Last days in Slovenia and the journey home 9th - 20th June

Until this trip I hadn't realised that Slovenia had a coast but then it's only around 20km long so it's easily overlooked.  We stopped in Piran at the Campsite Fiesa which is on the coast and next to a small lake. The lake had singing Reed Warbler and the sparrows here were both House and Italian.

Piran central square

After an evening meal in the old town of Piran we visited the nearby Parco Naturale delle Saline di Sicciole which are working salt pans. It was very hot when we were there, 34°C, and it's a large area that would be worthy of several days rather than our few hours but we saw Kentish Plover, Avocets and Black-winged Stilts, more Italian Sparrows, breeding Yellow-legged Gulls with young and quite a few Little Terns.

Italian Sparrow

From Piran we drove in to Italy and to Camping Realto on the outskirts of Venice. A 5 min bus ride took us into Venice, our first visit since stopping here in 1979 on our overland trip to India and Nepal. We took a 20€ boat trip which lasted about four hours and visited the islands of Murano and Burano.

Venice Grand Canal

Burano

After Venice we drove to the Italian Lakes stopping at Camping Orta by the beautiful town of Orta San Giulio but still no sign of the Muscovy Ducks there. Crossing in to Switzerland via the Simplon Pass we saw Water Pipits and Whinchats but as the temperature here dropped to 12°C and the wind picked up we moved further in to Switzerland and stopped in the hills above Sion. In the morning during a short stroll I could here the distinctive cho-eet call of Western Bonelli's Warblers and after some time I located a male that was also occasionally giving short bursts of their trilling song. The plumage was a little worn but I can put up with that for one of my favourite warblers!

Western Bonelli's Warbler

More Red-backed Shrikes and several Black Kites were in the area.

From Sion we drove in to France via Chamonix and onward to Samoens for a few days with my brother and his wife.

A trip up the Col de Joux Plane produced a nice pair of alpestris Ring Ouzel feeding young in the nest. 

Ring Ouzel - male of the alpine race alpestris with very scaly underparts

I had heard that the Bearded Vultures at Salvagny had been unsuccessful this year so I decided to have a look in the Fer-a-Cheval. As I walked down the track I met a shepherd who asked me what I was looking for and if I had seen the Gypaete. I mentioned the birds at Salvagny but he said no here in the Fer-a-Cheval to which I replied no. I wondered on and about 15 minutes later caught a glimpse of a Bearded Vulture flying close to the rock face before it disappeared. I walked to the area I had last seen it and after several minutes scanning the rock face found it on the edge of a large cave. Frustratingly it was only visible from certain places on the track and there was no way to get closer but I got some record shots of what is perhaps a second breeding pair in the area.

Bearded Vulture

 Finally we left the Alps stopping overnight south of Chaumont and again near Calais before taking the Tunnel back to the UK and bringing another European superb trip to an end.