Flight mode!

We had another lazy day by the pool today as there is possible rain tomorrow! Our afternoon entertainment was provided by a family of bluetits who took to the air for the first time. We spent a couple of amusing hours watching as they fluttered in panic trying to land on vertical walls and slopes and the relief when they actually found something solid. The parents were flying around madly between the chicks providing encouragement. By the end of a couple of hours though they were pretty competent and none had landed in the pool to our great relief. This one landed on the maintenance shed by the water slide and sat there for a while gathering itself to flutter off again. Its not a great picture as I couldn't get closer, but it will serve as a memory jog blip for me.
We've had several bird dramas going on here. There are lots of swallows and nests around and also lots of beautiful jays which I was admiring. What I had forgotten though was that jays are of course predators. They seem to become most aggressive at around 5pm and there is a general increase in the chattering of the swallows as the jays hop onto railings, trees etc gradually getting nearer to the swallows' nests. The swallows though have been pretty successful at seeing them off rather like our small birds mob off crows.
Other than the birds, we've seen more tortoises and lots of butterflies around the hotel grounds.
The extra marks that today is the day that the Turkish people commemorate Kemal Atatürk. He was the one of the founders of the modern unified Turkish Republic and was the first president from 1923-1938 when he died. There were lots of flags around and car processions with tooting carhorns, drums and some wind instruments. The hotel salads were all presented as heart shapes on the buffet and special cocktails were on offer!