Red-necked Nightjar (Caprimulgus ruficollis)

Tejo Internacional NP, Portugal

Rather peculiar and somewhat mysterious birds, Nightjars are creatures of the night that trust their extraordinary camouflage to go unnoticed by predators in daytime. I found this Red-Necked Nightjar one down, amidst Rockroses and Eucalyptuses, when it was preparing to go to sleep. Even at short distance it was not easy at all to detect it among the dry foliage.

Nikon D3s + Nikon 300mm f8
iso 800, 1/100, f10

Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus)

Tejo Internacional NP, Portugal

Not the most beautiful and attractive bird in our fauna, the Griffon Vulture is certainly a very photogenic species. When in a feeding frenzy – as in this case, where over 250 Vultures devour a deer’s corpse – they give us moments like this, when one of the birds, after having eaten, and with its head and neck splattered with blood, decides to inspect its whereabouts.

Nikon D3s + Nikon 500mm f4 VR
iso 800, 1/320, f5.6, -0.3 Ev

Plains Zebra (Equus quagga)

Kruger NP, Limpopo, South Africa

I like to try black-and-white for Nature photography, and if there is an animal for which such an option is particularly adequate, it is the Zebra, with its striped pattern of strongly contrasting black and white. This photo was taken on a sunny morning, in a path in Kruger’s National Park. Among the 15 to 20 Plains Zebras in this group, these three remained calm in the middle of the path I was following.

Nikon D80 + Nikon 300mm f4
iso 100, 1/400, f4

Common Chameleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon)

Cacela Velha, Ria Formosa NP, Algarve, Portugal

I roamed the Algarve these days, photographing the Common Chameleon. Although it is autumn already, the mild temperatures seem to please this species and I spotted several active specimens. Amongst other things, I aimed at photographing the animals feeding. I tried to introduce some dynamics to the moment when the Chameleon attacks the Grasshopper and for that purpose I worked with reasonably low velocities, balancing artificial light with some daylight. I also decided on backgrounds strongly out of focus, using a telephoto lens.

Nikon D3s + Nikon 300mm f4 + 4x Nikon SB-26
iso 640, 1/40, f10