Two young Hoopoes listening and commenting on their mother’s advise in how-to-get-food-out-of-the-ground….

The past week we spent in the south of France. Though temperatures tend to be hot, and the ‘birding season’ is almost over, the camera came along nevertheless, however ‘in the back seat’. The first hotel we stayed in, had all it promised: WiFi, a nice pool and pleasant gardens. What the website did not tell us however, was that they also had a family of Hoopoes (Hop) living in the vicinity. Extremely shy, they showed themselves only briefly in the early morning (hence mostly in the shadows) and disappeared as soon as the hotel came to life. Still, it was great to see a family of four, and very interesting to see the little ones imitating the food search method of the parents! Another family living in the gardens was one of Jays (Gaai). The young bird in the pictures was often calling for food and looking around curious in his new world! In another B&B on our way back to the Netherlands, the hostess pointed out (when seeing me carrying the camera) a nest of Red Black starts (Zwarte Roodstaart). Four young birds inside a hole in the wall, and a single parent feeding them. Another great and unexpected treat to watch, and to frame !