Blue Eyed Birder: Lesvos : Day 8 : 18th September 2016

Lesvos : Day 8 : 18th September:

Our last full day and so we decided on a pre-dawn visit once again to the eastern Kalloni Pans.

Pre-sunrise - the moon reflected in the channel

The increasing light illuminated the presence of now seven imposing Dalmatian Pelicans amongst a feeding throng of 16 Great White Egrets, 32 Grey Herons, six Black Storks and 11 Spoonbills on the penultimate pan.

The light on the Flamingos was superb...

1cy Slender-billed Gull (right) with Black-headed Gulls

Same again... the SBG's stayed really low to the water

Two Grey Plover were calling and the first lagoon held a great mix of birds with 67 Redshank, four Greenshank, Spotted Redshank and four Marsh Sandpipers along with eight Dunlin, two Curlew and a Kentish Plover. The Mallard flock only totalled 72 with three Teal and two Fan Tailed Warblers were in the path side grasses.

Incoming Black Stork

... before wading around with the waders, egrets and gulls

The Tringa Test... four species to find

This selection was well worthy of a short video... enjoy!

After breakfast we headed around to Parakila and the road down to the harbour. Martin had pointed us to some fruiting trees where he had seen some warblers the other day.

Turpentine Tree

Turpentine Tree fruits

It was a little parched under the olives

A Spotted Flycatcher waiting for the next morsel...

These Turpentine trees and some overripe Fig trees were attracting hoards of birds with 12 Lesser Whitethroats, Whitethroat, five Willow Warblers, Icterine, Garden and Marsh all seen along with House Sparrows, Green finches, Cirl Buntings, at least 20 Spotted Flycatchers, two Redstarts and two Wheatear! Add to this surround sound Middle Spots, trilling Rock Nuthatches, a Short-toed Eagle and a superb pale Eleonora's Falcon that scythed overhead and it was a great spot to spend a couple of hours.

Short-toed Eagle and Hoodies

The idyllic shallow harbour at the end of the road in Parakila

I then drove right around the Bay to Achladeri where we hopped from tree shadow to tree shadow to avoid the heat but our efforts were rewarded with at least six Kruper's Nuthatches including four that kept returning to the same 'tool stop' to hammer away at newly extracted pine seeds, Short-toed Treecreepers, Woodlarks and other usual woodland stuff here.

Kruper's Nuthatch

The male extricating a seed...

Spot Flys were bill snapping in the still air and I was pleased to find the immature male Collared Flycatcher found by Martin Bro several days previously. I hope he does not mind me using one of his shots as I could not keep up with it!

Collared Flycatcher - Martin Bro

Spot Fly on the white blockhouse

It was now 2pm and too hot to be out so we escaped to the hotel till five before hitting Lotzaria for a final evening visit.

A nice Great White Egret at Mesa on the way back round...

Hot Red-backed Shrike in the hotel garden

It did not disappoint with 33 Red-backed and two Lesser Grey Shrikes but far fewer Whinchats, Wheatears and flavas. It was good to catch up with some Bee-eaters again with 14 juveniles on the wires that spooked in a noisy dread when a dark falcon hurtled through. Sam and I got great views of what would turn out to be our first juvenile a juvenile Eleonora’s.