It’s Sunday, and that means bird photos from biologist John Avise. His IDs and notes are indented, and his pictures, from Portugal and Spain, can be enlarged by clicking on them.
Portugal and Spain Birds, Part 1
In 2010, I went on a multi-stop seminar trip to various universities and conferences in Portugal and southern Spain. In-between the lectures I delivered, there was ample time for bird-watching and avian photography. The Mediterranean climate meant lots of sunny weather and ideal conditions for such outdoor activities. This week’s post begins a three-part series highlighting species of European birds that I photographed on this delightful trip.
Azure-winged Magpie (Cyanopica cyanus):
European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster):
Black Kite (Milvus migrans) flying:
Black Stork (Ciconia nigra) flying:
Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus) flying:
Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus) flying:
Calandra Lark (Melanocorypha calandra):
Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) flying:
Coal Tit (Periparus ater):
Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto):
Corn Bunting (Emberiza calandra):
Crested Lark (Galerida cristata):
Great Bustards (Otis tarda) flying:
Needed this today.
[ deep breath ]
Thank you for this series. It is interesting to see which birds I remember from having lived in Germany and which are not found there (I still have my German identification guides). Most in this posting are ones I do not know, so this is educational!
Very cool birds! I can see how the Black-winged Stilt got its name.
Thank you – these are fun as always! I had to look up Bustards to find out that they are “large, terrestrial birds living mainly in dry grassland areas and on the steppes of the Old World. They make up the family Otididae. Bustards are omnivorous and opportunistic, eating leaves, buds, seeds, fruit, small vertebrates, and invertebrates.” Sort of a turkey or pheasant equivalent, but unrelated?
I look forward to this feature every week, but to my shame I have never got round to saying ‘thank you’. Not just for the photos themselves, which are invariably top-notch, but for producing such great, themed, work, weekend after weekend, for goodness knows how long. It is always a (much-needed) breath of fresh air.
Thank you, Steve, your comments mean a lot.
Man! Check out the legs on the Black-winged Stilt! I love the Azure-winged Magpie. The Eurasian Collared Dove looks exactly the same along the Mediterranean as it does in the Sonoran Desert. Lovely!