Lesvos - Day 10 - 29th April 2025 for Oriole Birding

Our Pela breakfast bird this morning was a fine adult Dalmatian Pelican that circled over the Bay for a few minutes but while watching this we missed yet another Roller that flew over the Kalloni Bay Hotel in front of us!

Our day started properly around the coast at Achladeri and despite the cold wind we all got superb views of the Kruper’s Nuthatches.  The woods were unsurprisingly quiet but we saw Cirl Buntings, Serins and Chaffinches and heard Short-toed Treecreepers.  With early success we came back past Mesa where eight or so Red-foots were hanging on to the bushes for dear life but the light was far harsher and we still cherished our encounters there the day before.

The Achladeri poppy fields were magnificent

Serin

Kruper’s Nuthatch

Kruper’s Nuthatch

Termites - rock turning was poor.  Too cold, even under there!

Chaffinch

Agalenatea redii 

French Lavender - Lavendula stoechas

Gladiolus illyricus - I am sure the ones in the fields with the poppies are G italicus 

Ornithogalum narbonense

Tassel Hyacinth Muscari comosum

 Jim Willett also spent some quality time with the Red-foots that day

Red-footed Falcon - Jim Willett

Red-footed Falcon - Jim Willett

Red-footed Falcon - Jim Willett

I opted to avoid the eastern salt pans despite the White Pelican being there as it was just so windy (mistake) and headed round the bay the other way to Ag Ioannis and although sheltered it was disappointingly quiet with not one Cretzschmars Bunting or Sombre Tit this time although we did see some fine EBEWs and found another Rock Nuthatch nest.  A Great Tit brood had fledged and Cirl Buntings were showy allowing group views of their first male.  Insects were thin on the ground but Small Copper, Orbed Underwing Skipper and Black-veined White were seen but just one of each.

Orbed Underwing Skipper

EBEW

Lunch in the olive groves below and then back to Skala Kallonis where a Lesser Grey Shrike was found in short order opposite the old night club where it hunted beetles from the wires alongside technicolour Bee-eaters.  We drove out alongside the Tsiknias where Bee-eaters were already digging burrows and two Great Reed Warbler tried to out sing the wind.

 Lesser Grey Shrike

Bee-eater - they nest in the ground here

Bee-eater - Jim Willett

Bee-eater - Jim Willett

Now was the time for the eastern pans but we timed our visit to miss two more White Pelicans!  However we had a great couple of hours there and walked almost all the way down despite the cold wind. Four Dalmatian Pelicans were on the first pan with eight Spoonbills and included two fine curly crested adults while three more immatures were on the usual penultimate last pan. 

Spoonbills

Spoonbills & Dalmatian Pelicans

Spoonbills & Dalmatian Pelicans - Paul Wood

The two Glossy Ibis were still mooching between the pans and their little pool and a large flight of Flamingos had the crew entranced.  There was plenty of tern action with 15 each of Whiskered and White-winged Black, five Gull-billed and point blank views of Common and Little Terns fishing by us in the channel.

Glossy Ibis

Glossy Ibis - Paul Wood

Little Tern

Little Tern

Little Tern

Whiskered Tern - Jim Willett

Common Tern - Jim Willett

Little Tern - Jim Willett

Gull-billed Tern - Jim Willett

There were plenty of waders now too with several big flocks of Ruff and a smattering of Little Stints and richly plumaged Curlew Sandpipers amongst them.  A Broad-billed Sandpiper was reported and Paul and I quickly picked it up before the flocks all moved again.  Fortunately we re-found it again from the main track but it did not stay and was soon a disappearing dot but it is always such a good species to see on any trip.  There were 14 Grey Plover and seven Turnstone and both Ringed and Kentish Plovers and Paul picked up a Whimbrel flying in – another quality wader that I have only seen here twice before.

Up above a Short-toed Eagle gave dazzling views but there were none of the hoped for incoming BOPs seen elsewhere. Two groups of six and two Med Gulls were noted and a full adult and 2cy Black-headed Gull continued the scarce bird run for this walk.  They are another species that I very rarely see in the spring. 

Short-toed Eagle

Black-headed Gull 

We attempted to start the walk back when we picked up the flock of about 20 Collared Pratincoles flying along the Alykes Sheepfield where they had been spooked by the Short-toed Eagle but they landed out of view before most of the party got onto them and whilst still scanning, the 2cy male Montagu’s Harrier popped up once again but unfortunately did not put up the Pratincoles but a Spotted Redshank flew through our view!  A final scan and a bird took off from the back pool and I saw white at the back end and though Curlew but then thought ‘the white goes across the tail not up the back’.  It flipped over the fence and banked and I suddenly realised that it was a the Russian White-fronted Goose that has been around since March but was last seen ten days ago! 

I popped the news out and we properly began the walk back seeing the Dalmatian Pelicans and Spoonbills in flight once again and checking any wader flocks that we could find.  A non-black bellied Dunlin was a final new wader as it distantly fed with the Curlew Sands and Little Stints.  There were a few small birds with a female Red-backed Shrike, Whinchat, the usual Buntings and Larks and a host of hirundines and Swifts. We were quite pleased with our afternoon efforts and went on our way after playing Frogger again on the main road.

more Spoonbills

and Dalmatian Pelican action

Whinchat - Jim Willett

The Goose beckoned and someone had actually followed up on my message and had seen it on the fields and with some help we too were watching my very first goose on Lesvos.  It looked a little incongruous but eventually got up and had a wander around.  I wonder how long it will stay?  

Russian White-fronted Goose!

Short-toed Larks were singing but the cold drove us back to the van and out past some more White-winged Black Terns before a final stop for the day at Pump House Corner where we were greeted by a host of Ruff and Curlew Sands jammed in the corner channel and amongst them were two superb Spotted Redshanks with one being sootier than the other.

 Curlew Sandpiper - Jim Willett

Spotted Redshank - Jim Willett

Spotted Redshank

Spotted Redshank - Jim Willett

Wood Sands, Stilts and Little Stints were also present but we could not re-find the Broad-bill.  The WWB Terns came back in and alighted on the corner pan showing off their glowing white shoulders and the Ravens were still visiting their pine tree nest.

With bodies chilled we decided to call it a day and after dinner the wind had abated just enough to hear several Scops Owls preparing to keep everyone awake all night.