May 26, 2014

More Bees and Birds from Lezhë, Albania

We arrived back in our house in Harrisonburg, VA, USA, on Thursday evening, May 22. And here are a few photos I still have of birds and bees from our time in Lezhe, Albania.

First are two photos of the most populous birds in Lezhë--the house sparrow and the pigeon.

male house sparrow on wire

Male House Sparrow in Lezhë (12-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

pigeon on neighbor's roof

Pigeon on a Neighbor's Roof (18-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

With spring in the air in Lezhë, the bees were out in full force on the flowers in the city park and around town.

a bee sampling blosoms on a bush

A Bee Samples the Blossoms on a Flowering Bush (13-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

two bees checking out a calla lily bloom

Two Bees on a Calla Lily Bloom (15-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

bee on a marguerite daisy

Bee on a Marguerite Daisy in Lezhë City Park (2-May-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

Bee on a Marguerite Daisy (close-up)

Bee on a Marguerite Daisy (close-up) in Lezhë City Park (2-May-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

The same day we were looking at the bees on the daises in the city park in Lezhë, a man sitting on a park bench pointed out the salamander seen below.

salamander in the Lezhe City Park

Salamander in the Lezhë City Park (2-May-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

The week before Easter while visiting Allen Umble in Lushnjë, we saw these ducks. They appear to be either a Mallard-related species or Mallard hybrids. But maybe someone else can tell me for sure.

mallard-related ducks (I)

Mallard-related Ducks (I) (15-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

mallard-related ducks (II)

Mallard-related Ducks (II) (15-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

One of the days I was at the train station waiting to photograph the train, I heard chickens in the yard of a home nearby. So while I waited, I took their picture. Now what the domestic duck and the other mottled brown one are doing in the mix, I do not know. These chickens look like the same breed we see being sold in the market and living in our localities in Albania. But a look at the Albania country report for 2008-2009 to the European Regional Focal Point for Animal Genetic Resources shows several breeds of chickens in the country. But those below look like they could be a mix of several breeds.

some chickens and a duck or two around a house in lezhe

Chickens and a Duck or Two in Lezhë (30-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

One day early in April as I was trying to see a train come through Lezhë, I noticed a flock of sheep that slowly crisscrossed the railroad tracks trying to find good grazing. Maybe that is what cowcatchers were made for. But as I look at any of the photos of the train engine I took after I finally found the train, it does not have a cowcatcher!

sheep grazing across the railroad tracks in Lezhe

Back to more pigeons, these seemed to be holding a conference.

a pigeon "conference"

But when the meeting was over, they were all ready to go their own way.

Several days later, I captured this pigeon strutting around by itself. I wonder what genetic combination made its blotchy black and white feather coat.

a white and black pigeon

But the picture I'm proud to have gotten is this one when it was taking off in flight.

black and white pegeon getting airborne

For now these will be my last animal photos from Albania. But if I find some more among all of my photos from the past four months, I'll be sure to post them here. Now I'll see what I can find here in Harrisonburg, VA, USA.

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