Lesvos - Day 11 - 30th April 2025 for Oriole Birding

The ‘plan’ was to go straight out West but after buying our daily bread I opted to have a look for the local Long-eared Owls once again and this time we found two adults, one of which showed very well and we followed this up with a Scops Owl in the village (thanks Penny!) which glared down at us from in front of a Eucalyptus trunk.  So good to see one at last especially as I reckon five were audible from the Pela yesterday evening.

Long-eared Owl

Scops Owl - Jim Willett

Our first proper showy Nightingale - Paul Wood

A chance glance up gave us yet another magnificent Dalmatian Pelican fly by with an adult and sub-adult circling not far above our heads while six Glossy Ibis came up from the Kallonis Pool.

Dalmatian Pelican

Dalmatian Pelican - I have never had so many good flight encounters

West around the coast (adding a close Pallid Swift on the way!) and a stop at my usual spot on the old Agra road where the wind was light, the sun bright and the Cinereous and Cretzschmar’s Buntings immediately on show.  The fizzy EBEWs danced around and two male Blue Rock Thrush displayed with one on the highest pinnacle.

A Barred Warbler sung from the bushes below us but could not be found and Ravens barrel rolled above us.  On again and into Eresos where a slight diversion onto the north road gave us two male Laughing Doves within three seconds of pulling up by the old work sheds on the edge of town. Mike was surprised at our enthusiasm having grown up with them on Cyprus but I was pleased to have seen some away from Loutra.  The colonisation continues.

Laughing Dove

Laughing Dove

The Eresos to Sigri track started with a pristine male Red-backed Shrike on a fence just a few feet away and they were to become a feature of the day with over 30 noted along our route.  We did not stop on the way up to the ridge – in fact it seemed very quiet bar Stonechats and the usual selection of Buntings and EBEWs and once up on the top we quickly found the Isabelline Wheatear on his favoured rock but the cool breeze was stymieing much in the way of song.  

Red-backed Shrike

Cinereous Bunting

There was more Shrike action and there were five Lesser Kestrels above the ridge which were parted by two Eleonora’s Falcons on a power glide across the valley.  Short-toed Eagles seemed to appear wherever we looked and Ravens were ever present but the stars were the Alpine Swifts scything through the sky around us.  The light was fantastic and they were close enough to pick out every detail.

Two French guys told us of a tree with four Rollers in it so we moved on down the valley seeing better Buntings and a Woodlark (not singing today) and stopping once again at the rock face with the noisy Rock Sparrows which were seen very quickly.  There were Black-headed Buntings everywhere now and a male Red-footed Falcon was just sat up on the wires but there were no warbler migrants and only an Ollie and Subalp in the Chaste Trees. I still find it hard to believe that some of these Stonechats are just ‘normal’ European ones but I am not saying that they are Eastern either.  We saw several proper pied individuals with huge white scapular patches and white rumps.  They are just different.

Cretzschmar's Bunting - Jim Willett

Red-backed Shrike

How on earth is this Stonechat the same form as that below?  The rump is white too

A 'normal' Euro Stonechat - Jim Willet

Down at the Pear Trees of Happiness there were of course ZERO Rollers but our time between there and lunch at Meladia Chapel (enforced by a large friendly hound at the fig grove) was excellent and very productive and the crew were very happy indeed. Everything showed well and we saw the aforementioned Warblers along with Blackcaps, Eastern Orpheans, our first Willow Warbler, Great Reed and Whitethroat while the Red-backed Shrikes were joined by Woodchats, three Lesser Greys and two Masked.

 Lesser Grey Shrike

My new friend

 Masked Shrike

Black-headed Buntings were fighting it out for the best spots and we eventually saw a female that seemed to have not attracted any attention. Bee-eaters called and a Sombre Tit was mobbing one of the Lesser Grey Shrikes while at the Fig Grove we watched both Spotted and a fine male Collared Flycatcher on the fence before moving to the chapel for lunch due to the attention of a very large but very friendly dog that was politely pushing to be fed.  Whinchats and Stonechats popped up with the latter having broods everywhere.  At least four Short-toed Eagles were seen and a Hobby rocketed through and even gave one of the eagles a pop on the way through while Marsh Harrier and a weirdly plumaged 2cy male Montagu’s Harrier were seen over the fields.

 Spotted Flycatcher - Jim Willett

 Collared Flycatcher - Paul Wood

Whinchat - Jim Willett

2cy male Montagu’s Harrier

2cy male Montagu’s Harrier

2cy male Montagu’s Harrier

Wood Sandpiper in the river

Lunch was enlivened by a Barred Warbler in the pines that soon spooked out into a gully and then the bushes but it rarely stayed still for long.  There were two Blackcaps and a female Pied Flycatcher in there too along with Chaffinches and Buntings.

Haute cuisine I'll have you know!

The bump up towards the Evergreen container was much better in the bus and another Spotted Flycatcher and multiple Shrikes were seen along with two Rock Doves and one of only two Starred Agama seen on the journey.

On reaching the view out to sea we could see Falcons on the ridge towards the coast but these were not Lesser Kestrels but eight Red-foots in all their gleaming glory. We bumped the worst bit down to the Cheese Sanitorium and Steve calmly but firmly said ‘ Roller on the wires’ and there it was in shades of gleaming blue and chestnut.  I chucked everyone out and drove down to park up seeing a second one the way.  I was oddly relived to have seen one at last when so many had slipped through my grasp over the last ten days.

Roller - Jim Willett

Roller - it was a bit hazy for me! Jim was later in the day

The Peach grove had no small birds really but it did have two showy Golden Orioles which posed very nicely while the Roller tried to nod off on the wires above. Lesser Whitethroat was a new species in the compound but it felt like most small birds had simply moved on so we continued to Sigri where two Jackdaw tried to sneak by as we drove down towards Faneromeni.

Still working on the Meadow Browns

Small Copper

Holy Orchid

One of the Spur-winged Lapwings was in the paddock looking like it was made from alabaster and shiny coal with its smart black and white tuxedo. Jed and Ralph had just had a couple of Levant Sparrowhawks go through so our hopes were raised and a glance to the right at some favoured trees gave us three more Rollers that became five when they were flushed by a dashing female Accipiter that banked showing the darkened underwing tips – bingo.

Spur-winged Lapwing

Rollers!!!

A Collared Flycatcher ‘peeped’ and a Spotted Fly drew us to another Ficedula female that showed all the characteristics of a female Semi-collared including pale grey rump and distinct pale median covert wing bar.  Whatever, it was a very instructive bird.  A Wood Warbler flicked around and two Blackcaps appeared but the wind was getting up so we decided to be sensible and pack up and head back over the top after a magnificent day out West.

Wood Warbler

Spotted Fly - Paul Wood

Steatoda paykulliana

An enforced stop at Agriosikos (super slow break tapping numpty two cars ahead) was more about showing the gang the magnificent views down over Kalloni and the saltpan landscape that stretched out below.

It remained cold all evening although the wind may have lessened a bit and the Scops Owl and Barn Owl were once again clearly audible outside.