Lesser Spotted Woodpecker 20090116_2368 copy, originally uploaded by Paradise in Portugal.
We have three different types of Woodpecker that visit the garden regularly, Green, Great Spotted and Lesser Spotted …. of course it’s not every day that we get the chance to see the latter as they’re really quite rare this far south, but when one started to tap away right outside my window this morning I was lucky enough to get this quick shot and thought I’d share it.
Blackcap Warbler 9103, originally uploaded by Paradise in Portugal.
Occasionally things just happen so “according to plan” that I feel totally blown away ….
I’d been bemoaning the fact yesterday that I simply couldn’t get a good shot of a Blackcap despite seeing them every day. They seem to be always in the deepest thicket or behind the only bit of grass this side of the Sahara ….
Then just before lunch today I thought I’d have 5 minutes with the camera and see what happened, so perched myself on a windowsill and settled down to wait …. nine times out of ten in these situations, nothing happens, but today was different …
“Wouldn’t it be nice if something popped onto that dead branch over there right out in the open”, I thought to myself, and hey presto up it popped!
Robin 9092, originally uploaded by Paradise in Portugal.
During the summer Robins are really quite rare in these parts, but during the winter they come south and we’re inundated with them.
On the Continent Robins are normally quite shy and secretive birds, quite unlike the ones in Britain, but the Quinta’s garden must attract specifically British birds as ours are never far away and I regularly have four or five within a few meters of me whenever I’m working outside; they seem to be far less territorial than those I’ve seen in the UK too.
Sardinian Warbler (female) 9087, originally uploaded by Paradise in Portugal.
Not a brilliant shot of a female Sardinian Warbler, but quite interesting nevertheless in that it shows the prominence of its tail.
Blackcap Warbler (female) 9083, originally uploaded by Paradise in Portugal.
… and it’s not only the Chiffchaffs who love the Aloes; you can see this female Blackcap’s been at them too.
On RHP 20081225, originally uploaded by Paradise in Portugal.
The Chiffchaffs love getting nectar from our Aloes during the winter …
Chiffchaff on Red hot poker 20081224, originally uploaded by Paradise in Portugal.
… and come away with the pollen staining their bibs.
Sardinian Warbler (Silvia melanocephala) 20081217, originally uploaded by Paradise in Portugal.
The Quinta’s garden was designed to attract birds, and we’re able to leave a lot of the fruit we grow on the trees, which attracts a varied and increasing number of species.
This is a Sardinian Warbler, (one of a flock of 5 in the same tree), I snapped this evening just as the sun went down, stocking up on pomegranate seeds before roosting for the night …
Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalus caudatus) 20081217, originally uploaded by Paradise in Portugal.
…. and here’s a southern Iberian Long-tailed Tit, which love the olives we leave on the trees around the Quinta.
Common Waxbills 20081212_2038 copy, originally uploaded by Paradise in Portugal.
Flocks of Common Waxbills very, well, common really right now! They seem to form flocks separated by age, with juveniles keeping to themselves. I always check them to see if there are any black beaks in red-beaked flocks and vice versa but never seem to find any ….