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Late yesterday evening I wrapped up my 2022 workshop for Arctic Fox in the far north of Iceland with the return drive to Reykjavik. We had planned to fly back to the capital city, but winter conditions saw the cancellation of the return flight and execution of Plan B. Strong winds at 42 meters per second delayed us in Borganes, but we all made it safely back to Reykjavik. Winter conditions this year were absolutely superb with a fantastic covering of fresh snow. Arctic Fox were active in the area and I will have a full trip report with photographs up on my website on my return to Australia.

The Canon EOS R3 performed flawlessly in the difficult and unpredictable Iceland winter conditions. During the week we spent photographing Arctic Fox I subjected the camera to the same sort of abuse I usually put my 1-Series (1DXMK3) through (leaving it in the snow for extended periods) and the camera performed without issue. Although it was never colder than around -20º Celsius with wind chill (air temp fluctuating between -6C and -10C), there were no issues with battery life or performance. We did have very consistent temperatures during the workshop; which is somewhat unusual for Iceland’s freeze/thaw climate.

Today I am making my way from Iceland over to Finland for my Winter Wildlife workshop. I expect much colder temperatures in the north of Finland; which should prove an even better test for the Canon EOS R3. We are looking forward to Wolves in a deep winter setting as well as Golden Eagle and many other winter birds. See you in Finland.

I have just published Episode #37 of my Wild Nature Photography Podcast. This podcast episode includes an update from Reykjavik in Iceland on my 2022 Arctic Fox Workshop.

Around midnight yesterday I arrived in Iceland after the long haul from Australia; this time via Doha and Copenhagen. The flights were more or less uneventful; although it is still very clear that there is a global pandemic underway – mask-wearing being mandatory on flights and through airports. I could have done without the six and a half hour layover in Copenhagen; but at least the COVID entry requirements into Iceland were negotiated without issue. I managed to sneak into Iceland only minutes ahead of a big storm that is now raging across the south-east. Wind speeds inexcess of thirty metres per second mean roads are closed and there will be very little activity today.

My plan for today was to head out of town with my good friend Daniel Bergmann to try and photograph a Gyr Falcon that has been coming regularly to a particular location not far from town. The storm has unfortunately destroyed that notion though and currently road travel is not safe. It will instead be a day of cafe hoping and coffee drinking.

Regardless of the weather, it is absolutely wonderful to be back in Iceland. It feels like an eon ago I was here; even though it was only early 2020 (just two years ago). In fact, Iceland was actually my last port of call before the pandemic took full hold across the planet and shut everything down.

Tomorrow I will be making my way north (weather permitting) to Isafjord and then onto the Hornstrandir Nature reserve via charter boat for my Arctic Fox workshop. I am very much looking forward to getting back to the reserve and the foxes. I will be off-grid for the better part of a week while in the reserve. Stay safe and well.

The time has arrived to begin my travel schedule for the year and very shortly I will be making my way to Melbourne airport for the long haul flights to Iceland for my 2022 Arctic Fox Expedition and then onto Finland for my Winter Wolf workshop. I have to say, it is nice to finally be able to leave Australia again without having to wade through the fetid waters of home affairs and border force bureaucracy to obtain permission. Thankfully, both Iceland and Finland have relatively straightforward common sense entry requirements that should see a smooth transit (I hope!).

One real ‘travel’ positive is the requirement for an expensive negative PCR test for the airline has been removed and the results of a supervised RAT test are now sufficient to enter both Iceland and Finland. Thankfully, this RAT test can now be taken at Melbourne Airport for under $60 – a far more palatable solution to the $300 PCR test.

I plan to try and podcast with updates along the way whenever time permits. See you in Iceland!

The photograph of the month for February 2022 comes from my 2019 expedition to Iceland to photograph Arctic Fox in Winter. This rare moment of two blue-morph Arctic foxes interacting and playing/fighting in the snow was one of the many wonderful encounters we experienced during our stay in the Nature reserve. Arctic Foxes are common in this area as they are protected from hunting. Arctic Foxes are typically solitary animals; interactions are rare and usually only occur during the mating season. Even then, the coming together of two foxes is usually only a brief moment at best.