A favourite birding spot for many birders and twitchers is Quinta do Lago, and it is somewhere we frequented too. We always parked at the end of the runway and strolled through Ludo and Lagoa de São Lourenço. It has changed hugely since we first visited in 2014, including an unwelcome increase in the number of people using the area for jogging and cycling. However on one visit it wasn’t the humans that were annoying us but a plane.

It repeatedly landed and took off, driving us crazy as we had only just parked the car and so it was moving forward with us as we walked and was also very close overhead.

Eventually, when we were almost halfway through out walk, we were a sufficient distance from its flight path and could focus once more on the birds.

We later discovered it was being used for pilot training; apparently they don’t always use flight simulators. This is a move forward we could have done without!

By the way have you spotted what else is almost halfway? The challenge!

Tomorrow is the halfway point for #SquaresRenew. How many squares have you shared so far this month? And how many have you visited? If your numbers are still in single digits, then that is okay. There is only one rule for the Square Gang – your photograph must be square in shape!

72 thoughts

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      1. My last flight was in 2016 to Barcelona. Can’t quite believe it was so long ago! I need a new passport now if I am to travel abroad again.

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        1. I must admit I am also planning a couple of trips using planes but only because no other way of getting there, and also it is a trip I want to do one last time in memory of Robert and his sister. After that though train travel to get abroad is going to be my first option

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        2. Train travel sounds good, if only it was cheaper. Sadly can’t get to Australia by train, although it is probably still possible by land and sea.

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        3. I know the expense sometimes of trains is very off putting, I am getting back with finding advance rates though. So guess just need to do the same for Europe

          I think Australia is one of those allowed exceptions on flying!

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      1. My yesterday was one of frustrations. Comments kept whizzing down so I had to scroll back and forth, getting onto my site I had to refresh all the time 🙄

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      1. I must confess that I haven’t been visiting many squarers other than the usual suspects. I haven’t been responding well to comments on my own posts either! Must do better!

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        5. thanks it has been a bit bonkers, plus there was a grief tsunami last weekend . . however I do enjoy it so fingers crossed this weekend I will have a chance to create.

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  11. I’ve never had the pilot training experience, Becky, but there are constant take offs and landings along there. I’ve often wondered at the birds indifference to the noise as I certainly couldn’t live with it. It may be quieter in the middle of the day but it’s also heating up then and it’s a very exposed area. I’m visiting as many squarers as I can but I’ll catch the newbies in your gallery.

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    1. Well it was a one-off for us but suspect it isn’t long term as it is a great place to train. Not many commercial airports shut for lunch!

      And there will be a gallery coming up soon, so no worries about catching up on squares. I should have time this weekend to create one

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  16. Light and noise pollution are quite preventable but it doesn’t always happen. Although I guess I get why they need to train pilots.
    As to squares I have done st least one daily. It’s been a great exercise in creativity so huge THANKS!

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    1. I have so enjoyed your daily squaring, very impressive as I know how much effort it takes.

      and agree with you on light and noise – does frustrate me how little effort some places make

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    1. Incredibly. Usually it’s just a few planes an hour, and if you go at lunchtime there are none, which is what we had done. So completely unexpected.

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  19. Noice pollution is back. During covid it was almost no planes flying past, now they are back again. I have a bit of mixed feelings about this, loved the lack of disturbing sounds when outside, but glad that things are back to a (new) normal.

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