Blog – Craig Rogers

Common Linnets Feeding In The Garden (including Competition Winner!)

24th January 202024th January 2020Craig RogersLeave a comment

A few days ago I was photographing the Serins that have flocked around the Quinta and a surprising couple turned up. I say surprising as I’ve never seen them this close to the house before. There are certainly not a rare bird and often see them along the river banks.

The female arrived first and it wasn’t until the male followed soon after that it was obviously a pair of Common Linnets. The male has a pinkish-red breast that really makes him stand out. This will further become saturated as the breeding season starts. They are ground feeders which is why they are currently mixed in with the Serins, this is common behaviour to see mixed Finches in flocks during the winter.

With the scientific name of Linaria cannabina, the Linnet has 6 sub-species, the one found locally in the Iberia, Mediterranean and North West Africa is the Linaria cannabina mediterranea. Like most finches, they are a small bird at around 14cm in length and their diet consists of mainly seeds and buds.

Here is the impressive male….

This Week’s Featured Print – White Stork Attack

23rd January 202023rd January 2020Craig RogersLeave a comment

With my Morning With The White Storks Of Silves Field Trip coming up in just a few weeks I thought I’d get in the mood for these amazing birds.

This week’s featured print is a shot from February 2018 of a White Stork coming into to attack another already on a nest. It was trying to battle for the rights of this nest, it failed!

For me, it has become an icon of these amazing birds and really shows that they are not always the gentle giants they look. Take a look at the Blog Post from this encounter as it also has many other fighting photographs from this day.

{Click image to view in the shop}

Flickr No More!

22nd January 202022nd January 2020Craig RogersLeave a comment

Can you spot the difference in the 2 snapshots of the right-hand bar of the website?

Yes, I’ve removed the Flickr link. I have been using Flickr’s services since around 2007 as they have a fantastic platform to host full resolution images and also a great way to build albums and portfolios. However, in recent years they have been through many owners and troubled times. In 2018 Smugmug bought Flickr and already they seem to be in trouble. Last year they increased the “Pro subscribers” account from a very reasonable $25 to (a just about acceptable) $50 and drastically reduced the amount of photos non-subscribers could have in their platform. This was to try and push people to subscribe to their Pro account. Last month they announced that they required more people to pay for a Pro account to survive and mentioned a “small price” increase for the service. Yesterday this “small price” increase was announced, if you think and extra €15 (when converted) is a “small price” then fair enough, but I think this is ridiculous.

Flickr hasn’t really changed apart from 3rd party extras (printing service for example) and they still haven’t even fixed the issue many people have with the Android App where notifications don’t work. Therefore, this is the final straw for me and I will not be renewing my subscription in April. Continue reading >>

Now Is A Great Time For A Dogs-In-Nature Shoot

21st January 202022nd January 2020Craig RogersLeave a comment

As we are starting to head towards Springtime here in the Algarve, the angle of the sun is getting higher in the sky which of course will bring the hot climate we all enjoy here. However, this means the amazing light that the low angle of the autumn and winter sun will soon be leaving us behind.

This morning I had a quick photo session with Millie, the craziest of our 3 dogs, although she is still a youngster. If you are interested in your very own “Dogs-In-Nature” Photo Shoot, then please find more information HERE.

Dogs-In-Nature Gift Vouchers are also available should you wish to surprise someone with something different!

Fun Competition: Win A 2020 Calendar

20th January 202022nd January 2020Craig Rogers1 Comment

I have a couple of my 2020 Wall Calendars that have some very slight front cover scratches from being transported. The inner month pages are perfect.

So rather than waste them I thought I’d give them away, but not as easy as that, you have to test your brains and will provide a few fun competitions over the next few weeks.

I photographed a pair of birds in the garden today that I’ve not seen this close to the Quinta before, but not a rare bird as there are plenty at the river.

Here is a cropped-in headshot of one of the pair (I’m not telling you if this is the male or female!).

Morning Dog Walk: “Bluey” Is Back

19th January 202019th January 2020Craig RogersLeave a comment

Last year you may remember I was watching and photographing a pair of Blue Rock Thrushes that were constantly defending a nesting spot in a ruin from very persistent Sparrows who wanted the same spot (although the Sparrows were there first!).

Once breeding time came, the pair disappeared as if the Sparrows got the upper hand.

This morning I spotted Bluey, the male Blue Rock Thrush (only the male is blue, the female is brown). Of course, it could be a different Bluey from last year. I was camera-less this morning but will be grabbing some shots soon. I didn’t see the female but suspect she will be there somewhere.

Here are 2 shots from last year of both the male and female.