For Rider's Digest Readers

Hi! Hope you enjoyed my article in The Digest & glad you followed the link - I hope you enjoy the extra bits here in the blog (sorry it's more birdy than bikey).
First a couple of corrections/apologies;
The list of stretches of road referred to in the article never appeared with it - you've been sent here instead. In the next few days, I'll upload the list here (& probably send to Rider's Digest) - WATCH THIS SPACE!
The photo of Yellow Wagtail isn't - it's a Grey Wagtail!

Thanks again for visiting (& leave a comment if you want)

Rob

WELCOME AND HOW TO USE THE BLOG

Hello and thanks for visiting. Sadly, my trip biking and birding round Europe is over - but The Blog lives on!

On the left is the route as planned in winter '09; I did every little bit of it, I'm now proud to say. Entries here appear in reverse order. It makes sense to go to the beginning then move forward to whatever takes your interest ...


Here's how it works;

Go to the right hand column and click on the blog archive (above the "justgiving" logos). It starts with "I'm off" in April (before that there are some entries made during the planning stages). Note; you can click on the photos to enlarge but be careful - don't close the window - press your "back" arrow instead. Some pics bring up as a slide show which is easier (but many don't).

Finally, some trip statistics;


Birds - 242 (43 Lifers)
Miles - 5895
Days - 47
Countries - 15
Mountain ranges crossed - 6
Ferries - 3
Falls off the bike - 1
New friends - at least 10
Dogs - more than 20!


Please leave a comment (or even a donation!). Hope you enjoy it.

Robert.

I'm Back! and ....... PLEASE DONATE TO THE FUNDRAISING

Well, that's it. Trip over. I'm back!

It was long and hard at times but hugely enjoyable and a great experience. My main reason for going was to do at least some of the things I always wanted to do but knew I never would if I just carried on saying "some day" ... Also, with Anne's MS, it would become less and less viable. I doubt I will ever do anything like it again, not even on a small scale.
For now, thanks to all who followed & sent messages of encouragement and support. Thanks also to those who have already donated money to the charities. The MS one is the clear favourite. Thank you. Feel free to give to the Birdy one; it is so appropriate given the nature (sic!) of my trip. Thanks to those who gave to that.

A special thank you to those people who don't know me particularly well but nevertheless donated money early on and generously. I was touched by this, thank you (you know who you are ... including the anonymous one)

To those who intend to donate, can I twist arms a little; please don't foget. I would like to reach the target £1000. Arbitrary, I know but many people have said they will contribute so maybe I'll get there.

TO DONATE, JUST CLICK ONE OF THE BLUE "JUSTGIVING" LINKS TO THE RIGHT OF THIS PAGE. (Note; I financed the trip myself - none of your money comes to me, it goes straight to the charity)

Getting Home (ferries, bikes, Rowald, Michelle & Dave, four Norwegian Bikers)

A few catch up notes & pics about the return home stage of my journey;

Ferry at Klaipeda, Lithuania (25th May)

Red Cross trucks ready to go on the ferry
 (hello to Henning Kramer and his wife -
good luck with your Red Cross work)

Bye-bye Lithuania

Rowald (the Baltic Airways Fokker pilot) and his nearly new BMW 650. Hope you got to Holland ok and good luck with left hand guitars!

Next ferry; 27th May, Esbjerg to Harwich; lashing down the bikes in the hold. Hi to the four bikers from Norway on their way to Ireland. Hope the A14 got you past Birmingham as planned. 

Safely tied down - we hope!

Michelle & Dave. Great adverts for Aus. (& Michelle for Cornwall!) Hope your onward journey in the UK goes well and maybe you'll manage to fit in a visit to Dunrobin Castle (about one hour north of Inverness on the A9 - famous road & great for biking  - especially further north still in Caithness). Nice meeting you & send me a message when you can. Love the Deauville!

27th May; Bye-bye Esgjerg, Europe and Bikingwithbirds!

BIRDIES! (as if you haven't seen enough of my fuzzy avian photos!)

(If you click on the photos, you get an enlarged view - takes you away from this page - press "back" arrow to return)

Woodlark (better pic than the one I put on while in Spain)

Woodchat Shrike (Spain)

Blue Rock Thrush (Pre-Pyrenees, Spain)

 

Black Wheatear (Pre-Pyrenees, Spain)

 Pied Wheatear (Kaliakra Bulgaria),

erm ... let me see?

If you can ID this, I'll give you a refund! (Bulgaria)

And this ....? (Spain)

White Stork (Croatia)

Great White Pelicans in formation (Danube Delta)

A beautiful female Grey Wagtail, just where she should be by a babbling stream (Transylvannia)

Coo ...!

Red-backed Shrike (should've got a much better pic than this, there were so many on my travels)

Grey Heron doing balancing act

THAT Bluethroat! this the view I got for 10 mins or more ... then ...

.... he turned round ... can't resist putting this in again! (Bierbza Marshes. Poland)

Thought this was a Citrine Wagtail for ages but it's a Yellow Wagtail (juvenile, I think)

Black Stork (at nest in Extramadura, Spain)

White Stork for comparison

(white in the wings at shoulder,

white head & neck)

And finally ... maybe the best bird of the trip; Three-toed Woodpecker ... because I really didn't think I'd see it at all and also because it is so rare, local and difficult to find. This one hung about less than 20 metres from me for over 10 minutes - so good!

Modes of Transport

Well ... of course, ole faithfull! (Packed up and ready to go at Yanitsa Hotel near Shabla on the Black Sea in Bulgaria)   















Boats!

Large (ferries, three in all)

Medium (floating hotel in Danube Delta)

Small.4 days moving around small channels in the Delta. You can see the seats we had to see all those fabulous birds. This little boat took us to & from the floating hotel which also moved each day

Tractor & trailer (for getting through wet forest & sand dune habitat in Danube Delta)

Four wheel drive (especially in Bulgaria!)

Horse & cart (I got a lift in this one, 2km up the track, gave them some chocolate as a thank you. Offering money seemed crass)

I also had rides in two minibuses and a few cars but no photos of that ... oh yes I do! See the mini bus in the background - that's one of them ... interesting, eh?! (hello again to all from Eger, I guess you're all home now?)

More Trip blog dogs!

Puppy in cafe where I lost my phone (Arles, Sth France). So relieved to get it back from cafe owner, I stayed & had a coffee for an hour. This little chap kept pestering me. His name was Manuc  or something.

Second appearance for Zoya! (Hello Ali & Colin)

Little guy in Melnik, Bulgaria

Ok so it's a horse - close!

Tex, the guard dog at Poda Nature centre Burgas, Bulgaria on Black Sea coast

Think this one would've eaten me. Not very friendly but nice looking Romanian chap.

She came birding with me in Eger Hungary and freaked out all the birds!

Seem to be going backwards - we're in Spain now. Boletas dog in the Pre-Pyrenees

No idea where this one came from, just friendly

This looks cruel but he gave me a fright by shoving his whole head through this hole in the gate at El Recuerdo, near Trujillo, Spain, my first pre-booked stop (hello Martin Kelsey). The hole is there so you can reach in and undo a bolt. This is obviously his window on the world!

Pyrenean mountain dog. Well, it was in the Pyrenees, they're mountains and he is definitely a dog - so there! (in fact, all the dogs looked like this here - Broto in the Pyrenees)

Lucky, the welcoming Slovakian Spaniel at a "Family Pension" (B & B, without the second B!)

There were many more Trip Dogs but I couldn't get photos of them all!