The kittens are now 5 weeks old so can go to new homes in the next few weeks. It’s not so easy to find homes for cats here in Portugal so if you can possibly offer one please let us know!
Ginger Kittens
Bees, Animals & Wildlife
Horse Riding
Sophie and I have just got back from our weekly horse riding lesson at Quinta da Pombal in Beijos (half an hour away from here). It is a ‘proper’ Portuguese stables with stallions and mares and they do Portuguese Dressage there. We have about an hour with a teacher for a very reasonable price and my beginners riding has improved no end. Sophie gets to do ‘pirouettes’ and ‘spanish walk’. It’s brilliant!
Horse Riding at Quinta da Pombal
You can also go horse riding in the country side here which is an AMAZING way to see it in my experience. You can ride for hours and only see a local villager tending to their goats, no other horses or people and you don’t have to go on any roads…the public tracks go everywhere. I am so lucky!
Beautiful French Cart Horse at the stables where we go riding -he is HUGE
More on the bees
The second swarm are now settled in the apiary which makes 3 hives there (see photo below) plus Andy’s hive which is near the pond.
The Apiary
All the hives so far are standard Portuguese ones, adapted to have open mesh floors which helps control the varroa mite. Matt is also in the middle of making a Abbe Warre hive and then has plans for a Top Bar hive. I am not mad on bees but even I have dared put on a ‘bee suit’ and had a look inside…they really are quite amazing.
Bee Update
Matt the Bee Keeper has been very excited in recent weeks…the original swarm of a few weeks ago didn’t settle at first, but they kept coming back (depleted in numbers) and eventually have settled in a new hive in the apiary. They have a queen and are laying eggs.
Meanwhile we have noticed scout bees on our balcony and another swarm hanging around the quinta. About 15 minutes ago they decided to go in one of the hives Matt has put on the balcony!
(Click on the photos to enlarge them).
Here come the swarm
Bees approaching their new home
Bees going in to their new home
Will they stay or will they go??? Hopefully as they have carefully chosen their new home over a few days then they will make it a permanent one…although Matt will move the hive into the apiary tonight as we don’t fancy bees on our balcony all the time.
Death’s Head Hawk Moth
Our neighbour found one of these a few months ago, and brought it round to see if we knew what it was.
Thanks to Zoe for enlightening us – it’s the larva of the Death’s Head Hawk Moth (Acherontia Atropos), more information and photos at: http://tpittaway.tripod.com/sphinx/a_atr.htm
Making Bottle Traps
Zoe’s here and we’re making use of her expertise to do some small ecological / wildlife surveys on the quinta!
Here’s Zoe (licensed to handle newts!*), showing us how to make the traps from plastic bottles.
Kirsten with two of the finished traps, ready to secure into the bottom of the pond with willow sticks.
Zoe positions the traps carefully (you need to know what you’re doing for this bit) in amongst the bullrushes in the pond.
Checking out the water mine with torches – we see two newts and a frog! Zoe sets another trap.
Will we catch anything? If so, what?
* Don’t attempt to trap or handle newts unless you have a license – not only could you harm or kill the newts (and other creatures) – it’s illegal!
Toad of Toad Hall
We were weeding the other day when we found this beauty hiding in the grass in the middle of the veggie bed.
He is I think, a Green Toad who likes to live on sandy soil and breeds in shallow pools. They are often encountered on farmland on the outskirts of villages which fits the bill.
Since we have been here I have had many ‘firsts’ when it comes to creepy crawlies including the beautiful Deaths Head Hawk Moth (see photo below). It is one of Europe’s most impressive moths – adults can hiss loudly when disturbed (unfortunately ours had been injured by cats). They feed on potato leaves.
Deaths Head Hawk Moth
I have also seen the Scolopendra Centipede (potentially very harmful to humans), Fire Salamanders and HUGE grasshoppers…I am fascinated!
