Rare sighting made my day...

[cyprusmax47]

Yesterday afternoon, just when the sun disappeared behind clouds and I went indoors, I had a look through my office window and had this view:



a young pair of Hoopoes having dinner. I know why they forgot their attention on the wider surrounding as there were piles of little black caterpillars which they picked up. Normally any move with an camera close-by would make them fly away.



what a beauty


so nature regulates itself and if they come more often to my place all the caterpillars will be gone without me doing anything about




the insects were about 2 cm long, quite the right size


I hope you like the pics which also means summer is on its way....

Max

[ast]

Very Impressive Max, Thank you.

[Ams]

Wow, how lovely for you Max!

[brengreen]

Lovely. Thanks for sharing

[Dominic]

Somebody posted a picture of one of them from Agios Georgios a day or two ago, so they are definitely in the area.

Send them over to our garden. Those caterpillars have gone from being cute to annoying now.

[Sadie]

Somebody posted a picture of one of them from Agios Georgios a day or two ago, so they are definitely in the area.

Send them over to our garden. Those caterpillars have gone from being cute to annoying now.

They’re not far away, we had them near us the other day

[OnceAHippy]

Lovely photos, thank you.

Beautiful markings on these birds.

And as you say, nature provided a solution to the caterpillars !

[Devil]

About 10 or 12 years ago, we had a pair nesting in a hole in the wall. They may be beautiful birds but you do not want them too close. They leave a hell of a mess around their nesting site and the smell is atrocious. They were very timid and did not like us around. I don't think they bred – I never saw a fledgling – so we had all the disadvantages without any advantages I was never able to get a decent photograph of them but I did get a few of them on an outhouse roof. Unfortunately, the photo quality is not brilliant as they were taken through a double glazed window.

Strangely, just after I sent the above paragraph as part of the message, I have just heard a hoopoe 'hup-hup-hup' some distance out the back, probably about 40 or 50 m away.