Lesvos - Day 5 - 24th April 2025

 

A www.blueeyedbirder.com adventure

The first pre-breakfast jaunt of the trip and by just before 0630 we were down at the Tsiknias ford freezing various bits of our anatomy off.  The two female Little Crakes were on show regularly and whilst I was getting onto a Crake found by Raymondo, a Spotted Crake walked into view.  I am pretty sure that the first bird was the Baillon’s and he saw it a little while later I believe.  The Spotty came back out again and looked huge against the Littles.  One of the Pygmy Cormorants came in to fish just below the ford and was soon in amongst the algal mats.

The Red-throated Pipit was seen down there again and the Black-headed Bunting was attempting to enthusiastically welcome in the new day from the top of the re-growing Mulberry. Two Purple Herons came out of the fields and were given grief by the Hooded Crows and a male Red-footed Falcon was perched up distantly back off towards town.  The cold was penetrating and we opted for breakfast at the normal time and headed back!

A swift turn around and we were out on time and after an owl search wiggled over the top to Petra and up to Kavaki.  I suspect I say it every time but it is a pity that no one seems to stop here now that the Ruppell’s Warblers seem to have moved on.  It was cool and the sea was not flat calm as usual but there were hundreds of Yelkouan Shearwaters passing close in and I suspect that they were on their way back out having followed a fishing boat in.   Yellow-legged Gulls did likewise but there were no Audouin’s to be seen.

Yelkouan Shearwater

Warblers were in song all round and Sardinian is certainly the commonest species here now but we saw Eastern Orphean and Subalpine too as well as a Lesser Whitethroat. I was sure that I heard a Ruppell's up the slope behind where the vegetation has not grown up as much. The Blue Rock Thrush was predictably on his rock and EBEWs bounced around like little black and white fireworks.

Eastern Orphean Warbler

Eastern Orphean Warbler

Eastern Orphean Warbler - the camo female

Sardinian Warbler - Jim Willett

Martins were moving but the local Crag Martins simply circulated and I counted eight at one stage.  Turtle Doves purred and Ravens kronked and the female Peregrine went off to hunt and returned noisily a short while later with Collared Dove for breakfast. Jacqui found our first Red-backed Shrike of the trip – a fine male and Short-toed Eagles circled with Alpine and Common Swifts for company.

Crag Martin - Jim Willett

 Peregrine - Jim Willett

 Blue Rock Thrush

On to Perasma reservoir which apparently may soon get the repairs it requires but at least it had some water in it although only Yellow-legged Gulls, Ruddy Shelduck, a Little Grebe and a few Wood Sandpipers and two Little Stints were found.  We went looking for the Great Spotted Cuckoos but they had gone quiet and never showed during out visit but there were two male Common Cuckoos calling and many more Alpine Swifts amongst a throng of hirundines.

Swallows - ACV

Three Common Starlings were a very pleasing find – always a tricky spring bird here and it was quickly followed by a Wood Pigeon! Mega birds! Birding is all about perspective. A second male Red-backed Shrike was posing with his lavender head and we even saw a Middle Spotted Woodpecker on some big dead trees were a Woodchat heartily sang.

Common Starlings

Middle Spotted Woodpecker

Red-backed Shrike

I always come up here for insects but it really was too cool and we only had a couple of Butterfly species and a single Broad Scarlet. Down at the bottom of the track we had a walk down the slope further where the flowers were magnificent but there were once again few insects bar some orthopterans including Smyrna and Western Lesvos Bush-crickets and my first Groundhoppers for the island that from the length of the pronotum looked like Slender but I honestly have no idea out here!  A large Scarab was doing with sheep poo what only a Scarab can do – a consummate poo roller.

Groundhopper - Slender-type

Western Lesvos Bush-crickets - Poecilimon mytelenensis mytelenensis female on top...

Smyrna Marbled Bush-cricket - Eupholidoptera smyrnensis - instar

Large Scarab Dung Beetle

Soldier Beetle - the species that swarms this time of year

A female Masked Shrike sat up for us and Cirl Buntings and Subalpine Warblers were in fine voice as we looked down over Petra.  Short-toed Eagles were in full display and at least three pairs were sorting out boundaries. A dark Eleonora’s Falcon and male Red-foot were noted and both Black and White Storks drifted north.  One of the former came in to land in the little quarry pit and we watched him pick the spot and then air break all the way down with pin point feather control. 

Eastern Subalpine Warbler - ACV

Petra

Cistus salviifolius

Mullein sp

White Stork

White Storks

Black Stork

Black Stork

Black Stork

To be honest the highlight was under random rock where Jim found a female Ladybird Spider. Quite a beast and finely speckled with white and it was not until later that I discovered that it is not the same species as rarely found in the UK and it would appear to be Eresus walckenari.  Whilst admiring this chunky lady a medium sized Stone Huntsman (Eusparassus walckenaer – he liked his spiders!) suddenly moved and had in fact been three inches from her majesty the whole time.  A slight brown trouser moment… 

Ladybird Spider - Eresus walckenari

Ladybird Spider - Eresus walckenari  & Stone Huntsman Eusparassus walckenaer

Stone Huntsman Eusparassus walckenaer

Lunch in the vague sunshine and the off along the upper coast road with windows down listening for woodland birds and adding Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler, Robins and Wren in the process before dropping down the multitudinous bends to Skala Sykaminias for a banana and chocolate pieces ice cream with lemon sorbet.  We sat in our usual seats looking at our usual views and just chilled for a short while. No Audouin’s Gulls drifted by but there were a few Shearwaters.  Fat on ice-cream we waddled back to the cars and then continued on the loop to Napi and south to the Kalloni Salt Pans passing Ravens and a fine male Masked Shrike on the way down.

Roger went for a sail around the bay

Red-backed Shrike

A look from hide one in the north-east corner gave us slightly better Dalmatian Pelican views and a flock of 18 Gull-billed Terns languidly moving around the pans.  An adult Little Gull dip fed further back but there were still no marsh terns or a Mallard!  

Gull-billed Terns

On round to the Alykes Sheepfield passing the Spur-winged Lapwing actually on the tyre-crocodile at Pump House Corner. It was cold and windy down there but we got even better views of the Pelicans and in fact saw three and both Storks were seen dropping in.  Short-toed Eagles have certainly gone up in number with four visible on a scan along with four Marsh Harriers. Two Collared Pratincoles were seen out over the sheepfields and a Curlew drifted in off the Bay.  There were very few small birds with just a spiralling Short-toed Lark of note. 

A Red-footed Falcon drifted over the car as we drove down. Back at Hide 2 we counted six Spoonbills and 44 Grey Herons looking freshly arrived and knackered and I could clearly hear a Common Redshank although I could only find Ruff, Wood Sandpipers and the usual Stilts and Avocets.  There was some more quality Stork action before we opted for an early night and bumped our way back to scrape off the dust before dinner.

Crested Lark - ACV

Black Stork

This Striped Hawk-moth joined us for dinner and had to be rescued - Holly Page

I rarely see slugs out here - Yellow-type I think