solutions and international cooperation.

Little image - big pride

I am very proud to announce that one of my musk ox photos taken in Zackenberg 2011 is being issued as a Greenlandic stamp on June 11th 2013. I made a little article about the image and my work in Zackenberg in the magazine Greenland Collector.

The magazine is also available in Danish and German. 

It is always great to see ones images on print in reports and books, but having a stamp made, feels very special. To accompany the stamp, Post Greenland is issuing a postcard (the image in the lower right corner from October 2012). I plan on bringing a bunch of these to Greenland to send to family and friends, and using the stamp of course...

Wireless remote controlled pan and tilt gimbal

I did not have much luck with the intended purpose for the RoboCam last year. The musk oxen did not like it. They seemed terrified, so I only tried it once. I am in Greenland to observe the natural behaviour of the musk oxen after all - and not to disturb them... Although the foxes did not seem to mind too much, I will not bring the robot for this upcoming season. Instead I have ordered a remote controlled pan and tilt gimbal head from ServoCity. I plan on using it at the fox dens for close up wide-angle shots with relatively shallow depth of field. I got inspired by some really nice leopard shots taken in Zimanga Private Reserve in South Africa. I also want to remotely control the zoom by using a lens gear belt and a gear on a servo. I do have a 8/9 channel radio remote control on order from Hobby King but it seems to take forever to get delivered... I have not given up on using the robot for wildlife shots but I have got some other plans for remote controlled photography. I have acquired a toy quadcopter and is learning the principles of flying it with intentions of one day getting a big model capable of carrying a good DSLR.

Zackenberg - among "100 places to remember before they disappear"

During easter my parents were given the book "100 places to remember before they disappear". As place number 17 is listed Zackenberg in Northeast Greenland - the place I work for more than three months a year and consider my second home. I noticed this already in 2009 when the book came out. It is illustrated by a photo (#4 at the URL linked to above) by the renowned and prize winning Canadian nature photographer Paul Nicklen. I was quite surprised as Paul Nicklen to my knowledge never had visited Zackenberg. Not during the summer months at least as we keep good records on that. I know he has been to Sand Island (Sandøen) photographing walrus about 30km from Zackenberg and I saw him briefly in the airport at Constable Point.

I remembered seeing the image recently in the Getty Image library where it clearly says it is from Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada...

I am not blaming Nicklen. As a photographer you have very limited control on the use of your photos. The image reminds me of a similar one I made in ZACKENBERG in 2009 ;) ...

Nikon D300, 70-200/2.8, TC-17EII, 340mm, f/7.1, 1/2500 s, ISO 400 

The lighting is not that great and it is a bit fuzzy (but so is Nicklen's - I was using the 70-200/2.8 with the TC-17EII a combination I cannot recommend). I have taken hundreds of photos of musk oxen since but have not had them in this exact same defensive formation again. Perhaps I will get a chance this season where I am supposed to spend 3.5 month amongst them and we will actually try to catch 14 to provide them with GPS collars.

Here is a panorama with a stich of images taken with Nikon D700 and a 50/1.4

App for identification of large herbivores of Europe

I contributed musk ox photos to a free app for identifying large herbivores of Europe:
http://www.lhnet.org/smartphone-app-large-herbivores-of-europe-launched/
The images are made in Zackenberg, Greenland.

Image placed in the Nordic Nature Photo Competition

The Greenlandic internet news site Sermitsiaq.ag yesterday brought a little story on my image of the musk ox from Zackenberg that was placed in the mammal category of the NNPC

The image is from Zackenberg and I am now preparing my 6th field season up there. I look much forward to it and anticipate making some new and different nature photos for example with a photo robot I have on the drawing board.

I got the news of the placement while in Ittoqqortoormiit, East Greenland, with fellow photographer and founder of the photo agency ARC-PIC.COM, Carsten Egevang and graphical designer Ole Steen Pedersen. Amongst other things, we were in Greenland to follow local hunters hunting polar bear on the sea ice.

Photos that didn't make it for the article...

Here are some of the photos that did not make it for the article in greenland today on counting musk oxen.


Musk oxen running in the snow


Musk ox bull, calf and cow

Feeding tracks in the fen

Herd in a snow storm

Herd in defensive posture

Arctic foxes feeding on fresh musk ox carcass

Musk ox bull in low sun

Bulls rubbing butts

Arctic fox by the carcass

Bull shaking off snow

Article in latest greenland today

I have an article on counting musk oxen at Zackenberg in the latest issue of the magazine greenland today.

These are the images from earlier this winter that made it for the article where I describe a day of field work counting the animals in a snow clad landscape.

Musk Oxen in a snow storm

One day in May when out to check on the activity at our furthest fox den I got caught in a little snow storm. I spent the evening in the cosy little old fox trapping hut Pashuset and hoped the wind would calm down. As it didn't I spent the night there in comfort. Next day the wind had only slightly calmed down but it wasn't too bad. On my way to the fox den I came across this little herd of musk oxen. I had problems focusing due to the snow in the air but also as my teleconverter was not properly calibrated. I have mostly avoided using teleconverters altogether but perhaps I will just need to spend a day or two calibrating them with the cameras using the lensalign mkII tool from http://mtapesdesign.com/

Musk Ox bull captured with remote camera trap

The ringed seal photo project got obstructed by too many polar bears on the ice... For safety reason we are supposed to move away from polar bears when we see them and not closer so I did not get any format filling photos. Rather than placing a remote camera at a seal hole I put it at a little pond near the research station where I had seen musk oxen forage for the lush green vegetation. After a few days the weather and light was good as an old musk ox bull went to the pond. I used a "retired" Nikon D200 with a 10.5mm fish-eye lens set to f/11 and on manual focus but with aperture priority exposure.

Return to Zackenberg

After an extended break in Denmark I am now back in Northeast Greenland. My father went to hospital with a rare disease, cerebral vaskulitis, but he is now in treatment, is back home and is improving quickly.
As we arrived, we had a warm period but it has cooled down considerably and we have had a bit of snow a few times. The station has been frequented by one of the local fox pups. At the den I have observed and photographed probably this pub and one of its siblings and they are getting bigger and their white winter fur is growing fast. One day a dark morphed (blue fox) juvenile showed up by the terrasse. We only got two glimpses of it and it was actually chased a little by one of local white foxes. Otherwise we have had the pleasure of a small herd of musk oxen, including a calf, between the buildings. They tend to like the nutrient enriched grass near the houses... If one keeps close to the houses it is possible to get much closer to them than out in the open field. I have done quite a few close ups. Bird life is getting scarcer with most of the waders now gone. On days with relatively clear weather hundreds of pink footed and barnacle geese are seen migrating.
The glaucous gulls are still hanging around and the snow buntings are seen in massive flocks of up till 50. It is an interesting time to be here and I look forward to experience it all.

Dances with Musk oxen...

The other evening and night I went out to provide some musk oxen with metal rings - much like the bird people do - for individual recognition. I also wanted some tooth samples. That last part can be tricky. Luckily all the oxen I handled were dead ones and some of them have been so for years... Until now we have marked Musk oxen carcasses found in the field with a black marker pen on the horn, but it wears off after some years and that is when it is easier to get a tooth loose. I also checked the fox dens at this side of the river. At den 10, I saw 5 juveniles. They were much active than last time I visited and walked around between the den holes and explored the vicinity. They were pretty curious as to what kind of strange animal I was. Later on the mountain, I had to pass a sleeping musk ox bull. As to not surprise it, I whistled gently. It stood up and walked slowly towards some other oxen as I slowly passed in a distance of about 100m. As I was about 300m away, it started a shadow fight backing up swinging its massive head, then rushed forward as if charging an invisible bull and hitting it. Then it stabbed the ground with the sharp horns and made a nice full circle turning around itself. It did all this a few times. It seemed like as it was going through all the things it should have done and said... to me - if only... I once saw a bull do a somewhat similar "dance" turning around itself. That was last year as I was guiding some visitors in August. The animal got surprised by us and crossed the river to the other side. Back on shore it spun round as if spin drying and it did have some effect as water was flying off its thick hair to all sides. Today Julie and I will attempt to cross to the other side ourselves in a small rubber boat over the present delta. We will make use of the high tide and will only return at next high tide 2 o'clock early tomorrow.
PS. Our fax is no longer working but short and free messages can be sent via
http://messaging.iridium.com/ using the number; 881641464327