As long as we can still count on the birds and the seasons, it’s going to be alright.
Here is a collection of my feathery companions here in southern Tuscany with a nature reserve as a neighbour. Only the last four photos are from elsewhere: two from Rome and two from Slovenia.
All except the ibis and the two from Rome were taken last year. As if by chance there are two birds in my today’s blogging memories as well.
Even though there are many birds around in the winter as well, especially migratory ones such as flamingos (only one shot of them from afar included), the time of birds is coming now with spring. I hope the hoopoes will be around again. They are so cheerful.
Have a loveliest weekend possible and do it as Rumi said:
Live life as if everything is rigged in your favour.
Rumi
Here it comes. 
A close encounter another time, in December. It may be a harrier. 
Most often it’s these fellows. 
A dove of some sort. 
With a different friend. 
Two doves and a starling (I presume). What are they receiving? 
A row of swallows. 
These pretty vocal ones I don’t recognise so I give them Italian names. This one looks like a Stefano. 
And a Francesca! 
A hoopoe I’m always glad to see. None yet this year. 
A rare dragon bird (Nahh.) 
This one will be here for a while. 
End of August in Lake Burano. 
Nearby Orbetello lagoon is a bird paradise too. There is always an egret. 
And this orange duck is always there too. 
Only one time I saw one of these, in January 2018. It’s an ibis! 
This one is scaring nobody. Humans are so funny. As if it’s not us who are visiting. 
A friend left me this in front of our gate. 
Whose home is this? 
Driving home from a 3-garden tour last May a pair of these crossed the road in front of me. A pheasant? 
In Castiglione della Pescaia. 
Ten minutes later. A heron, right? 
To Rome: these (green, not yellow) parrots are the loudest. The light was weird. 
In Rome seagulls are the hood thugs. 
Whereas in Piran, Slovenia, they pose for postcards. 
And finally, a neighbour in Ljubljana.
For Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Birds
This day in my blogging history
An Embarrassment of Riches 
A nature reserve a stone’s throw from you. How amazing is that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Quite, Bojana. It makes me realise that I’m the visitor. It would be really hard to move somewhere else after this.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I bet.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh it was fun scrolling through your photos and reading your captures, Gorgeous photos 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Cee! I’m so glad that I gathered them up like this. It makes me feel gratitude.
LikeLike
An ibis? Parrots in Rome (so beautifully photographed)? And a hoopoe? I’ve never heard of that fascinating bird. Thank you for the introduction!
Hard to choose, but I was particularly transported by the photo of the heron amid her lavender and green home — and by the copper nest and twigs set against powder blue.
Finally, thank you for the beautiful Rumi quote: “Live life as if everything is rigged in your favour.” I try to live that way — and it’s funny how good things keep manifesting themselves.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you kindly, Carol Ann. 🙂 Your comments always make me smile. You really look and read. Isn’t this quote telling? The world would be a better place if more people lived like this. Of course, if you have war on your doorstep, it’s a bit hard. It’s lovely how you call the heron a she, but it may be that you know your birds. Yes, Northern Bald Ibis, apparently. As you can see by the ring, they have them counted and monitored. And the parrots are roaming wild in Rome, shrieking and traversing the sky in flocks of green. Wishing you well. (Today a huge duel: Boston Vs. Mavs. It’s an early game.)
LikeLike
HUGE game yesterday. The Mavs are rolling. Maybe they, too, are acting as though everything is rigged in their favor. Confidence begets confidence (and a big 3rd quarter helps too…). Regarding the heron, I don’t actually know its gender. After growing up in a world where “he” was the default pronoun, I stray in the other direction….
LikeLiked by 1 person
HUGE is right! ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
I so enjoyed your bird photos, Manja. I know so little of the names of birds, but I definitely recognized Stefano and Francesca! 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hihihih, thanks, Lois. 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great bird photos!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Lynette. Not much around here but them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Those little birds look like sparrows to me. I’m so jealous you saw an ibis! (K)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, K. Yes, only that time. I drove off the main road and it was right there in the field. I had to stop and do a double check as I thought my eyes were playing with me. They are quite big! As you can see by the ring, they are monitored.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love the herons (always among my favourites) but seeing a hoopoe seems very special to me. I hope they come back again for you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope so too. Thank you, Sarah!
LikeLiked by 1 person
How wonderful to see so many lovely birds! One of those doves I recognized! It’s an Eurasian Collared Dove. We see them here once in awhile. I’ve seen several this winter. So many of those birds would be new to me and exciting sightings. I hope the Hoopoe returns and you see it this year!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Deborah! So interesting that many would be new for you. I hope you get to see them one day. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Me too! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi, I love that Rumi quote. It speaks of total acceptance and fluidity!
As for the birds the Hoopee is a bird I have not seen nor heard. How unusual. It really caught my eye.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Amanda! If you have a minute, google hoopoe in flight and you will be able to see the wonderful pattern it makes in the sky. It looks like it had fairy wings!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I will do that, Manja. It sounds interesting.
I did that…. such a beautiful pattern!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That ibis is kind of gnarly looking! But the hoopoe is one I’ve never heard of or seen before. It’s beautiful!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hihi, gnarly is a good word for it, Betsy. 😀 It looks like it knows certain fighting techniques. Hoopoe in flight is quite a sight. I recommend you google it since I doubt I’ll ever be able to record its flight. They are off so quickly!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Neat! Okay!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love the way you captured all the personalities of all these birds, so cool. In flight, nested, waiting, in the river, walking across the road, the owl sculpture, the feather, such a well-curated narrative 🙂 Love the reflected heron towards the end (is it a heron?). The pheasant crossing the road though, there’s something so human about it, you can almost feel the calculations it’s making. The ibis is incredible. Now I know an ibis is a bird and not just a chain of hotels.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ahh, thank you, Sunra Nina, for being able to see their personalities. 🙂 The Ibis hotels somehow manage to hide from me completely. I wouldn’t know it was a hotel chain. I think the white one is an egret but I’m not sure. The mate of that pheasant was across quickly but she (yes?) kind of struggled to catch up.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like that Rumi quote a lot and I will make sure I live that way. Also, a lovely collection of birds! I
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lovely, Julie. 🙂 Thank you. Yesss, let’s live this way, all of us!
LikeLike