Karma Chameleon in the Algarve. A walk round the Quinta Marim reserve by Olhao.

We spent some final days of a September summer in the Algarve. One walk, before my daughter flew back to the UK from Faro, was around the nature reserve just east of Olhao. We had visited this place some years ago and seen plenty of birds on the salt marshes and a vulture flying close by. It’s mate was recuperating in the bird hospital there. A famous line of friendly Portuguese Water Dogs were also kept there. This time the visitor centre wasn’t open, no sign of the dogs, and all seemed rather run down. Just as this walk around a nature reserve seemed to be a bit disappointing, a chameleon slowly and leisurely crossed our path. I was so pleased that my daughter could also experience such a close encounter. No binoculars needed!

Chameleon in Olhao nature Reserve

First bird shots with lumix bridge camera

A kind of Egret in the almond orchards with Bermuda buttercups

My hat goes off to all those bird photographers out there. I am often amazed by the clarity and closeness of the images. I will persevere but spotting these rather large birds and then zooming in on them wasn’t easy.

Along the shore of the Ria Formosa in the Algarve at this time of year is a wader’s paradise. Of course some of them like the meadows nearby and on one of our walks we heard a lot of croaking. So the frogs are busy along with the bees in the almond blossom.

we have been without our binoculars so the camera helped with some identification and we think we have seen the following : turnstones, dunlin or knot, ringed plover and grey plover, curlew and cormorant, and maybe some green shanks.

Egret on the shore at Cabanas de Tavira, Algarve, Portugal.

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.