A few photos from Russia

[Brad Bortner]

Sorry about the quality, even with L lenses and a 5D, if the sun don't shine and you can't get closer than 200 yards ....

As close as I got to red-breasted geese in the wild.

A captive red-breasted goose

Tufted ducks

Common pochards

Ferruginous ducks

Mute swans in the wild where they are native

gull-billed terns (we have about 400 of these in North America)

One of the ugliest endangered species I've ever seen (Siaga Antelope)

My new 10+ gauge

Peter the Great in his BBSB, seems appropriate for a boat page

Good Night

 

[Matt_n_Barb]

I want to see a pic of you shouldering that "10 gauge"

Thanks for posting, it looks like you had a great trip.

Matt

 

[Brad Bortner]

It was a successful trip but I can't say that I went for the food.

 

[Paul Scott]

Brad, Great experence. Thats on my do before you die list, is seeing wild red breasted geese, that antolope is awsome as well..

Thanks for posting, Paul Scott

 

[Capt. Jack Passie]

All I can say is WOW Great shots and a great trip

 

[Al Hansen]

Thanks so much for the pictures of something I have never seen. I am sure glad that you brought your camera along, Brad.
Al

 

[Shermie]

snuffalupagus

thanks so much for the pics never seen one of these guys before..learn something everyday...

shermie...

 

[tod osier]

Thanks Brad, cool stuff. Those red-breasted geese sure look branty in flight!

 

[Nick Buda]

Thanks for sharing those Brad - always neat to see something different. I would really like to see a tufted duck some day. I had no idea how large the tufts could get on them! Apparently there was a hybrid (with a lesser scaup I believe) spotted near here quite some years ago, but that's the closest we'll ever get here I imagine. I'll have to keep looking next time I visit Europe.

 

[CGeminski]

I went to the Soviet Union in 1989 on a school trip, I also have a photo of myself in front of the "10 gauge". It was still hard line communist when I was there, very surreal experience... especially walking through Red Square in Moscow. I did see a lot of mallards in the river in Leningrad....

 

[Brad Bortner]

Since you mentioned Red Square (the Red doesn't refer to Communism but to beauty).

St. Basil's

Red Square

Lenin's tomb with other Soviet VIP buried in the Kremlin Wall.

A new statue to Georgy Zhukov (the horse is walking on a headless German eagle and Nazi battle flags)

A pre-Soviet wind vane on one of the buildings in Red Square.

The Buddhist Temple in Elista, Kalmykia

 

[Brad Bortner]

Thanks Brad, cool stuff. Those red-breasted geese sure look branty in flight!

Tod they reminded me more of cacklers in size and feeding behavior, but they do fly like flocks of flighty brant.

 

[CGeminski]

I went inside Lenin's tomb while I was there, waited in line in the freezing cold for an hour and a half. When I got to the entrance, a guard shoved an AK-47 butt in my chest because I had my hands in my pockets to keep warm... not allowed. Once inside there was an elevated walkway around Lenin with guards in each corner on the lower & upper levels with AK's. You were not allowed to stop and I have no doubt they would have shot you if you even leaned over the rail.

Directly across Red Square from Lenin's tomb was the Gume Department Store, billed as the "worlds largest" in 1989. We went inside to find NOTHING on the shelves! There was a line of people about 200 long, we asked our tour guide what they were waiting for and he told us "one pair of socks each".

I was a skinny kid back then and still lost 10lbs after a week there, I will look for some photos to share. Very interesting trip, definately not a vacation. The thing I remember most was when we took off from Moscow on the way home the plane full of tourists all started clapping....

 

[Brad Bortner]

Lenin's tomb was closed and no one was allowed within 100 feet or so of the structure. The GUM is now full of boutiques selling everything from Rolex watches and Gucci to Timberland boots to ice cream and cell phones.

 

[CGeminski]

How times change...

 

[Phil Nowack]

Nice pics! I want to go to Russia so bad... a couple days in the cities.... Moscow, St Petersberg, etc... but then to the rural/real Russia. Put my Russian to work!