Lesvos 12th/25th May
12th May
We arrived in lesvos in the late afternoon on thursday 12th may .The one & half hour coach ride from the airport to Anaxos in the north of the island produce the first sightings of White Stork nesting on a chimmney in Kalloni and 140+ Greater Flamingo on Kalloni salt pans.
13th MAY
The first full day was spent birding around Anaxos ,Nightingale was heard singing at most areas,8 Alpine Swift were seen flying over the hillside near the coast.1 female Red-Backed Shrike was seen catching Beetles on the Anaxos/Petra coast path 2 Jay of the form "Krynicki" in the hotel grounds .100+ Yellow-Legged Gull on the coast and nesting in large numbers on Rabbit Island also large numbers of Jackdaw flying over to Rabbit Island late everning to roost
14th May
A walk along the road towards Skoutaros produced the following 2 Turtle Dove , 3 Red-Backed Shrike, 1 female Golden Oriole, 1 Black Kite, 2 Long-Legged Buzzard, 5 Cirl Bunting, 2 Black-Headed Bunting, 1 Black-Eared Wheatear, 10+ Nightingale, Reed Warbler, Olivaceous Warbler, Subalpine Warbler,Blue Tit, Great Tit, Jay,Hooded Crow, Yellow-Legged Gull
Black-Headed Bunting
15th May
1 Middle-Spotted Woodpecker seen sat on the top of a telegraph pole near the church just outside Anaxos. Walking further on up the road produced 2 Black Stork & 4 White Stork soaring over the local rubbish tip.The next bird to show was a very unexpected sighting of a adult pale morth Booted Eagle that soared right over our heads heading inland from Anaxos. Other birds seen in the area were Sombre Tit ,a superb adult male Masked Shrike, Nightingale, Subalpine Warbler, Cirl Bunting, Black-Headed Bunting, Eleonoras Falcon,Common Buzzard, Honey Buzzard, Long-Legged Buzzard, Red-Backed Shrike, Red-Rumped Swallow, Jay & Yellow-Legged Gull
Masked Shrike.
16th May
We decided to hire a car for the rest of the holiday and the first location we visited was the Ruppells Warbler site in the layby near Petra. The first birds to be seen at this site where Black-Eared Wheatear , Black-Headed Bunting, Blue Rock Thrush and a male Orphean Warbler. A good sighting of a Pygmy cormorant on the sea just off the headland was very unexpected. After a couple of hours of a few poor flight views of Ruppells and one male that appeared on the top of a bush for less than 2 seconds we decided to head to the Kalloni salt pans and try our luck with Ruppells on latter date .
Black-Eared Wheatear.
As soon as we got within viewing distance large numbers of Greater Flamingo and many waders were seen to be on the salt pans so we quickly parked the car and found a good viewing point. I began to scan the salt pansand was soon watching 600+ Greater Flamingo, Black-Winged Stilt, Avocet, Ringed Plover,Curlew Sandpiper, Ruff, Little Stint, Temmincks Stint, a pair of breeding Stone Curlew and a excellent Tereck Sandpiper.Terns were everywhere and Gull Billed, White-Winged Black,Whiskered,Little and Common tern were all seen. Scanning the fields behind the salt pans produced Bee-eater,Black-Headed Wagtail,3 Collard Pratincole flying over the horizon ,Crested Lark,Black-Headed Bunting,Red-Rumped & Barn Swallow.After a fantastic mornings birding we headed to the East River where we saw Little Egret, Black Stork, Red-Backed Shrike, Alpine Swift,Great-Reed Warbler, Olivacous Warbler, Black-Headed Wagtail, Honey Buzzard, Short-Toed Eagle & Long-Legged Buzzard. Scops Owl seen in Anaxos in the everning.
Greater Flamingo.
17th May
A early morning visit to the salt pans produced 10 singing Rufous Bushchat, 15+ Greenshank,50+ ruff, many breeding pairs of Black-Winged Stilt & Avocet, Stone Curlew, Little Stint, Ringed Plover, 1000+ Greater Flamingo, 20+ Bee-eater,Gull-Billed,Little,Whiskered & Common Tern, Black-Headed Bunting, Crested Lark, Little Owl & Yellow-Legged Gull.
Black-Winged Stilt.
Moving on to East River we saw Subalpine Warbler, Cirl Bunting, Sombre Tit, Long-Legged Buzzard, Short-Toed Eagle, Red-Backed Shrike, Pallid Swift, little Egret, Black Stork . A late afternoon walk around Axaxos produced Alpine Swift, Red-Backed Shrike, Black-Headed Bunting and a superb almost jet black melanistic Little Owl.
18th May
Another early morning start heading to Agiassos to the old Krupers Nuthatch site after deciding agaist the other breeding site near the army base. We arrived near the drinking fountain at about 8.00am and decided to walk the various trails in serch of Krupers. The first birds to be seen in this beautiful location was a flyover Honey Buzzard followed by a small flock of Serin located in the tops of the pine trees . A singing male Subalpine Warbler showed really well as it sang its heart out from a roadside tree.Other birds seen were Mistle Thrush, Wren and Chaffinch. After about 3 hours a tapping sound was heard from the roadside near the drinking fountain , as we got nearer to where the tapping was coming from a Krupers took flight from a dead tree stump and flew into the wood .Thinking that was the only view we were to see of the bird disappointment set in but then the tapping sound started again from the same tree stump and there it was a fantastic male Krupers Nuthatch that was shortly joined by a female. The pair of Krupers were digging out a new nest hole in the dead tree stump and were seen courting and mating on several occasions .The nest site was in the garden of the house on the main road just around the corner from the drinking fountain and viewing the birds at very close quarters from the road didnt disturb the birds at all.
Krupers Nuthatch.
Arriving back at Anaxos i went for a stroll round and saw Alpine Swift, Red-Backed Shrike, Blackheaded Bunting,Olivaceous Warbler and the melanistic Little Owl.
19th May
A visit to the East River produced a fly over flock of 30+ Rose-Coloured Starlings heading inland.Black Stork, Little Egret, kentish Plover, Curlew, Little Ringed Plover, Olivaceous Warbler, Great-Reed Warbler & Black-Headed Bunting were also seen in the area. A drive to the salt pans produced a female Marsh Harrier, Little Owl , Rufous Bushchat , Bee-eater, Crested Lark, Black-Winged Stilt, Avocet, Ruff, Redshank, Little Stint & Little Tern. Having fogot to take my daily dose of hay-fever tablets my eyes swelled up like balloons so i had to retire back to the hotel for the rest of the day.
20th May
A morning visit to a salt marsh about 3km east of the salt pans was very rewarding ,up to 5 pairs of Kentish Plover ,Little Ringed Plover, 5 Bee-eater ,15 + Rufous Bushchat,a male Isabelline Shrike was seen on fence posts dropping down on beetles,a Black Stork was seen feeding on a small sand bank at very close range , but the bird of the day was a adult Calandra Lark seen feeding on the edge of the salt marsh .Watched at very close range for about 5 mins before it took flight and landed in a long grassy field and couldnt be relocated .
Black Stork.
After such a good morning we decided to try our look at the reservoir near petra birds seen were 5 Eleonoras Falcon, Lesser Kestrel, Long-Legged Buzzard, Short-Toed Eagle, a very vocal Great Reed Warbler,Orphean Warbler, Subalpine Warbler, Olivaceous Warbler & Sombre Tit
21st May
A 10km walk from Petra Reservoir to the Ruppells site produced the following, 1 Ruddy Shelduck on the reservoir, 100+ Yellow-Legged Gull also on the reservoir, 2 Masked Shrike, 12 Red-Backed Shrike, 1 Woodchat Shrike, Black-Eared Wheatear, Corn Bunting, 1Western Rock Nuthatch, Short-Toed Eagle, Long-Legged Buzzard, Honey Buzzard, Common Buzzard, Eleonoras Falcon, Little Owl, 5 Turtle Dove, Sombre Tit, Blue Rock Thrush, Subalpine Warbler, Orphean Warbler, Great-Reed Warbler, Olivaceous Warbler, Whitethroat, Nightingale and 4 Ruppells Warbler at the layby site.
Ruppells Warbler.
After the excellent views of the Ruppells Warblers we drove over to the Turtle pond near Skalochori to try for Rock Nuthatch. After a 10 min wait 4 Western Rock Nuthatch appeared on the tops of the rocks just behind the pond giving excellent views. Also seen in the area was Black-Eared Wheatear, Cirl Bunting, Sombre Tit and Whitethroat.
22nd May
Another eary start to visit the area around the Petrified forest but we first stopped at the turtle pond between Skoutaros and Skalochori. Birds seen in this area where Hoopoe,Middle-Spotted Woodpecker,Western Rock Nuthatch, Black-Eared Wheatear and Blackcap.
As we neared the Petrified Forest we pulled over to view one of the many valleys , first birds to be seen in this area where Black-Eared & Northern Wheatear. Singing Cretzschmars Bunting was heard and then located singing from a rock on the hillside we also saw a stunning view of a perched Long-Legged Buzzard on a rocky outcrop just over the road but it was scared away by a bunch of tourists on mopeds just as i was about to take a photo.
Cretzschmars Bunting.
As we neared the forest park we flushed a Eleonoras Falcon that had been sitting on a roadside perch,it flew right along the side of the car before dissapearing into the distance. On reaching the park singing Cretzschmars Buntings seemed to be everywhere and were very approchable.Also in the park where Western Rock Nuthatch, Black-Eared Wheatear, Northern Wheatear, Cirl Bunting, Subalpine Warbler and a family party of Chukar.The many petrified trees that are on display in the park make this site well worth a visit.
Eleonoras Falcon
Leaving this site Common Cuckoo and Little Owl were seen on the fence posts along the road. We stopped off at a few locations on the way back to try and locate Cinerous Bunting but had no luck .
23rd May
A Morning visit to the East River saw us watching a first summer Little Gull feeding on the edge of the salt marsh.
first summer Little Gull
Also in the East River area where 5 Shelduck, Black Stork, White Stork, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Kentish Plover, Little Ringed Plover, Curlew, Rufous Bushchat, Black-Headed Wagtail, Great-Reed Warbler and Spannish Sparrow.
Heading a few miles up the coast i walked into a small pine wood and had excellent views of a short-Toed Treecreeper and a singing Nightingale out in the open.
Retuning to Anaxos late afternoon i went for a walk to try to photograph the melanistic Little Owl The owl was in the same area but to distance for a decent photo, other birds seen in the area where Alpine Swift, Red-Backed Shrike, Black-Headed Bunting and Common Whitethroat
24th May
As it was the last day of the car hire we headed back to the area around the petrified forest for Cinereous Bunting. Stopping at the ipsilou gorge just past Andisa we had great views of Cragg Martin, Pallid Swift, Red-Rumped Swallow ,Blue Rock Thrush,Cretzchmars Bunting and Black-Eared Wheatear.A mile or so further along the road we stopped to look down over a valley and found a male Cinereous Bunting singing from a large rock 20 metres in front of us, also in this area where Cretzchmars , Cirl and Black-headed Bunting. Raptors showed well also with excellent views of Short-Toed Eagle, Long-Legged Buzzard, Lesser Kestrel and another fly over (our heads ) Eleonoras Falcon.
Heading back we stopped at the side of the road after seeing a very pale Wheatear fly over the car and landing near the edge of the road. It was soon located and was a fine male Isabaline Wheater that was latter joined by female. also many Northern and Black-Eared Wheatear and 2 Stonechat in the area.
Woodchat Shrike
25th May
The last day was spent around Anaox and the surrounding area birds seen where, Middle-Spotted Woodpecker, Woodchat, Red-Backed Shrike, Short-Toed Eagle, Long-Legged Buzzard, Eleonoras Falcon, Subalpine Warbler, Olivaceous Warbler, Cretzschmars Bunting, Black-Headed Bunting, Little Owl, Black Stork , White Stork and Nightingale
Jay- (Black Crowned form) Krynicki
