Lesvos: Day 13: 20th September 2022

I have to admit that I was flagging a bit with the continued heat this time so there was no early start again. We poodled out post breakfast and headed around the Bay towards Mesa with the intent of looking for the Northern Lapwing at Kalami Pool.

As I came off onto the old road I spied the Steppe Buzzard on one of the lampposts looking all warm and chestnutty in the morning light. It would have been a great shot but he soon moved up to the telegraph poles and I had to play catch up. I must check when I first saw this distinctive text book bird here.

Steppe Buzzard

Steppe Buzzard

The Lapwing was absent with only a few Little Stints and Little Ringed Plovers so we moved onto the Mesa Sanctuary- the Temple of Aphrodite and the geographical centre of Lesvos if memory serves. I had forgotten that it is closed on Tuesdays but we peered through the fence anyway. A Turtle Dove was on the wires and there was a mixed flock of House and Spanish Sparrows along with Chaffinches and Cirl Buntings. Spotted Flycatchers and Whinchats hunted from the fences.

On up to Agia Paraskevi and the track through the dusty olive groves east to the remarkable Basilica of Halinados - a very early Christian temple dedicated to St George that we visited for the first time last year. It is a tranquil, calming spot with just the susurration of the breeze in the huge pine just beyond the walls but as with the majority of the island's historical sites there is not one piece of interpretation either there or even on line to give you some clue as to its clearly ancient origins. It oozes great age. The groves themselves were quiet with just a few Chaffinches, House Sparrows, Great Tits and the odd Woodpecker and Spotted Flycatcher. Starred Agamas head bobbed from rocks and only Ravens broke the monotony of the blue heavens.

Basilica of Halinados

Starred Agamas 

Kremasti Bridge was next on the cultural tour and we walked over the top of this impressive medieval structure while Ravens once again ruled the skies in tumbling effortless gangs. A Sparrowhawk dashed south and there were a couple more Spotted Flycatchers but nothing else.

Kremasti Bridge

Mum - always the adventurous one

Onwards through Mantamados and then back west through the cobbles of Kapi and Pelopi to find the geological wonder of the lava columns by the roadside where Crag Martins circled above followed by lunch in Anaxos and the wiggle homewards. 

Pelopi  lava columnar pillars

Back down to the salt pans

A brief stop at the Kalloni Raptor Watchpoint gave me a group of five distant Honey Buzzards south and the now ever present Ravens and a delightful single spire of Autumn Squill poking defiantly through the recently fire blackened ground.

Autumn Squill - Scilla autumnalis

An Ice-cream and a chilled evening followed with a paddle at knee depth along the edge of the Bay were I was able to find two Sea Hares grazing in the Eelgrass in the now crystal clear waters. There were some cool Blennies, Hermit Crabs and mobile Molluscs and silver fish of various sizes were leaping clear in all directions. I had the whole stretch to myself...

Crab with Sponge

Blue Spotted Shaggy Sea Hare - Bursatella leachii grazing

Conch sp

Blennie sp - any help appreciated

An after dinner walk around the block ostensibly to check the Oleanders for any huge nectaring moths resulted in no moths, lots of Bats, the very curious once illuminated 'Melemi Thong Lights' as they became known, street light grazing sheep and a Grey Bush Cricket species that would have needed an intimate examination to specifically identify!

 'Melemi Thong Lights' - once seen, never unseen

Tuberous Grey Bush-cricket (Platycleis affinis) or Intermediate Grey Bush-cricket (P. intermedia) - thanks again Fraser - another new island species group for me

Lesvos - Day 12: 19th September 2022

Dad and I were up at the double bandstand at Argennos below Mt Lepetimnos by 10am with a stiff somewhat chill north easterly blowing onshore but not a cloud in sight. A small team assembled and over the next two hours we picked up at least 33 juvenile Honey Buzzards coming in from Turkey including a flock of 12. All were on the dark side bar a strikingly pale individual that was in fact the first we saw. Some of the views were fantastic. A juvenile Marsh Harrier, eight Sparrowhawks and singles of both Lesser and Common Kestrel were noted. A male Goshawk was seen battling across and another adult male and female were seen around us and may have been migrants or locals.

The big female was seen off by a Raven - probably the only diurnal bird to give them a headache. Two dark Eleonora's Falcons passed by us and a Peregrine was up around the masts with the tumbling Ravens and local Buzzards drifted up now and then.

Honey Buzzard

Honey Buzzard

Eleonora's Falcon

Eleonora's Falcon

Eleonora's Falcon

Battle of the beasts - Raven v Goshawk

Chaffinches bimbled east and a Tree Pipit went the other way but there was no other discernible passage. I did however find two fine Woodpigeons in the valley below and forced the others to look at them!

A quick stop above Mithymna on the way back added a flock of Bee-eaters, two more Honey Buzzards and a Short-toed Eagle while Robins, Cirl Buntings and Middle Spotted Woodpeckers were heard from the roadside groves and Oaks.

Mithymna

The cooler morning had become a blistering afternoon and while the Queens State funeral played in the background and a gathering of Brits respectfully watched the big screen Thekla had set up, I dozed in the shade.

A short pre-dinner pootle around the Triangle gave me a female Sparrowhawk, Green Sandpiper, a Short-toed Eagle on a pole, a few more flava Wagtails and Whinchats and a close view of that male Red-backed Shrike at last!

Sparrowhawk

 Short-toed Eagle 

 Short-toed Eagle - 'in the landscape shot'

Red-backed Shrike - can you take too many Shrike pictures?

Lesvos - Day 11: 18th September 2022

Regardless of the season there is always a day out West but in autumn it can be a very quiet affair with scant migrants and a few local residents and so it was with a little trepidation that we hit the road after breakfast.

Six Stone-curlews at last gave themselves up on the Ennia Kamares (thanks to Adrian and John) before the wiggle along the coast.

Stone-curlews - how many can you see?

A couple of brief roadside stops produced Sombre Tits and singing Woodlarks and several Middle Spotted Woodpeckers bounded across the road. A couple of Common Buzzards, many Ravens and a Black Stork were also noted along with head bobbing Agamas.

Cloud above the hills above Makara

And likewise above Agra - that top road would have been fun

Rustle's Bridge - there is a Terrapin related story here

A very fresh Beech Marten - always sad to see but I have never been able to stop and study one

The first part of the coastal track from Eresos produced a sentinel Blue Rock Thrush and the odd Cirl Bunting and Red-backed Shrike along with a large aggregation of Hooded Crows that were obviously on an obscured carcass. Above them gangs of Ravens tumbled but did not descend and three Eleonora's Falcons scythed between them.

Blue Dot Thrush

Eleonora's Falcon

Eleonora's Falcon

Up and over the top and down into Meladia where the flatbed milk trucks had replaced churns with gun dog boxes. It was obviously a Chukar hunting day and chaps in orange shirts worked the hillside above and valley below with their dogs. We said our ‘Kalimeras’ and moved down the road about half a mile. The retorts from the guns echoed down the valley and I watched two nice plump Partridges hurtling towards our position, weaving about just inches above the vegetation before safely making cover. Two-nil to the birds.

The little farmstead halfway down held noisy Crested Larks, Rock Nuthatches and Sombre Tits and Stonechats and Cirl Buntings were around the buildings. I could hear Rock Sparrows but could not find them and Willow Warblers and a Red-backed Shrike were in the Chaste bushes.

Sombre Tit

Camo-sheep - ACV

Up over the ridge were two more Eleonora's and a juvenile Red-footed Falcon and a majestic Short-toed Eagle hung high above any prospective prey.

A flock of 54 Bee-eaters lined the wires near the Pear Trees of Happiness with many green juveniles amongst them and both Sardinian and Cetti’s Warblers flicked across the road.

Bee-eater - ACV

Beyond the dry barren ford we picked up the odd extra Shrike, Whinchat, Stonechat, both Northern and Eastern Black-eared Wheatears and several Tawny Pipits on the track down towards the river mouth

Eastern Black-eared Wheatear

Whinchat

Red Rumped and Barn Swallows circled and two Common Swifts were the first we had seen. Marsh Harrier, Eleonora's and a female Common Kestrel were seen near the Cheese Sanitorium and a juvenile Woodchat was the first for a couple of days. The scenic views, as ever, were spectacular.

Eastern Black-eared Wheatear

A pale female Common Kestrel- had to check out the claw colour!

I will always take pictures of the views between the Cheese Sanitorium & Sigri

Lunch was taken on the deserted beach at Faneromeni and we even persuaded my non- swimming Mum into the sea for the first time in nearly forty years. Tawny Pipits scampered around the sand and Dune Tiger Beetles scurried after sand-flies.

Rock Doves and a cracking dark Eleonora's were seen along with the odd Shrike and a well marked dark juvenile Honey Buzzard circled overhead before we headed back up and homewards.

A fully dark chocolate Eleonora's

Red-backed Shrike

Honey Buzzard

Honey Buzzard

Although we found no Chukar at the Petrified Forest, we did see some very smart Eastern Black-eared Wheatears while Rock Sparrows, Crested Larks and Linnets came to the watering hole and Rock Nuthatches put on a great show of boulder hopping. A ringtail Hen Harrier circled high in the blue and the scale threw me to start with. 

Crested Lark 

Crested Lark with wind blown coiffe

Point blank male Cirl Bunting but into the sun!

Eastern Black-eared Wheatears

Rock Nuthatch

Rock Nuthatch

Rock Sparrows with as great a variety of rusty wire as I could get in shot

A Cretzschmar's Bunting, six Cirls and five more Rock Sparrows were seen on the roadside as we continued onwards to Ipsilou which always has to be visited even if we only saw Raven, Wood Nuthatch and Blackbird as the views (with a final cup of coffee) are always amazing.

Spanish Oyster Flower - Scolymus hispanicus

St Barnaby's Thistle - Centaurea solstitialis - both flowering at the top of Ipsilou

Last stop Perivolis to feed the kittens and check the riverside groves. It was still alive with Sylvias and Spotted Flycatchers along with two Redstarts and a couple of Hawfinches amongst the Chaffinches. A lone Woodpigeon flew across the valley. There is always one errant pigeon per visit and it avoided the circling female Sparrowhawk.

Raven

I love this solitary Olive by the stream

A Goshawk was the only roadside addition near Skalachori before a quick look at the Stone-curlews again before dinner.

Unlike last night there was a night drive and Uranus (or Ouranos the primordial God of the sky and husband of Gaia – Mother Earth if I was going to be all Greek about it) was successfully found despite some cloud cover and a plump, bug eyed  Eastern Spadefoot Toad ambled across the road and onto my amphibian life list.

Eastern Spadefoot Toad

Eastern Spadefoot Toad