Pallid Swift

this bird was one of only a handful I managed to see it was hawking over the marsh at Phasouri and keeping very low while flying very fast in rapid twists and turns that made photography a real challenge particularly against the reedy backdrop -- Pallid Swifts are simply not easy to identify but n this bright light you could pick this bird out with the naked eye possibly easier than with bins at times but notice how even in bright overhead light the colour and contrast changes with different angles -- the shape of the wind tip often quoted as an ID feature clearly varies dramatically with speed and flight mode while the oft quoted dark saddle, still being toted in the latest Collins Guide is clearly just not a feature of birds in this plumage - this bird has a crop full of insects making the extensive white throat look bulging -- to me one of the best features in all lights is the dark inset eye sockets contrasting against the distinctly paler head but on a dull October day in Britain they are a different beat