Yesterday, I shared one of the most magical wildlife moments I’ve ever experienced—a hoopoe unexpectedly visiting our home. I truly thought that would be a once-in-a-lifetime encounter.
For more than two hours, I couldn’t stop thinking about that beautiful bird. I felt so inspired that, around 8 PM, I grabbed my camera and headed outside. I didn’t have a plan. I was simply excited to be out in nature, ready to “shoot” (with my camera!) any bird that happened to cross my path.
I wandered around the garden, listening to the evening sounds and enjoying the peaceful light. After seeing a hoopoe for the very first time earlier that day, every bird suddenly felt special.
And then…
There it was again.
The hoopoe!
I couldn’t believe my eyes. Out of all the birds I might have seen, it was him again. This time I was ready. I quietly raised my camera and managed to capture a few better photographs before he became a little shy and disappeared around the corner.
More than two hours separated these two encounters, yet both felt equally magical.
The first one was a complete surprise—a dream coming true when I least expected it. The second felt like nature saying, “Here… have another chance.”
Sometimes we spend years hoping for a single special moment, and then life gives us two in one day.
I’ll never forget it. ❤️
Ilze
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I am so happy for you getting to not only see the beautiful bird but spend time getting great photos of him. I hope he visits you again and again. Have a wonderful weekend, Hugs
Thank you so much, Mags! ❤️ I still can’t quite believe it happened twice in one evening. It truly felt like such a special gift from nature. I would love it if he became a regular visitor—I think I’d be looking out of the window every day! 😊 I think this was a special evening 🙂 If it happens again – I’ll post about it.
How wonderful if this gorgeous bird & his mate decide to settle on your garden & raise a family! Fingers crossed for you & him! Üü
Thank you! 😊 Oh, I would absolutely love that! Seeing a whole little hoopoe family in the garden would be a dream come true. I’m keeping my fingers crossed too, although I know they usually prefer nesting in old trees or natural cavities.
Perfect!!
Thank you so much! 😊 It was one of those moments that made my whole week. Have you ever seen a Hoopoe?
What a dainty-looking visitor . . . love his/her coat . . . looks comfortable so don’t be surprised if you get another visit . . . I can see your smile from here . . .
Thank you, Eha! 😊 He really is such an elegant little bird. I love his colours and that amazing crest—it almost looks unreal. I certainly wouldn’t complain if he decided to visit again! Have you seen one?
You were graced with the presence of an incredible bird, Ilze.
Thank you, Mary. ❤️ That’s exactly how it felt—as though nature had chosen to share something very special with me for a moment. It’s an experience I’ll never forget. Have you ever had a wildlife encounter that has stayed with you for years?
You did a wonderful job, Ilze. I especially love photos #1 and #4. I know exactly how it feels when you manage to capture something this special. Was your heart racing with excitement at the time?
May I ask what software you use for processing your photos? I’m guessing Adobe. I have a feeling there’s even a little more you could bring out in these images.
One thing I really liked is that you displayed them nice and large on your website. It allows these rare little gems to shine and gives them the attention they deserve. Well done, Ilze!
Thank you so much for your kind words! 😊
My heart was absolutely racing! I was quietly walking around the house because we can’t use our front entrance at the moment, and I didn’t want to scare him away. I was hoping I’d spot him again when I peeked out from behind the car. I did miss quite a few shots—some were out of focus, as always! 😊 But a few turned out really nicely, and I’m so happy I managed to capture the moment.
For editing, I use Adobe. I’m sure there’s more I could bring out in these images, but I actually prefer to keep them looking as natural as possible. Usually, I only make small adjustments to the brightness and contrast. I want them to reflect what I really saw.
If you want, you can take one picture and make it “better” 🙂 Maybe you convince me 🙂
Hey Ilze, I hope I didn’t come across as pushing my own views too much. That certainly wasn’t my intention. I genuinely think your photos are beautiful. Capturing a moment like that is far more important than any editing technique.
I expected you were using Adobe, most photographers do. And I’m not saying I could make your photos “better.” What I mean is that every RAW file usually has a little more hidden inside it, whether you’re using Lightroom, Camera Raw, RawTherapee, or something else. It just takes time to learn where those tools are.
I’m a bit of an odd one these days because I process everything in RAW and use only open-source software, with RawTherapee as my main editor. That’s simply the workflow I enjoy.
To be honest, I’d rather see you keep exploring Adobe and push your own skills a little further than have me edit one of your photos. You may well end up getting an even better result yourself. Either way, your images are already very promising, and I really enjoyed looking at them.
No, no—you’ve got a good point! 😊 It’s just that, with photography, I struggle because I can’t really picture the end result I’d like to achieve. Like you said, I need to learn, but I just don’t have the inspiration or vision yet.
If you’d like, I could send you one of my RAW files and you could edit it. Then you could tell me what you changed and, more importantly, why you made those edits. 😊 I think that would teach me so much more than simply using presets.
If you’re interested, you can email me at momilze@gmail.com.
I’d really love to learn—but not by just applying presets. I want to understand the thought process behind the edits: needs more depth, more color… etc.
I am so happy that you had that experience. It does something to one’s soul.
Thank you so much, Maria. ❤️ It really does. For a little while, everything else disappeared, and all that mattered was enjoying that beautiful moment. Nature has such a wonderful way of restoring the soul. Have you ever seen one yourself?
I never knew about this bird. Very cool.
Thank you, Kevin! 😊 They really are fascinating birds. They’re quite rare where I live, so seeing one was something I’d dreamed about for a long time. Their fan-shaped crest is even more impressive in person!
They’re much more common in southern Europe—in countries like Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, and parts of France—where the warmer climate suits them well. Here in Latvia, they’re considered quite a special sight.
Where are you from? Do you have hoopoes where you live, or are there any other birds that are unique to your area?