Friday, April 1, 2011

Doves and Blackbirds

So many new birds have been visiting our garden lately.  I have never seen this type of dove before and couldn't believe my eyes when one came to rest in the brugmansia the other day.  Luckily I had gone into the garden camera in hand intending to catch Minnie the cat as she played.  But then I saw a flash of white stripe on a tail flying by, and then a shock of pink and tan feathers settling down on a branch.  I crept nearer and then used the zoom on my camera to catch this lovely creature.

Note...some days later:

I've since discovered that this dove is called the STREPTOPELIA TURTUR.

STREPTOPELIA TURTUR

I showed this photo to my gardener, a local man, who said these coloured doves are quite common here in Canary Islands.  I do hope this one will visit often.

We also have a pair of light tan doves who spend their time in our Jerusalem thorn tree and since a friend told me that doves mate for life with one partner, I guess this must be a honeymoon couple who have set up house in our garden with a nest nearby.  I'm looking forward to seeing the little ones come to the feeder.
  Just hope there are too many of them! But aren't they lovely!




Here they are in the thorn tree.  Can you spot them?

Those yellow spiked flowers on the left are aloe vera.

And the doves close up...

And not to forget the blackbirds who visit every day.  I haven't seen any baby birds yet from them.
I hope the nests weren't destroyed with that big wind storm we had earlier.


Here are some taginaste blooming in a street garden.  They are over 5 ft tall.  These are in the same family as the red ones which bloom on the high mountainous area around the Teide volcano.


A landscape on the edge of town.


And looking out of my computer room window at the masses of bougainvillea in the garden.


Have a lovely beginning of April!  
Thanks for your visit and do drop by again.
Hasta la vista!

7 comments:

Ashleigh said...

Your lenses are amazing...you are getting such great shot of the birds! I love it!

Canarybird said...

Thanks Ashleigh. I love following these birds around the garden. Just wish I could get some new ones of the tiny birds that dart around so quickly I can't keep them in view.

Ingmarie We said...

Hi Sharon! I am Ingmarie from Sweden! Living on the Swedish West Coast, just outside a small town near the sea. Have been lurking here for a while. Visited Tenerife in February 2011 and liked it very much. We visited Puerto de la Cruz twice and thanks to you I visited the Sitio Litre Garden!

Your photos are just amazing. Like the turtle dove photos very much, they are tack sharp. You have a wonderful garden too.

Canarybird said...

Thank you for your kind comments Ingmarie...nice to meet you and know that you have been to Tenerife and the Sitio Litre. I've been lucky catching the doves on camera. They are not as shy as the smaller birds and will sit still and pose for me without any fear.

Tumbit said...

I'm surprised you ever manage to get any blogging done with such a fantastic view to look at. The photos have an impressive clarity to them.

Anonymous said...

Lo siento. La fotografia corresponde a Streptopelia turtur, Tórtola (torterelle, fr.)

Linda said...

Streptopelia turtur it is, not Columba junoniae

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