The sun bath of the cormorant after catching a fish has several reasons. On the one hand it will dry the water permeable plumage, which reduces the buoyancy and allows the bird to dive down to depths of 40 meters. On the other hand, the absorbed rays of the sun also warm-up the cold fish in the stomach of the cormorant and thus serve a better digestion.

At an altitude of 3.984 meters, the Rio Lluta rises in the Chilean Altiplano from the confluence of the Rio Caracarni and the Rio Azufre. Fed by the precipitation in the Andens it is one of the few rivers in the Atacama desert carrying water throughout the whole year. On its 147 kilometer winding journey through the Atacama Desert to the Pacific, the Rio Lluta is the foundation for all life in one of the driest parts of the world.

In the late evening a freshwater crocodile, a so-called “Freshie”, has entered a river bank in the Windjana Gorge to warm-up in the remaining sunlight before the night begins. With a maximum length of two and a half meters, this is a small crocodile species which is under normal circumstances harmless to humans. However if they feel threatened they may attack and causes serious injury with their sharp teeth. Typically they are rather shy and feed from fish, smaller reptiles and insects.

With its length of 3.180 kilometers, the Indus is the longest River on the Indian subcontinent. It originates in the Tibetan Trans-Himalaya and flows on its way to the Arabian Sea through the areas of Tibet, India and Pakistan. Here, in the region of Ladakh, at an elevation of 2.500 meters, it is the live-line for all fertile high valleys in this area.

Around noon a group of elephants has decided to change the side of the Sands River, a natural border in the west of the Krueger National Park. Guided by the matriarch the herd crosses densely packed and in a hurry the river. This nearness during the crossing means security, especially for the youngest among them. Although the water is not very deep, still there is the risk of being torn away by the strong currents or getting injured by an attack of a crocodile.

In the heart of the Irish Iveragh peninsula, far away from the main tourist routes such as the ‚Ring of Kerry‘, you can still find the pristine Ireland in secluded valleys. Gentle mountain slopes with lush green meadows, on which wild Thyme and Bell heather are blooming, invite for a hike. Between the hills are tranquil lakes like Loogh Cloon from where winding rivers like the Ovenroe origin and where the clear waters reflect the clouds in the sky. All this is the wild Ireland.

At the beginning of May and with the rising temperatures, the pool frog has woken up from its hibernation and moved to a sunny spot between the duckweed of the pond. Well camouflaged it is waiting now for prey. The time of the hibernation took a lot of energy from the frog which must be replenished quickly before the upcoming mating season.

After the end of the wet season the Lennard River flows calm and tranquil between the rock banks of the Windjana Gorge. However, only a few weeks ago the water level was about five meters higher, sweeping everything away what was not deeply rooted in the ground. And in a few more weeks, the Lennard River will cease to flow and only a few slow-drying ponds will remain until the beginning of the next wet season.

Far out from each settlement lie the Butterfly Falls within the Limmen National Park. During the wet season a small pond forms at their feet between the shady rocks which doesn‘t dry up during the dry season. This cool oasis in the center of the North Australian bush is the home of many animals and plants, such as the beauty of the pond, the Water Lilly. Without the permanent presence of the water it wouldn‘t be able to survive in this arid environment.

The last ice age created in Norway the Setesdal, a winding river valley where today the Otra river between smooth polished hills and sparse Spruce and Birch forests flows. Norway‘s ninth-longest River origins in the Setesdalsheiene, a mountain range in the south of the country. From here it winds on its 245 kilometer way to Kristiansand where the river enters the Skagerrak.

A Kingfisher has settled down in the scrub on a bank of the Kinabatangan river and waits for the right moment to come. From here, about one meter above the surface of the water, he has a good view of what‘s going on below the waterline. If small fish, crustacean or dragonfly larva come to close to the surface they become the prey of the Kingfisher, which pounces itself into the water like an arrow to catch them.

Slowly but unstoppable move the ice masses of the Perito Moreno towards the banks of the Brazo Rico, a branch of the Largo Argentino, and block the outlet of this part of the lake. While on the eastern side the water can still drain through the Largo Argentino, the precipitation of the surrounding mountains swell on the opposite side. If the water masses don‘t find a way through the blockage in the following months, the pressure on this wall of ice becomes too much and it will burst in a thundering roar. Then the water pours out in a mighty flood into the Largo Argentino.

<Back>