sao marcos da serra Archives - Page 2 of 3

Perseids Meteor Shower 2017

13th August 201712th August 2018Craig Rogers

The Perseids Meteor Shower is a yearly event in August as the Earth travels through the dust left behind by the Comet Swift-Tuttle as it orbits the Earth.

This year, the peak time was 1am on the 13th August, however, the bright Moon in the sky was going to wash out most of the visible Meteors and make photography a little tricky. Therefore, I decided to set the camera up and point North East towards the Perseus Constellation (where the shower gains it’s name) before Moon rise to capture some of the early starters.

The image below is the best of the bunch. If you look closely, you can actually see 3 Meteors that burnt up within this 20 second exposure. It’s amazing to think that these bright “shooting stars” are dust the size of a grain of sand!

What I love about this shot is not only is the Milky Way clearly evident, but also the Andromeda Galaxy is showing herself off too!

{Click image for a higher resolution, click Flickr Link in caption to view photo on Flickr}

Persieds Meteors - D810, AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8 @ 14mm, f/3.2, ISO3200, 20sec - {Flickr Link}

Summer Sunset Colours Return to the Algarve

1st June 20179th October 2017Craig Rogers

June is upon us and the African weather influence has well and truly arrived in the Algarve. Here in the Serra, the temperatures are now consistently above 30 degree Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) every day.

This warm african weather also brings the amazing colours at sunset (and indeed Sunrise). I look forward to getting out at both Sunrise and Sunset to capture some great scenes.

Here’s a quick photo I snapped this evening, a silhouette of the very common Blue Gum Eucalyptus Tree against a stunning sky.

{Click image for a higher resolution, click Flickr Link in caption to view photo on Flickr}

Blue Gum Eucalyptus Silhouette Sunset - D810, AF-S 300mm f/2.8 @ 300mm, f/8, ISO200, 1/400sec (Metering set to Matrix and a -1EV Exposure Adjustment to give the silhouette) - {Flickr Link}

The Blue Gum Eucalyptus covers a lot of Portugal, however, it’s not natural here. It was introduced from Tasmania (yes, these are the ones you see Koala’s hugging) in the 1850’s and as it self-seeds and grows very quickly, it covers large areas.

European Bee Eaters Nest Building (Video)

23rd April 20179th October 2017Craig Rogers

Yesterday morning I managed to get to the “hole” where the Abelharucos (Portuguese for Bee Eaters) have been building their tunnels and place a Bushnell NatureView Camera to capture any more visits.

I woke up this morning and stepped outside to drink my (required) morning Coffee to a loud reception of Bee Eater chatter. They were all gathered on trees surrounding the “hole”.

This evening I managed to swap the memory card in the camera and couldn’t believe how much footage was recorded from the 2 days.

I have used a small selection to create this short film of them busy building. As you can see it seems that the whole colony is building tunnels, which is normal behaviour.

European Bee Eaters make tunnels around 1 meter long with a chamber at the end where the female will lay between 5 and 8 eggs. It’s obvious from the film that it takes a longtime to complete, around 20 days.

The clips are a selection from the 2 days, towards the end, the light levels improve as the bank is South West facing so keep watching to really appreciate the stunning colours of these birds.

{Remember to watch in HD if possible}

The B52 of the Bee World, the Violet Carpenter Bee

18th April 201731st May 2019Craig Rogers

One minute your sitting in the Algarve Serra enjoying the birds singing, then you hear the deep buzzing noise of the Violet Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa Violacea) coming as if it’s on a bombing mission.

The first time people see these giants they may think they are dangerous, yes the females have a stinger (like all Bees, the males do not) but they pose no real threat of stinging.

They happily fly around you, sometimes bashing into things as they do appear to be drunk a lot, without even seeming to care you are there.

They are very common up here in the hills of the Algarve and grow to almost 4cm long!

They nest in dead wood or Bamboo. They will only choose rotting wood so pose no great threat to construction unlike species of Carpenter Bee found elsewhere in the world.

The males are often seen this time of year hovering looking for females.

Here’s a picture from the garden late this afternoon.

{Click image for a higher resolution, click Flickr Link in caption to view photo on Flickr}

Violet Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa Violacea) - D810, AF-S 300mm f/2.8 @ 300mm, f/3.5, ISO800, 1/800sec - {Flickr Link}

Surrounded by Bee Eaters

9th April 20179th October 2017Craig Rogers

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}

Frost in the Algarve?

22nd January 20179th October 2017Craig Rogers

Yes, believe it or not, the sunshine capital of Europe can get cold, particularly up in the Serra.

We’ve had a few cold nights recently, last night dipped below freezing and there was a good ground frost. However, as soon as the sun comes up, the frost instantly melts.

I was out just before sunset and walked down to the local Barragem (same location as the Sunset Reflection at the Barragem photo a few nights ago) to photograph the sunrise.

{Click image for a higher resolution, click Flickr Link in caption to view photo on Flickr}

Chilly Sunrise - D810, AF-S 24-70 f/2.8E @ 24mm, f/8, ISO64, 1/320sec (2 shots) : 24mm, f/22, 1/30sec (1 shot) - {Flickr Link}