Day seven - "Lifer"

 The weather had improved substantially from yesterday's deluge and, knowing that the Honey Buzzards are on the move, I thought it would be a good idea to take a stroll up onto the high ground above Kato Garouna. I left Bev settled besides the pool and was on my way by 09.10 hrs. It was little more than an hour later when I reached my chosen destination, high above our resort. I'd already managed to grab a few images of a juv Common Buzzard, perched atop a pine tree, and had already recorded the first HB of the day. Things were certainly looking promising.

I was at my chosen spot, scanning the skies to the north, when my attention was drawn to the rasping contact calls of two Nightingales in the scrub below my position. I managed a couple of fleeting glimpses as they moved through the dense vegetation, but certainly no chance of a photo! Vis mig wise, it seemed that I'd made a major error and my efforts were to be unrewarded. As I continued to look northwards, all of a sudden four huge birds flew past me, headed north, and I quickly raised the binos in their direction. Bloody hell, four Black Storks and a lifer for me. They moved away steadily from where I was standing, pausing to circle a couple of times before resuming their journey. I had to resort to manual focussing, due to the distance involved, yet am happy enough to have managed a record image of this milestone event.

Three, of the four, Black Storks which have provided the highlight of
the holiday, thus far

The weather seemed to be all over the place and with thunder being heard from further south I decided to call it a day and make my way back to the Irene complex. Almost the same as yesterday, as the clouds started to build, so the Honey Buzzards began to appear. I had counted twenty-seven, plus three Sparrowhawks, as I made my way back to Kato Garouna, with another single as I neared Agios Gordios. I'd not seen a single hirundine until after mid-day when three pulses of Swallows passed overhead, probably totalling eighty birds? Bev and I spent a very enjoyable afternoon around the pool as the sun began to win the battle with the clouds. The forecast for the next few days is very good so, hopefully, migration will continue to gather pace?