Bezirgan is a great place for birdwatching, with lots of different species, whether in the mountains around or on the plain.

A Black Redstart, pictured in winter, when he will appear when anyone is digging in the fields or gardens, and will stay quite close, hoping for worms

The rock nuthatch makes his nest of mud against rocks and the sides of houses, and you can often hear his unmistakeable tuneful sweet song as he sits atop the rock or the chimney of the house on which he has chosen to build.

Annual visitors, arriving about February 19th and leaving about September 19th are the swallows. They return year after year to the same nest, nor do they mind in the least if it's in one of the busiest thoroughfares in the village. This one is right in the doorway to the mosque!

In September, they can be seen massing on the telephone wires, prior to leaving.

Not so common as some of the other birds is the Collared Flycatcher.

Bezirgan has three different species of owl. The easiest one to spot is the Little Owl, which can often be seen in daytime. Here, a juvenile Little Owl sits on a fig tree.

Another good place to spot a Little Owl is on the rafters of one of the many ruined farmhouses in the village.

This pair of Tawny Owls make a nest and raise a brood every year in the plane tree next to the village cafe.

They stay beside their nest and seem to keep a careful eye on all that goes on in the Dervish Cafe!

The third species of owl, and the smallest, to be found in Bezirgan is the Scops Owl. Here, a pair of them are pictured beside their nest, which is often in the bole of an old tree.

The Golden Oriole is one of the most spectacular birds to be found in Bezirgan, but they are migrants, and to be found only in Spring, generally about the last week of April.

Another migrant, perhaps even more exotic than the Oriole, is the Bee-eater. They can be seen as they pass through in early May on their way north for the summer, then again as they fly south for the winter in September. His long, slender curved beak is ideal for digging bees from their hives (meaning, of course, he's not the favourite bird for bee-keepers!)

The willow warbler is a seed eater. Maybe he's not as vivid as some of the migrants, but he is a beautiful bird just the same.

The Great Spotted Woodpecker can be seen all year - or perhaps more accurate to say heard all year, as he drums in Spring to mark out his territory, and at other times to seek out insects in the bark of trees.

Another seed-eater is the Goldfinch, colourful noisy flocks of which can often be seen round patches of thistles.

The old graveyard is a good place to spot Blackheaded Bunting, as the tops of the scrub oak are just the height he likes for singing.

An elusive, delicate little bird is the whinchat, easier to spot in winter, when the trees have lost their leaves.

The Great Tit, photographed here on rosemary, is one of several species of tit to be found in Bezirgan.

The Sardinian Warbler is the most widespread warbler to be found in the scrublands and olive groves of the Mediterranean. Here, he is pictured in an olive tree.

Why we don't know, but there have been more hoopoes to be seen in the village than anyone can remember previously. They're spectacular birds, as can be seen in this picture of a young bird.

A Spectacled Warbler, pictured in the low scrub which he favours. His prominent white eye-ring, from which comes his name, can be seen quite clearly.

A Masked Shrike, which has just caught a caterpillar to feed his hungry brood. For several weeks, once the eggs are laid and while the young birds are small, he tirelessly protects them from the depradations of the jays, which would eat the chicks. Though the jay is a much bigger bird than he is, he will fly to gain height, then repeatedly divebomb the jay till he is chased off.

Probably the commonest bird of the village, the house Sparrow is the supreme opportunist, eating anything he can find wherever there is human habitation. This is a male.

The unmistakeable high sweet song of the Skylark is one of the most thrilling sounds of Spring. They are found mostly in the flat fields to the north & south of the village.

To be found in the same habitat as the Skylark is the Pied Wagtail.

A male Cretzschmar's Bunting typically perched on a low bush on a rocky hillside.

The Collared Dove's 3-note song, with the emphasis on the second note is unmistakeable - "cooo - COOOOOO - cooo."

The robin in Bezirgan behaves as robins the world over, and will sit alongside a gardener digging in the soil, hoping to catch a juice worm.