i’ve mentioned waxbills here on the blog before… but these pictures taken in the early morning light with the vineyard on the background came out so cute, so here they are again!
probably one of my favorite tiny birds!
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Tag: ria formosa
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zitting cisticola
the zitting cisticola is the kind of bird you recognize mostly by hearing its periodic “zits” — when you look up, you notice a bird flying in waves, with the sound coinciding with the top of the wave. i was riding my bike through the salt ponds last weekend and noticed this one hanging around on a bush by the side of the road.
it gave me enough time to grab the camera and snap a couple of pictures, before flying away. neat! :)
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oysters
although the only time we ever ate oysters a few years ago was quite memorable (for the worst reasons), i still think they’re pretty fascinating. how come this contorted ugly shells can produce such smooth interiors and even pearls sometimes?
even the ancient romans were intrigued by them, and decided to farm them off the coast of italy. these days, the local people continue this tradition here in the brackish waters of the ria formosa lagoon.
the whole operation looks surprisingly low-tech. the larvae are grown in tanks and later transfered to these mesh envelopes which are just laid on the floor or in raised beds, and get covered in water when the tide rises. they can stay there for over a year, depending on the size.
and apparently, unlike other forms of aquaculture, oyster farming is actually benign for the environment, as the bivalves filter the water for the bad stuff, at an incredible rate of up to 4 liters/hour.
intriguing as they might be, i think i’ll pass on them for the next few years at least…
so lucky to call this place home.
the ria formosa lagoon, as seen from cacela velha. i love how shallow the water is here, and that you can just walk to the islands at certain times. bliss!