One bird with long legs and ...............

Today was Pam's birthday, it was the same digits as when we met, in 1962, but they are the other way round.

The day was unfortunately damp and dull, It didn't get get light at all, but the evening was great and when we walked down to the White Cliffs Hotel the sky was clear and the stars were bright.  A couple of drinks and a celebratory dinner later and to our surprise it was still a clear sky.  

This bird is one with long legs and one of the highlights of our Paraguay trip. The Black-legged Seriema appears to be the South American equivalent of a smallish Bustard.

A roving report from Pam

Pam has recently returned from a weeks in Tunisia (it should have been two weeks but the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano delayed the holiday by a week) with her friend Marilyn.

Although she wasn't birding Pam did get a nice picture of a Laughing Dove taken in the hotel.

One of the interesting place they visited was El Djem or the Roman town of Thysdrus, which is home to some of the most impressive Roman remains in Africa. El Djem is famous for its amphitheatre, capable of seating 35,000 spectators. Only Rome's Colosseum (about 45,000 spectators) and the ruined theatre of Capua are larger.

I was fascinated by the pictures of the mosaics that are displayed in the museum. These were used to decorate luxury “villas” of the Roman city of Thysdrus, and are regarded as some of the most awe-inspiring relics of all Roman antiques. I like this stylised Owl, but it is the other birds round it that provide an identification quiz. Send your answers on a postcard (or in the comments below).

There are quite a number of different birds on the piece as well, I can recognise a Heron and I think there's a Bustard and a Partridge but what else?

Everywhere you go..always take the weather with you..

Today it rained, it stopped for while and then.....it rained, and when it rained it was more like tropical rain in its intensity than we normally get.

I emptied my little rain gauge yesterday ans although it drizzled a bit overnight at 6 a.m. it didn't register a mm. By 9.00 am it had collect 13 mm and by 7 p.m. it was nearly 22 mm or just over three quarters of an inch. The short sharp showers had been coming all and as the evening approached there was a little glimpse the weather clearing.

The rain today did have some affect on the Garden, it was certainly a little greener than yesterday. While I'm "in the garden" I have to report the we now now the official total that was raised by the Garden Safari. It was a stunning £6,800 pounds. Well done to everyone who took part, either opening their gardens or doing all work behind the scene or buying tickets and visiting, but most of all well done to Linda Winter, chair of St Margaret's Hospice Fund Raising Committee", who organises the event every two years. See you in 2011 Linda?

The rest of today is Pam's. As the clouds moved away and the sun set, she took this brilliant set of pictures.

An Italian job - Pam's Pictures

Pam got back from a couple of weeks in Italy so I've pinched a few of her pictures that I found interesting (she took loads of great pictures but here are a few).

Back in March I took a look at the Martello towers in Kent. At the time I said the idea was brought to the UK from Mortella Point in Corsica. We obviously weren't the only country to borrow this cunning plan, above is one Pam photoed in Capri.

Pompeii was destroyed in AD 79 by a two day eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Pam says the locals believe that Vesuvius is ready to go again soon!

Pam normally brings back a mystery bird photo from her holidays, but this one is easier than most. I'm still hoping that we'll get a Serin in the garden one spring, and it might still be this year. This must be one that escaped being caged or eaten!

This is the view of Mount Vesuvius from Pam's hotel, it looks quite benign at this distance, but it was the end for the two Roman towns of Herculaneum and Pompeii nearly 2000 years ago.

Sunset across the Bay of Napes to the islands of d'Ischia and di Procida