IMG_0753, originally uploaded by Paradise in Portugal.
Another new species has colonised the Quinta’s gardens!
It’s fantastic how as the garden matures so it becomes more and more attractive and new birds appear here.
This Cirl Bunting has been singing away prominently for the last week or so but every time he’s seen my camera he’s high-tailed it into the undergrowth … until yesterday afternoon, and I’m over the moon with having got this shot.
Poppies-0475, originally uploaded by Paradise in Portugal.
Another quick roadside shot of some of the beautiful, beautiful flowers at this time of year. This time they’re just common poppies – but in such profusion as to take your breath away, and, mixed in as they are with the crops in the fields, they turn every view into an impressionist painting.
Sunrise-0573, originally uploaded by Paradise in Portugal.
I spend, as a lot of you will know, an inordinate amount of my time showing our guests the birdlife that surrounds the Quinta, and many many mornings I’m up before dawn to be in the right place at the right time. The early bird, as they say, catches the worm, but if you want to catch the bird then there’s no option than to be up even earlier.
I know some people have trouble getting up early, especially on holiday, but there are some wonderful compensations, and none better in my opinion than to see the sun “come up like thunder” across the Plains of the Alentejo.
Flower-meadow-0107, originally uploaded by Paradise in Portugal.
Another small taste of what the countryside is like around here at this time of year. A real joy to be lucky enough to have a “job” that gives me so much time and opportunity to see the stunning flowers that surround the Quinta right now. The birds are simply fantastic too; all the latest postings can be seen on the Quinta’s Birdwatching site.
Bee-eater-9915, originally uploaded by Paradise in Portugal.
Sometimes everything comes together and I get a shot I’m truly proud of; this was one of those times a couple of days ago …
Spanish-Festoon-0019, originally uploaded by Paradise in Portugal.
The warm days of Spring have produced a truly wonderful brood of butterflies this year, and these Spanish Festoons are some of the best. Everything seems to be buzzing at the moment and with the streams all still flowing it really is the most perfect setting for long lazy walks nearby.
Wild-Gladioli-0048, originally uploaded by Paradise in Portugal.
Last year I saw this particular meadow full of wild gladiolus down in Cortebrique but failed to take a snap of it as I was in too much of a hurry; a mistake i was sure not to repeat this year!
Frank-&-Daniela-7.4.11-9761, originally uploaded by Paradise in Portugal.
Driving through Cortebrique this morning and someone shouted out to me, “Congratulations!”
“What for?” I asked.
“Why, for being #1 on Google of course; didn’t you know?”
“#1 on Google? I had no idea”, I replied truthfully. Though both Daniela and I work hard to promote the Quinta and countryside tourism in general in this area, I had no idea we’d apparently been so successful. “What search terms were you using?” I asked, intrigued.
“Quinta Portugal,” my friend replied, “and what’s so clever of you is that “Quinta” isn’t even in the name of your site. You beat all the big boys, all the other tourist sites and even all the “Quinta for sale” sites. Very smart. Congratulations! How did you do it?”
I had to come clean of course and say I didn’t know; as I say we work hard at our internet presence here, and maybe our Birding Site helps in this respect, but whether I know how it came about or not, it’s still a huge feather in our cap and we’re justly proud of ourselves and all of us hope our many friends and volunteers will be too, as it’s just as much thanks to all of you as to anything we’ve done.
Right, enough scribbling, I’m off down to the village to get the bubbly!
Flowers-9736, originally uploaded by Paradise in Portugal.
After the wet winter we had over the past few months the Alentejo is “springing” to Life again with the advent of warmer and longer days, and nowhere is this more apparent than on the Plains just to the north of the Quinta. The flowers stretch to the far horizon and most of the birds are back from their winter sojourn in Africa so the air is filled with birdsong and colour … it really is the best time by far to visit this spectacular countryside and revel in Nature’s bounty.
Santa-Clara-Feb-2011-8392, originally uploaded by Paradise in Portugal.
Spring is definitely on the way and the first Barn Swallow chicks have hatched in the Quinta’s Library. The days are appreciably longer and today the sun is shining fit to bust, but the last few days and nights Winter threw at us everything it could possibly fling with the result that we’ve lost Turtle Island, Chicken Island is a mere blip in the ocean that is the lake and Santa Clara has a roaring torrent flowing past its door instead of its usual trickle. The pontoon is a jump away from the garden now, (I honestly can’t pull it up any further and will instead build a bridge to get out to it), and there are just three steps from the Summer House lawn into the water.
Yes, I’ve seen it higher, back in November ’97 when we had the worst storm in living memory and the lake came up 3 mts in a single night, but I honestly haven’t seen it as high as this since then. Back then we were hit hard and then followed a drought that only really lifted eleven years later; I wonder what the next eleven years will bring?
In the meantime we’ll relish the proximity of the water to our door and pray that the Câmara, our local County Council, repair the roads that are all falling apart around here – the potholes are simply everywhere; it’s getting as bad as Costa Rica, so we’re glad we’ve had recent practice !