Wednesday 31 May 2017

Algarve Bee Eaters, Berries, Butterflies, Pathways and Poppies.

This week has raced by, and it's time for anther Wild Bird Wednesday. I can hardly believe it's already mid week, as we have been busy on the farm with the orange and fig harvest. Thankfully I still have loads of shares from our hols on the Algarve, so I hastily put together a few pictures of some things I noticed on our walks in the country during our time there. I hope you enjoy.



The fields and hedgerows were ablaze with red poppies,...
 

but there were many wild flowers in the mix.
 

Poppies on one side of the path, and....
 

on the sandy banks of the other side, a Bee-eater's nesting site .
 

Here is one just outside the tunnel leading to his nest.
 

These brightly coloured berries grew everywhere in the hedgerows ,. It is the Mediterranean smilax, ( s. áspera) in fruit.
It's berries are unpalatable for human consumption, but they are a great source of nourishment for birds.

Many had what seemed like spider's webs tightly wound around some of the clusters.
 

The European Bee-eater can often be seen perched on fences and cable wires.
 

This one caught a bee in mid air. The Bee-eater can eat around 250 bees a day, it's main source of food, but they also eat dragonflies, and other insects.
 

Their bright colours are not evident in these flight shots, but they were very far away.
 

Back in the hedgerow, there was plenty to see.
 

The underwings of the Marbled White.
 

The Marsh Fritillary.
 

The Small White.
 

Some more berries without the webs.
 

You can clearly see the two elongated central tail feathers in this shot. Sexes are alike, but the female tends to have more green rather than gold on shoulders.
 
WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY
GOOD FENCES
SATURDAY'S CRITTERS
I'D-RATHER-B-BIRDIN

32 comments:

Christine said...

Your photos are wonderful of the brightly coloured bee-eater!
It is just so lovely to go out walking and enjoy the sights and beauties of the hedgerows this time of year!
Sounds like you are very busy!
Have fun!

MadSnapper said...

awesome photo. I love wild flowers and these bee eaters are so exotic to me, the colors are magnificent... thanks for all the comments on my fake critters. I much prefer your real birds...

Linda said...

So much to see here, and what marvelous beauty! Thank you so much for sharing, and I hope you are having a great week!

Kenneth Cole Schneider said...

So interesting that these colorful birds can keep their plumage clean while living underground. Beautiful butterflies too!

riitta k said...

Those poppies are fabulous and the colorful bee-eater as well. Wonderful photos.

sami niilola said...

Stunning photos. Bee eater is very beautiful bird.

matti niilola said...

Thank you for your wonderful photos. Beautiful Flowers and Bee Eater. Perfect.

eileeninmd said...

Hello, I have always loved the poppies. Beautiful flowers. The bee-eater is awesome, wonderful captures and photos. Enjoy your evening and the week ahead!

Michelle said...

The bee eater is a very colorful bird. I also love seeing those poppies. We have a field of them, in a neighboring town.

Marijke said...

Good morning Sonjia
What a wonderful photo's you did make of this beautiful colored birds.
It must be great to see the nests of the birds.
Have a wonderful week ahead.
Marijke

Len said...

I believe the webs wound around the berries are created by caterpillars.

Teresa said...

Muy lindas fotografías. La planta de bayas, creo que es Smilax aspera, Zarzaparrilla. Muchos besos.

Gordon said...

I love I love, the Bee-eaters the butterflies, the poppies, they are all beautiful.
All the best Gordon.

Les Fous du Cap said...

Les guêpiers sont vraiment de très jolis oiseaux ;-)
Céline & Philippe

This N That said...

Love the Poppies..Great shots of the Bee-eater..Wonderful colors..I can't ever get a butterfly shot..nice pics

Mary Howell Cromer said...

The Poppies and the Bee-eaters were enough to brighten my day and then I saw the butterflies too, what gorgeousness found in your shares~

A Colorful World said...

Such beautiful poppies and grapes! Love the bee-eater and the butterflies as well. Beautiful post.

Stuart Price said...

The last photo is great............

Debbie said...

WoW, what a great group of images!! I wondered immediately if the berries were edible...I can't help it, I am a foodie!! The beeeaters are so beautiful, the poppies and butterflies as well. I adore the butterflies that look like stained glass, I have seen them many times but only in butterfly houses!!

What a great post, satisfying all the senses!!

eileeninmd said...

Hello, I just love the beautiful Bee-eaters. I wish I could see them here. Love the poppies! Beautiful photos. Thanks so much for linking up and sharing your post. Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend!

Linda said...

Delightful images!

Jeevan said...

Indeed, there’s a lot to see around there and you captured things lovely! The bee-eater looks wonderful with different colors and I ever know they built nesting as holes in sandbanks. I have seen and shot only green bee-eaters… and the berries look alike and hung as grapes

hmuxo said...

Once again, your photos are "Breathtaking" Debbie! What caught my eye was the berries with the webbing around it....I've never seen that before. And I love the colorful poppies.....beautiful! Enjoy this lovely day!!!!

photodoug said...

Breathtaking, the European Bee-eater is one fantastic bird. Thanks for sharing.

Lea said...

Wow! What a colorful bird!
Beautiful photos of the butterflies, too!

Rohrerbot said...

What a beautiful bird. That is one I hope to see. You have such a lovely area to explore. As always, I love your butterflies and finds. Also didn't know that Bee-eaters nest in those little hillside holes. Very cool .

NatureFootstep said...

so much poppies, Gorgeous!

Love the beeeaters. Great shots of a gorgeous species. :)

Anni said...

No, you weren't late in posting your link! It's open to anyone wanting to share thru Wednesday evening.

Magnificent collection of images. I didn't realize the bee-eaters =is that spelled correctly? - had nests in the banks like swallows a bit. I learned something new. And they're so colorful.

What a wonderful array of photo shares. I enjoyed them all. The light red/purple berry bush is quite similar to Texas's called : American Beauty Bush...see if you agree when you have time to google search.

Thanks so much for joining us birders at I'd Rather B Birdin' this weekend. It's always wonderful to have you share.

Phil Slade said...

What can I say Sonjia? Your pictures just transported me back to Menorca on May 1st with the poppies, the Bee Eaters the fig trees, and the bright sunny days. I don't think I saw that berry in Menorca and you don't say if its edible or better still able to be made into wine?

Every time I see your photos I say to myself that i must visit Portugal but September sees us in greece and we have already booked Menorca 2018. One day....

Rajesh said...

Very lovely flowers and beautiful bee eater.

Lowcarb team member said...

What a stunning post.
Your photographs are all so lovely.
I adore poppies and wild flowers and the bee eaters are just so colourful.

All the best Jan

Helma said...

The poppy fields are really amazing to see! The bee-eater is fantastic. This is why I really like a beautiful bird! The brightly colored berries are beautiful (can you eat this?)
I've repeated these beautiful pictures.
A hug

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