Anyway, I won't bore you with loads of pics of vertebrates. Have a photo dump:
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| This is the first Jewel beetle I'd ever seen. Think it's Ptosima undecimmaculata |
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| Firebug! |
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| A very pretty crambid moth. Many species in this group are plain sandy/grassy coloured things. |
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| Wild flamingoes! |
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| Yellow Wagtail (the SW European race with a blue head) |
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| Melodious warbler. The song on this bird is really impressive. It sounds like more than one bird singing at times, sings complex songs with mimicry of other species throne in and manages to repeat it over almost exactly the same a couple of times. Examples can be heard here: http://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Hippolais-polyglotta |
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| Hummingbird Hawkmoth |
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| Adult female Glow-worm |
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| Alpine Marmot |
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| One of the Green Tiger Beetles. Always find these in the warmest & sandiest places in the UK so a bit surprising to find running around at 2500m altitude. |
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| Ibex! None of the fancy big-horned males though |
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| Mr. & Mrs. Common Crossbill |
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| A leaf beetle - Clytra quadripunctata. They've got a neat life-cycle. The females lay eggs near ants nests which are carried inside by the ants where they presumably feed on the detritus inside before emerging as adults to feed on plants like normal leaf beetles. |
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| This is part of the Gorges du Verdon and it's the roosting place for these guys: |
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| Griffon Vulture! Apologies for the crap light but it was only a few feet over my head. They really don't seem to mind the people on the cliff-tops. Flippin' big birds but small compared to the black vulture that was also hanging around. It's got a 2.5 - 3m wingspan! |
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| Some species of Rose Chafer |
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| Some sort of Owlfly (relatives of Ant-lions). They fly in a style halfway between dragonfly and butterfly and some were very colourful. Really wish we had these in blighty. |
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| A surprisingly obliging Chamois |
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| And Cockchafers banging each other for once rather than into inanimate objects. |
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