KenM
Well-known member
After arriving at Luton Airport's new multi-storey car park, Sunday 9th April, c5.45 am (no bay numbers, and with no signage to...or at the lifts, we passed the initiative test, and duly took off at 7.45. My 4th consecutive (yearly) one week Easter break to Paphos (c4.25 hrs), was to yield a diverse array of migrants every day, with some heart pounding jaw-droppers en-route. Our first half day produced Red-throated Pipit, Cattle Egret (an Island 1st for me), Whinchat, Crested Lark, Swift, House Martin, Swallow and a spectrum of Yellow Wags to include sumptious Motacilla feldegg! A stroll along the promenade before dinner, and an early night beckoned for the start of my week of early rises, aiming for a couple of hours on the headland running on endorphs. before returning famished for my breakfast of fruit, tea and croissants.
Monday 10th was truly awesome, a great mix of old favourites, plus 3 more Island ticks! Alpine Swift was my 2nd ''Island'' tick, I'd almost forgotten how fast they can accelerate, certainly appearing to leave the rest of the hirundines in their wake at the drop of a wing beat. This was soon followed by a flyover mix of Purple/Night Herons that were looking for a place to land, several of the former landing in the tree-tops, also a slowly moving carpet of Yellow Wagtails (perhaps c100) with mixed in Crested Lark, Red-throated and Tree Pipits...and a single Tawny Pipit.
Looking beyond this ensemble I picked out several Woodchat Shrike perched up like sentinels awaiting providence as they scanned all before, when my first ''string'' occurred (honest it was the only one....really . A female Kestrel streaked by, only to arrest her carriage on a lowly weed stem, a quick raising of the bins :eek!:!!!....a lifer! and what a startlingly superb bird it was too, particularly the long...rich rust orange white tipped tail! Camera raised, I managed a short film clip before ''she'' did the off...and disappeared over the dry-stone walls of the weedy field...hepatic Cuckoo!
I thought that's enough excitement for one day, I'll call a halt to proceedings with a caffeine injection, thus called my wife for ''a meet'' at our regular café stop, perhaps 30 minutes away. With increased pace I moved off along the path with another dry-stone field to my left, out of the corner of my eye I espied (2nd string) what I thought was one of those bright metal yellow foil party balloons...nestled c15' up in a hedgerow (Ash type) tree....but then it moved!!! my 4th Island tick...and once more totally unexpected, an adult male Golden Oriole!....my shots were somewhat better than the Cuckoo's, perhaps down to c25m as opposed to c40m, and obligingly he remained in situ for about 10 minutes. I thought how does one follow that, with great difficulty I thought...little did I know.
To be continued......
Monday 10th was truly awesome, a great mix of old favourites, plus 3 more Island ticks! Alpine Swift was my 2nd ''Island'' tick, I'd almost forgotten how fast they can accelerate, certainly appearing to leave the rest of the hirundines in their wake at the drop of a wing beat. This was soon followed by a flyover mix of Purple/Night Herons that were looking for a place to land, several of the former landing in the tree-tops, also a slowly moving carpet of Yellow Wagtails (perhaps c100) with mixed in Crested Lark, Red-throated and Tree Pipits...and a single Tawny Pipit.
Looking beyond this ensemble I picked out several Woodchat Shrike perched up like sentinels awaiting providence as they scanned all before, when my first ''string'' occurred (honest it was the only one....really . A female Kestrel streaked by, only to arrest her carriage on a lowly weed stem, a quick raising of the bins :eek!:!!!....a lifer! and what a startlingly superb bird it was too, particularly the long...rich rust orange white tipped tail! Camera raised, I managed a short film clip before ''she'' did the off...and disappeared over the dry-stone walls of the weedy field...hepatic Cuckoo!
I thought that's enough excitement for one day, I'll call a halt to proceedings with a caffeine injection, thus called my wife for ''a meet'' at our regular café stop, perhaps 30 minutes away. With increased pace I moved off along the path with another dry-stone field to my left, out of the corner of my eye I espied (2nd string) what I thought was one of those bright metal yellow foil party balloons...nestled c15' up in a hedgerow (Ash type) tree....but then it moved!!! my 4th Island tick...and once more totally unexpected, an adult male Golden Oriole!....my shots were somewhat better than the Cuckoo's, perhaps down to c25m as opposed to c40m, and obligingly he remained in situ for about 10 minutes. I thought how does one follow that, with great difficulty I thought...little did I know.
To be continued......