April catch up!

A few images taken during April.

5th April: Brake lane and Brake Mill Pools:

 

 

 My first of the Spring Peacock butterfly.

 

 

 

11th April:
No shortage of worms judging by the Blackbirds beakful!

Great to see Swallows and Martins have returned locally, we just need the Swifts to return now and all will be well with the world.

 

 

 

 

7th April:

The return of the magnificent Mallards.

They have visited in previous years in the Spring, they must be on their way to wherever they nest and use my garden as a stopover. The hen made herself comfortable atop of the conifers and the Drake flew around the gardens like a lost soul until eventually deciding to rest in next doors garden when he could see that she was going nowhere!

12th April: Whittington. 

Ring Ouzel x1, Wheatear x2, Corn Bunting and a flyover Yellow Wagtail! Just brill !!!!

9th April: A first for my garden, a Rook no less!

Severn Valley Country Park. Apart from playing in the sandpit, football and tennis this Raven was a welcome highlight along with several Common Buzzards seen throughout the visit.

In tandem!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

26th April:

 

Staffordshire and Worcester Canal walk:

 

The butterflies took the accolade on what was a sunny but 'cool in the shade' day.

 

 

 

 

Orange tip.

 

 

 

 

Small Tortoiseshell

 

 

Green-veined White

How well camouflaged they are on the Wild Garlic.

I wonder what delights May will bring?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tavira...bits and bobs!

Numerous Swallowtail butterflies were on the wing but not many perched long enough for a photo to be taken. This particular Swallowtail was attracted to the aromatic Lantana flowers which gave me the chance of good views of it and a welcome photo opportunity.

 

An Egyptian Grasshopper enjoying the warm sunshine.

A Chiffchaff that was busy seeking insects in the tree.....I like the colours in the image, to be truthful I was on the wrong side of the sun but I am pleased nonetheless with the result.

One of many fields seen of Crown Daisies that seemed to go on and on and on and............

 

There are four insects on this Crown Daisy flower head. Rich pickings for the local Passerines in the fields of Daisies!

A lone Yellow Lupin flower head.
In the Alentejo fields full of these lupins were a delight to see.

This is a flower stalk/spike of an Agave plant. It is commonly called a Swan's Neck Agave or Century Plant. As you can see it is overhanging into the road and thankfully it is not damaged by cars that park underneath it!

  This second plant is further down the road and in the same garden as the plant above. An awesome looking plant, just a pity the plant dies once the flower spike has expired but it does produce new plants from side shoots.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/plants/plant_finder/plant_pages/12513.shtml

 

Tavira is a lovely old town which stands on either side of the river Gilao. Its two halves are connected by a roman bridge.

 

On the top of an old water tower you can enjoy a rather different view of Tavira courtesy of the 'Camera Obscura'. It is a mirror and two lenses which project a live image of Tavira inside the tower onto a big screen and it revolves around 360° to give a view around the whole town. There is someone giving a 'guided tour' as it revolves so you know what you are seeing. A fascinating experience and a good way of utilising a defunct water tower.

 http://portugal-lol.com/2012/04/camera-obscura-in-the-tower-of-tavira/


 

The end of it's seaworthiness for this boat or could it be renovated? Whatever, I think it makes a lovely photo!

 

 

 

The view from my sun lounger! (I wish I was still lying there)

 

 

The only common crane I found...so I took a pic!

 

As Bugs Bunny would say 'That's all folks'

 

Oh, and many thanks for stopping by my blog.

Tavira, around and about and the salt pans of Tavira.

The salt pans were fairly quiet for birds as it was still early Spring even so an enjoyable few hours can be spent walking and waiting for something special to appear.
From just south of the town, the salt pans run East and West in seemingly endless rows of neat rectangles where salt water is evaporating to create Portugal's purest table salt!

 

A few images of what were delightful birds to have some great sightings of.

 

Final post to follow shortly.