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Message: <blockquote data-quote="deborah4" data-source="post: 1517637" data-attributes="member: 29880">Hirundines!I can feel this is developing into a sort of ad hoc trip report as I seem to have mislaid my written log of the survey period and now going through sketchbooks and photos (hope people won't mind if I post a couple of pics too). Sooooo, how does it go ..... Well, at the foot of two picturesque mountain ranges, near the border of Bulgaria, Lake Kerkini is a man made lake on an inland delta system.  It not only is a RAMSAR site for birds, but also boasts 400-500 species of moths, 125 species of butterflies, 26 species of reptiles, over 25 species of mammals and 27 species of dragons and damsels ...and so on and so on ... Actually I think this is more fun than doing a typically written trip report - for me anyway - it's all impressions and snippets and not in any order either!  Needless to say, birdlife was fantastic although vis mig was very disappointing on all the transcepts during the working mornings, with Sardinians about the only warblers moving through in any great number and Great Reed Warbler far outnumbering any other warbler in the lower delta areas - still couldn't work out how to draw the things though, as you can see from the awful sketch below! Thousands of Hirundines including Red-Rumped Swallows, (Pallid Swift at the Airport on the way home and with nearly two hours until my flight, plenty of time to have a wander/a sketch/take some pics - spend some time watching a female Marsh quartering over the police headquarters adjacent to the airfield - nearly getting arrested into the bargain for peering through security fences with a pair of Swaros! ).  It was a great experience to arrive to a European summer from a rather wet Blighty to see my first Common Swifts of 2009 in great number at Thessalonika airport. Strangely enough, no House Martins inland until well into the second week.  Red-rumps were out numbered by Barn Swallow (many of the eastern transivita ssp since this area is a real E/W clinal crossover of many species) but still good numbers although most had moved on by beginning of second week.   Up in the mountains, I had a pair of Crag Martins (which was nice!) and on the lower level, Sand Martins had arrived long before the House Martins.-------------------------------------------------------------Dan, draw a Hoopoe, I dare you!  Thanks for your comments Ed - could have done with a few more sightings though than a measly few minutes.</blockquote>

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