randombirder

The first opportunity to see an eleonora's falcon in the UK - they seldom stick around and are extremely rare so to have one hold it's ground for a few days was welcome for many UK listers.  It showed reasonably well too hunting in fields adjacent to Worth Marsh where at one point, the eleonora's a female red-footed falcon , and a hobby were seen in the same view.  Really nice. I then headed down to Lighthouse Down near Dover for the sardinian warbler where I bumped into my old friend Jamie Partridge - we hung out for a bit, and heard the bird call twice which unfortunately never broke cover and as far as I'm aware, wasn't seen again. A lovely day out in Kent nonetheless.

It may have sounded a bit crazy to some but a weekend in Turkey may seem a little far-fetched but it is very doable with a bit of planning and a hire car.  Not as expensive as it may appear, Turkey these days is a very cheap place to visit as a result of domestic economic turmoil with a drop in the value of the lira making it an attractive place to visit on so many levels. A flight out of Gatwick on a British Airways A320 on Thursday afternoon arrived in Antalya at just after 10pm (after an hour delay) and at my hotel just after midnight.  At this point, it would be remiss of me not to mention the Antik Boutique Hotel in Side where I stayed for my 3 nights - the hospitality and kindness showed by the proprietors was exceptional and is wholly recommended. Birding sites visited over the three days are listed here: Manavgat Lake - 20th May Returning here after visiting this site in March was a little disappointing with migration season well and truly over.  There were a few people walking

Not entirely a birding trip as all my trips abroad are mooted to be but Cyprus in spring really is a treat.  Based just south of Larnaka Airport at Perivolia, the airport lagoons and sewage works were within a short distance away which made up most of the birding for the nine days spent here.  This was only my second (birding) visit to the island (4th in total) - not a great effort but with the intervening period beset global dis-ease, this trip was very much within my radar. Flights were booked on British Airways with a last minute aircraft change on the outbound leg to a wide-bodied Boeing 777-200ER.   Accommodation was booked through Airbnb, an annex within a residential complex that we eventually warmed to during the stay. Birding was leisurely, usually a couple of hours in the morning and a couple of hours in the evening with the day largely spent frolicking on the beach and dining on great local foods.  Cyprus is a lovely place that should be visited much more regularly. A total