I'm off to Sicily tomorrow for a week . I'm looking forward to some late summer sun, great Italian food, just a little wine ... and oh yes, I nearly forgot, hopefully some birds which is the reason I'm going.
I went to Sicily in April 3 years ago which is when the unpronouncable volcano in Iceland went pop. The birding wasn't that good because the northerly winds which grounded all air flights was inhibiting the migrants from Africa. We thought we were going to be stuck there but the flight restrictions were lifted the day we were due to return. Darn it, I could have done with a bit longer there.
It will be interesting to see what the autumn migration is like. Hopefully, no more volcanic eruptions but I've heard that Mt Etna is fairly active at the moment. LOL but we are well away from it, right at the west end of the island.
Probably won't be able to communicate from there but if I see some worthwhile stuff I'll post a trip report on my return. Be good and try not to cause too much trouble.LOL
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Tony
My Flickr Photostream
Great set of photos TJ, and lovely to see the flycatchers, the Sandpiper and never seen a Woodchat Shrike before. Those Harriers are just lovely in flight and the scenery is stunning, so eagerly awaiting further updates LOL
post edit; I had same problems when trying to upload too many photos at one time so I have to do them in batches of around 5 or 6 :(
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Regards, Hazel
There were quite a lot of lizards about but I thought this one was a particularly handsome chap. Not sure whether it was the Italian Wall Lizard or the endemic Sicilian variety.
Here's a curious sight - bet you can't guess what it is, I certainly couldn't.
Apparently, it's made by snails which actually eat the softish limestone. They breed them tough in Sicily.
A view of the coastline at the Zingaro reserve. It's a popular place for tourists and as you can see it's got a nice beach where we stopped for lunch. A couple of our group took a dip but I wimped out. We did get a distant view of a Bonnelli's Eagle and quite a nice view of a Black-eared Wheatear, which I failed to photograph, but otherwise not much else.
One of the highlights of the trip was a visit to the Island of Favignana where we stayed for one night. This is one of the Egadi Islands off the west coast. We travelled there on a vehicle ferry.
And this is the rather smart hotel where we stayed. Very comfortable and good food but a bit too formal for me.
Favignana is supposed to be a good place to see migrants because it is one of the nearest points for the crossing to Tunisia. However, the small birds were just as elusive here and we had to work hard find them. Wheatears were beginning to arrive in small numbers and we saw the occasional Whinchat. We did see and hear Bee-eaters flying over and saw one Roller but no chance of photos. We did find this Hoopoe feeding in a garden.
And on a picnic stop another Spotted Flycatcher which was happy to pose in between fly catching.
I spent a little while trying to photograph Hummingbird Hawk-moths feeding on Bourgainvillea. Not easy, they sure do zip around.
Another lizard. Not sure if this a juvenile or a female of the same species.
The journey back on the ferry was quite interesting. We went back via Levanzo, a neighbouring island. I only had my little point and shoot camera because the sea was a bit more lively and I didn't think I'd be able to manage the big camera. Here's a poor quality short clip of us leaving Favignana and entering Levanzo.
On the way to Levanzo we passed through shearwaters feeding. With my little camera this is the only shot I managed to get. I think it's a Scopoli's Shearwater but stand to be corrected.
Before entering Trapani harbour they had to put a pilot aboard. It looked a pretty risky process to me with the pilot having to jump into an access dooor on the side of the ship. I was trying to video this with the camera in one hand holding onto a stanchion with the other whilst trying not tto fall overboard or drop the camera. Unfortunately, I missed the moment when the pilot jumped on board. Good fun though.
I always enjoy your trip reports, TJ. Full of interest and always with lovely photos. Thanks for sharing your trip with us. I'm sorry you were short on birds, but it sounds like you had a good holiday none-the-less, and you did manage a nice selection. The Sicilian guide sure is a cool dude! I love the photos of the dragonfly in the hand. That Pilot was a very brave man! Brave or daft!
Cheers, Linda.
See my photos on Flickr
The flight home on our final day wasn't until 9:30 pm so we went out birding in the morning. At 6:30 am we went to look for Rock Partridge in the nearby hills. We did find them but saw little more than a whir of wings as they flew away. After breakfast we headed for a wooded area in search the Sicilian variant of the Long-tailed Tit. We didn't find it but we did see a number of Firecrests but sadly no photos. Did get shots of a few insects though.
A colourful Grasshopper of some sort
A dragon which I think is a Common Darter but would appreciate confirmation.
This one which was high up in a tree was referred to as a Spreadwing Damselfly which I'd never heard of. Having done a bit of research I think we know them as Lestidae - Emerald damselflies but I'm not sure which one. Can anyone help to ID it?
Also got this shot of a Tree (Woodland?) Grayling butterfly if I've got he name right. New to me.
Finally, this plant was everwhere but I don't know what it is and none of our group seemed to know either. Can anyone ID it please?
We may not have seen as many migrants as we'd hoped but it was still a good trip and we saw many more species than I've mentioned. Good food, plentiful red wine, good company and Sicilian hospitality - what more could you want.
My only disappointment was that I didn't get to meet Inspector Montalbano for those of you that watch BBC4. LOL
TJ - Sorry, I cannot help with ID, but bumping this up might draw the attention of those who can! Lovely pics--thanks, but sorry you did not see more birds--guess you will have to go again! Hawk Moths are fascinating; they can sound like Hummingbirds when buzzing past. Like Doggie, I loved the Marsh Harrier, too.
Kind regards, Ann
Hi TJ,
I have been meaning to find this thread to see what else you saw since I saw your damselfly ID request thread (for some reason the damselfly photo doesn't seem to appear for me in this thread though). It looks like you managed to get at least a few decent photos even if it was a bit quieter than you hoped.
The first dragonfly that you have posted is a Scarlet Darter/Broad Scarlet, Crocothemis erythraea, rather than a Yellow-winged Darter - similar in appearance, but a different genus. The other darter is a Common Darter as you thought though.
I can't help with any other ID's without consulting books (which I don't have time to do at the moment), apart from saying that the shearwater is either a Scopoli's Shearwater or a Cory's Shearwater - it was easier before they were 'split' into two separate species!
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Unknown said:The first dragonfly that you have posted is a Scarlet Darter/Broad Scarlet, Crocothemis erythraea, rather than a Yellow-winged Darter
Thanks for the ID Roy. Our guide certainly referred to Yellow-winged Darter so I assumed the one I was photographing was one of those. A Scarlet Darter is still a first for me.