Carsten Riedl Photography

23/07/2020

Neowise über der Schwäbischen Alb

Mit Michael Schmitt und Theresa Mühl

20/02/2020

Hallo Zusammen,

"Meine Mission" zur Rettung der Streuobstwiesen wurde von Hauser-Exkursionen ins Rennen zur Wahl geschickt.

Wer mich gerne dabei unterstützen möchte folgt einfach dem Link und voted für mich ;-)
Vielen Dank
Carsten

- DIE DRITTE 📢

🍎🍐 Carsten (45) - Warum seltene Apfel- & Birnensamen nach Spitzbergen gebracht werden müssen.

"Ich lebe am Rande der Schwäbischen Alb, inmitten Europas größter Streuobstlandschaft. Dieses Biotop ist einzigartig und wichtig für eine Vielzahl verschiedener Lebewesen. Unzählige Insektenarten, Fledermäuse, Singvögel, und auch höher entwickelte Säugetiere leben hier. In der industrialisierten Landwirtschaft hingegen gibt es nur noch wenige verschieden Apfelsorten die in großen Monokulturen angelegt sind. Um die Biodiversität unserer Umwelt zu erhalten ist es meine Mission die verschiedensten Apfel und Birnensamen aus unserer Region zu sammeln, und nach Spitzbergen in den Svalbard Global Seed Vault zu bringen. Hier werden die Samen aller Pflanzen dieser Welt gesammelt und archiviert.

Wenn ihr Carsten bei seiner Mission unterstützen möchtet, dann gebt diesem Post euren Daumen. 👍 Am Ende unserer Kampagne gewinnt die Mission mit den meisten Likes unser Hauser-Stipendium und Ausrüstung von Maier Sports.

🚀 Auch du hast eine Mission? Dann mach selbst mit unter https://1werden.com/meine-mission-2020/

* Teilnahmeschluss ist der 29.02.2020
Teilnahmebedingungen unter https://1werden.com/meine-mission-2020/

02/06/2019

Day 10
Whales wanted, but friends found.
My alarm clock rings early today. Still in the dark, I'm off to the sea to photograph the sunrise over Pico one last time.
At the narrow black sand beach next to the ferry port, I sit on a wall and enjoy the fresh sea air.
The wind is surprisingly calm today and the clouds are moving slowly. My thoughts go through the experiences of this expedition again.
Ten People, hailing from all over the world, from different backgrounds met here to share a passion: the love for whales and nature, and the will to use their time and energy to study and protect them.
It's amazing how well this group got along. We lived and worked in tight spaces. Had great discussions and a lot to laugh about. Everyone helped each other and everyone was very accommodating. Friendships were created, which I feel will extended far beyond the end of this expedition.
Even if we did not seen the giants of the seas we came for, we gained so many impressions, and experiences that I would not have expected.

The taxi is coming soon, so I go back to our accommodation to say goodbye to the others.

If the wind is holds me in favour today, my plane will take me to Lisbon at 10:35

Biosphere Expeditions Shantala Wentink Joanne Jackson Ashley M. Halligan Katie Guregjalli Craig Turner Lisa Steiner

01/06/2019

Day 9

Last encore.

The wind has turned today and hits us from the west. This means there is not enough slipstream on either the south or the north side of the islands and thus the sea is too rough to find anything. Only the channel between Faial and Pico is protected from the wind and is quite calm.
Occasionally, whales swim through here, so we decide to go out one last time to try our luck.
As soon as we leave the channel heading north, the swell increases rapidly. Since the forecast rain does not materialise, we continue our course north. We encounter a lot of seabirds, mainly "Cory's shearwater". Their screams sound more like cats or those of little babies, which is a bit disturbing. But still no sign of whales or indeed dolphins today.
The conditions are getting worse and we turn east towards Pico. With the wind in our backs, our catamaran is surfing the waves and it is like a funny ride on a rollercoaster.
Today I have POPA duty again with Shantala and we are sitting at the top of the boat. So I enjoy our last ride back to Horta.

No data are also data.
With this motto, we arrive at our accommodation, and even if we have not seen whales today, it was another exciting day at sea. With exceptional people, great conversations and lots of fun.
As we are back early today, some of us take a taxi and drive to the western tip to climb parts of the Capelinhos in the middle of a sandstorm. We visit an old vigia. What an amazing view of the North Atlantic.
Down on the beach we discover some Portuguese gals (sailing jellyfish), then head back to Horta in the "Casa Do Cha" to our farewell evening.
A feast of a special kind, with lots of laughter and great conversations until late into the night, completes the 10-day expedition.
Very wistful and sad to say goodbye, I go back to the accommodation. Sleep one last time before my plane leaves.

Biosphere Expeditions Shantala Wentink Joanne Jackson Ashley M. Halligan Katie Guregjalli Craig Turner Lisa Steiner

31/05/2019

Day 8
The longest way.
Probably our last "sea day" is coming up. After the grandiose first day with orcas, Risso’s and common dolphins, we hope to see something big today. We go far south and then along an underwater ridge to the east.
It is a wonderful day. Blue skies and tailwind. Best conditions. We glide almost silently over the ocean.
Today I am on POPA duty. Probably the most elaborate job on the boat. I’m in a team with Shantala. You always have something to do. Confirm course, enter wind direction and wind force, assess visibility and so on. The data must be recorded at least every 30 minutes or each time we change course. In addition, there are other tasks such as "turtle time" or watching out for garbage during "trash time". Birds need to be recorded to and there is still the "General Form", which also wants to be fed regularly with data.
So a lot to do, but you have the best seat on board on the top deck and all other participants work towards you.
Never before has there been an expedition on which so many nautical miles were made in one day as we did today. We go to the east end of Pico and then turn off against the wind close to the coast. Still no whales! Dolphins accompany us from time to time, but there is no trace of any of the great whales.
Even after returning to the harbour, the POPA job is not over. We have to transfer the data legibly. We stay at Peter's to complete the work in a cozy atmosphere.
Back at the expedition base, today there is an interesting dish on the table: pasta with raisins, capers and some unidentifiable ingredients. To put it in the words of Joanne: It tastes very "interesting" and “unusual”.

Biosphere Expeditions Shantala Wentink Joanne Jackson Ashley M. Halligan Katie Guregjalli Craig Turner Lisa Steiner

30/05/2019

Day 7
Operation "Needle in a haystack"
The weather does not look very promising, but today we have a very special assignment.
We take Rui Prieto from the "Azores Whale Lab" on board and help him finding a transmitter out in the open sea.
This short-term transmitter was attached to a s***m whale last week and recorded the noises and movement data of the animal. After a maximum 48 hours, the transmitter switches off, detaches and can then be located by its radio signal on the surface and fished out of the sea.

That’s the theory. In practice, however, it sounded like the signal came from land, and Rui could not locate it from his boat yesterday. The high waves probably disturbed the signal. As we have a taller boat, he has requested for us today.

The wind is so strong that we would normally have stayed ashore. Therefore, the trip is optional today. But none of the group will miss a day at sea, and so the whole team plus Rui starts at 9:00 o'clock.

The last bearing was far to the west, near "Capelinhos". Rui did not get there the day before because the waves were too high for his boat.
Moving along the coast, we pass the airport of Faial and can see a plane that tries to land twice, but because of strong winds aborts, and turns around.
Today nobody will come to or leave to the island by air.

Because of the high waves, not even our taller boat is able to pick up a signal from the transmitter. So we criss-cross the area where the transmitter is suspected for while. But the waves are enormous and the search for the transmitter is unsuccessful.

We return and because there are no data to analyse, we use the time for a short hike up the "Monte da Guia". The view is beautiful and the wind has dropped. Towards the sea, the mountain opens with its double crater. We take the detour via the western ridge and get a great view over Porto Pim with its black lava sand beach.

Biosphere Expeditions Shantala Wentink Joanne Jackson Ashley M. Halligan Katie Guregjalli Craig Turner Lisa Steiner

29/05/2019

Tag 6

6 hours of meditation - aft lookout

The services on board rotate daily so that everyone gets the to do all the research tasks over the course of the week.
So no one gets bored by the easier jobs. And more strenuous duties have to be done only once.
The concept is well planned and works well. After the general introductions on the training day, you feel overwhelmed by all the information, but after the first day at sea, you quickly get into it. Everyone becomes an "expert" of their duty from the day before and helps their successor with the training.

As it turns out, today I have the best job on the boat. Yes, actually better than taking pictures and that from a photographer!

I am the aft lookout. While the others always keep their eyes to the front or to the side, or they are busy with data gathering or just chatting, there is one person just looking backwards. You get nothing of the hustle and bustle. Just standing there with the endless sea for company. What sounds a bit boring at first, turned out to be incredibly relaxing and soothing. It's like a 6-hour meditation and an experience unlike any other in today's fast-paced world.

Biosphere Expeditions Shantala Wentink Joanne Jackson Ashley M. Halligan Katie Guregjalli Craig Turner Lisa Steiner

28/05/2019

Day 5

No whales today.

The wind has calmed down a bit today, and at 09:00 we’re off in our boat again.
Today I‘m on camera duty. That means it's the day I have no other job on board and can concentrate on taking pictures. I even have one of the people in the front lookout as a supporter. If we see a whale, the lookout holds me so I have both hands free for the camera despite the rough waves.
So hey whales, where are you?

The onshore lookout towers called "vigia" are stationed around the islands of Faial and Pico. From there, vigias search the sea for whales with binoculars.

The skill was developed in whale hunting times. today they use it for science, or for whale watching tourism.
Over radio they will tell us where they have spotted a whale, but today the radio stays silent.
With no sighting by the vigias, Ashley from the US throws out the hydrophone and tries to pick up some s***m whale clicks. No luck either.

Only a few dolphins can be heard, and a little later we also see them.

So instead of the whales, I document the work on the boat. Ashley on the hydrophone, Flo & Joanne on the data acquisition for POPA, a fisheries data collection protocol by
the University of the Azores.
Biosphere Expeditions Shantala Wentink Joanne Jackson Ashley M. Halligan Katie Guregjalli Craig Turner Lisa Steiner

27/05/2019

Day 4

ID photo matching and island tour.

Strong wind and heavy rain prevent us from going out today so we decide to evaluate yesterday’s data.
Together with Shantala from the Netherlands, I'm on team "Orca", looking through the photos we took yesterday. The aim is to use the dorsal fin as well as the drawings and scars on the back of the animals to determine how many different individuals comprised the group we saw.

We decide to give the animals unique names based on their characteristics to make it easier for us to distinguish and talk about them.
One animal has a prominent nick in the fin, so we call her "Nicki". Another with many barnacles on the back, we call "Barni".
And so we continue until we can clearly distinguish six killer whales.

We compared ”our” orcas with other orcas from the database, which were photographed in the previous years in the Azores, but we can not find a match.

How extraordinary this sighting was! Our scientist Lisa, has seen them in the past 32 years only 4 times around the Azores!

The other expeditioners devote themselves in teams, to similar tasks. Identifying the "Risso’s Dolphins" is just as important as entering s***m wahle flukes into a digital grid.

Countless dorsal fins and scars later, we finish working on the laptop around noon and head out to explore the island in a Land Rover. Neil, Shantala, Joanne from Wales and I are picked up by guide Hugo and we set off to discover the island in a slightly different way.
We visit the Ribeirinha lighthouse, which was destroyed by an earthquake, and make then our way up on a bumpy dirt roads to the highest point of the island, the Cabeco Gordo. Usually you have a wonderful view into the volcano crater, but unfortunately dense fog obstructs the view into the crater today.

Zigzagging westwards, pasts smaller volcanic cones, we head up to the western tip of the island, where the highlight of the island awaits. In 1957, a volcanic eruption formed the youngest part of the Azores. For more than 13 months, the volcano was active, forming an enchanting world around the old lighthouse at Ponta dos Capelinhos. Sand and dust dominate a sureal landscape and, dance in the wind, reducing the visibility down to almost zero.

Biosphere Expeditions Shantala Wentink Joanne Jackson Ashley M. Halligan Katie Guregjalli Craig Turner Lisa Steiner

26/05/2019

Day 3

Orcas !!!

Today is the day, our first outing on the boat, despite some wind, we are out looking for whales.
My job today: hydrophone (a long oil-filled tube that is dragged behind the boat and used to listen to whale vocalizations and locate the animal that makes them).
At 9:00 o´clock, we start up the engines of our research vessel, the "Physeter" (Latin for s***m whale) and head out onto the North Atlantic.

The rough sea conditions are a challenge for some. I take over the duties of sea sick "Florentine" from Munich and record the water temperature on set times and every time whales, dolphins or sea turtles are sighted. Our first animal encounter is a "loggerhead turtle", so we slow down.

If the sea would have been calm enough, we would have tried to catch the turtle and mark her. But the hydrophone is already in the water and , we cannot maneuver backwards. So we let the animal move on without disturbing it.

On the hydrophone, I listen for s***m whale clicks, but hear the sound of dolphins' whistling and laughing instead.

A few minutes later there they are. A group of curious "common dolphins" visit us and swim around and surf in the waves created by the boat.

We change course and head for the south coast of Pico.

A group of orcas frolicking near the coast comes right up to us.
They swim along the boat, dive under us and seem to be as interested in us as we are in them.
After I get a bucket of seawater to check the exact water temperature, I grab my camera and fall into my "photo mode" But the orcas do not stay around for long and when a whale watching boat turns up as well, we decide to head back.

On the way back, we meet a group "Rissos dolphins". More about them on another day.
What a terrific first day at sea!.
With a sunburn, and great feelings of success, I quickly fall into a deep sleep in the evening.

Shantala Wentink Joanne Jackson Ashley M. Halligan Katie Guregjalli Craig Turner Lisa Steiner Biosphere Expeditions

25/05/2019

Day 2

Trainingsday

Together with Neil from Southhampton, I am on breakfast duty today. Ge get up early, buy sandwiches and set the table for a successful start into the day.

On this first day a lot of theoretical work is on the agenda. We find out about the tasks await us on the boat the next week or so, how the team is divided and which different species we can encounter.

The first boat trip is planned for the afternoon, but the weather not favourable. The wind gets up and rain sets in. So postpone our first outing and have a briefing on the boat, a catamaran without leaving the harbour instead.

Hot drinks and a small snack at the harbour café (Peter's) keep our spirits up. I'm excitied and curious about what lies ahead.

Biosphere Expeditions Shantala Wentink Joanne Jackson Ashley M. Halligan Katie Guregjalli Craig Turner Lisa Steiner

24/05/2019

Day 1

Arrival in the Azores.

As I land on the island of Faial, I fly close to Portugal's highest mountain and namesake of the neighboring island, Pico.

Even the locals are amazed by the snow-capped view of the volcanic peak, which usually hides behind dense clouds.

The plane circles the entire island of Faial at low altitude. So low that I can see innumerable birds in the water below us.
The weather is beautiful and the sea is as calm as a mirror in the bay while I take a taxi to Horta.
"Peter Café Sport" is probably the most famous bar on the island and also our meeting point with the other expedition participants.
I look around on the porch and soon discover the first fellow expeditioners with whom I will spend the next 10 days. We get right along and conversation flows easily.

More participants arrive until we are a nice group of different nationalities.
Together we make our way to our accommodation on foot. After a relaxed introductory round and a small city tour, we prepare dinner together. After only a few short hours I know that this will be a great group, and I look forward to an interesting time on my first Biosphere Expeditions project.

Shantala Wentink Joanne Jackson Craig Turner Lisa Steiner Ashley M. Halligan Katie Guregjalli Biosphere Expeditions