Common Raven (Corvus corax)
Tejo Internacional, Portugal

One of the aspects that most fascinates me in Nature photography is trying to capture the essence of a certain subject. The Common Raven is a particularly clever and wary bird. In the territory of predators that would consider him an adequate meal he scrutinizes its environments carefully, looking for the approach of an eagle.

Nikon D3s + Nikon 500mm f4 VR
iso 1000, 1/250, f6.3

Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus)
Tejo Internacional, Portugal

And there’s the other kind: those images that are not prepared and can hardly be conceived beforehand. One studies the light, one choses the day (meteorological conditions) and the hour, and one merely waits for something special to occur.

Nikon D3s + Nikon 500mm f4 VR
iso 2500, 1/640, f6.3

Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus)
Tejo Internacional, Portugal

Contrary to what some may think, many of the Nature photos that I make are conceived beforehand, not only the subjects but also the light and framing, amongst other aspects. During last winter I visited this place more than ten times. I was looking for a crepuscular light on a heavily clouded sky with a few small interspaces. I was hoping to find some Griffons or Black Vultures that are abundant in the area. since these large necrophagous birds do not like to fly around in rainy days or with reduced visibility, waiting for them in such a setting required a lot of persistence.

Nikon D3s + Nikon 500mm f4 VR
iso 200, 1/2000, f13

Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aquila adalberti)
Tejo Internacional, Portugal

The Spanish Imperial Eagle used to be no more than a mirage in national territory, but is thriving here today. This young male mated last year, when I took this shot. Now, a year later, its plumage is darker, more similar to an adult’s.

Nikon D300 + Nikon 500mm f4 VR
iso 400, 1/1250, f5.6

Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis)
Tejo Internacional, Portugal

Throughout the dehesas in the Beiras region, this young male is hunting for birds such as this pigeon, to feed upon. This year, autumn brought more Goshawks than usual to the International Tagus River. After spending winter with us they will go back to their original regions, always looking for new territories.

Nikon D300 + Nikon 500mm f4 VR
iso 400, 1/640, f5

White Stork (Ciconia ciconia)

Arronches, Portugal

I had lingered on my way and suddenly, while chasing a group of Storks eating in a meadow, I spotted a light. It was an early light, tenuous but warm, that timidly heated the dew left during the night.

Nikon D3s + Nikon 500mm f4
iso 200, 1/500, f8

Common Wood Pigeons (Columba palumbus)

Tejo Internacional, Portugal

In the evening, thousands of Common Wood Pigeons gather in dormitories where they spend the night. This happens during autumn and winter, especially in the vast areas of meadows with Cork and Holly Oaks. They provide great shows of shadows on a worm background, allowing for rather unusual photographical options.

Nikon D3s + Nikon 500mm f4 VR
iso 200, 1/10, f8

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

Pin-tailed Sandgrouse (Pterocles alchata)

Tejo Internacional NP, Portugal

During recent months, this was one of the species I spent some time photographing. The Pin-tailed Sandgrouse is one of the rarest and most beautiful birds nidifying in Portugal. Lack of knowledge about the nidification of these Sandgrouses – rediscovered about a decade ago – in our country is mainly due to the extremely low number of couples (probably less than ten) and the fact that they inhabit a remote area, scarcely visited by ornithologists. This is certainly not the technically best image I captured, but I chose it to show both male and female, in a way that greatly pleases me.

Nikon D3s + Nikon 500mm f4 VR + Nikon TC-14E II (=700mm)

iso 500, 1/500, f5.6

White Stork (Ciconia ciconia)

Zambujeira do Mar, Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina NP

The White Stork is undoubtedly one of the species of birds that I most enjoy photographing. Besides the emotional aspects that could be expected for someone who worked with these birds for almost two decades, the White Stork has everything a photographer may wish for: it is common, trusting, very eclectic as to the habitats it frequents and the places where it builds nests, and photogenic. To photograph it in environments such as the ones, in the beautiful landscapes to be found in the south western coast of Alentejo and the Vicentino plateau, is a real pleasure.

Nikon D300 + Nikon 500mm f4 VR
iso 400, 1/800, f14