Things to remember:
- I did some reading and the shearwater-type birds I saw out to sea yesterday evening were most probably Yelkouan shearwaters. We'd need a proper birder to confirm that, though.
- It was a super-smooth ferry crossing and we arrived in Porto Torres at 6.30am.
- After a leisurely coffee I got underway and my initial impressions of the island were good. The flora struck me as very Mediterranean (unsurprisingly) with loads of unmanaged / traditionally farmed areas. The roads were quiet and the benign and rolling landscapes are very impressive. The island also seems very sparsely populated.
- Within the first hour, and whilst following the satnav, I encountered some tricky going. The track I found myself on was a legitimate public right of way and served a few houses. It was unsealed, steep, twisty; and very narrow. Worst, though, was the encroaching / overhanging vegetation. Suffice to say I had to do some fairly significant vegetation management as I progressed the three-kilometre stretch in order not to damage my paintwork beyond the happy level of 'patina'. It was altogether quite an interactive start.
- The day since has essentially been a really steady pootle interspersed with regular stops to see what I could see.
- And I've seen quite a lot. The 'notable' bird-species list whilst travelling includes: spotless starling, cirl bunting, Spanish sparrow, red-backed shrike, bee-eaters, hoopoe, Barbary partridge, lesser kestrel, quail (heard not seen), and - what seems to be a rarity on the island: lesser-spotted woodpecker.
- As well as birds, I've also done well for other fauna. Butterflies are everywhere (most probably down to the lack of intensive farming) and I've seen a new-to-me species in the form of brown argus. As a bonus, I've also encountered, numerous (what I believe to be) Italian wall lizards, plus marsh frogs. I also had a really good sightings of a western whip snake. This was around a metre in length and crossed in front of me as I drove along a narrow track.
- Tonight's intended overnighting spot (pic) is next to an apparently unused (but still well maintained) church that's atop a hill precisely in the middle of nowhere. From here I have a 360° panorama and it's alive with the sights and sounds of all I hold dear. It's one of 'those' spots and is just sublime (pic). From here I've looked out for hours and have been rewarded with one of my former focus species: stone curlew. I've also had yet another really good completely candid wild boar sighting.
- Oh, and it's still hot, but for the first day of the trip not quite so debilitatingly, insufferably so. Champion!
Post composed at 22:00 on Saturday 30th May from my intended overnighting spot N 40.53256°, E 09.00181° / http://maps.google.com/maps?q=loc:40.53260%2C09.00178
