Roger Delves Broughton goes bird watching in Tbilisi

Roger DB, who is playing the British Spy in Captain Corelli's Mandolin is a great bird watcher and is to be found in spare moments wandering around looking skywards. Here is his report!

Roger's blog #1 Thurs 8th Sept

After all the anticipation, we’re here! The Georgian welcome is as comprehensive and overwhelming as you can imagine.

After a short introduction at the theatre, we saw the character puppets in Nino’s workshop, and believe me they are delightful and fascinating and full of character.

We were then convoyed out of Tbilisi up the mountains to about 1300 metres above sea level. Half an hour or more rising hairpin bends took us up to Levan’s summer retreat; a beautiful wooden chalet in a kind of alpine meadow among the high forests. In Wales it would be high above the tree-line, but here there are thick woods of Hornbeam, Ash, Oak, Birch, wild Pear and Beech. Mushrooms sprout underfoot but nobody really dares to choose one to cook, for fear of a gastronomic game of Russian Roulette! The sky was blue and cloudless, and although the temperature dropped with the altitude it was still a comfortably warm 62°F, whereas in the city it had been nearer 80! My joy was to scan the twittering flocks of Swallow, House Martin, and Sand Martin over the meadow. But the real heart-leaping sight was the succession of European Bee Eaters migrating overhead: unbelievably colourful and exotic and a new bird to me.


European Bee Eater



Needless to say, we feasted lengthily on vegetables, salads, fish and barbequed pork, drank many toasts in Georgian wine, and were entranced by Levan’s daughter Tina as she showed us the most graceful Georgian traditional dances barefoot on the twilit grass. Sensational. A truly bonding experience for us all, and a day to relish and remember for a long time.





Roger’s blog #2 Saturday 10th Sept


We’re rehearsing on the Theatre’s main stage, which is useful in the initial stage, since all the puppets and stage action can be created under the very tight lighting requirements particular to this style. It’s constantly amazing to watch the puppeteers crowded round a single puppet and creating movements of astounding delicacy and precision. They are instantly humorous and soulful.


Hooded Crow
Photo by panafokas


So far we have worked mornings and evenings, so have had a couple of hours free in the afternoon. The apartments are about a 20 minutes walk away, so today I took a walk along the River Kura embankment. It’s been so hot and dry that today’s stiff wind created a veritable windstorm, but through the flying grit I did manage to watch some Yellow Legged Gulls, Hooded Crows and a White Wagtail to add to my Georgian list.




White Wagtail
Photo by Andreas Trepte
http://www.photo-natur.de/