Another early start in order to catch the 6.45a.m. bus from Stes Maries to Arles, for train to Nimes and then the airport bus. I planned on getting to the airport fairly early, dropping off rucksack and then spending a few hours birding some good looking scrubland not far from the airport. This plan worked well and I was soon getting new trip birds, in the shape of stonechat and corn bunting, along with a swallowtail butterfly, hoopoe, common buzzard and plenty of regular birds.
I returned to the airport, went through security but we were stopped at passport control where we were told the plane was yet to take off from Luton, so at least a 2 hour delay. We were all sent back out, meaning we would have to revisit security later and told very little else. Once I had established that the delay would be at least 2 hours, I headed off to a shop for beer and picnic and returned to the area previously visited. Nothing new added, but plenty of zitting cisticolas and sardinian warblers calling. I checked local trees for Scops owl that I have had here previously but no joy. Eventually the plane arrived at 6.15pm and we took off at 6.45, some 6 hours later than planned.
Car was picked up and I was home by 9.15, some 16 hours after I had first started. Very tired, in fact, too tired to contemplate a few hours at the moth trap, even though the weather looked perfect.
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| corn bunting |
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| distant stonechat |
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| common buzzard, one of 4 high over the airport |
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| Presumed common blue, airport lawn |
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| frog sp, airport pond |
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| Striped graying, new butterfly for me. |
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