Castro Verde was possibly one of the first places I explored when I started photographing wildlife, it was here that I saw my first roller and kestrel, and learned more about their conservation and all the efforts that were being made at the time with the implementation of several ruined nest boxes and other spaces.

DETAILS

Starting Point: Castro Verde

Distance to Cover: About 50 km (plus car trips between locations)

Time of year: Spring

Best time of day: Morning

Recommended Material: Camera + telephoto lens above 400mm

Extras: All terrain vehicle

HOW TO GET

Castro Verde is located in the district of Beja, that is, it is in the Baixo Alentejo area. Almost the entire Castro Verde area is protected by the Special Protection Zone (ZPE) determined by the Natura 2000 Network. This ZPE was created to protect steppe birds, which include the kestrel, bustard and bustard. To make your journey easier, you can enter the following coordinates into the GPS: 37°42'02.5"N 8°05'06.5"W or 37.700680, -8.085135, or by following the link to Google maps. The place I stay when I go to Castro Verde is Herdade de Alagães (website), which is between Castro Verde and Mértola, and I can easily get to both.

RECOMMENDED ROUTE

The entire area around Castro Verde is perfect for photography, one of the best-known spots is the old Casével train station. Here we can find two of the species in this article, the roller and the kestrel. Both species like to use ruined buildings to nest, and therefore, any space like this can find them. Another place to visit is the Vale Gonçalinho Environmental Education Center which is managed by LPN, here you will have the opportunity to observe the remaining steppe birds. Finally, you can take the entire road that connects Castro Verde to Mértola to try to observe the birds of prey that are part of this article, the Iberian imperial eagle and the black vulture.

MY EXPERIENCE

The birds in this article are not easy to photograph, the first two are in ruins but we are on one side and they are on the other. To be successful, it may be necessary to spend many hours in the sun, inside the car, with a large camouflage net on top (you can buy camouflage nets at FotoCamo). You can also drive along the roads and try to get a bird to stay on one of the wooden fence posts, but this will involve going through the entire area multiple times. Regarding birds of prey, in most cases we will only observe them flying above the skies. Therefore, in the dead times, instead of sitting under a chaparro (cork oak) we can take the opportunity to keep an eye on the movements of these large birds and take some photographs when they fly closer to the ground. You can go to a higher point, such as the Alcaria Ruiva area, and stay for a few hours to observe. Don't forget to bring lunch and lots of water.

LESSER KESTREL

The lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni) is one of the species that only visits us during spring and summer, the rest of the year they are found in Africa. Its diet consists of rodents and insects, which it captures in open field areas (steppes). They play a key role in controlling rodents during the cereal growing season. They can be confused with the common kestrel, which can also nest in the same places.

EUROPEAN ROLLER

The european roller (Coracias garrulus) is our blue bird, being one of the most eye-catching we can observe. Their blue blends in with the sky when they fly, which can fool the camera when it needs to focus on them. They feed on insects that they catch in the agricultural fields around the ruins, landing on the fence to eat their meal.

SPANISH IMPERIAL EAGLE

I was precisely at Herdade de Alagães when we saw this Iberian imperial eagle (Aquila adalberti) flying close to the ground, at one point I would say it came to spy on us. The fact that the Estate is located in a small village in the middle of the countryside makes it easier to observe large birds of prey, in fact the presence of various domestic animals (livestock) in the land surrounding the village serves as an attraction for these birds, which look for dead animals to feed on. .

BLACK VULTURE

Herdade de Alagães has several plots of land, and on one of the days we had the opportunity to visit one of them with Catarina (the owner of Herdade de Alagães). We had to climb a hill, on a hot day, but the surprise was waiting for us at the top! A black vulture (Aegypius monachus) rested among the rocks, right next to us. It had been taken by surprise by our presence, on a hill to the side there were several griffon vultures resting that were not bothered by our presence. This species is scavenger, which means that it feeds on dead animals and prefers small animals such as rabbits or hares, failing which they try to feed on small pieces that the griffins leave behind.

I hope you enjoyed this short guide on 4 species that you can photograph in Castro Verde, avoid going on very hot days. Try to photograph the birds calmly and don't forget to look up. Visit the Castro Verde area and share your photos.

WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY?

When we're photographing, it's easy to lose track of what we should or shouldn't focus on, whether it's the most common species or the rarest, whether we're trying to photograph during the day or at night. I created some articles to show you what you can look for in certain places to photograph.

Find out which species to photograph during your visit to Tapada de Mafra: 3 Species to Photograph in Tapada de Mafra

Find out when to photograph different species of birds on the coast of Oeiras: 4 Species to Photograph on the Oeiras Promenade

SEE MY VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE

I created several videos about wildlife photography where I explain how to photograph different species and also some of the best photographic techniques. From photographing coastal birds to photographing the beautiful kingfisher, it's a little playlist that I hope you enjoy and leave a like on the videos.

Did you know you can learn more about photography with me in the field?

Check out the ONWILD page to stay up to date with all destinations, events and workshops! They can also learn more about photography and get to know other countries.