bird Archives - Page 6 of 13 - Craig Rogers Photography

Another Shot From The “Dark Perch”

16th July 201916th July 2019Craig Rogers

Just another shot of the juvenile male Common Kingfisher from a few days ago at my “Dark Perch“. This time he’s got his back facing me showing off his typical “go-faster stripe.”

I have a new location ready to go, clouds depending, I’ll be there in the morning, not sure how they’ll react to this one as I have to use my pop-up hide and not sure if they will be happy around it.

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📷 Nikon D850, AF-S 500mm f/4 @ 1/640sec, f/11, ISO450Continue reading >>

A Local Bee-Eater Nest Is Now Very Active

4th July 20194th July 2019Craig Rogers

After the disappointment of finding a destroyed Bee-Eater nest (see HERE) and of course, one dead and one rescued nestling, I took a look at another location where there are nests and watched a pair actively returning to the nest over and over with food for the young inside. Whilst the birds are digging their nests and mating, I (mostly) leave them alone as not to cause them to flee and abandon, but now they young to feed I will watch and shoot from a safe distance.

The great news is that it has a very natural hide for me courtesy of the river bank. I look forward over the next few days capturing some shots, although the very unseasonable cool and cloudy weather may put a stop to it!

Here is a shot I got of one of the parents leaving the nest.

Hiding In The Shadows

17th June 201917th June 2019Craig Rogers

As I continue to shoot more “artmospheric” shots I noticed a huge family of Eurasian Jays in a thick area of Eucalyptus this morning. It included many youngsters shouting to be fed by the parents.

They were mainly in the shade, but the morning sun was breaking through gaps in the branch. Here is one of the Eurasian Jays I just had to shoot with just it’s head in the light.

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A Great Experience At A Practical Workshop At Salgados

28th May 201929th May 2019Craig Rogers

I don’t currently advertise it as a service, however if asked, I will organise follow-up practical sessions for past attendees on my Digital Photography Fundamentals Workshop. I will be launching this as a full service shortly though!

This morning I met Joy at Salgados at 8am for a morning session on Bird Photography and we had a great time.

I always find it strange to feel in awe of spotting a European Magpie, in the UK every other bird seems to be one, but in the Algarve they one seem to appear only in certain localities, Salgados is one of those. Almost immediately, one came down to land nearby.

Desperate For Some Nature, So I Visited The Local Little Owl

14th May 201920th June 2019Craig Rogers

The last 2 days have been early starts for 2 days of workshops and even though I’ve had a lot of fun, I was missing my dose of nature.

The late afternoon light was looking great so I paid the local Little Owl a visit, I made my way through some Esteva (Gum Rock Rose) and now I’m sitting here removing ticks! YUCK!

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Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers

20th April 201920th April 2019Craig Rogers

Yesterday I saw a pair of Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers preparing their Nest Hole in preparation for egg laying. The male seemed to be doing all the duties whilst the female kept leaving and returning. I only managed to get shots of the male.

Our local area has a large number of Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers probably the most commonly seen Woodpecker here. This is interesting because every resource I read about their presence in Portugal states that they are uncommon. I will be keeping an eye on this nest site and hope to grab some feeding photos if they are successful at breeding. The Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers seem to be less bothered about my presence than any of the other Woodpecker species which means they tolerate me getting quite close.

Here’s a few photos I snapped of him.