Lesvos - Day 6 - 18th January 2026

A relatively early start saw me round on the east side of Mesa at 8am to meet up with Eleni and some ex-students who were out doing a full wildfowl count (Greek version of WeBS).  It was bitterly cold but by the time they arrived I had found one of the Slavonian Grebes in The Bay where it gleamed in the early sunshine that was battling against the lowering cloud.  There was a raft of 14 Black-necked Grebes close in and eight Red-breasted Mergansers and a flock of three male and female Pochard surprised us all by flying right past us and around the corner!  This is a very scarce bird here and only my third record.

Down in the Mesa Wetland channel there were two Black Storks; a super glossy adult and brown hued 1w bird and 14 Spoonbills glowed as they fed alongside the road with the Flamingos and a female Pintail.

Spoonbills & Flamingos

Spoonbills

Spoonbills

Spoonbills

adult Black Stork

1w Black Stork

Spoonbills

I soon left them to their counting and headed back for breakfast seeing a ringtail Hen Harrier near the Spoonbills on the way.  Another Hen Harrier – an adult female was on the Kamares with a pair of Pintail and three Spoonbills here too.  The Golden Plovers were absent again.

The sky was getting darker but the forecast was for better weather out West so that was the way we headed. The Sunday roads were empty and there was a suggestion of some snow dusting on the tops and a few flakes drifted down.  Perivolis Monastery was dark and even colder but I still had a short walk.  The 26 Siskins were still in the Plane trees and the Ivy berries were being feasted on by many Blackcaps, Song Thrushes, three Mistle Thrushes and several Blackbirds.  Everything bar the Siskins was skittish once again and despite counting 30 Song Thrushes I have not got close to getting a picture of one. As they flew across the river they all called and suddenly one call was that of a  Redwing and there it was flashing those underwings! It dashed into the Ivy opposite and did not come out again but I was happy.

Same view and a very different sky

Siskins

Cypress cones

Upwards and across to the Petrified Forest road for no particular reason.  There were several more water filled hollows alongside the road but the only birds bar Ravens and Buzzards were several Corn Buntings, Crested Larks and Rock Doves.  Back down on the main road there were five Rock Sparrows around the next sheep shelter.

The sea looked very dark and rough as we descended to Sigri with Ravens alongside all the way down.  Yellow-legged Gulls were in the bay but the drive down to Faneromeni only produced flocks of Crested Larks, Chaffinches, Goldfinches and House Sparrows around the sheepy areas and 30 Meadow Pipits came up from the big crop field.  Forty Rock Doves flew through.

The Sigri Oak Grove looks a little different in January

The Upper Ford was absolutely bone dry on the seaward side and had just a few puddles above and not one bird and yet down at the beach the pool was so full that it had swamped the track to the river mouth all the way up to the wall and was completely unpassable. A chunky vole with a visible tail shot across the road and I seem to remember that down on the coast Harting's Vole is the more likely.

For the first time ever lunch was taken in the car rather than standing around outside looking for birds! Some Yellow-legged Gulls moved offshore and a single female Wigeon flew by but that was it.  The thing is that January is an unknown out here for most of us so I was determined to visit regular spots to see how they were this time of year.

I have noticed that most of the Palms on the island are now dead having been destroyed by what I presume is Palm Weevil.  You could see the exit holes in the heart of this one.

Back over past Ipsilou and then down towards Gavathas before taking the track to Ancient Antissa.  Robins, Cirl Buntings and Chaffinches were seen on the first section and once down in the valley bottom there were Meadow Pipits, more Chaffinches and  flock of 35 White Wagtails in one field.  The river was high and a quick look (it really was that cold. 2c and windchill) gave me a calling Reed Bunting and four Cetti’s Warblers but no hoped for Moustached Warblers although I bet they are here. A flock of eight Jackdaws were the first of the trip and a high skein of duck turned out to be Mallard which of course will be winter migrants here.

Squirting Cucumber - Ecballium elaterium

Wavy Mullein - Verbascum sinuatum

The Willow and Reed filled area just below the ford

Perivolis Monastery is upstream from here

Senecio anulatus - a South African climbing - trailing Ragwort with Ivy-like leaves

Senecio anulatus 

Senecio anulatus 

Wavy  were found once the rocky landscape reappeared but with the sky blackening I opted to head out and back towards home taking the Anemotia road back down once again.  The cloud base was lowering once again and it was snowing on the tops but there was a sharp cut off point and it looked like a Christmas cake had been dusted with lots of icing sugar. 

Back down at sea level the sunshine returned and it seemed that the Bay itself was keeping the blackness over the hills at bay and with that a foolish hour was spent down at the Alykes Sheepfields once again although despite four layers I was chilled through and numb by the time I gave up.  The light was strange with sunshine and blackness making any bird with white on them positively glow.

Not your normal Lesvos attire

I did count 20 Spoonbills and a new high of 25 Dalmatian Pelicans and the two adult Black Storks were not those I saw it Mesa in the morning.  Lapwings and Starlings were being blown around an the 70 strong Greenfinch flock contained some Linnets and two Serins again.

Ruddy Shelducks and a Raven

I re-found the six Gadwall on one of the pans - a good bird here

Wigeon feeding unit

illuminated Spoonbills

Windblown Lapwing

Lapwing

The tups are looking magnificent at this time of year with incredibly long thick coats down to the ground.  At the risk of repeating myself from my March visit - they remind me of Bantha from Star Wars.

The Bay itself was unworkable for which I was very grateful as I could not have stayed out a moment longer!

Lesvos - Day 5 - 17th January 2026

A bit of a change in the weather overnight and as I headed for the bread I needed an extra coat as the wind was a biting northerly.  Black Redstarts and Robins were staying low and a Water Rail squealed from the flooded burnt Tamarisks.  Breakfast and then out along the coast once again via the Kamares where the Golden Plover still had not moved and a flock of just Little Stints were quite close to the road.

Around to the bottom of Potamia and then down the track to the Kalloni Village Apartments.  It was really blowing at the end and two Black-necked Grebes were being bounced around by the wind and waves but seemed impervious to the weather and were happily catching little fish.  I walked along the beach towards the mouth of the Potamia where two Common Sandpipers were bobbing along the sheltered muddy bank.  There were just a few Yellow-legged Gulls, Hooded Crows and a single Curlew out on the point. 

Black-necked Grebe

Black-necked Grebe

Common Sandpiper

I turned back along the river and through the Tamarisks where some Crested Larks and Chaffinches were grovelling.  A pair of Stonechats were using old Cocklebur seed heads as a vantage point but soon dashed for cover as an adult female Hen Harrier blew through low over the field.  She was stunning and it was a joy to watch her effortlessly twist and turn before spooking a previously unseen flock of 80 Meadow Pipits.  She failed to catch one and moved on over the river and out of sight.  The du-lueet of Woodlarks drew me to three birds with the Mipits.  All dropped back down into the same field and out of view. 

Crested Lark

Stonechat

Stonechat

Meadow Pipit

Woodlark

Hen Harrier

Hen Harrier

Hen Harrier

Hen Harrier

I followed the track towards the lone house putting up several Robins and Chaffinches on the way and once back at the river a Dunnock was fervently peeping from the mega reeds. I came back past the chalets but added nothing new and the cold finally drove me back to the car.  A slurp of coffee was timed with an adult and 1^st-winter Med Gull drifting by.

Fumitory sp

From here I followed the track up the Potamia which was nicely flowing but only had eight Teal and four Mallard before checking on the Old Reservoir where the Black-necked Grebe, Little Grebe and two Coot were still the only birds.

At the end of the track we found Thekla in her olive grove with her lovely grey horse Kopric who she rescued after he was abandoned.  Dried figs were fed to him before we bumped onwards.  

Kopric and Thekla

A large puddle had Cirl Buntings, Chaffinches, House Sparrows, Robins and Blackcaps coming down but before I could alter my angle of the car, I had to move as a vehicle came the other way.  Out of force of habit I checked Metochi as I still had a hankering that there might just be a Pygmy Cormorant wintering.  At first glance there were three 1w Great Cormorants but then further on I spied a lump in a bush at the end that quickly became my desired target!  I popped the scope up before driving on and was pleased to discover two in the same dead bushes as the spring.

With less read cover I was able to get some excellent views from the parking spot most of the way down.  One quickly left and headed towards the upper Christou although I suspect it dropped into one of the clear flowing (unlike spring!) drainage ditches.  The other stayed put and I was able to enjoy it for 15 minutes before it headed the same way.  A very different feel to the breeding plumaged birds I have seen here before with a warm Nutella coloured head and neck (other chocolate spreads are available) bleeding into an almost chequerboard pattern with black and brown on the belly feathers.

Pygmy Cormorant 

Pygmy Cormorant 

Once they left I moved on but a loop up to the Monastery at Metochi did not produce anything in the market garden fields and by then it was time to head into Kalloni for lunch with Alison and Costas.

Metochi Monastery 

Grey Wagtail in Kalloni - there are more around in the winter

Coffee back at the room and then out again and down to the KSP (via the AB supermarket where we amazingly bumped into Dion from the Pela and his family).  The wind had pushed all the Flamingos off the nearest pans so I kept going and stopped at Hide 2 primarily to close the shutters and door.  Like Hide 3, it needs some remedial work over the winter.  There were over 100 Ruddy Shelduck and five Curlew on the Alykes Wetlands and two hunting Marsh Harrier.

There are always some juv Flamingos in the channel

Great Egret - they are dotted all around the town in fields

Ruddy Shelducks

I braved the elephants down at the end of the racecourse and walked out onto the Sheepfields. There had been no change in the duck or wader numbers visible but there were now 20 Dalmatian Pelicans.  I could only see about 20 Lapwing but a single Ruff was new for the trip list.  It was too cold and windy to stay till dark but the 3cy male Hen Harrier did not make me wait and put on a fine show in the sunshine that had returned.  Six Marsh Harriers came in high in one flock before dropping towards the eastern pans.

Common Shelduck

Greater Flamingo

Greater Flamingo

Lapwings

Dalmatian Pelican

Dalmatian Pelican - I know I keep taking pics of these but you see them so much better and more often this time of year

The Bay was too choppy to see anything whatsoever so I was very pleased to have had my mirror calm days already.  The drive back out gave me some Serins with the Linnets and Chaffinches on the racecourse and a Greenshank taking shelter in the channel but there was more Harrier action too with the full adult male Hen once again around the Stinky Corner.

Chaffinch

Linnet

Hen Harrier

I checked the Kamares again on the way home to see if there were any Harriers roosting there but saw none.  There were six Spoonbills actively feeding though and the Golden Plover flock was absent for the first time.  I wonder where they go to feed?