Fire and water

I’m off on a trip to the far west of Madeira. There’s a lighthouse at Ponto do Pargo which sounds great. Firstly there’s a pigeon with an unusual style to photograph:

And on the way there’s chance to see the volcanic rock beach at Calheta. The sherbet lemon of the Grey Wagtail is lovely against the endless monochrome of the rocks:

This is Motacilla cinerea schmitzi, the Madeira subspecies of the Grey Wagtail.

On the way, driving along the coast, are signs of devastation. There are burnt valleys, still smouldering. The cranes of new housing developments stand like sentinels over a charcoal landscape which reminds me of paintings of the devastation of war.

The coast has the steep volcanic slopes with no sand I’ve become accustomed to:

I’m hypnotised by the patterns in the water.

The breaking waves far below are beautiful.

It’s getting dark and the sun is handing over its job to the lighthouse.

Bermuda’s somewhere over there.

It’s nearly time for home.