“Waterhole”

It’s Thursday April 29th and I woke up to a relatively cold (around 23F/-5C) but clear morning close to day break at 0450. The days are getting longer with light remaining well past 9 pm. The UEF campus and much of Kuopio is near Lake Kallavesi which is one of Finland’s ten largest lakes. The university is near a small bay so it’s hard to appreciate the size of the lake. Parts of Kuopio and the surrounding region are actually on various sized islands.

The shore near the campus has had a small amount of ice melt so it has attracted a few waterfowl. The past few nights have been cold enough for some of the open water to refreeze creating a small area that is free of ice. In the mornings and evenings I have been visiting this “waterhole” in the hopes of catching a few photos of the local wildlife (Whooper swans; Golden eye; pair of gooosanders).

Seeing wildlife has made this visit distinct from the last one I made in winter 2020.