We regularly hear Eurasian Hoopoes (Poupas in Portuguese) on walks throughout the Algarve but regular readers will know I have struggled to photograph them. In fact I was beginning to consider them my bête noire. However as you can see from this post my luck completely changed on a lovely stroll in Ludo and Lagoa de São Lourenço. A pair were happily hunting for grubs right in front of us. They were even joined at one point by a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.
My perfect shot will be of a Hoopoe looking at the camera with their glorious crest fully erect. So Poupa perfection has yet to be achieved but I am getting closer!
Their scientific name is Upupa Epops, and like their English and Portuguese names, they are onomatopoeic, ie their name imitates the sound the bird makes. Have a listen to this excellent Xeno-Canto recording by Peter Boesman.
The Hoopoe diet consists mainly of insects such as crickets, locusts, beetles, earwigs, and ants. They will occasionally also eat berries and even small reptiles. Apparently though they have a preferred dinner size of around 20–30 millimetres. Looks like this one may have found just that!
Oops forgot to link this to my other blog! I was ‘tickled pink’.
Marvelous, Becky. The first Hoopoe I saw was here, in South Africa. Though it is the African Hoopoe, of course – something I did not realise at the time, thinking it was a migratory bird.
It is an infrequent visitor to our spot and I have experienced the same frustration of not having a camera at hand when one pops into the garden.
But I have had a modicum of success.
When someone called from the kitchen a while back and pointed out the window, this is what I saw!
https://attaleuntold.wordpress.com/2018/05/15/watch-the-birdy-african-hoopoe-a-few-more/
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I’d love to see a hoopoe, but I don’t think they’ve come this far west yet, we do have green parakeets though.
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Won’t be too long I’m sure. One was spotted in Wiltshire last week!
Amazingly the parakeets have missed us, seemed to have gone from London straight to you. Sensible fellows!
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Your patience paid off because the photos are clear and fun – with so much activity and color – and like the others here / I enjoyed the sound track I course
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Thank you so very much. We were so lucky to be there right at that moment and no other walkers around.
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Ahhh very much so –
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A wonderful bird Becky. Thanks for adding the sound track as well 🙂
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So glad you like. Had to include the sound as it follows me everywhere on some walks. Am sure up until I took these shots they were laughing at my frustration!!!
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I have had the same trying to get that allusive photo.
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Did your partner though echo the noise to make it even more frustrating?!!!!!
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Yes at times. She is still getting over the illness. I had to tend to her needs over the past few days, hence I am behind on my blog reading.
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Oh no, you poor things. Sending hugs to her too xxxx
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Hugs received and will be passed on when I see her next. You are a good person Becky xxx
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Great photos Becky, and what a cutie.
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Thank you so much Clare.
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Your last image is pretty close to perfect! He was posing just for you, and showing off his lunch. 🙂
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Thank you so much 😀 you are right I just want the impossible!!
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