Common Genet (Genetta genetta)

Companhia das Lezirias, Porto Alto, Portugal

Nikon D300 + Nikon 17-35mm f2.8 (at 26mm) + 2 x Nikon SB-26 + IR cell beam

iso 400, 1/250, f7.1

One of the mammals I most enjoy photographing is the Common Genet. They are very elegant, agile and extraordinarily calm. Sometimes they even fall asleep before the camera, indifferent to the shooting of cameras and flashes! 

European Badger (Meles meles)

Alcochete, Portugal

Nikon D700 + Tokina 17-35mm f4 (at 17mm) + 3 x Nikon SB-26 + IR cell beam

iso 1600, 1/250, f10

"Montados" - basically forests of cork oaks, holm oaks or both - occupy large areas in South Portugal. Cork oak "montados" provide a considerable income that results from the cork industry. They also constitute important habitats for many animals, such as this badger who recently saw the cork being taken from the tree near its burrow.

Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo)

Alcochete, Portugal

Nikon D300 + Nikon 17-35mm f2.8 (at 22mm) + 3 x Nikon SB-26 + IR cell beam

iso 400, 1/250, f11

I chose this willows copse top photograph the Common Genet and the Stone Marten, two nocturnal carnivores occuring in Portugal. During the day, the sensor detected some passerines and this Commom Buzzard that randomly chose this place to rest...

European Badger (Meles meles)

Alcochete, Portugal

Nikon D300 + Nikon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 (at 20mm) + 2 x Nikon SB-26 + IR cell beam

iso 500, 1/250, f10

In the evening, a badger's cub leaves its lair, in the middle of a pine forest. European badgers are excellent diggers and their burrows are often complex and labyrinthine, and can have more than a dozen entrances.

Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus)

Montesinho NP, Portugal

Nikon D300 + Nikon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 (at 30mm) + Passive IR cell beam

iso 500, 1/5, f8

On an evening in late winter, a Roe Deer is surprised (at last!) by a camera discreetly placed near a track. The sun, after hidden behing the mountain tops, still provites a gentle light that warms the whole landscape.

 Greater Horseshoe Bat
(Rhinolophus ferrumequinum)

Beira Baixa, Portugal

Nikon D3s, Nikon 105mm f2.8 VR + 10xNikon SB28 + Jama BIR2 (IR cell beam)

ISO800, 64 sec., f11

One night, under the moonlight, a Greater Horseshoe Bat patrol the banks of a river in search of insects.

Wild Boar (Sus scrofa)

Montesinho NP, Portugal

Nikon D300 + Nikon 17-55mm f2.8 (at 22mm) + 4xNikon SB28 + TrailMaster TM550 (passive IR cell beam)

ISO500, 1/250, f7.1

Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)

Montesinho NP, Portugal

Nikon D300 + Nikon 17-55mm f2.8 (at 22mm) + 4xNikon SB28 + TrailMaster TM550 (passive IR cell beam)

ISO500, 1/250, f7.1

During a snow storm at night, a Red Fox activates the set. Far from the ancient track, the remaining image would soon be erased, were it not for this short story. In the next image saved in the card, two days later (this winter, two days were enough to melt all the fallen snow), a Wild Boar poses for the camera. Why did he assume such a pose during the snowy night? Alternatively, why wasn’t it also snowing in the night when it did pose? By the way, was it too difficult for the fox to actually tread the old path? One must be persistent, things will end up happening after all…

Wood Mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus)

Serra do Caramulo, Portugal

Nikon D3s, Nikon 105mm f2.8 VR + 2xNikon SB28 + Jama BIR2 (IR cell beam)

ISO1600, 1/200, f8

By late October, a small Wood Mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) looks for chestnuts forgotten under a large Chestnut tree. Soon the inclement winter n the mountain will cover the forest with snow. The reserves amassed by the small rodent will then be crucial to its survival.