Here is Nightjar with the next chapter in her series.
We are now at the southern base of the West Hill and the entrance looks inviting. We are in a totally different environment, the soils here are obviously more fertile and can sustain denser vegetation. Let’s go up.
©Nightjar, all rights reserved
It’s time for the next chapter by Nightjar and today we’re looking up to see the vast landscape around us.
I’m always searching for rocks, fossils, flowers and insects, and often I have to remind myself to look up at the views. But let’s look up from the ground now. The first thing we see are some windmills in ruins. There are several here and they were made with limestone, of course.
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Looking down south we can see the vineyards in their full autumn display and some green fields. The round trees in the foreground and among the vineyards are olive trees. There are still many people here that produce wine and olive oil for their own consumption and to share with family. My family’s vineyard is a little bit more to the right and not shown in the photo.
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On the foothill there is the village’s soccer field. A match was about to start!
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Let’s look west now. Those houses are the northern part of the village and in the background we can see the West Hill. It looks very different in terms of vegetation density, doesn’t it? Can you guess what those trees are?
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In the next chapter we will explore the West Hill and see this one from the other side!
Thanks, Nightjar.
Nightjar is here to share the next chapter of her series.
There is quite a lot of biodiversity on the top but what you see will of course depend on the time of the year you visit. Spring would be more interesting, and we would be looking for wild orchids, wild peonies (Paeonia broteri) and honeysuckles. In November we must content ourselves with the late crocus (Crocus serotinus)…
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… and the autumn buttercup (Ranunculus bullatus).
©Nightjar, all rights reserved
Some plants have berries now, like the wild jasmine (Jasminum fruticans)…
©Nightjar, all rights reserved
… or the hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna).
©Nightjar, all rights reserved
And seedcases of the grey-leaved cistus (Cistus albidus) make me want to come back in Spring for their pink flowers with yellow centers.
©Nightjar, all rights reserved
The next chapter will be the last here and we will just enjoy the views and see the hill we will explore next, on the other side of the village.
It’s time for Nightjar’s next chapter.
We have reached the top of the East Hill and so has this weevil, which found the perfect place to sunbathe. There aren’t many insects around this time of the year (November), visiting in spring or summer would certainly be better for insect watching purposes.
©Nightjar, all rights reserved
It’s time for the next Chapter in Nightjar’s series.
Fossil hunting!
I’ve had more luck in other trips, but it’s always easy to find some fossils, especially of ammonites. These are Early Jurassic sediments, laid nearly 200 million years ago. In primary school, I remember participating in a few school trips to this hill. I either imagined or saw a classmate discover a fish fossil, but the rock was too big to carry with us. We went to call the teacher and the rest of the group but when we came back, we couldn’t find the rock we had seen. At least that’s how we told the story afterwards and it still occasionally comes up in get-together dinners. Did that really happen or was it the result of the fertile imagination of a group of 7-year-olds? I’m afraid we’ll never know, but I always remember this story when I visit this place and I’m still secretly searching for that mysterious fish fossil. Sadly, I didn’t find it this time either.
©Nightjar, all rights reserved
The last bloom of Nightjar’s early winter flowers series and it’s a beauty.
Speedwell (Veronica sp.),©Nightjar, all rights reserved
Thanks, Nightjar. It’s been lovely to have so much sunshine and colour at this time of year.
Welcome to the next chapter of Nightjar’s series about exploring the hills near her home in Portugal.
Limestone may not be the prettiest of rocks, but I really like rocks, and images such as this make me happy. The other side of this limestone formation, facing a neighbouring village, is currently being explored for cement production. On “our” side there is only evidence of the work of stonemasons who used to sculpt the rock in place and carry their works downhill. Word has it that some people have found sculptures among the piles of rocks on the top of the hill, but I never found anything. Just rocks, really.
©Nightjar, all rights reserved
I thought that Nightjar’s sunny Marigold photo from yesterday couldn’t be beat, but today she’s sent us an entire field of bright yellow Marigolds. I love the way the focus fades and the flowers start to look like bright yellow balloons bobbing in the breeze.
Marigolds (Calendula arvensis), ©Nightjar, all rights reserved
Thanks, Nightjar
Well, actually a lot of snow. These breathtaking photos are from DavidinOz.
…here are some photos from when I lived in New Zealand. They are from Tekapo in McKenzie Country on the South Island.
1 & 3 are the Church of the Good Shepherd exterior, while No 2 is the view through the window behind the altar. How could anyone listen to a sermon with that view? I am sure they must have drawn a curtain. The last 3 are taken from the top of Mount John, site of an observatory. The sky at Tekapo is so clear it is now listed as a world heritage area to protect it from light pollution.
It is a magical place, one I was pleased to see in all seasons.
Tekapo 1. ©David Brindley, all rights reserved
A gorgeous, bright yellow Marigold from Nightjar’s series of photos, Early Winter Flowers from Portugal. This photo even a wee visitor taking advantage of all that sweet, sticky pollen.
Marigold (Calendula arvensis), ©Nightjar, all rights reserved
Thanks, Nightjar.
Nightjar has been working hard on a new series for us which is making its debut today. We’ll be posting a new chapter every other day, which will include weekends, so be sure to check in often because you won’t want to miss a single post. The first chapter is about trees which makes Tuesday the right day to begin, so I invite you to sit back, relax and enjoy exploring a bit of Portugal with Nightjar.
This series was inspired by both Ice Swimmer’s “Harakka Island” series (starting here) and a post by rq on the Macedonian rocks that made her homesick, here. . I have no islands nearby to visit but I do have hills with rocks. In fact, I live between two hills that are very different from each other and both mean a lot to me, bringing childhood memories of fossil and rock hunting with my family and childhood friends. I do not go up the hills as often as I used to, but they really aren’t far from home and an afternoon is more than enough to explore one of them. In a November afternoon I went East and had fun among limestone. In a December afternoon I went West and had fun among phyllites and quartz. And yes, my pockets were heavy on my way back home. I can’t resist it. But let’s start our journey… let’s go East! [Read more…]
Another of Nightjar’s beautiful winter flowers from Portugal.
Hawkweed, ©Nightjar, all rights reserved
Gorgeous. Thanks, Nightjar.
Another early winter flower from Nightjar. The colour and light in this shot are enough to melt my cold winter heart.
Geranium molle, ©Nightjar, all rights reserved
Thanks, Nightjar.