Day 9: 1st May :
A long day out driving around the
mountainous eastern interior of the island today in warm sunshine and blue
skies starting at the Evergetoulas River near Lambou Mili that Steve and Paul visited yesterday. Cracking
bit of river with actual flowing water and mini waterfalls and even fish!! As
hoped dragonflies were plentiful and I found much the same species as they did
including both Banded and Beautiful Demoiselle and the unique Odalisque. A
Southern White Admiral was a new species for me and Nightingales and a Blackcap
sang from the Oriental Planes while three shrike species were on the adjacent
olive grove fence line. A pile of Dice snakes were having fun in the rocks. They seem to have very peculiar faces.
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| Banded Demoiselle |
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| Beautiful Demoiselle |
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| Beautiful Demoiselle |
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| Odalisque |
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| Odalisque |
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| Odalisque |
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| Blue Featherleg |
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| Small Skimmer |
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| Small Pincertail |
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| Dice Snakes |
From here we headed up to Agiassos and then circumnavigated Mount Olimpus via
the amazing road that takes you up through the Sweet Chestnut Forest before
reaching the Pine and evergreen oak band at the heights. The views were
staggering. Chaffinches, Subalpine Warblers, Wrens and Nightingales
predominated but I also heard my first Song Thrush and Robin for the trip but
failed to locate any of the hoped for island Chiffchaffs. A male Levant Sparrowhawk glided over but I
only saw one Buzzard all day which was odd.
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| Sweet Chestnut woodland |
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| Mount Olympus |
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| Mount Olympus |
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| Scarce Swallowtail |
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| Dung Beetle with cold pizza.... |
There was plenty of opportunity for roadside grubbing and one particular meadow was carpeted with a yellow flowered spurge and associated flies including Eristalis, Chrysotoxum, Episyrphus and Mythropa hoverflies, some very large Bluebottles and a striking Phasia with spotty wings. There were bees aplenty with huge Violet Carpenter, Honeys, and some wasp like Nomadas (I think!). Another Southern White Admiral shone with almost Emperor colours.
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| Spurge covered mountain meadow |
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| Eristalis species of hoverfly |
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| Eristalis species of hoverfly |
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| Myathropa florea hoverfly |
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| Chrysotoxum species of hoverfly |
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| Tachinid fly - similiar to our T.fera |
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| Tachinid fly - similiar to our T.fera |
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| Phasia species of fly |
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| Large Bluebottle type |
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| Potter Wasp |
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| Solitary Bee |
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| Violet Carpenter Bee |
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| Southern White Admiral |
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| Southern White Admiral |
The road down through Megalohori was enlivened by some dark purple helleborines,
jangling Serins and more epic landscapes before we curved back up through
Akrassi (complete with Easter Procession and deafening bangers) and Abeliko to
rejoin the road home.
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| Megalochori |
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| Megalochori |
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| Violet Limodore |
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| Violet Limodore |
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| Birthwort - a European Pitcher Plant |
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| Broomrape - species unknown |
The almost hidden marsh to the north of the main road held two stunning hunting
Hobbies and a swarm of medium sized golden Hawker dragonflies that they were
feasting on. The dragons never perched and I am currently stumped.
From here I dropped back onto the coastal track from Achladeri towards Skala Vasillikon which was productive one again with a very obliging Purple Heron on the Great white Egret pool, innumerable singing Black-headed buntings and shrikes and at least three gurking Olive-Tree Warblers that included a couple of brief drop down fly up views.
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| Purple Heron |
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| A bit calmer than the first visit! |
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| Female Masked Shrike in the Olives |
The day was rounded up driving through the very quiet birderless salt pans and
having the most outrageous views of Bee-eaters I am ever likely to have...
And my final good deed for the day was rescuing and typically ungrateful Spur-thighed Tortoise from the pavement in Skala Kallonis after some pedestrians moved him from the road. I took him a little further on and found a nice paddock for him otherwise I am sure he would have just plodded back out again!
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| I am not amused... |
