It was fortunate that yesterday ended early. I had been struggling with hayfever for the last couple of days in the Rhodopes and by the end of yesterday, it had developed into a full blown cold and I found I didn't want to do any more wildlife hunts for a bit.
Thankfully I felt a fair bit better after 12 hours in bed as we set off into the mountains where it was distinctly cool and very misty. I needed some exercise and decided to walk on ahead of the group in the murky weather. It proved a good idea to follow my instincts and I really enjoyed the visual conditions, which more resembled the Highlands than the Balkans, albeit with different vegetation.
 |
| Mountain Scenery |
I found the visual effects in the eerie light conditions interesting and started particularly to notice some of the trees and branches:
During this period, I didn't notice much wildlife at all but I did get one poorish photo of a nutcracker from below, which is however the best I have ever managed:
 |
| Nutcracker |
The sombre conditions remained all day and it was amazing that we managed another walk in the afternoon without facing a major downpour. This time it was in a woodland area that again put me in mind of the highlands. We managed to see a few things, notably marsh tit, a hill cuckoo bumblebee (new one on me), and a sooty copper. During the last 40 minutes it looked like it was going to brighten up and bring the butterflies out, but it never did.
On arriving at the hotel again I also got a distance shot of a hooded crow for the first time, although they were seen most days.
 |
| Hill Cuckoo Bumblebee |
|
 |
| Hooded Crow |
|
This day worked for me in a weird way. Although it was a bit of a nonentity for spottings, the pace relaxed and I felt much better by the end of it. I did try a bit of a stroll in the evening but all I got was a couple of furtive goats:
No comments:
Post a Comment