Sunday 18 July 2010

Young Barn Swallows- Hirundo rustica

There are two species of Hirundo,  rustica and daurica (Barn swallow and Red rumped Swallow), House Martins and Swifts almost all day in the sky over the yard ...As they fly so fast it is  imposible for me to take a photo although some times they fly too close to the earth ...
This youngster stayed for few seconds on the wire and it was enough for me to take a photo



Serin- Serinus serinus

Those little birds weren't very common the previous years ...but this year they decided to start their second (?) breeding attempt to the big pine outside our yard ...I hope soon I will get better photos



Greenfinch- Carduelis chloris

There is a family around but they are very shy ...and they don't come often to our yard . I hope for a better photo soon


Great Tit- Parus major

Red backed Shrike - Lanius collurio

The Red backed Shrikes nest and feed around every year ..The previous years were more abandant ...This year I can see only a family ...A male, a female and four youngsters ...Mostly they feed outside of the yard this year ...so I had no many chance for a really good photo

The male


Young male perching on the corns ...



Female ...ready for a dive to catch the insect

Spotted Flycatcher- Muscicapa striata

They come regularly to feed around ..


Unindentified bird

I tried to find out what was this little bird who posed for me for long but failed ...It looked like a flycatcher but there isn't any streaks on breast ....The legs were dark ..Any help would be very appreciated ...

Collared Dove - Streptopelia decaocto

The most numerous species together with the House Sparrows ...Almost all day an individual stand on the electricity pole exactly near yard's entrance



Blackbird - Turdus merula

Blackbirds have a good sized population in the area ...There were years with even more birds around but even so they are everywhere. They breed at neighbours' olive groove and garden ...They feed in the yard regularly every day...Special this male who isn't so shy like the female and youngsters...



Crested Lark - Galerida cristata

Although I see Calerida cristata every year ...it isn't a common bird for the little area around the house ...No more than one to three sightings every year in the road...This year I saw it twice, one in the yard and the other on the road ...

House Sparrows- Passer domesticus

There is a big colony at neighbours' roof ....they spend big part of the day around and they love to have a dust bath on the road late in evening ....Except of the House Sparrows there are few Tree Sparrows (Passer montanus) ...but they prefer the wheat field on the other side of the yard ...In fact they come rarely ..the yard owns to house sparrows ))