The Greek border ...and onto lunch.

For rather obvious reasons, there are no photos of the Border Control, but whilst we were waiting there, we spotted a superb giant Peacock Moth. Whist gaining some strange looks form the staff, a quick run over to photograph said moth, followed by a hasty retreat back to the vehicle was apparently permissible. A stop for a tortoise rescue and then lunch in shady woodland completed  the morning. Whilst having lunch we had excellent views of Woodlark and Northern Wheatear.

With a wingspan of 10-13cm it's an impressive beast.

Immediately we left the Border Control - a tortoise required an emergency stop to remove him from the road and to safety. 

Hermann's Tortoise.

'and away'....

Driving up into the mountains, numerous marble quarries scarred the landscape.

Time for lunch in a woodland glade. Plenty of Hellebores and......

A lovely Elderflower orchid.

Yellow Star of Bethlehem.

Soil Centipede, Himantarium gabrielis.

Field Cricket.

Scorpion.

Before the Greek border

Another travel day, this time from Bulgaria into Northern Greece. First though a stop at the Borino meadows, for some Corncrake spotting....before heading to the banks of the River Nestos.

Somewhere in this pasture - there's a Corncrake calling...

Enjoying the sun.

Roman Snail.

And after a while - a sighting of the elusive Corncrake (In the middle of the photo).

Colourful bugs - Spilostethus sp

A service station stop - some nice Green-winged Orchids.

Heading towards the Nestos River enroute to Falkro Mountain.

View on the way...

On his mobile phone...

Collecting sand from the riverside of the Nestos.

R. Nestos, with Nightingales calling, Bee Eaters, Cuckoos and Little Ringed-plover.

The churches are a mixture of denominations, including mosques and minarets.

Colourful Spurges.

Queen of Spain Fritillary.

Speckled Yellow Moth.

And after lunch...

Lunch was salad, followed by an extremely nice bean soup and bread. We then made several stops, in different habitats, with the highlights being: five Hobbies in the air at once, a great view of a Hawfinch, Alpine Star of Bethlehem, Duke of Burgundy Fritillary and a Scorpion. 

Hawfinch.

Alpine Star of Bethlehem.

Common Wall Lizard.

House Leeks.

Mistletoe on Pine - Viscum album subsp.austriacum, a subspecies of European Mistletoe that specialises on parasitising Pine.

A thistle like head - Carlina genus, native to the Mediterranean.

Lesser Grey Shrike

Morels.

Duke of Burgundy Fritillary.

Brown Argus.

And a lovely little Scorpion.

Before lunch wander

After our Wall Creeper success in the Triad Gorge we went for a wander along a rural road just north of Devin, where a Grey-headed Woodpecker called and flew overhead.

Some decent pot holes!

Sheep being taken up to the pasture.

Plenty of beehives.

Common Heath Moth 

Red-rumped Swallow collecting mud.

Scarce Swallowtail.

Brimstone.

A lunch stop...

As always - in the presence of cats.