24th April 2026 - Day 8 Northern Greece for Bird's Wildlife & Nature

The lake at the Thrassa was glorious in the first light with mist rising and the Pygmy Cormorants now going the other way.  Nightingales were in full flow and Great Reed, Sedge and Cetti’s Warblers welcomed us as we walked along.  Golden Orioles were fluting away in the Poplars but otherwise eluded us and a Hoopoe and Roller were up the wires beyond the barns.

A Savi’s Warbler was reeling on the other side and we narrowed it down to a few small stands of reed and with some patience we got to watch it grovelling about at low level.  This is how you should see one of these cryptic warblers – tail wagging away and head pointing down most of the time.  It occasionally called but only gave us a few seconds of song.

Rolleresque

While waiting for it a string of bubbles appeared in a gap and big dog Otter head popped up, took one look at us and reversed back under.  As we walked back a male Montagu’s Harrier and Black Kite drifted over and Pallid Swifts came down to drink.

Once breakfast was done we headed for the hills and up into the Dadia Forest.  It was a day of roadside stops and walks in the sunshine.  The first stop gave us a showy Nightingale down by the river where Tree Frogs were unusually noisy and above us an Eastern Imperial Eagle circled.  There were quite a few butterflies here and these included several Lesser Fiery Copper with gleaming wings.

We pulled off again just a little way up the road and had a good walk up the valley.  The skies were full of raptors and we quickly picked up the first of six Black Vultures – they really are huge.

Black Vulture

Short-toed Eagles, Booted Eagle, Black Kite, Common Buzzards, Lesser Spotted Eagle, two male Red-footed Falcons, Kestrel, female Marsh Harrier, female Montagu’s Harrier and a 2cy Pallid Harrier made for slightly stiff necks.  This was not a known raptor view point but just a strip of countryside that revealed just how common big BOPs are here. 

Two Black Storks kept the big bird theme going and the scattered trees held male Collared Flycatchers and a hesitantly singing Wood Warbler but the Wryneck on the opposite side was continually shouting but it still took a while to find it high on a snag.  Another was heard up the road and Dancho got excellent views of the first one when he popped back to get the van for us.

Wryneck - Iordan Hristov

There were Red-backed and Woodchats Shrikes, posing Sardinian and loud Eastern Orphean Warblers and Chaffinches contested the best song perches with Corn and Cirl Buntings.  Hoopoes and Golden Orioles were continually to be heard and a rather dapper male Ortolan was found in song.

The crystal clear stream babbled through the valley and down in the margins were stands of Early Spider Orchids pushing through the multi-hued Anemones and very large Pond Skaters and Water Crickets zipped around on the still water areas.

Red-backed Shrike

Scarce Swallowtail

Scarce Swallowtail

Brown Argus

Water Cricket

Eastern Dappled White

Southern Festoon

Anemone hortensis

Branched Asphodel - Asphodelus ramosus

Common Stork's Bill - Erodium ciconium

Corn Poppy - Papaver rhoeas 

Corn Poppy - Papaver rhoeas 

Corn Poppy - Papaver rhoeas 

Early Spider Orchid - Ophrys sphegodes

Early Spider Orchid - Ophrys sphegodes

Early Spider Orchid - Ophrys sphegodes

Garden Pea - Lathryus oleraceus

Hairy Greenweed - Genista pilosa

Hungarian Iris - Iris variegata

Hypericum cerastoides

Long-headed Poppy - Papaver dubium

Yellow Salsify - Tragopogon dubius

On and up and into the main forested area – well it would have been if it had not been burnt to a crisp almost three years before.  The mature pines had literally exploded in the heat.  There was good deciduous understorey reforming but it will take a long time for it to become a forest again.  Dancho said that many of the oldest Black Vulture nests were destroyed.

Our rather sombre but vast view was again full of raptors with Black Vultures, Lesser Spotted, Short-toed and Booted Eagles and a full adult White-tailed Eagle whose tail gleamed regardless of the distance.  Bee-eaters moved over head but the dead forest just had a Great Spot on a stump and a singing Whitethroat.

The proper visitors centre was next and rather than have lunch we were bundled into a van and taken up to the feeding station viewpoint as the vultures were just finishing their breakfast!  We were very fortunate and had 24 Black Vultures on views at one time as they circled above us with at least four Griffons and the ultra rare Egyptian.  With only three pair of the latter in the whole park, our timing could not have been better.

Black Vulture

Griffon Vulture

Griffon & Black Vultures

Egyptian Vulture

Egyptian Vulture

Egyptian Vulture

Tree Heath - Erica arborea

Wild Jasmine - Chrysojasminum fruticans

Black Storks joined in the thermalling along with Ravens and Serins sung from the trees as we made our way back down for a leisurely lunch in the shade.

Black Stork

With success so quickly achieved we moved back into the valley bottom to try for Eastern Bonelli’s Warblers and the chosen spot was quickly found with that distinctive chipping being heard from the van.  We got out and soon had scope views and at least six were heard in song alongside the road.  Syrian Woodpeckers called and a chip of a Middle Spotted Woodpecker had our ears pricked up and eventually we tracked it down and everyone got good views.

I could hear the mechanical grinding of a Masked Shrike down through the trees but there was no way down to get a view so we opted to jump in the van and drive round.  A track took us to the field opposite and we walked down the margin to below the wooded bluff.  I could still hear it and Dancho found this smart male perched up on the front.  Team effort for one of the most wanted birds for the crew.  He did a circuit and ended up in the open but never close.  The same selection of large raptors circled above us but everyone was still caught up with the special shrike.

Masked Shrike

Masked Shrike

It was time to head back for a final dinner at the Thrassa where we sat and watched Pygmy Cormorants drift in and Copyu paddle around looking for their vegetarian supper.