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GRocca Photo, Livigno (2026)

14/04/2025

"show-off time"

It's that time of the year, the time when male black grouses (Lyrurus tetrix) meet in the lek to show-off and fight for females (that, meanwhile, will watch everything with interest).
Unfortunately I'm still not sure if this year I'll be able to experience this awesome behaviour but, for sure, I'll think about it a lot and I'll wait impatiently the next time I'll be there enjoying one of my favourite times of the year... In the meantime I've thought about celebrating it with a picture ❤️🦃

IMPORTANT NOTE:
As usual I would like to remember everyone that will try to see this behaviour to do so with maximum respect for the animals and without disturbing them. Be there very early (when it's still dark) and don't leave until you're sure the grouses left and are not around anymore...
This might mean spending many hours in the cold etc..so be prepared and, if you're not ready to spend long time waiting or have something to do in the morning, simply DO NOT GO close to the lek (taking a photo or watching them is NOT as important as their breeding)

16/01/2025

" lack of snow = more food"

This winter, at the moment, we don't have too much snow in the mountains. This might not be ideal for winter sports and snow enthusiasts (like me) but it surely makes it easy for wildlife to move around and find food. So, whenever I feel like missing some snow, I think about this, trying to feel better about this situation 😅😁 Here we can see a beautiful alpine ibex (Capra ibex) enjoying the vegetation and the sun's warmth.

16/11/2024

"autumnal sunset light"

Another day is ending here in Alta Valtellina, in the Italian Alps. Enjoying the sunset while looking towards the beautiful Val Viola , admiring the beautiful autumn colours contrasting with the snow-capped peaks is a pleasure... for the eyes and for the soul 😍
I'm sure I will never get tired of this feeling of peacefulness; a feeling that my "home-mountains" for sure know how to deliver❤️
Do you like this photo? If so you might should consider getting out there to enjoy this beautiful time of the year! 😍🍂

24/10/2024

" White, snowless, sunset "

As some of you may know there are few animals that "change their appearance" during the year.
One of these is the White ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) , a wonderful bird that is "dressed" with a brown(ish) colour during summer and, lately during the year, slowly turns to a white colour for the snowy months.
You might ask yourself what's the reason for this but there is quite a simple answer: changing the appearance (matching the surrounding colours) can be very helpful to avoid being seen by predators!! Smart! 🤓
But this intelligent way of camouflaging also has its down side: if these animals change their colour while there is still no snow in the ground they actually can become more vulnerable to predation, being more visible and less camouflaged (as you can see in the picture above)...at least until snow starts falling.
Anyway... this is, to me, one of the most interesting and fascinating ways that animals use to camouflage! 😍
What do you think? Isn't it smart and interesting?

Another FUN FACT:
➡️ Ptarmigans are the only alpine birds that do this! ⬅️

11/10/2024

" Turning a dream into reality "

Almost 10 years ago, after seeing the aurora for the first time in New Zealand, I found out that there was the opportunity that this would show up even in northern Italy... What was needed was a strong solar storm and a bit of luck... I already had thought about the picture I wanted to get and this picture became THE picture, it became a kind of addictive thought that kept coming back in my mind....
During these 10 years I've kept chasing "lady Aurora" around the world (first New Zealand, then Canada) and I totally fell in love with it ❤️ so i kept an eye on the space weather (thanks to ) and, every time there could be a slight chance, I've tried to go out...
You might ask: Why? Because of THAT picture... I wanted it so badly!! 😅😅 I don't even know if you can understand how this is possible ... But this is how it went...
Then, last year, we had a weak Aurora show also in my region, but it snowed the day before and the road to go where i wanted was closed...plus i had to walk more to get to the spot I wanted...😔 So I had to go in another place (and that's when I took the picture of Bormio under the slight aurora)..
This year, in may, we had another show...even bigger... But this time I was away, 400km from home... So I've missed another chance😖 I've started thinking that THE picture would never see life...
But, then, a couple of days ago the sun "spat" a CME and I knew that could be another chance... So I started preparing, everything could work out! So last evening I left home at 9 and drove up the mountains, then hiked for an hour or so to get to the spot and....IT HAPPENED! 🎉🎉
The dream became reality! I was so happy I was screaming, dancing and doing all the possible silly stuff 🤯😅 and, at the end, I've stayed up there until 6am 😅😅 I'm tired? Yes! But now I can say that all this was TOTALLY WORTH IT! ❤️❤️❤️
What do you think?

26/08/2024

" my first mountain goat (Oreamnos Americanus) "

This is another one of those pictures that stayed for quite a long time in my archive, before I started having a look in these folders and took time to start editing them..
After a few years here is another picture I've taken while I was in Canada, this is one of the first wildlife pictures I actually hunted for a while and to get it I've spent many afternoons driving to this place (it was a good 40-50 minutes drive to get there, but I really wanted to see these amazing animals in this beautiful spot)... Obviously shooting with a zoom lens to keep a good distance and avoid disturbance as much as possible (as it should ALWAYS be!)
This is also one of those pictures that got me totally hooked to wildlife photography; before I was enjoying taking animal photos but it was not much more than taking photos.. after it started becoming a passion and I've started spending hours (sometimes days) looking for animals ❤️
I've taken this picture in the wonderful Jasper National park , a place that will stay in my heart forever and that i cannot thank enough for getting me hooked to this kind of photography ❤️ but also a place and a community that, lately, is suffering a lot after a big wildfire and that is always in my thoughts...
The least I could do was to donate to support the "coming back to normality" but I wish that, soon, I can get back that way to support the tourism in the area (in the meantime I try to show you how beautiful this place is and how many wonderful wild animals you could get to see there... So you might decide to help Jasper and Jasperites with a donation or, as soon as it will be possible to get there, to visit the area!

30/07/2024

TRIBUTE TO JASPER (Canada)
It's been a while since I've posted pictures, because of the lack of time... But today I want to share with you this image, I know it won't be one of the best pictures you'll see today but the reason I share this is because i want to pay my tribute to a place that gave me a lot and that i fell in love with (and this is one of the few images I have taken of the town itself).
This town is Jasper (Alberta, Canada) and I've had the privilege to live there for a few months while travelling the country and it is one of the few towns I've visited during my travels where I've thought "I could easily live my whole life in this place" ❤️
Jasper is where I fell in love with wildlife photography and where I really started my journey through this kind of photography (yes, I indeed took animals pictures before, but Jasper is where I've started focusing more on this kind of photography) ❤️
Jasper is a town surrounded by nature and wildlife, where life is good and where people are great and create an awesome community ❤️
In the last week Jasper and its surroundings suffered the biggest wildfire in more than 100 years and the town has been badly hit by the fire 😢 it has been heartbreaking to follow the news and to see the devastation that the wildfire has done...seeing the images of the house where I've lived (unfortunately now burnt to the ground 💔) left me totally speechless 😢 and I cannot even imagine how Jasperites are feeling right now💔
I really hope that this awesome place and its community will recover from this as soon as possible and that will get back as awesome as before (or even better, if that's possible).
Thank you for many things, beautiful Jasper! I cannot wait to get back to you and to see you again...and i know that, sooner or later, I'll do so!
My thoughts are all going to Jasperites and my thanks to all the people that in the last days fought this wildfire ❤️
If you would like to DONATE to help Jasper and Jasperites to recover from this sad situation you can do so at the website of the Jasper community team society:
➡️➡️ https://www.jaspercommunityteamsociety.ca/ ⬅️⬅️

06/05/2024

"
Spring has arrived in the mountains and, as usual, it's mating time for the black grouse ( Lyrurus tetrix )... One of my favourite times of the year 😍 unfortunately, at the moment, I still had no time for going to see these beautiful animals performing their "love show" but I might get a chance soon.. let's hope so 🤞🏽
However it will go I've thought about paying my tribute to one of my favourite birds, sharing this image with you all... I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do! ❤️😁

This is the image that I've chosen for the month of April in my last calendar so, if you have it, you might have seen this photo every day for the last month 😁 if so let me know in the comments 😉😁

A gentle reminder: avoid disturbing these beautiful animals!
If you want to see them: instruct yourself on the right behaviour and then stick to "the rules" and do everything you can to avoid disturbance! And remember that getting a better photo it's NEVEE a good excuse for "breaking the rules"! 🙏

08/04/2024

"
Here where I live winter is almost over, but snow is still quite abundant in the mountains (the photo is from a couple of years back, this year i hope to get pictures in the snow 😁).. And it's almost time for me to start waking up in the middle of the night for trying to get a glimpse of one of my favourite birds: the black grouse 😍
If you know me you probably also know that I'm quite obsessed with this bird ... The reasons? First of all it's a very beautiful animal and it's not the easiest to see, making it a bit more challenging/fun to take pictures (waking up very early, hiking up the mountais in the dark, sitting in the cold hide waiting for them, enjoying the sunrise and the early sun in a natural environment..all this makes me happy 😁).. second reason is the lek atmosphere: a mix of peaceful morning in the majestic mountains and the (not so peaceful) interaction between the male grouses trying to "conquer the lek" and have their chance to mate. 😍 But I guess this second reason can be truly understood only by those who have experienced it..

REMINDER
I feel like it's better to remind everyone that we need to take care of these animals and do whatever we can to avoid disturbing them, especially during mating season! So, if you intend trying to get to see these birds, PLEASE first inform yourself CAREFULLY on how to behave and then, if you still feel like wanting to go for it, don't "break the rules" you've learned! There is NO VALID REASON to do so! (For example, one of these rules might be: DO NOT LEAVE YOUR HIDE early! Wait until everything is calm and birds are not there, then keep waiting for at least half an hour or more before moving...and, if in the meantime the grouse comes back, repeat "the operation" once again...)
ALWAYS REMEMBER that there is no excuse for disturbing these animals!

01/03/2024

"A ghost in the blizzard"

It was windy and the snowstorm was hitting the mountains, seeing the weather I've decided that the best thing to do was to take a walk in the mountains and look for some wildlife.😁
At one point I noticed this ibex standing in the blizzard, trying to get some food, and without getting too close (avoiding to disturb it) I waited for the next wind gust and took this image. To me it shows at best the atmosphere of that stormy day and how harsh it can be life in the mountains for these animals..
What do you think? Let me know in the comments 🙏

22/01/2024

"mystical sunset"

Sometimes, to get a great photo, you don't need to work too hard... A bit of luck and keeping a look outside could be enough!
On this day I was sitting on my couch after work, outside it stopped snowing and it was still a misty day; so I've decided to take some shots from my balcony (you can see one of these shots, in black and white, here on my feed).
Feeling satisfied I went back inside the house, the mist seemed like it was getting thicker and the light conditions were not the best... After a while I noticed a change in the light and decided to look out of the window... Behind the thin mist the sun was almost setting and it looked quite good 😁
So I grabbed, once again, my camera and snapped a few pictures.. in a few minutes the sunset's colours started to show up and the atmosphere got quite mystical 😍
This is a picture of that exact moment 😁

🇨🇭

31/12/2023

Here is a recap of the 9 photos you liked more in 2023!
With this I want to thank every single one of you for enjoying my photos and supporting me! You're awesome! ❤️
As you may have noticed I did not post too much in the last year, but I'll try my best to be more consistent with my posting in this coming new year...
I wish you all a wonderful 2024 full of joy, love, serenity and (obviously) plenty of wildlife encounters 😁❤️
( If you would like you can see the full size of these photos in my previous posts )

GRocca Photo

14/04/2025

16/01/2025

16/11/2024

24/10/2024

11/10/2024

26/08/2024

30/07/2024

06/05/2024

08/04/2024

01/03/2024

22/01/2024

31/12/2023

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