Ok, one more to share from the morning spent yesterday with this gorgeous lady.
More to come soon once my neck and back has stopped aching from squeezing into the hide!
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Kingfisher Up Close!
So, as promised in yesterday’s post (see here), I have relocated both the Bushnell NatureView and also the temporary perch.
I was expecting a few days of nothing whilst the Kingfisher got used to a change in its environment. I was wrong.
Just 12 minutes after I left, the Bushnell recorded a very brief visit of the Kingfisher. The capture only has a few seconds before it flies off so not really long enough to create a video, but here is a still image from the capture (continue reading below the image).
Continue reading >>
A Kingfisher on the Perch!
Just over one week ago the Bushnell NatureView I had setup at a River Pool to monitor Otters captured a Kingfisher (see blog here). So I got to work and set up a temporary perch for the Kingfisher to dive from.
Yesterday, I finally managed to record a Kingfisher visiting. I need to rethink the camera position as it seems the Kingfisher may not be triggering the camera consistently. When the camera is triggered it records 1 minute before waiting to be triggered again. As you can see in the video, the Kingfisher remains on the perch when the camera stops recording, however, it doesn’t trigger it again. I had set the camera up to capture it not only on the perch but also the dive. I may have to concentrate the camera solely on the perch.
The camera is not there to capture good usable footage but is in place to try to establish any trend that the Kingfisher is showing, particularly the time of day it visits. I hope (before the river starts to flow again) to hide on the river bank and capture some photos of this Kingfisher.
For now, enjoy the video.
{Remember to watch in HD if possible}Continue reading >>
Grey Heron and a Flock of Iberian Magpies taking a bath (Video)
It’s been quiet on the River Cam the last few days, maybe something related to the rain (yippee!) we’ve been having here in the Algarve.
However, quiet it might be, I still have 2 videos to share.
First up, a Grey Heron decided to visit looking for some aquatic life to feast on. These shallow river pools that are created by the river being dry makes perfect wading areas, however, I suspect the amount of food for the large waders is starting to run out now and the river needs to start running again soon.
[UPDATE] Since writing this post I learnt about the Azure-winged Magpies being the incorrect name for the species found in Europe, it is called the Iberian Magpie, more details can be seen in this post. {Remember to watch in HD if possible}Continue reading >>
No Otters Yet, Another Fisherman Arrived Though! (Video)
I have placed my Bushnell Camera on a different River Pool after finding a nearby (maybe) Otter’s Holt, however, for the last 2 nights the camera has only managed to capture a Mouse.
Yesterday morning at 10:40am I was recorded leaving the site after swapping out the memory card, just 15 minutes later the following was captured. Yes, a Kingfisher catching it’s breakfast. It’s not great footage as the camera is pointing directly into the sun at this time of day. However, the shape of the Kingfisher is unmistakable.
I’m not really surprised to have captured the Kingfisher, however, I am surprised to see the Kingfisher here at this time of year. Normally, when the rivers dry up the Kingfishers head towards to coast where the rivers still have water, maybe it’s been here all year and these pools have enough fish to sustain the Kingfisher’s diet or maybe it’s just returned. Hopefully, in 4 to 6 weeks we’ll have enough rain to get the river in full life again.
Right at the start of the clip, watch in the centre for the shadow of it hovering. The timing on this clip is unedited and the hovering and 2 dives are in realtime as it happened. I can’t quite make out what the 2 birds having a bath are, but it’s comical to see them hop out of the way of this superfast diver!
It must be sitting in a Tree up on the riverbank and launching itself from there, later today I will make a lower down perch from Bamboo to see if it uses this instead then hopefully get some better footage. Of course, I would love to be there taking photos, but I’m still awaiting news on my 500mm repair and don’t want to get too close with my 300mm.
It just keeps getting better the amount of local wildlife that is surrounding this amazing place we live.
{Remember to watch in HD if possible}Otter At Our River! (Video)
We are lucky to have the Odelouca River cut its way through part of our land, you notice I didn’t use the term run through our land. Usually, sometime in June the river runs dry and remains dry until the heavy Autumn rains kick-start it flowing at the end of October, beginning of November. We are up-stream of the Barragem do Odelouca which provides drinking water for the Algarve.
It’s the end of October and so far there hasn’t been any significant rain to make any difference. All around the river banks both on and near our land have well established tracks that wildlife use to access the river and for a while I have been wanting to set up my Bushnell trail camera to see what frequents the river.
At various meanders and bends on the river, pools form and stay deep enough all year for the aquatic life to seek refuge of the dry river bed. Of course, these pools not only provide drinking water for other wildlife, but food.
One of the tracks leading to the river passes under a wire fence and I took a look at some hair that had been caught. To be honest, I had no idea, but took a guess at Otters.