Passarinhos City Nature

That must have been so fun to witness

Like,"It was a dark and stormy night...?"

Two mute swans float on the douro river at the observatório das aves near Foz neighborhood. The Ponte de Arrábida (bridge) and city of Vila Nova de Gaia can be seen in the distance. It is a hazy day with recent wildfires in the area

Mute swans aren't native to this area, but try telling these two #Porto #observatóriodasaves

Fog settles over the douro river estuary and the city of Porto. It's is finally cool after two weeks of high temperatures

Finally a day of cool after so much extreme heat. Glorious!

It's funny how sometimes lifers find you. Great pic!

Two swans swim in Douro River in the foreground. Some Seagulls also. Construction of condos looms in the distance, across the river, on the Gaia side of the river.

A couple of elegant mute swans spotted today among the seagull riff-raff!

John, I always love your photos! I'd like to start taking pictures of birds and bugs myself, but my camera is obviously not the right equipment. Can you recommend a good starter camera for a novice?

Bom camino

Do it! But wait until it's not so hot and smoky.

You know you're living life right when you have a favorite bend in a favorite river

I specifically use a VPN for safety, a habit I picked up from my work computer, which requires it for remote/off-site work, for online safety, not for dodgy business. It's a recommended practice for remote workers.

Sun rises on the right over the city of Porto and the douro river estuary meeting the Altlantic ocean. A glorious morning!

It's going to be a hot week alright temps going over 92F/33C. So, we got up before the dawn to do our daily walk. The sunrise was a nice bonus. #Lavadores

Not at all an expert, could it be a molt?

Hard agree

A bright clear day over a sandy beach with greenery in the foreground and Porto city in the distance. Clouds gather off the coast

Perfect day at our favorite spot #Lavadores

The word splendid comes to mind!

I can tell you are invested and take this topic seriously, and please take this in the spirit intended, so intense as to shut down any conversation. It might feel like gatekeeping to some. I wish you luck in your art tho

If art itself is subjective, is it not possible that who might be called an artist is equally subjective?

A tall tree covered in gnarly holey bark with leafy green foliage and twisty branches stands tall in a quiet park in Maia, Portugal

I should have guessed, without using an app, that this was a cork tree based on the texture of the bark alone - Parque de Avioso, Maia Portugal

A brown insect with long antenna is well camouflaged against gnarly and holey cork tree bark

Two things I've never seen before in the same spot - a cork tree and a weevil

A tree stretches and winds it's branches up towards the blue sky and it's lavender blossoms drape down in delicate sprays

Jacarandas are in my top five favorite trees - so ladylike

Spending time outside always feels like a good choice

Not Stephen King, but I once made the mistake of reading Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones while camping by myself. Still traumatized

Clusters of yellow-white blossoms dangle down beneath silver and green leaves of a linden tree

Silver linden, a shady city tree

Seems like a peaceful place to be

As an American now living abroad, I'm keenly aware of how little I've been educated on world history. I'll add this to my to-read stack

This

A river running through the center of Padron Spain in the early morning

A view of finesterre, the terminus of the camino trail, can be seen in the far off distance across the ocean and sandy beach. Ferns and trees cover the forefront

A marker bearing a yellow seashell on a blue border at finesterre announces the finish to the camino trail at 0.000 kilometers

A white square building with a beacon on top - the lighthouse at the end of the camino trail marks the western edge of the European world

Day 5 of camino - Padron & day trip to Finesterre

Final day on the camino