The eastern Kalloni saltpans was my first stop this morning but it was not an
early start and the gorgeous green eyed but tenacious Deer Flies were ravenous
and were not put off by the stiff breeze in any way. Just how they know that
there is warm blood in the car I cannot fathom.
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Chrysops sp - the Deer Fly
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Fortunately they had tailed off
by the time I was opposite the Pelican flock. I counted 29 but they were
hunkered down and it was very hazy but I think they were all Dalmatian. Seven
Spoonbills, Black Stork and a platoon of Cormorants were seen but I did not
linger long.
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Dalmatian Pelicans in a snooze huddle
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Greater Flamingos being similarly exciting
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Onto Achladeri (passing a Black Stork at Mesa) for a solitary walk through the hot
pines, moving between shady patches to avoid getting scorched. The smell of the
woods was wondrous but the thick carpet of needles actually made the ground
very slippery which felt odd in a bone dry forest.
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Black Stork |
The regular species were in
attendance although the tooting Kruper's Nuthatches were very mobile.
Short-toed Treecreepers were vocal along with Cirl Buntings and a flock of
seven grovelling Woodlarks. It was good to find Coal Tit amongst the Blues and
Greats and Middle Spotted Woodpeckers chattered upslope along with the hoped for
Sardinian Warblers that are here to winter while flocks of pruuking Bee-eaters
moved high South.
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Short-toed Treecreeper |
Freyer’s Graylings were seen basking on pine trunks and Small
Coppers danced low to the ground where Red and Blue Winged Grasshoppers and the
imposing Slant Faced Grasshopper were seen.
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Freyer’s Grayling |
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Freyer’s Grayling |
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Meadow Brown sp
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Small Copper
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Common Blue
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Red Winged Grasshopper |
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Blue Winged Grasshopper |
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Slant Faced Grasshopper (Acrida ungarica) |
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Slant Faced Grasshopper (Acrida ungarica) |
There were very
few flowering plants and almost anything green had been grazed and scorched but
I did find a few things to identify when I got home.
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And a very stunted Verbascum sinuatum
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Heliotropium europaeum
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Heliotropium europaeum |
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Carlina involucrata
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Lunch amongst the three Shrikes, chats and Tawny Pipits was taken overlooking
the Bay from the coast track towards Alikoudi but I did not feel like it was
worth pushing on in the intense heat.
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Panting Northern Wheatear
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Another hazy Lesser Grey Shrike
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Red-backed Shrike
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Looking inland from the coast
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And back towards Achladeri
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Shag
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I retraced along the corrugated track
with an inordinate amount of jiggling and stopped at the shady bridge after
Achladeri to let my insides refind some sort of equilibrium. The Terrapin
frenzy started as soon as I reached the bridge but I did not see any of the
American species like last time – just Stripe-necked. They appreciated some
bits of bread while I listened to a party of Long-tailed Tits in the pines
along with noisy Middle Spotted Woodpeckers. Woodlarks and Sardinian Warblers
called and two Kingfishers zipped through before I could even raise my bins.
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Stripe-necked Terrapin bread bundle!
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... with a Bee-eater
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I took the route back
through the Pans where juvenile Flamingos and a few waders including the first
Curlew Sandpiper and some obliging Little Stints were in the Channel and 27 Slender-billed
Gulls were on the first pan with double that of Black-heads.
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Greater Flamingos and Black-headed Gull
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Greater Flamingos |
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juv Little Stint |
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juv Little Stint |
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juv Little Stint - a very oddly long winged individual
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juv Little Stint |
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juv Curlew Sandpiper |
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juv Curlew Sandpiper |
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juv Little Ringed Plover
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juv Little Ringed Plover |
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juv Ringed Plover - a small plump, long winged bird - Tundra race?
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juv Greenshank |
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juv Greenshank |
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adult Slender-billed Gull
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adult Slender-billed Gull - my best ever views
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Crested Larks were also feeding along the channel edge
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Two more Lesser
Grey Shrikes, a host of Bee-eaters and the haystack Long-legged Buzzard were
watched on the bump back through Lotzaria while two more hulking Dalmatian
Pelicans were at the river mouth and three young White Storks were guarding a
tiny pool near the lower Tsiknias Ford.
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juv Long-legged Buzzard |
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juv Long-legged Buzzard |
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juv Bee-eater
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Northern Wheatear
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Dalmatian
Pelicans |
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White Stork
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White Storks |
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Little Egret
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A late afternoon walk around the Kallonis Pool triangle revealed just how dry
things are. The Pool was a desert of grazed brown and now would be a great time
for ‘someone’ to get in there and remove some of the juncus clumps especially
at the east end, cut back the tamarisks and create some deeper channels to hold
water longer.
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Kallonis Pool |
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Anthophora sp bee
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Anthophora sp bee |
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Graphosoma lineatum
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Not the best of shots but a tiny Adonis Ladybird
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Red-veined Darters lined the fence
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female Red-veined Darters |
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Trumpet Vine - Campsis radicans
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The Kalloni garden was currently out of bounds and all locked up
but the Pasiphae is still quite green and I found Redstart, Willow Warbler,
Spotted Flycatcher and several Blackbirds feeding in the shady under the date
palms.
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Common Redstart
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Tatty male Blackbird
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I took a picture of what
turned out to be a stone in a field and discovered that in a compound behind it was an African Grey Crowned Crane – possibly the weirdest photo bombing I have
ever had!
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African Grey Crowned Crane |
The rest of the day was
spent chilling on the balcony while watching Red-rumped Swallows hawk the
Pasiphae pines before the bats awoke for the evening and the daily procession
of Sparrows, Corn Buntings, Wagtails and Hoodies headed over to roost in their
respective spots.
That evening after dinner I
almost trod on a medium sized Praying Mantis on the pavement outside Nancy’s.
It was my first ever fully winged adult although I am not sure of the species
as yet. Nancy was intrigued by my interest and said that the big ones regularly
come to hunt for moths around the lights on the house and that she would look
out for one in the garden! A quick check only revealed a delightfully pink
little Turkish Gecko on the prowl for dinner.
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Praying Mantis - Iris oratoria
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Turkish Gecko |
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