Erra - Portugal

Images of undisturbed subjects in their natural environment. All subject types.

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Yawns
Posts: 400
Joined: Sun Dec 20, 2015 9:18 am
Location: Benavente, Portugal

Erra - Portugal

Post by Yawns »

I went with a friend to a special place for us, far from home and somewhat away from populations or agricultural fields. It is a very large private estate with no fence and quite wild.
There they only extract cork, but the trees only produce cork with commercial value once in every 9 years, so most of the time the land is let alone. It is a very good place for insects, in variety and quantity.

We stayed for 8 hours.. just a sample of the dozens of pictures I have to edit.

The place and some cork trees
ImageT0780030 by antonio caseiro, on Flickr

Thomisus onustus
ImageThomisus onustus by antonio caseiro, on Flickr

some Tetigonia ( I believe) yet to identify
Image_DSC0457 by antonio caseiro, on Flickr

Chasmatopterus villosulus (melolonthidae)
I never saw this insect befofre
ImageChasmatopterus villosulus by antonio caseiro, on Flickr

Chrysolina americana .. always very difficult to photograph
Image_DSC0661bb by antonio caseiro, on Flickr

Synema globosum female - white version
Imagesinema globosum (white) by antonio caseiro, on Flickr

all with Oshiro 60mm and Meike Twin Flash
ImageT0780022 by antonio caseiro, on Flickr

and zillions of ticks .. :)
Dermacentor (reticulatus ??)
Image_DSC0484nn by antonio caseiro, on Flickr

Thank you for watching
António
YAWNS _ (Y)et (A)nother (W)onderful (N)ewbie (S)hooting

leonardturner
Posts: 713
Joined: Thu Mar 14, 2013 11:40 am
Location: Atlanta, GA, USA

Post by leonardturner »

Because of the lying-on-the-ground documentation shot, I can't help but wonder--did the tick get you before you got it? Anyway, a really neat group. Sounds like a wonderful day.

Leonard

Yawns
Posts: 400
Joined: Sun Dec 20, 2015 9:18 am
Location: Benavente, Portugal

Post by Yawns »

leonardturner wrote:Because of the lying-on-the-ground documentation shot, I can't help but wonder--did the tick get you before you got it? Anyway, a really neat group. Sounds like a wonderful day.

Leonard
Thank you ...

That particular tick did not get us.. but it came to a point I stopped to worry about the ticks.. it was useless to shake them out of the clothes.

I'm used to it and never had problems.
YAWNS _ (Y)et (A)nother (W)onderful (N)ewbie (S)hooting

GrayPlayer
Posts: 59
Joined: Sat Nov 14, 2009 5:44 pm

Post by GrayPlayer »

Ticks in the US carry Lyme disease. Hopefully the disease will not migrate to your neck of the woods. Beautiful images and location.
Fred H.

enricosavazzi
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Joined: Sat Nov 21, 2009 2:41 pm
Location: Västerås, Sweden
Contact:

Post by enricosavazzi »

GrayPlayer wrote:Ticks in the US carry Lyme disease. Hopefully the disease will not migrate to your neck of the woods. Beautiful images and location.
I don't know for sure about Portugal, but Lyme (as well as the far more serious TBE, and a couple of other yet unidentified tick-borne viruses pathogenic to humans) is common in Sweden, and even more common in other European countries.
--ES

Pau
Site Admin
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Location: Valencia, Spain

Post by Pau »

Although present Lyme disease is not frequent at the Iberian peninsula but Rickettsia infections are. A friend of mine was very ill about 25 yrs ago and now he still has serious immunological related issues.
Last edited by Pau on Fri May 11, 2018 8:09 am, edited 1 time in total.
Pau

enricosavazzi
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Joined: Sat Nov 21, 2009 2:41 pm
Location: Västerås, Sweden
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Post by enricosavazzi »

We have tick-borne Rickettsia in Sweden too, although not so common.
--ES

leonardturner
Posts: 713
Joined: Thu Mar 14, 2013 11:40 am
Location: Atlanta, GA, USA

Post by leonardturner »

Close examination after being in tick territory and prompt removal of any ticks may help and should be practiced, though not getting bitten (and thus exposed to their saliva) is the best.

Leonard

Yawns
Posts: 400
Joined: Sun Dec 20, 2015 9:18 am
Location: Benavente, Portugal

Post by Yawns »

The risk exists and it's not to be neglected, but's nothing to over worry or panic ...

We had dozens of them over us..., when we were having some snacks in the shade under a pine, we had a good laugh counting which one of us was having more. In the way back there were ticks in the car and when we stopped for a beer, we left a few crawling in the floor and in the table at the bar.

I was bitten once, in a buttock, 2 years ago .. and I got it at home, in the sofa, from one of my dogs for sure... Just had a red spot for a couple of days and a hard grain in my skin for a few weeks..

The ticks are not "aggressive".. in the sense they don't byte right after they land on you.
Also just a small percentage is infected and carries diseases.
You need to be very unlucky to be bitten.. and to be bitten by an infected one... you need to have poor luck twice..
The clothes protect us and if by any chance one gets to the skin we feel the little bugger going around in the skin...

I have them just around the house as I live in the outskirts of a small town in a rural area, and around my home there's plenty of uncared grass .. my dogs are magnets, and as they take a tablet every month in this season, the ticks crawl on tem but don't get attached ..
Funny enough they seem to don't like one of the two dogs .. only attack the other.
So we have them in the house frequently.

I use to lay white linen on the sofas and in the places were the dogs use to nap to see the loose ticks and flush them in the sink.
Nobody yet got a byte (but me... once)... and I don't know of any neighbour who got ill...

The risk exists, and gotta have care .. but I'm afraid it's more a collective fear fuelled by the horror stories passed mouth to mouth ... everybody knows a horror story of someone who got a byte and become ill and we have an exaggerated fear..

Or maybe I'm just an "irresponsible" optimist :)
YAWNS _ (Y)et (A)nother (W)onderful (N)ewbie (S)hooting

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