Spanish Fritillary
Glanville Fritillary
Adonis Blue
Little Blue
Wood White
Grizzled Skipper
Trumpet Gentians never fail to entertain!
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Aragon Pyrenees: 21st May 2011
Mainly a day of sunshine, walking and butterflies (21 species stood still long enough for me to put a name to them). Oh, and a rather nice adult Ladder Snake crossing the path that paused long enough to have his photo taken before hissing at me and disappearing into the grass. I wasn't going to argue...
Spanish Fritillary
Glanville Fritillary
Adonis Blue
Little Blue
Wood White
Grizzled Skipper
Trumpet Gentians never fail to entertain!
Spanish FritillaryGlanville FritillaryAdonis BlueLittle BlueWood WhiteGrizzled SkipperTrumpet Gentians never fail to entertain!
Friday, May 20, 2011
Aragon Pyrenees: 20th May 2011
In the Pyrenees for a few days, sorting out a possible new Wildlife Travel itinerary... looking pretty good so far!
Coming out of a restaurant after a very nice lunch, I looked up to see a kettle of raptors circling over the village... Red Kite, Black Kite, about 40 Griffon Vultures, 5 or so Egyptian Vultures, an adult Golden Eagle and, best (and first!) of all, an adult Lammergeier.
At the head of the valley, the tinkling finches feeding on the roadside dandelions weren't Goldfinches, but Citril Finches.
Orchids are flowering in profusion: Lizard, Burnt-tip, Lady, Military, Early Purple, Lang's, Elder-flowered, Pyramidal, Fragrant, Greater Butterfly, Dense-flowered and Early Spider Orchid, Sword-leaved Helleborine, at least two species of Dactylorhiza and Serapias lingua... and so far I've not strayed beyond the roadside!
Add in Green Lizards seemingly at every turn, a photographable (just!) patch of Ramonda and plenty of butterflies on the wing, together with what feels like the first sunshine I've found all spring and what's not to love?
Citril Finch. Finally!
Western Green Lizard.
Ramonda
Oberth�r's Grizzled Skipper
Coming out of a restaurant after a very nice lunch, I looked up to see a kettle of raptors circling over the village... Red Kite, Black Kite, about 40 Griffon Vultures, 5 or so Egyptian Vultures, an adult Golden Eagle and, best (and first!) of all, an adult Lammergeier.
At the head of the valley, the tinkling finches feeding on the roadside dandelions weren't Goldfinches, but Citril Finches.
Orchids are flowering in profusion: Lizard, Burnt-tip, Lady, Military, Early Purple, Lang's, Elder-flowered, Pyramidal, Fragrant, Greater Butterfly, Dense-flowered and Early Spider Orchid, Sword-leaved Helleborine, at least two species of Dactylorhiza and Serapias lingua... and so far I've not strayed beyond the roadside!
Add in Green Lizards seemingly at every turn, a photographable (just!) patch of Ramonda and plenty of butterflies on the wing, together with what feels like the first sunshine I've found all spring and what's not to love?
Citril Finch. Finally!
Western Green Lizard.
Ramonda
Oberth�r's Grizzled SkipperTuesday, May 17, 2011
Urban Wildlife: 17th May 2011
The last few days have involved some great urban wildlife experiences during a brief trip 'up North'.
While changing trains on the East Coast mainline, a pair of Black Redstarts were chasing about the train station and nearby derelict buildings, all shivering-of-tail and buzzy-of-song.
From the train window I also saw Red Kite and Marsh Harrier.
In Newcastle, the amazing urban Kittiwake colony was a real treat: their calls normally associated with much 'wilder' places. Indeed, the CCTV images of the Kittiwakes on the Baltic Mill Centre for Contemporary Art was the best thing about the place which, in its expansive six storeys otherwise only managed to find the space for a dozen very unimpressive monochrome watercolours and a single video installation!
And a surprisingly suburban pair of Peregrines were wonderful to watch at their nest, as they prepared for the imminent hatching of their eggs, while keeping a beady eye on passing dog walkers and kids on bikes.
While changing trains on the East Coast mainline, a pair of Black Redstarts were chasing about the train station and nearby derelict buildings, all shivering-of-tail and buzzy-of-song.
From the train window I also saw Red Kite and Marsh Harrier.
In Newcastle, the amazing urban Kittiwake colony was a real treat: their calls normally associated with much 'wilder' places. Indeed, the CCTV images of the Kittiwakes on the Baltic Mill Centre for Contemporary Art was the best thing about the place which, in its expansive six storeys otherwise only managed to find the space for a dozen very unimpressive monochrome watercolours and a single video installation!
And a surprisingly suburban pair of Peregrines were wonderful to watch at their nest, as they prepared for the imminent hatching of their eggs, while keeping a beady eye on passing dog walkers and kids on bikes.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Bulgaria: Bourgas wetlands, 5th May 2011
A day exploring the wetlands around the not-particularly-salubrious city of Bourgas. And despite the backdrop, they're pretty impressive wetlands!
During the day, a steady stream of raptors and other migrants passed overhead: Short-toed and Lesser Spotted Eagles, Levant Sparrowhawk, Red-footed Falcon, Bee-eaters, White and Black Storks, Honey Buzzards and hundreds of Steppe Buzzards.
The sun came out, for a change, and with it the butterflies: Eastern Dappled White were particularly common, with Small Copper, Grizzled and Mallow Skippers and Brown Argus all new for the trip.
Also enjoying the sun at the Poda reserve were an amazing number of snakes: we must have seen at least 40 Dice Snakes, 15 Grass Snakes and two massive (compared to any of the other snakes we've seen so far) Blotched Snakes in the rockier areas.
Our last stop of the day was on the shores of Mandra Lake, where a single Dalmatian Pelican sailed serenely past, tens of thousands of hirundines hawked over the water and a spectacular flight of 600+ White Pelicans passed overhead, returning from their day's fishing at some inland waterway.
Black Terns, Poda Nature Reserve
Eastern Dappled White
During the day, a steady stream of raptors and other migrants passed overhead: Short-toed and Lesser Spotted Eagles, Levant Sparrowhawk, Red-footed Falcon, Bee-eaters, White and Black Storks, Honey Buzzards and hundreds of Steppe Buzzards.
The sun came out, for a change, and with it the butterflies: Eastern Dappled White were particularly common, with Small Copper, Grizzled and Mallow Skippers and Brown Argus all new for the trip.
Also enjoying the sun at the Poda reserve were an amazing number of snakes: we must have seen at least 40 Dice Snakes, 15 Grass Snakes and two massive (compared to any of the other snakes we've seen so far) Blotched Snakes in the rockier areas.
Our last stop of the day was on the shores of Mandra Lake, where a single Dalmatian Pelican sailed serenely past, tens of thousands of hirundines hawked over the water and a spectacular flight of 600+ White Pelicans passed overhead, returning from their day's fishing at some inland waterway.
Black Terns, Poda Nature Reserve
Eastern Dappled WhiteTuesday, May 3, 2011
Bulgaria: Ropotamo, 3rd May 2011
Today was spent in the company of one of Bulgaria's best herpetologists and in one of the most herptile-species-rich areas in the country. Alas, the weather wasn't quite playing ball, and much of the day was fairly sun-free and slightly damp... and yet we still came home at the end of the day having seen 16 species, 2 more than can be found in the entire country back home!!
We started 'herptile day' with a bird... a massive adult White-tailed Eagle just by the road! And while watching him, we stumbled across our first 'herp' of the day (and a long-awaited 'tick' for me!), a big adult European Glass Lizard (photo above): a jumbo Slow Worm, kinda like a walking stick with the face of Voldemort!
And from there we didn't look back...
Nose-horned Viper #1, a female
Nose-horned Viper #2, a dark little male. He's about to shed his skin, hence the beautiful if slightly off-putting opaque blue eyes...
Eastern Grass Snake Natrix natrix persa, with two pale stripes running down the back.
Dice Snake
Eastern Slow Worm Anguis (fragilis) colchicus
Balkan Crested Newt Triturus karelinii
Eastern Spadefoot
Spur-thighed TortoiseMonday, May 2, 2011
Bulgaria: Strandja, 2nd May 2011
A lovely day in one of the loveliest parts of Bulgaria, the Strandja mountains. At last the sun came out, and with in the lizards... of which, fingers crossed, many more tomorrow!
Other highlights of the day were a calling White-backed Woodpecker, a sadly dead Levantine Mole and some interesting plants. But the main highlight today must surely be the sun! At last!!
Meadow Lizard Darevskia praticola
Snake-eyed Skink Ablepharus kitaibelii
Balkan Wall Lizard Podarcis tauricus
Other highlights of the day were a calling White-backed Woodpecker, a sadly dead Levantine Mole and some interesting plants. But the main highlight today must surely be the sun! At last!!
Meadow Lizard Darevskia praticola 
Snake-eyed Skink Ablepharus kitaibelii
Balkan Wall Lizard Podarcis tauricusSunday, May 1, 2011
Bulgaria: Veleka, 1st May 2011
May 1st, Snakes Day (according to a book of Bulgarian folklore we picked up in Varna...) when we're supposed to stamp around the village boundaries scaring off the snakes. Well, hopefully we'll not scare them too much, as the plan is to be joined by a local herpetologist in a couple of days time!
Meanwhile, we spent the day down towards the Turkish border, around the Veleka River.
Our first roadside stop revealed a fresh-in Roller perched in a small bush, with Woodchat Shrike and Cirl Bunting nearby also new for the trip.
Down at the river we were serenaded by the now-familiar songs of the Marsh Frogs and Nightingales. Some very nice woodland ground flora included the lovely Fritillaria pontica, a piece of plastic rubbish hid a small Grass Snake and a pair of Ortolan Buntings were in the scrub nearby.
Out at the river mouth, a small marsh provided a quick pit stop for a mixed group of waders, made up of 10 Wood Sandpipers, 3 Ruff, 2 each of Greenshank and Little Ringed Plover and a single Temminck's Stint. Meanwhile, at the back of the marsh, a European Pond Terrapin decided to take a walk across the meadow...
Heading homewards, we stopped at a rocky beach (which, by the smell, coincided with a small sewage outfall...) which had attracted a good group of marsh terns to wash and feed, as well as a single Little Stint, yet another wader for the trip list.
Finally, we paused at Arkutino Lake where massive numbers of hirundines fed low over the water, occasionally panicked by the local Hobby, and a single calling Penduline Tit gradually came closer and turned into a wonderful group of at least 6, showing brilliantly in the nearby willow scrub. A lovely end to another good day.
Fritillaria pontica
A longhorn beetle Pedestredorcadion pedestre, being suitably pedestrian and walking across the road...
Temminck's Stint
European Pond Terrapin, a little camera shy...
and a gorgeous little Penduline Tit. Blatantly not my photograph, alas, but copyright Mladen Vasilev, our guide on this trip. His website includes other photos taken on our tour (recent pictures, numbers 2948 onwards)
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