Alphabetical list

Hummingbirds-text common to species photographed in Ecuador

South Africa-02/2017
Last minute-11/12-2022-Botswana

As I mentioned writing about the rook or the western jackdaw, photographing birds which seem all black at first glance is quite special and very difficult, and in case of ravens it is the most difficult. That’s because of their plumage which glimmers with the lightest tints of dark blue or violet. Ravens seldom let you photograph them in parks or urban areas. Most of these photos were taken on the occasion of photographing eagles from a hide.

I was able to take pictures of the Razorbill on a steep cliff, where they lived in colonies (Iceland). Approaching the edge of the cliff (tens of meters) I could see the birds on small rock ledges. They look like penguins and it is hard to believe that they can fly. Its weight is less than a kilogram, with a wingspan of about 65 cm.

In the Maluridae family it is one of the most beautiful (in my opinion) representatives of this species. Especially males in breeding plumage. The black combined with red against a background of lush greenery is the essence of nature photography. Unfortunately I failed to take "decent" pictures of this beautiful bird, or it is better to say birdie. The birdie, as its weight does not exceed 10 grams, and ranges from 5 to 10 gram. So it is tiny indeed. It occurs in the north and northeast of Australia.

Less than 100 grams of weight and 30 cm of wingspan but how much it differs from the whole passerine family, because of its distinctive bill. In Poland I could not see crossbills, but thanks to Johann and his friend (Orn – I send you my greetings and thanks for commemorative pictures of the photo and recording session) I managed to take quite a lot pictures of crossbill’s family. Yes, it was recording session as well, for it was no problem to record the Crossbill’s voice, actually its young.

Although, I haven’t got any interesting and impressive gallery of a deer so far, I think that this species will always be an interesting object for photography. Especially males - there is something majestic about their postures, antlers and behavior. For such a large animal, which may weigh up to 200 kilograms, they are still extremely timid and hard to observe. Their sense of smell is so sensitive that even a slight breath of wind with our scent may startle a deer.

This is a difficult challenge for a photographer. Red foxes have very keen senses (i.e. smell, sight and hearing). I must add that foxes like to hunt in the evenings or early in the mornings, so most often during bad lighting conditions. Fortunately, when I was at the White-tailed Eagle look-out I had a chance to observe a red fox traversing the region, searching for some rodents. What amazes me is its hunting effectiveness. Each hunt ended up with catching prey. Unfortunately its innate caution didn’t allow me to stay around it without being noticed.