Birds and Flowers

It has to be said, I was a little disappointed by the number of flowers we saw while in Albir. I was hoping that the onset  of Spring would have resulted in a flush of seasonal blooms, but it was not to be. Having said that, what few plants there were in flower, were well worthy of note. The only new species 'tick' we found, was an attractive, white flower called Mountain Sandwort (Arenaria montana).

Of course, there were quite a few of the ubiquitous Grey-leaved Cistus (Cistus albidus) shrubs flowering about the place. Their papery, pink flowers are something of a feature in Mediterranean parts.

Not a new 'tick' as such, we did find a new sub-species of a Common Thyme plant (Thymus subs. aestivus). The small but beautiful flowers adding their scent to the warm air.

Moving on from the plants, we were treated to the sight of a few birds while on our way to the lighthouse. One of the most colourful was this delightful Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa)

Malcolm was otherwise engaged as he was roped in to taking a photo of a group of Scandinavian tourists nearby. So, while he was busy working out how their camera worked, I was able to sneak up on the Partridge and get a good picture. What a beauty!

Less colourful, but no less gorgeous, was a pair of Black Wheatears (Oenanthe leucura). A smallish member of the thrush family, again, it was not a new 'tick' but a welcome sight nonetheless as it is a species we don't get in the UK.

All in all, not a bad collection for the few days we were there.