We were walking across Ponte Pé bridge in Aljezur when I happened to look down
and spotted these little critters basking in the August sunshine! I posted a photograph to the Wildlife in Portugal Facebook group for identification, and I was informed that it was an Iberian Stripe necked terrapins, Mauremys leprosa.
Upstream is now a marshy retreat for wildlife.
I tried to take a closeup with my cellphone. Meh… I need to fire up my Panasonic camera so I can zoom in.
As you can see, this is the perfect haven for wildlife.
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Do you enjoy photographing wildflowers, bugs, birds, snakes, and other curiosities in the wild?
Every week, I will (endeavour) to share a photograph of wild flora or fauna in my local area. Why not join me?
Piglet in Portugal 
I had no idea what a terrapin was but now I do.
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It does indeed look like a haven for wild life. What a lovely area. I imagine the people living in those houses on the side of the river see a lot of beauty.
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… and a lot of mosquitoes 🙂
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How cool to see them all in a row. You walked by at the right time.
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I was surprised to see them basking in the sunshine.
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How sweet that you live close to a wildlife habitat. I do too, and I love my walks there. The “digital” zoom on cell phones is the worst feature of their cameras. Sometimes I wish they’d take it away because it seldom results in a clear photo. In the beginners smart phone photography classes I teach at our winter park, I advise people, to avoid it as much as possible. Better to set your “optical” zoom at whatever is the max, set your focus, and then take the shot, in hopes that you’ll have a clear enough shot to crop for a closer look. The other option is to add a mobile tele lens.
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Hi Terry, thank you for the photography tips. Hopefully, they will still be there when we next go. I read terrapins are a delicacy … we will see. There was a lot more wildlife but I was too far away to take photos. IT really is a haven.
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