i think this is a chiffchaff (aka Phylloscopus collybita)…? they’re kind of hard to tell apart between the different types, but relatively common in our garden and around water courses. we caught this one near the ria, perched on a branch a few meters away from us.
the photos were lucky because they’re so tiny and restless, that they don’t keep still for pictures for very long… 😅
now that i have digital a camera with a decent zoom, i’d thought i’d publish some bird photos now and then. :) this is a white wagtail (motacilla alba), and you can find them everywhere in portugal — and indeed, all over europe and asia, though they look slightly different in different regions.
it’s such a common and elegant bird, walking around “wagging” its tail! they’re not too fussy about where they live and are just as common in city streets as they are in the countryside. this youngling was perched on a vine in the fields near olhão, just looking pretty for the photo.
– dani is visiting for a few days! :D it’s a little intimidating to have 50% of the blog readership in the room… but also a good excuse to cook new food, check out new places and experiment!
– it’s cold outside and so the fireplace has been working non stop this week. only the living room gets properly warm though, so we’ve migrated downstairs and set up shop on the dining table.
– i’ve finally organized and backed up my birdwatching photos, discarding about a million blurred pics in the process. our gifted camera is so good, that even without me having explored much of its features, i can still make pretty photos of young black-winged stilts.
– did my first refood delivery. refood is made of volunteers that get together at the end of the day to collect supermarket food leftovers and deliver them to locals that could use the help. we took a few boxes of stuff near expiration from continente to a community pantry that helps feed a local neighbourhood. felt great!
– the big marathon walk hasn’t been walked yet due to some wet weather, but there are plans to make it happen! we’ll probably walk from here to faro, starting before the crack of dawn and ending in faro past sunset. fingers crossed we’ll make it there! :D
these days, our eyes instantly go to anything flying overhead, to wires and tree branches, towards any sound we vaguely recognise. birds are everywhere, once you learn to see and hear them!
last year, we did a little trip on a campervan for the first time — it sounded like the safest way to go out and explore a little, while technically not leaving home. we enjoyed the experience, and used the opportunity to visit some of our favorite places in alentejo. at the time, we were just starting our birdwatching hobby, so it seemed fitting that we would try to see the biggest bird in europe, the bustard…
alas, it wasn’t meant to be. despite being big birds, bustards are shy and not easy to spot in the vast steppe-like prairies of alentejo. no matter — we still enjoyed the trail in the vicinity of castro verde, with its never-ending open skies, soft rolling hills and almost dry river beds.
we’ve since acquired a pair of binoculars, and plan to go back to re-do this walk and hopefully spot some bustards at last! :)