Day 15: 7th May :
I set the alarm for 0550 and managed to
stumble out once again for a final perambulation along the Tsiknias
and through the pans. For the first time this week it was warm, still and
cloudless with Sol rising speedily from behind the hills as if to say ‘Kaliméra
kai kalí antío!’ to send us off in style.
I spent a quiet hour walking the east
side of the river above the ford and although I did not see that elusive Great
Snipe, I was treated to a superb dawn chorus of Nightingales, guttural Great
Reed, Cetti’s and Eastern Olivaceous Warblers, Corn and Black-headed Buntings
with Hoopoe and Bee-eaters as a backdrop. No less than six Little Bitterns
dotted the riverbanks like orange beacons and a white-winged Squacco drifted
off after being disturbed by the tethered goats. There was a scattering of Wood
sandpipers and a Purple Heron double backed behind me while a lumbering hippo delighted me by becoming a lovely dagger billed Olive Tree Warbler at just a few feet range in an pathside olive.
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| male Little Bittern... just would not turn round and stalked off! |
There was still a trip
tick to be had in the shape of a fine drake Shoveler that was dabbling with a
drake Mallard. It has been around for a few days but I had not caught up with
it until now. Not a Lesvos tick for me but a great Island bird none the less.
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| drake Shoveler |
The pans looked fairly quiet so after taking some arty ‘Flamingo in the sun’
shots I came back through Lotzaria passing two Temminck’s Stints with four
Littles on the Pumping Station Corner and at long last managed to get some nice
shots of the ubiquitous Corn Buntings and even an Olly.
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| Hoodie heading off to work |
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| Corn Bunting |
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| Corn Bunting |
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| Eastern Olivaceous Warbler |
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| Black-headed Bunting |
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| Marsh Harrier |
Breakfast beckoned and there were jobs to do so I headed back and by just after
nine we were ready to go so we wished those staying for longer, a bird filled
trip and said our farewells to the lovely Thekla Koukourouvli and Stella and
Thekla’s always smiling Dad. With time to spare, Lotzaria called once again and
the ford was traversed for definitely the last time this trip with a male
Little Bittern patiently stalking tadpoles in the grass. A final look at the
‘mingos and then off to Kalami where some Black-winged Stilts and Little Egrets
still fed in the lush wet pools and up above five Black Storks circled and an
‘interesting’ Buzzard seemed to have a lot going for it in the Steppe Buzzard
department which would be a very nice way to end another magical two weeks on
this most beautiful of islands.
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| Looking very good for Steppe Buzzard |
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| Black-winged Stilts |
Lesvos and its people are going to find it a difficult year on an island with
almost no incoming tourists to generate income and work but as I suspected
before I came out, there was very little to suggest that there had been a huge
influx of displaced people and absolutely no change in the relaxed, safe and
welcoming atmosphere that the Lesvos people are able to offer to those
willing to come and stay on their enchanting island. Good birds, good food,
great people... what more could you ask for?
The End.... well until mid September...
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