More wildlife

In Juvíles we're used to wildlife invading, what with swallows and geckos making their homes in the house itself, and any number of invertebrates calling in from time to time. It comes as more of a surprise in Scotland. Yesterday I entered the dining room to find a distressed robin flying around, and when I tried to help it out it managed to trap itself in between the sashes of the window - I'd been painting the frames. After a couple of failed attempts to free it, the bird played dead while I lifted it up and carried it out into the garden. Its tiny heart was beating like a drum, but it flew off in what looked like a perfectly healthy state. I didn't have the presence of mind to find the camera, so I had to get this shot online. (Although they live in the UK all year round they've become a symbol of winter, and it seems to be against the law to photograph robins without snow.)

You might see a European robin while staying at our place in Juvíles; the distribution goes all the way down to Mauritania. Other likely sightings depending on the season include hoopoes, black redstarts, bee eaters, Bonelli's eagle, vultures and not far away on the coast, flamingos. There are supposed to be naturalised parrots around, though I've never seen one. There are lots and lots of sparrows, too.