As I was having an issue with my Nikon 80-400mm lens, I cleaned the electrical contacts before my morning “Wally Walk” and (as usual) used Wally as my test subject.
Looks like the issue has been fixed, here he is enjoying a rest with his stick of the day!
{Click image(s) to view on Flickr - opens in new tab}I take a camera along on my Dog Walks to bring you some of the sightings that I see on my morning walks, these photos are rarely going to be great quality as its hard enough keeping an energetic Dog entertained and get close enough to anything. They also help me identify where species are so that I can plan to return.
Whilst walking near the river this morning I heard a noise that I’ve not heard since the end of September and instantly recognised it as Barn Swallows. I looked to the sky to see 3 of them flying around catching flies for breakfast.
Whilst you may think this is early, it is right on time for the Barn Swallows to return at the beginning of February.
If you want to learn more about the Swallows, Martins and Swifts we can find in the Algarve, take a look at my Algarve Resident article I wrote in July 2018 titled Swallows, Martins and Swifts.
I take a camera along on my Dog Walks to bring you some of the sightings that I see on my morning walks, these photos are rarely going to be great quality as its hard enough keeping an energetic Dog entertained and get close enough to anything. They also help me identify where species are so that I can plan to return.
Whilst walking Wally this morning a Female European Stonechat was sitting on a fence post backlit by the rising sun.
For those that have attended one of my Workshops will know how much I stress that you have to practice photography. This isn’t the case just for beginners learning, but also experienced photographers.
You will often see me using Wally as my model whilst out walking him in the mornings. He loves the “Stay….Stay….Stay….Fetch!” game and this morning we had a lot of fun. Not only is this practice good for technique and the technical aspects of the camera, but also helps with framing and artistic approach.
Here’s a few shots of Wally from this morning.
{Click image(s) to view on Flickr - opens in new tab}This morning, we walked along a nearby field which usually has a large flock of sheep and they seemed to take a lot of interest. This photo reminds me of school class photographs where you can never get all the children to look at the camera at the same time!
I don’t know why, but I always think Sheep look better in Black and White.
{Click image(s) to view on Flickr - opens in new tab}I take a camera along on my Dog Walks to bring you some of the sightings that I see on my morning walks, these photos are rarely going to be great quality as its hard enough keeping an energetic Dog entertained and get close enough to anything. They also help me identify where species are so that I can plan to return.
This mornings Wally walk was different, Emma (my better half) is visiting the UK, so after dropping her at the airport we headed to Ludo right at the western end of the runway for a walk.
We saw many species of bird life as you’d expect from being inside the Ria Formosa park. The biggest joy was watching an Osprey searching for food. It was around an hour before it finally swooped down and caught a large fish, unfortunately, well out of reach of the camera.
I did manage to grab this shot of her, I think it’s a female due to the large size of the body.
