Bird Place of the Month – March Madness

March has been a mad month, mad weather and mad plans. We hoped to go and see the cranes but the weather was so rainy and such poor visibility. But do check out at the end of this some of the links for the February Bird Place of the Month and you will see cranes galore.

The madness is now I am at my photo limit for WP even though I pay for a plan. So lets see if we can get our March Bird Place published. And any thoughts on what to do next with WordPress?

So where shall I go? Well, we ended up back at Cabanas for a rainy few days but on a Tuesday went to spot birds and for me there were two firsts at the Salinas salt pans. Some avocets and then thanks to Bird Watcher Bill we saw a stone curlew in an orange grove. In fact perhaps that orange grove was the bird place as when a car passed so many birds flew into the air, including that elusive stone curlew. Bill spotted it but I was just focused on some plovers. It was hard to see but there was a snipe, thrush, green woodpecker, blackbirds, lots of song birds. I was just about to give up when Bill saw the stone curlew and I got some photos this time.

Rather prehistoric looking Stone Curlew

Avocet with scoop beak and blue legs.

Back to the salt pans where we met Bill and all wondered whether these little birds were dunlin or knot. I believe dunlin now but there is also a greenshank and those other sandpiper types called sanderlings.

The avocets are truly distinctive but in the UK these have always been at quite a distance along the Humber shore line.

Dunlin probably and not knot!

And along the Cabanas shore line there are sanderlings, plovers which I am sure are grey now not golden,

turnstones helping turn the mud or taking the advantage

gulls in flight

And the whimbrel – not a curlew as note the marking on head and eye and the way the beak curves at the end, and I guess slightly smaller than a curlew.

Whimbrel with crown and eye marking

Sandpipers is the get out of jail identity card!

Please join us with your own bird place, place is important not the photos.

Little egret

February Round Up of the Cranes in Spain stay mainly on the Plain and in the USA on the Sandhills.

Annie has given us a bird place full of cranes and on the other side of that big pond Usfman tells us about the Sandhill cranes and if you check out Cindy Knoke she has some recent posts on the Sandhill cranes too. It does seem an amazing place.

Annie at the Laguna Gallocanta near Zaragoza. https://naturewatchingineurope.com/2022/10/30/eurasian-cranes-at-gallocanta

Usfman tells us to check out this amazing spot https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/38000-sandhill-cranes-flock-to-nebraska-in-a-record-breaking-start-to-spring-migration-180983833

If you want close ups of those Sandhill cranes just visit Cindy Knoke as ever with great camera work. https://cindyknoke.com/tag/sandhill-cranes-at-the-salton-sea/

Toon Sarah is off to Mexico but gave us the bird watching at Mandina Lodge. https://www.toonsarah-travels.blog/gallery-bird-watching-at-mandina-lodge/

And lets not forget the birds in my book where the story revolves around the sanctuary of the imagined wild valley of Navaselva and their journey north.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Navaselva-Call-Valley-Georgina-Wright/dp/1914199529

Introducing Bird Place of the Month

I will try something new for 2024 and I would love others to join in and post their own bird place and with link in the comments. From gardens to wetlands, city towers to mountains. Lets celebrate and learn from each other places which birds find welcoming. No need for clear photos of birds as emphasis can be on the place that the birds like. I will visit any links supplied in the comments and tag Bird place of the Month.

Other plans for 2024 include creating a page/ author website for the background to my writing, the species and places in the novel, and other books read. I have not yet decided where to begin this and how to promote but am beginning. Navaselva, The Call of the Wild Valley : Wright, Georgina, Koenigsberger, Ruth: Amazon.co.uk: Books

I hope to keep navasolanature moving forward with its nature focus and am inspired by I J Khanewala’s Bird of the Week and Denzils Nature Challenge https://anotherglobaleater.wordpress.com/bird-of-the-week-invitation/ 

Although Denzil has changed his focus he has helped add to all the connections and information about nature on WordPress and this links to his nature pages on Discovering Belgium. https://www.discoveringbelgium.com/category/nature/page/2/

Bird Place of the Month January

This has to be for me the Rio Formosa by Cabañas de Tavira. We arrived on New Years Eve and celebrated with long standing friends the Portuguese delights of this time of year.

Mackerel skies over Cabanas and some of the last small houses with large gardens which are good bird places for the small birds and house martins.

The weather was often grey but I believe a brighter grey. One afternoon we looked out from our balcony and saw lots of cormorants along the far side of the Rio Formosa river delta or lagoon. On the other side of these sand dunes lies the Atlantic and where the long stretches of sandy beaches are. It is a protected and wonderful stretch of sandy dunes, tidal sands and water. A prefect place for many birds.

The rio and sand dunes towards Tavira

A heron flew in

Goldfinches, hoopoes and processionary pine caterpillars like the old pines.

Unfortunately I only had my phone camera but for Bird Place of the Month lets say it is the place that matters and the birds you see at that time. Of course great photos appreciated too but those birds for me often evade capture.

We went out onto the boardwalk and counted the cormorants all poised and upright on the other side of the water. Mr T says over 200. I counted 190. A lot. We have never seen so many like this all together on a stretch of sand of about 200 metres. A cormorant a metre, perhaps! They had been there a while from late afternoon and as the light fading they flew off westward towards the isle of Tavira. About three or four were left. These might have been the residents of this stretch, sharing for a while their patch.

The cormorants along the sands of the Rio Formosa and below flying off towards Tavira island.

Why were they all there? They were not fishing. Were they there for a meeting as in Navaselva, The Call of the Wild Valley?

Why so many together? Migrating? Searching for good places.

On a walk the following day we saw several curlew, the normal camouflaged turnstones and ring necked plovers. With the binoculars I could clearly see the reddy orange legs of the redshank. A heron flew in and did seem larger in flight and size than the resident egrets.

Tidal mud that so many of these waders and gulls love.

I was going to add these egrets to I J Khanewala’s bird of the weekhttps://anotherglobaleater.wordpress.com/bird-of-the-week-invitation/. This is a great place for bird lovers to share and focus on a particular bird. We think they were little egrets but could not see the orange feet to really determine and at a distance the relative size. All three types of egret can be found on the Algarve. Many now have become resident in the UK too. As a species they seem to be doing well. My first memories were seeing white birds on the backs of the very black water buffalo in India in the 70s and 80s. These were probably cattle egret. Near Doñana in Spain we have taken pictures of egret on some horses. But I think these were little egrets. It is sometimes better with these characters to use their latin names and pick out a few distinguishing features.

Egret garcia garzetta

Egrettta garcia garzetta – Little egret and with a range from southern Europe to Southern Asia. Can migrate to Africa or if in Asia to the Philippines. Also might be flying over the Atlantic to reach the New World.

Ardea alba is the Great or Common Egret and has a yellow bill and black legs and feet. This one is found on all continents.

Bubuculu ibis is the cattle egret with yellow bill and yellow legs and slightly smaller than the little egret – egret garcia.

There are also a lot of sub species of these birds too. The rarity of egrets when I was younger in Europe was the impact of using their feathers in hats.

How many more birds might we see if hunting was truly banned eg with turtle doves and netting and glue sticking of small birds like goldfinches for cages and a variety of songbirds for ‘Fine Dining’ was so abhorrent that there would be no illegal trade for these activities.

Below is a type of egret painted by Ruth Koenigsberger who illustrated Navaselva, Call of the Wild Valley.

I named the bird John Travolta. The bird is pursuing courtship activities and based on a you tube video from the Americas.

Perhaps my offering to Bird of the Week and another type of egret.

https://anotherglobaleater.wordpress.com/bird-of-the-week-invitation/ 

By Ruth Koenigsberger

Navaselva, The Call of the Wild Valley : Wright, Georgina, Koenigsberger, Ruth: Amazon.co.uk: Books

Navaselva The Call of the Wild Valley: Georgina Wright: 9781914199523: hive.co.uk

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/navaselva-the-call-of-the-wild-valley-georgina-wright/1144385388?ean=9781914199523

Passagem de Ano: The Passing of 2017 into 2018 in Portugal. Our thoughts for those who work to care for all creatures big and small.

The ‘Passing of the Year’ is the expression in Portuguese as the old year finishes and the new one begins. A time of hope and it seems nowadays fireworks to celebrate. We have now enjoyed the fireworks and a walk on the beach for the third year running in Monte Gordo on the Algarve. There is a strong sense of families celebrating together whether in the hotel, the local bars and the marquee for dancing in the New Year.

Fireworks for New Year

However, the sun rose on a sad sight on New Year’s Day but also an incredible sight and an occasion to see how we as human beings in Europe in the 21st Century feel for the plight of a stranded whale. There were tears, attempts to push the whale, common sense and finally the Portuguese lifeboat service with the maritime police all wetsuited up came and towed the whale out. It was spouting and alive. The last photo shows the boats out in deeper water trying to ensure the whale heads out to sea.

After being close to the whale with crowds of people on the beach and a strong desire for the whale to return we then watched from our hotel with binoculars the boat rescue. The hotel staff were all very moved to tears too and we were relieved and thought it was a happy ending. However, I research too much. The whale was a cachalote in Portuguese, a sperm whale, of about 9 to 10 metres long. Many sperm whale can live up to 70 years, mainly on squid, in those cold seas. However, they do suffer from diseases and can get washed up ashore because of this or disorientation. It did seem unusual for a whale to be so near the coast but they do live in the Mediterranean and Atlantic and could migrate through this more narrow stretch between Africa and Europe.

Sperm whale moving its tail and those trying to keep whale in enough water.

Boat out at sea after towing whale. Spouts could be seen.

My ongoing research led me to a news report about 24 hours later. A cachalote had been found washed up dead on Isla Armonia near Olhao. It was about 10 metres and believed to be the same one that had been rescued at Monte Gordo. Cause of death? Not old age it was not fully grown and possibly a young adolescent male.

Thanks to Becky and her blog about living in Portugal I also researched the Portuguese word Presepio. These are the miniature Natavity scenes that are popular in houses and also on a more public scale. I found out about the one put together by the Bombeiros of Tavira, the fire and rescue service. Above is the entrance to the fire station with beautiful wrought iron doors. Inside were really interesting miniature scenes. As well as showing the bible story set around the birth of Christ it’s also common to show scenes from Portuguese rural history with mills, ovens, windmills and plenty of animals, water and miniature local boats. Worth going to if you are in a Tavira from December to January 7th. But don’t expect baby Jesus to be in his crib until Christmas Day!

One of the largest presepios in Portugal is just at the end of the N125 not too far from Tavira in Vila Real. This is called the Presepio Gigante and it was certainly long as seen from the photo with all the blue lighting.

The actual crib scene is quite small but around are many rural scenes. Some were more Portuguese but at the far end the Roman influences and boats being built were more evident. It is interesting to note that at the time Jesus was born there was a lot of Roman influence and empire along the Algarve and near Seville where there are some amazing amphitheatre ruins called Italica and a bit further north, Merida. All easily accessible from Rome by sea and river routes. Rome ruled the seas and made the roads then!

Portugese Christmas crib scenes

Animals did feature in this Presepio too. Wild white birds with an eagle flying above, storks nesting and a rabbit being caught by a lasso! No guns then? However, the fun part which is supposed to amuse children is the ‘man with the red cape or coat’. He is to be found behind a tree or a bush ‘ doing his necessities’ in Spanish or Portuguese and translated as ‘having a poop’ in English! My new camera was quick enough to catch that!

As now its almost two weeks from the year passing over from 17 to 18 I have to explain my delay in posting. I struggle getting the photos from my new camera onto the laptop and I then struggle to upload to WordPress. I have also been submitting my novel to some more literary agents and it really seems like making a job application, which it is and I find each agency sufficiently different in the structure needed. At least these ones have an automatic response email and guarantee a short reply if not successful. Let’s hope for a phone call or positive email soon. One has 100 submissions a week so that does make for a lot of work. Thinking about it though I would mark at least 30 English GCSE essays a week, 20 A level and at least another 30 of the younger classes and all mainly in the evenings after teaching all day. Comments needed!

Here’s some of the last lights of the festive season from Vila Real, Portugal  and wishing you all well for 2018.

The Longest Day. From Sunrise to Sunset. The Castle and its Kingdom.

If we live in beautiful places do we have to travel to find more. It seems we do and it can be so inspiring to see a different kind of landscape and for me it’s flora and fauna. We spent the summer solstice in the fortress town of Marvao in Portugal. Marvao welcomes visitors as there is little need to defend the kingdom by having an impenetrable castle these days. So for people there, their economy is supported by tourism and holiday homes. The only other reasons to go up the hill is for the sheer beauty of the views, sunsets and the quaint old streets. And maybe to see the aerial display of the many house martins, swifts and crag martins.

On the 21st of June we got up at 6 to see the sunrise. We were 5 minutes late and were the only ones about. Not quite like Stonehenge on the Salisbury Plains but the view across Extremadura, flat and with a few rocky outcrops and hills on the border with Portugal from the mountain of Marvao was indeed a sight to see.

Sunrise over extremadura Spain from the hilltop castle town of Marvao, Portugal.

The room for a sunrise view at the Dom Dinish hotel, Marvao.

After many shots capturing the rising sun we realised that there was still two hour before breakfast was served at the Dom Dinish hotel. This is an excellent and friendly place and rooms with views. Our room had a view of the south western side and the sunset if you leaned out rather precariously from the Juliet balcony. However it is not far from the castle and the town’s walls and these all provide amazing views, plentiful birds in swift flight, and vertigo inducing drops.

So with hours to kill and the sun so pleasant we didn’t retreat to the room but decided to meditate on a bench by the castle and gardens. And we did, only to find we had been sharing the bench with a giant grasshopper. As still as could be. Now nature can teach us a thing or two about stillness. The creature remained for a photography session and was there after our trip up to a castle arch to find the Crag Martin family.

Grasshopper stillness on meditating bench!

Grasshopper meditating or Tai Chi position .

After the encounter with the grasshopper we decided to see if we could photograph the Crag Martin nest we had seen under one of the first arches you go through into the castle. This is a busy spot for people but it seems not many noticed this little family. They also didn’t seem perturbed by us observing them. At first it was difficult to spot but as the beaks of the 3 youngsters opened wide in anticipation of a fist from a parent we realised that it was a very active nest! The parent bird returned a few seconds after the opening of the beaks so the little ones had sensed the nearness of the parent bird. It all seemed to happen quite quickly and photographing seemed impossible the evening before. However, on this summer solstice morning the birds obliged, a little. One was on the nest,one was on the nest resting and still. The other obliged by returning to feed the open mouths and not dashing off so rapidly.

Crag Martin under arch of Marvao castle

Parent Crag Martin returning with food for hungry mouths.

After breakfast we had a good long walk around the Castle. There are many shots of that but not many of the swallowtail butterflies, both types and graylings. We even saw a Red Admiral on some rocks by the Convent. The heat was rising and there was a need to withdraw. The renovated Pousada was very cooling for a coffee with views over Spain and amazing coffee table books with beautiful photographs of horses around the world and some in very high places too.

View from the Pousada Santa Maria, Marvao

Coffee and coffee table books

The rest of the day was spent strolling around, touring in the valleys below, and finally another really red sunset. A real glory be to Nature and maybe final farewells to the history of war and now homes for Swifts, Martins and other critters! And for us, love conquering war with a second honeymoon!

Castle of Marvao

Evening Primrose in castle gardens

Rooftops and views, Marvao, Alentejo, Portugal

Sunset from hotel room. Note weather vane is odd!

Portugal: the eastern Algarve in January and February

3 weeks later, no blossom but look for the almonds. It might take till September for them to ripen though!

Almond blossoms around the fort; January in Cabanas de Tavira

Here as promised are some of the photos taken recently on short vacations to Cabanas de Tavira on the Eastern Algarve  along the estuary and  lagoons of the Ria Formosa. The area is a protected national park along the sand dunes and beaches but unfortunately some of the cliff side walks are privately owned.
We enjoy an escape to warmer weather and an earlier spring than in the Sierra Aracena even if it is only about 100 miles away from Navasola it is at sea level. Although it is the Atlantic Ocean it is warmer here because of the Gulf Stream and the climate is more Mediterranean.

Walking around the old fort in January I came across this almond blossom tree full of blossom and teeming with bees. It was very noisy as well as beautiful. 3 weeks later in February the blossom had gone and you can just see in the photo of the same tree the beginnings of the almonds.