Annalia S.'s photos with the keyword: camouflage

It is not uncommon for Florentine palazzos to have inconspicuous side doors, usually service doors or side entrances to a courtyard or storage areas. This one was clearly commissioned especially to blend in with the facade and, despite the ageing of the wood, it is still pretty well camouflaged. Closer inspection revealed a slot for the post and an old doorbell, so this might have been used as a service door or was perhaps the entrance to a custodian's quarters.

While walking in the garden, I dislodged a stick, which in turn sent some little creature scurrying away among the dried leaves. It was so well camouflaged and so well hidden that it took me a while to actually "see" it was a little sparrow trying to hide by one of my potted plants. It obviously could not fly, but I didn't see any visible injuries, so I thought it might be de-hydrated. I put out a small dish filled with water for it and left it alone, hoping it would drink up and recover. A few hours later, however, we found its lifeless little body keeled over. It is the second dead sparrow we find in just a few days and I wonder what killed them since neither seemed injured or old or malnourished. Birds can fall prey to predators, of course, or die from old age and a host of other natural causes, just like the rest of us, but it seemed so sad to see them go for no apparent reason.

The blackbird chicks are growing up fast! The parents stopped feeding them a few days ago and now they must fend for themselves. That makes them pretty cheeky as they forage in the garden and enjoy the water in a pot dish I refill everyday (a popular feature even with the other birds and pretty murky by the end of the day after everybody has had their bath!). They are a masterpiece of camouflage and not easy to photograph unless caught quite close or against a strongly contrasting background. Here are the best of my attempts so far (see PIPS too). They pretty much consider me just a somewhat annoying feature of the garden (!) and if I stand very still they come close enough to attempt a shot.