Red Deer, north of Alvares Portugal

When we were looking for Eagles in the valley with the olive groves north of Alvares in the Alentejo of southern Portugal, there were herds of both Red and Fallow Deer on the hillsides above us. We were, in fact, right on the edge of large private hunting reserve. However you feel about hunting, the deer were certainly beautiful and healthy, and the land they were on is being preserved in natural state, which has to be a good thing. In fact it is one of the places they are reintroducing the Iberian Lynx, the most endangered feline species in the world, and with some early signs of success. That is a very good thing. As we enjoyed the deer, Helder, my Portuguese guide, wondered aloud if he would see an Iberian Lynx one of these years from this very spot, while ostensibly looking for Eagles? I certainly hope so. Sony RX10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode. 1/640th @ f4 @ ISO 100. Processed in Photoshop Express.

Eurasian Spoonbills in flight over the Alentejo in Portugal.

When I posted a shot of Flamingo from Portugal, someone commented that it was not pink. That is because, at least in winter in Southern Europe, the Flamingos do not get enough shrimp in their diet to turn the feathers pink. I suspect it is the same with the Eurasian Spoonbill and our (here in the US) close relative the Roseate Spoonbill. Our Roseates vary in pinkness over the season with their diet. I have to think the Eurasian Spoonbill eats very little shrimp, or shrimp of another kind, without the pigment in the shell. (The Collins Guide says they eat mollusks, crustaceans, and small fish.) This small flock was flying over the steppe hills between Castro Verde and Mértola in the Alentejo of Southern Portugal. Sony RX10iv at 600mm. Program mode. 1/1000th @ f7.1 @ f4. Processed in Photoshop Express.

Mallard ducks on the winter Mousam

We are having a real cold snap here in the last week of December. Temperatures are not getting out of the single digits (above zero) for the better part of a week, and it is, according to Accuweather, 24 below zero right now in pre-dawn Kennebunk. The Mousam river is freezing right up to the edge of the rapids at Roger’s Pond Park, and the Mallards are not enjoying it. The clear blue skies and sun help, by later in the day. If there is no wind, and your are dressed for it, it can be quite pleasant. (I wear two layers of high tech longjons under my pants and coat, and my Tilly wool hat, but I have not found gloves thin enough to drive and photograph in that keep my hands warm enough.) Of course, all the Mallards can do is try to stay out of the wind and soak up sun. Sony RX10iv at 600mm. Program mode. 1/1000th @ f4 @ ISO 100. Processed in Polarr.

American Robin in ornamental cherry tree, Roger’s Pond Park, Kennebunk Maine

The ornamental cherry tree at Roger’s Pond Park in Kennebunk Maine is a winter magnet for birds: Robins like this one, Bluebirds, Cedar Waxwings, and House Finches in particular. They seem to only come on really cold days, but we are having a cold snap right now (it is -2 with a wind-chill of -25 as I write) and already yesterday morning the Robins were in the tree. Sony RX10iv at 600mm. Program mode. 1/1000th @ ISO 100 @ f5.6. -.3EV. Processed in Polarr and Photos (I have found that the Auto Light tool in the native Photos App on my iPad can easily adjust shadow and contrast to put the finishing touches on a photo I have already processed in Polarr. 🙂

Eastern Bluebird, near our back deck feeding station, Kennebunk Maine.

A companion to the Chickadee post from a few days ago. The birds have been very active at the back deck feeding station. We have meal-worms out for the Bluebirds, and I scattered cracked corn for the Juncos. The Titmice and Chickadees and Downy Woodpeckers are there in greater numbers. We get the occasional White-breasted Nuthatch, and the past two days there has been a lone American Tree Sparrow with the Juncos. We even had one of our rare visits from the Red-bellied Woodpecker. Lots of action in the cold and snow. The Bluebirds, especially this year’s young, will occasionally sit for a picture on the deck mounted perches, but most of the time they fly up into the trees along the edge of the yard as soon as I open the door to the deck. This is one of the pair of adults. Sony RX10iv at 600mm. Program mode. 1/250th @ ISO 100 @ f4. Processed in Polarr.

Beach Rose Hip under ice. Kennebunk Maine

In a variation in yesterday’s theme, Beach Plums are, of course, actually rose hips from the Rugosa Rose, an invasive species brought in to stabilize dunes and since run wild all up and down the East Coast. When harvested and made into jelly, they are Beach Plum Jelly. This one wears a coating of ice from a recent storm, turning into native sculpture. Sony RX10iv at 600mm. In-camera HDR. Nominal exposure: 1/125th @ f4 @ ISO 100. Processed in Photoshop Express.

Beach rose fruit (plums) at our local beach after the storm

I don’t know why but this just seems to be a Christmasy image. I am sure there is some deep theology there in the thorns and red fruit and the ice, but mostly it just looks festive…decorated for the season…and somehow seasonal. So I will post it this Christmas morning…wishing you all, again, a very Merry Christmas. Love, joy, and peace to all. That is what it is all about, today and every day!

Sony RX10iv at 600mm. In-camera HDR. Processed in Photoshop Express.

Chickadee, on the back deck, Kennebunk Maine

Taking a break from my Birds and Nature Tours Portugal trip to the Tagus Estuary and the Alentejo, here is a little Chickadee on the back deck feeding station this morning. Everything is coated with ice, but the birds don’t seem to mind. Sony RX10iv at 600mm. Program mode. 1/250th @ f4 @ ISO 160. Processed in Polarr and Photos on my iPad Pro.

Immature Imperial Eagle, Alentejo, Portugal

Helder, my guide during my week with Birds and Nature Tours Portugal in the Tagus Estuary and the Alentejo, said he prefers to call this the Iberian Imperial Eagle, though in the guides you will find it as Spanish Imperial Eagle. They are, according to Helder, easier to see in Portugal than in Spain. This is an immature bird, still hanging with the parents, near the nesting territory between Castro Verde and Mértola in the Alentejo of southern Portugal. And indeed, Imperial Eagles were not hard to see where we traveled. We saw several over 3 days in the region. Sony RX10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom Birds in Flight settings. 1/1000th @ f4.5 @ ISO 100. Processed in Polarr.

Stone Chat, European Goldfinch, Corn Bunting, European Robin, Chiffchaff, Eurasian Tree Sparrow

I have a great deal of admiration for any photographer who successfully photographs Passerines in Europe. Passerines are “perching birds”, sometimes called “song birds”…generally small inhabitants of fields, forests, gardens, and lawns…the little birds that often most enliven our lives because they live so close to us, and because they sing. Unfortunately, in most of Europe, until recently, they were also hunted for both food and sport. (There are still countries in southern Europe where hunting song birds is common, if now illegal.) Because of the hunting pressure over hundreds of thousands of bird generations, the passerines of Europe are wary of humans…extremely wary…so wary that it is almost impossible to get close enough for frame-filling images without a lot of patience and a good “hide” (we call them “blinds” in the US…some way of disguising your human presence). Even birds that have been relatively “tame” in England on my visits there, like the common garden Robin or Goldfinches, are skittish and flighty in Portugal. On my trip through the Tagus Estuary and the Alentejo with Birds and Nature Tours Portugal, we had some success sneaking up on birds on the fence lines in the car (essentially using the car as a hide)…some…maybe 1 in 25 birds…sat for a picture, and none allowed close approach. I am told that it is easier in the spring when the birds are establishing nesting territories, there are more birds about, and they are bolder. The panel above shows some of the closest encounters we had in the Tagus Estuary in December: (reading left to right and down) Stone Chat, European Goldfinch, Corn Bunting, European Robin, Chiffchaff, and Eurasian Tree Sparrow. We encountered these birds everywhere, and in great numbers. Getting photos was a whole other thing. Don’t get me wrong. It might have been frustrating, but it was also fun! Sony RX10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode. Processed in Photoshop Express. I hope, one of these years, to get back to Portugal in the Spring.