Spring shots from Spain and Portugal

[bluefin]

Another wonderful travelogue with plenty of beautiful pictures. David.

Thanks for sharing.

[Painted Jezebel]

I like the Marbled Whites. Are they as skittish as the Pierids we have here?

Ahem... Marbled Whites are Nymphalids (Satyrinae)!

[Commander]

Ahem... Marbled Whites are Nymphalids (Satyrinae)!

Ya... ya... my knowledge of butts limited to Southeast asia only.

[Archduke]

Looks like a wonderful country with great scenery and weather. As a Singaporean, I wonder how is the food like as well?

It seems that the butterflies are out in full force and you've captured them perfectly!

[moloch]

Thanks, guys.

Ahem... Marbled Whites are Nymphalids (Satyrinae)!

Les, I knew that these were Nymphalids but did not know that they were subfamily Satyrinae. Wow, white Satyinae! There must not be many with this colour. I can't think of any others that are this white elsewhere in the world.


Mark,
The food was good. They are real meat-eaters in the area where I visited. Most dishes were made with varieties of pork but beef was also available. One of my workmates ordered a fillet steak thinking that this would be small. It was not! The steak was thick and covered the entire plate. Chicken and seafood don't seem to be eaten as much but then I was inland and away from the coast. All meals were served with fries. Breakfasts are very strange when compared to Australia. In Spain and Portugal, breakfasts were usually cakes, pastries, cheese, ham and sourdough toast. Coffee is excellent and usually strong (espresso). Given a choice, though, I much prefer the spicy Singaporean/Malaysian food!


Here is a nice day-flying moth:




White Storks were common near Mertola. In some areas, nearly every telephone pole had a nest of these big birds.




Stonechat:



Here are a final few shots from Lisbon. Lisbon was beautiful and it reminded me of San Francisco with its hills, cable cars, bay and "Golden Gate" bridge. The old quarter of the city was especially nice.

[moloch]

Portuguese egg tarts were excellent as were their other pastries:



I found a shop dedicated to anchovies. They also had this shrimp paste. I wonder if it is as effective as blachan at attracting butterflies?



That is it for photos from this trip.




Regards,

[WillFolsom]

David: Thank you for your great story. I was fortunate to visit Lisbon many, many times in the 1970's and it was a favorite destination of mine. It was a great place to unwind after a long trip. It certainly appears to have "grown up" based on a couple of shots you posted. William

[Blue Jay]

Uncle David, your shots are great, especially the painted lady(let me guess, male?) . So far, I only saw 3 lycaenids flying over the sea while I was taking a ferry. I have not seen a single butterfly on land, so until today, I'm just birding whenever I can. Is it always like this during au winters?

[moloch]

Thanks, William and Brian.

Brian,
Where are you located? On sunny days like today (Wollongong/Sydney), you should be able to find a few butterflies. I normally see plenty of Black Jezebels at this time of the year. Botanic Gardens can also be good for a few species including lycaenids. In general, though, there are not many butterflies active in the winter and the numbers will be massively less than what you are used to in Singapore.

If you can visit the wet tropics (Townsville to Cape Tribulation), you will have better luck. Darwin should also be productive. There always are many species active in those areas since they are much warmer than the southeast of Australia.

Regards,
David

[atronox]

Spain is a beautiful country, that includes the food and sangria