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Surrounded by Bee Eaters

When we decided to move to the Algarve I kept saying that I hoped to see and photograph one of the most stunning birds on the planet, the European Bee Eater.

You can imagine how chuffed I am to wake up a few days ago to find the local area heavily populated by returning Bee Eaters. They are everywhere! This morning, four of them were feeding right here at the house.

So I grabbed the camera for some quick “record” shots and got this pair with one who had caught a Bumblebee. Midday sun in the Algarve is not really too kind for photography as it’s so strong, so I’m looking forward to getting some early morning/late afternoon shots over the next few weeks.

{Click image for a higher resolution, click Flickr Link in caption to view photo on Flickr}
Pair of European Bee Eaters lunching - D810, AF-S 500mm f/4 with TC-14III @ 700mm, f/8, ISO320, 1/2000sec - {Flickr Link}

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Portugal Here We Come!

{Click image for a higher resolution, click Flickr Link in caption to view photo on Flickr}
Sunset at Alvor - D7100, AF-S 10-24mm f/3.4-4.5 @ 10mm, f/11, ISO200, 1/30sec - {Flickr Link}

You may have noticed that it’s been a little quiet recently as posts and photos have sizzled out.

There is a reason for this and it’s not because I’ve lost my photo-mojo. Myself and partner Emma, along with her father, are relocating from the UK to Portugal permanently.

For me personally, it gives me the opportunity to take my photography to another level and once established in the Algarve I will be looking at spending a lot of time photographing the fantastic nature and wildlife that Portugal has to offer. The awesome Algarve Coast, the amazing sunsets, the stunning bird life, the dark skies and amazing landscape will all be in the lens.

We are now getting close to our move date and hopefully will be back soon with some amazing captures Portugal has to offer!

Do Our Local Foxes Have Young?

I’ve not been monitoring the (Rural) Foxes we have in the garden as much as I did this time last year, however, last night I set the Bushnell Natureview up in the garden.

We occasionally leave out some food scraps (no cooked bones!) and sometimes some treats, but not enough for them to rely on us for food.

Foxes will collect and store food that they don’t eat in food caches but the “Cramming” we are seeing is exactly what happened this time last year. As you can see on the footage, the Fox crams as much food in it’s mouth in one go and carries it off. I think it’s because it’s taking it back to the Den to feed the Vixen who is babysitting her newborn. The food could even be for the young if they are already old enough.

A few weeks after this happened last year, and the Vixen made an appearance in the garden with a single cub.

This repeated behaviour is hopefully a sign that the Vixen has given birth again.

{Remember to watch in HD if possible}

I spotted a Red Kite this afternoon in East Staffordshire

I was driving not too far from home today (East Staffordshire) and spotted this Red Kite soaring around near Draycott-in-the-Clay.

I managed to get this shot on my phone which clearly shows it distinctive forked tail.

I did get home,  grab a camera and return but the weather turned and a nasty blizzard came through. I didn’t manage to find it.

I will keep an eye open for it.   It’s great that these once almost extinct birds are starting to appear in more and more parts of the UK.

image
Red Kite in Staffordshire

Google Nik Software Collection is now FREE


Google Nik Collection
Google Nik Collection
In the mid-90s, Nik began making image editing software applications that operate as a plug-in for all the major image editing software applications (Photoshop, Lightroom etc.). The price for the software collection was around $500 (can’t remember what it was in £).

The collection includes the following software (descriptions taken from Wikipedia)

  • Analog Efex Pro – Applies film-era camera, lens and film simulation to digital images
  • Color Efex Pro – Package of filters that comes with many effects e.g. HDR effect
  • Dfine – Noise Reduction
  • HDR Efex Pro – Specialised program for processing HDR pictures
  • Sharpener Pro – Image sharpening
  • Silver Efex Pro – Black & White conversion
  • Viveza – Colour control with advanced functions to change contrast and saturation

Even thought they are designed as a plug-in, they can be used as a standalone application, but can be a bit quirky. A Google search shows up many guides to using them as a standalone application.

A few years ago, Google bought Nik Software, they dropped the price down to just $150.

However, Google have recently announced that the entire software collection is now free!

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