Plodding on

My morning walk up into the "mountains" (?) was more leisurely than normal as it got underway shortly after 09.00 hrs, thus ensuring I'd be up where I needed to be thirty minutes earlier than normal. As it turned out, it was a complete wasted effort on a birding level. Although I did add a Firecrest to my list, the first one in over two years! Luckily, I have brought three lenses with me, in an attempt to cover as many options as possible. Obviously my Sigma 170-500mm is the go to choice for the majority of my photographic effort yet, the Canon 18-55mm and Canon 70-210mm macro ensure that I have alternatives should I feel the need. Today was to be a perfect example of this requirement for flexibility. Birds were conspicuous by their abscence and it was down to the various invertebrate groups to provide the bulk of my material. Humming-bird Hawk-moths aren't particularly noteworthy subjects, even back on Thanet, yet discovering a bunch of twenty-plus individuals feeding on a patch of "yellow flowers" - id of which is way beyond my capabilities - it seemed silly to pass up such an opportunity. With the macro kit selected, I spent a good while experimenting with various camera settings and shutter speeds, hoping to secure something better than I've managed previously. On the back of the EOS 70d they look pretty good, yet it will only be when we get back home that I'll know for sure! A big, (12 - 15 inches), bright green, lizzard put in a very breif appearance, allowing me to grab four record shots before it scuttled off into the dense undergrowth. I'm just happy to point the camera at whatever crosses my path and will worry about image quality, and such like, should it become an issue? The weather remains superb, with daytime temps into the low/mid thirties Centigrade. One thing I've learned during my time out in the Eastern Mediterranean region is the requirement to carry plenty of water with me. Today I consumed in excess of two litres, in little more than four hours. I am forever grateful for the advice provided by Elainie, out on Kefalonia, who showed me how to use the various stand-pipes, which provide irrigation for the crops, as a source of water bottle top up facilities. That'll do for today - some more ramblings tomorrow, all being well?