Every year or so Mrs PJ needs her ' Greek fix '!! she loves the Greek
Islands and would go every year if she had her way. I agree they are very nice
but are a bit ' birdless ' especially in July. Lesbos being the exception
but I would imagine thats a bit quiet in mid summer. So as I sat by our pool on
the first evening with a cool Mythos & the latest Stephen King I was unaware of the
show that was about to start. Our terrace overlooked a valley leading down to
the sea, as I looked up I saw a Common Buzzard drifting over, I then spotted a
smaller slimmer raptor a bit further away, as it turned and the evening sun
caught it I could see that not only was it dark on top but also dark below I immediately
knew that it was an Eleonoras Falcon, a bird I had seen in Morocco and on
Lesbos but I had never seen a dark morph before. I ran in to get my camera,
when I came back out there were 2 of them, then 3 & 4 of both light and dark
morphs I didn't know where to look or which direction to point the camera in
fact I think I probably panicked. There was no need to panic however because
they repeated the show every evening, I had 12 birds all together on the second
evening all fly catching some coming really close I even managed a few decent
pics, they were brilliant & made my holiday.
Other birds during the week included Scops Owl, Crag Martin, Pallid Swift, Sardinian Warblers and a single Bonellis Warbler - eastern I would of thought.
Butterflys were everywhere, some I've still got to identify but the more
obvious ones included Southern White Admiral, Swallowtails & Scarce
Swallowtails & Cleopatras.
Above - Cleopatra
Two Southern White Admirals
A Swallowtail
We also had a Praying Mantis on the table one evening, there's something
unnerving about an insect that actually turns its head and follows you around
the room !!
