Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
Tejo Internacional, Portugal

After much diving to capture small preys with which to nourish its brood, a Little Grebe shakes off the water that accumulated on its plumage.

Nikon D300 + Nikon 500mm f4 VR + hidrohide
iso 500, 1/500, f7.1

reflexes
Tejo Internacional, Portugal

The last minutes of sunlight enhanced the reflexes of the small Holly Oaks in the dam. Playing with blurring and diaphragm apertures, new shapes and hues are revealed.

Nikon D300 + Nikon 500mm f4 VR
iso 800, 1/250, f6.3

Black Stork (Ciconia nigra)
Tejo Internacional, Portugal

I take advantage of grey springdays like this one, in the morning, to photograph subjects that would become especially complicated under bright sunlight. The Black Stork, with its strongly contrasting black and white plumage, is particularly hard to illustrate. In the sun, the contrast raises to a point that shadows can be easily underexposed or highlights overexposed. But this cloudy day reveals green or violet tones, depending from the light’s angle of incidence, and that was I tried to show here.

Nikon D3s + Nikon 300mm f4
iso 320, 1/640, f7.1

Nikon D3s + Nikon 500mm f4 VR (700mm) + Nikon TC-14E 1.4x
iso 320, 1/400, f5.6

Booted Eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus)
Tejo Internacional, Portugal

With the spring, many birds of passage, like this Booted Eagle, arrive. Among the blossoming Rosemary, it has just caught a rabbit, which it will carry to a safe place. Its mate awaits on a nearby Cork Oak, where they have built their nest.

Nikon D300 + Nikon 500mm f4 VR + Nikon TC-14E 1.4x
iso 320, 1/640, f7.1