Birds

White Storks Of Silves!

9th February 20209th February 2020Craig RogersLeave a comment

Rain was a possibility, however, when I arrived at the meeting point at 7:45am in Silves, there was a broken cloudy sunrise and the day was looking promising.

It was a cold start and at our first stop the White Storks looked very uninterested in waking up.

All images are protected by international copyright!
All of the content displayed on this website (unless otherwise stated) remains the copyright of Craig Rogers. It is illegal to download, copy (including copy by reference) or distribute any content without prior permission and/or licensing. Please read my Copyright Statement.

The “Well” Swallows Are Back!

1st February 20201st February 2020Craig RogersLeave a comment

This morning as I walked the dogs I recognised a familiar bird call followed by a silhouette against the white canvas of the morning hill mist. A pair of Barn Swallows, these are always the first pair to arrive in this area (even though in the Algarve, Barn Swallows can be seen in December) and they are the “Well” Swallows, named because they have their nest down inside a water well.

I was able to hide inside the Well’s pump house to get some great close up shots. I say this everytime, but please don’t approach live bird nests when the young are there, I’m lucky that I can hide away in the pump house completely hidden.

These are the shots I got last year, but I was struggling with light deep down in the well with overhanging trees.

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}

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.

The Serins Are Singing, A Sign Of The Algarve Spring

12th January 202012th January 2020Craig RogersLeave a comment

Yes, it may only be mid-January, however, this is the time everything starts coming to life in the Algarve, particularly here in the hills.

The first sign of spring is the European Serins singing and a large flock (at least 50) have arrived here at the Quinta.

I took a wander around the garden this afternoon to grab some reference shots of both the female and male. They are very similar except the male has much more yellow on his breast and head.

As you may have noticed, there has been a lack of wildlife shots and posts recently as I have been busy with other projects, however, I will be making some time to get out an about in the next week. Firstly, I will be working out a way to get up close and personal with these tiny birds, but for now, here’s two shots showing the difference between the sexes.

Here is the female….

Continue reading >>