Madeira 25/06/26

-

The Palheiro Botanical Garden was an enjoyable place to visit today. It is less formerly planted than the Jardim Botanico previously visited in Madeira, and consequently we preferred it. Some parts seemed akin to a nature reserve, with some stunning views down to the coastline and Funchal. The garden is also a site for the endemic Trocaz Pigeon which I had yet to see. 

We spent about three hours there, seeing Madeiran Chaffinch, Madeiran Firecrest, Kestrels, and hearing plenty of Blackcaps, still in fine voice even in late June. However, it took nearly two hours to find the pigeon, an adult eventually appearing on a wall quite close to me. It was bigger than I expected, about the same size as a Wood Pigeon. The bird (or another) was later seen nearby in flight.

Perez's Frogs were present in many of the ornamental ponds, and Madeiran Wall Lizard were easy to find in many areas.

Butterflies included Clouded Yellow, Speckled Wood, and a solitary Monarch.

Trocaz Pigeon 


Perez's Frog


Male Madeiran Wall Lizard 

Male and female Madeiran Wall Lizard 

Clouded Yellow 

Speckled Wood 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sandwich/St.Margaret's 30/08/25

-
Image
The day started at Sandwich looking for a Spotted Crake reported on Birdguides. We parked at Sandwich Quay and then walked along the river for about 35 minutes during which a number of House Martins were seen, also three Clouded Yellow. On reaching New Downs South Pool the crake was on view straight away, venturing out from the reeds. It was backlit for much of the time so tricky to photograph. A Snipe was also there plus a number of Coot. In the afternoon we headed towards St. Margaret's, parking up in a layby on the Dover Road. Three Dotterel were present in a stubble field which had been harrowed. Excellent views of the birds were obtained, a n adult with two juveniles. The adult Dotterel was the first I've seen for a long time. The final stop was a brief look for Chough near Dover Castle. Eight birds were near the aviary and so quite distant. Spotted Crake The walk along the Stour Juvenile Dotterel  Adult Dotterel   
Read more

Elmley 16/09/25

-
Image
Less windy today and mostly sunny so I made what was belatedly my first visit to Elmley this year. The male Red-footed Falcon, initially found a couple of days ago, had been reported earlier th is morning.  To start with there was no sign of it after I arrived, however I  walked down to the brickfields and was surprised to see the bird there. It was sitting i n a grassy field though soon flew off, back up the track towards the oaks.  Good views of the falcon were then obtained, both in flight and sitting in the trees. It seemed to be a second-winter bird on account of some barring on the underwing due to a mixture of old and new flight feathers. It seems quite possible this bird is the same as that exactly one year ago when in juvenile plumage.  There were also a couple of Hobbies in the same area today. This was my first outing using the new OM1 so a bit of a learning exercise in how best to use it. First view of the falcon. Red-footed Falcon  Hobby 
Read more

Darland Banks 24/09/25

-
Image
A mostly sunny and fairly windy day, though the lower slopes were more sheltered and hence felt warmer. I usually struggle to see Common Lizards in north Kent but today I found six. In all cases they were found in woodpiles, the first four being present in the same spot. It is thought that three of the lizards were adults, the other three juveniles. One of the adults had lost part of its tail and was very confiding. One of the juveniles had a tick behind a foreleg. Adult lizard  Same individual as above Juvenile lizard  Adult lizard  Juvenile lizard Juvenile lizard Adult lizard
Read more