Showing posts with label Bee Eater. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bee Eater. Show all posts

Friday, May 12, 2023

Gone Sunning

Henry The Labrador and daughter Joanne are in charge of the house. Alarm at 2 a.m. Next stop Manchester Airport and a 7 a.m. flight. 

Sue and I set off for Skiathos Greece on Wednesday looking for a break from the British weather, the coldest spring for many a year. The average UK temperature in April was just 8 degrees Celsius, or 1.6 degrees colder than the usual monthly average. 

On a sunny Greek day the sight of JSI runway splitting the landscape gladdens the heart and brings a lump to many a Boomerang's throat. We circled Mamma Mia island (Skopelos), passed close by Skiathos Town low enough to look in cafes and tavernas lining the harbour and then hit the football pitch runway to a roar of air brakes. If we overshot we’d land on Xanemos beach on top of a taverna, shaken but not stirred. 

Skiathos, Greece

Less than an hour later we loaded cases and bags into the Jimny and set off to Spiti Oneiro, Dream House, our base for a day or two. Kostas, Efi and baby Vagelis greeted us with cold beers and a welcome hug. Xenia, Greek hospitality at its best. We strolled to Maistrali our favourite taverna, more hugs, an early night, and an unwelcome but fortuitous thunderstorm. Kosta's Breakfast  set us up nicely for the day ahead.

We hit the road north in the Suzuki Jimny, the best car to ever leave Japan. The island has a roundabout under construction this year, an interesting addition to the perils of driving on the 'wrong' side of the road, especially since according to local gossip it won't be finished until October. 

Jimny

The storm had done the trick with a huge flock of Bee eaters some 200 birds strong which tucked into the plentiful flying insects. Grey skies and into the light didn't make for the ideal morning but the best was yet to come with shrikes, Black-headed Buntings, Red-rumped Swallows, a European Roller and a simply superb Little  Bittern. Several hundred clicks later the camera batteries needed a top up.

Bee eater

Black-headed Bunting

European Roller

European Roller

Little Bittern

Red-rumped Swallow

Red-backed Shrike

It's not all about birding. Here are few pictures of the other Skiathos until I get around to going through the hundreds of pictures so far. 


Goatherd and goat

From Plakes

Spring Jimny

Black Swan

Boatyard

Towards Skiathos Town

The Bourtzi

Plakes Skiathos

More soon from Skiathos. Now go back and click the pics for a break from the UK weather.

 

Thursday, January 14, 2021

Rain Day

With the UK under severe lockdown there is no bird ringing allowed unless in one's own garden.  With vehicle travel limited to “essential” and “local journeys” only, it's unlikely I will be able to do much birding or even to get out with a camera.  Add to that 24 hours of rain with more to come today and I'm indoors for a while.

But, keep logging in for news and views. I'll do my best to find news and views to share. 

Meanwhile here's a post to link up with my friend Rain Frances over in New Brunswick and her Thursday Art theme of  Birds and the Sky -  http://www.rainfrances.com/2021/01/thursday-art-date-birds-and-sky.html  

I thought this might prove a difficult one because although the sky is there in many of my bird photos, it is there mostly as a backdrop to the bird or birds. 

So I looked through my photo archive for photos to find some that would satisfy the criteria of Birds and the Sky. Here we go Rain and readers - hope you like my selection of Birds and the Sky, sometimes combined.  I didn't realise there were so many until searching the hard drive. 

Blue, grey, white, cloudy, dark, light, red, and black from all around the world. Some with birds some not.  In no particular order. For best results click on the picture.

Swallows against the morning Sky - Glasson, Lancashire

Sepia Sky - Pilling,Lancashire

Rain on the way Sky - Fleetwood, Lancashire

Goose Sky - Pilling, Lancashire

Morning Sky trails - Rawcliffe, Lancashire

Bee Eater Sky - Menorca, Spain

Black Sky at night - Lanzarote, Spain

Cattle Egret - White on Blue Sky

Blue Sky over Sand - Fuerteventura, Spain 

Pintail ducks - Action Sky

Red Sky - Menorca, Spain

Grey Sky, Grey Day- Menorca, Spain

Tourists in the Sky - Greece

Cloudy Sky - Lanzarote

Rainbow Sky - Pilling, Lancashire

Lapwing Sky

Coloured Sky - Pilling, Lancashire

Big Sky - Lanzarote, Spain

Orange Sky - Knott End, Lancashire

Moody Sky - Rawcliffe, Lancashire

Hitchcock Sky - Pilling, Lancashire

Egyptian Sky - Makadi Bay, Egypt

Another Big Sky,  Lanzarote, Spain

Northern Shovelers Sky

Photos via Canon, Sigma and Sony. 

Now if I just had £17,000 I could update my gear to the latest Sony A7R 1V camera with a Sony FE 600mm F/4 Lens and a Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 Lens

How did I do with the post Rain?

Linking on Saturday 16 January to Viewing Nature With Eileen and also birding in Texas with Anni I'd Rather Be Birding.

 


Thursday, May 9, 2019

A Few Days Away

We counted. This is our fifteenth time in Menorca. And yes, Menorca is that special. But it does get less quiet, much busier and more popular each year, and that's why this may be our last.

We left Joanne in charge of the house; well she is over 21. There’s very little blogging while Sue and I are away so I posted a few pictures from Menorca, both birds and photos of special places.

Don’t forget – “click the pics” for a trip to sunny Menorca.

Fornells, Menorca

Mahon, Menorca

Es Migjorn, Menorca

Coffee Time, Menorca

Fornells village, Menorca

Cattle Egret

Turtle Dove

Egyptian Vulture

Wood Sandpiper and Common Sandpiper

Menorcan Panda

Hoopoe

Es Grau, Menorca

Black-winged Stilt

Cattle Egret

Greater Short-toed Lark

Punta Nati- Menorca

Bee-eater

Audouin's Gull

Red-footed Falcon

Ciutadella - Menorca

Ciutadella - Menorca

Serrano Jamon

 Hoopoe

 Red Kite

Bee-eater

Menorcan Friends

Ensaimada and Coffee - Menorca Style

 Back soon with more news, views and photographs home and away on Another Bird Blog.



Related Posts with Thumbnails