Guess I've been through a week of a writer's block/lack of posting motivation/where did time fly sort of thing; but if there's a good way of getting back to posting... is in this community with some bird photos! So off we go to this week's Show me a Photo contest.
I had to really dig in my archives for this one; I do tend not to take photos with human presence (fences included here), I prefer to see birds among nature. But if I can't photograph them in other settings, so be it! And for this post, a full national edition, starting with one of my favourite endemic birds:
Grey Shrikes exist in other parts of the world, but this one is considered a subspecies that only exists in the Iberian peninsule. It's hard to confuse him with any other species, and don't let his cute appearance trick you: the evil bastards have the habit of impaling their preys, and the barb wire he's perching on would be a suitable material to do so! Sweet guys, aren't they? 馃榿 I've never witnessed such mischiefs, thow; only perching, singing, and even taking some time to hang around with other featheredfriends:
The turkish dove Streptopelia decaoto was facing the other way, just in case; you never know if the Shrike would enter killing machine mode!
In Alentejo region, where these last photos were taken, could also capture one of the colourfulest birds in portuguese avifauna.
And with a meal in its beak! Couldn't get much closer than this; would have liked to see it closer, but it was good enough to see it perched, most of the time I just see them flying by.
Off to Serra da Estrela, the highest point of continental Portugal. My grandparent's village is there, and being a small village, there's nature just a few walking minutes away. And more birds!
Nowadays its amazing the amount of black redstarts we see in urban areas: they are all over the place! But although there's a "common" ih the name, this "cousin" is a lot rarer, at least to me. I think I've only saw him twice in all my life! Fortunately here, he posed for the photo; and with a fence in the background and everything! 馃槈
Not that far from the redstart, a couple of birds were perching too.
Linnets are fairly common birds in rural areas, and it's not frequent to see them alone; this is a couple, males have that noticeable red chest that females lack.
Counting the days for my vacations: one month to go, and hopefully one month to add a ton of photos, especially birds, to my collection!
Curious to see the other entries! Happy birding everyone!
Still haven't joined Splinterlands? In what planet do you live in? Click the banner below and join the fun! (It has my referral link; you can go directly to the website if you don't want to use it; either way... join in! 馃槑 )
