Lesvos: Day 9: 3rd May 2017

Day 9: 3rd May: 

An early rise on our last day to catch the sunrise saw us down on the beach looking out over a mirror calm gulf. Five Great Crested and three Black-necked Grebes were easily added to the tally and four Grey Plover dropped into the beach and were our first seen after hearing one two days ago. Bee-eaters ‘pruucked’ overhead and Red-rumped Swallows displayed near the little bridge and played catch with a feather while a posse of 17 Little Terns plunged in to catch tiddlers just a few feet from the car window in a circle of co-ordinated activity. 

Little Tern

Little Terns

A fine sooty Spotted Redshank was feeding on the rapidly diminishing Alykes Wetlands with the usual array of wadery friends and a Whiskered Tern loafed with two Littles.

From top right: Ringed Plover, Little Stint, Wood Sand, Spot red, Ruff, Ringed Plover

Little and Whiskered Terns

Common Sandpiper

Little Stint

Black-winged Stilt

Seven glowing Squaccos were at the Lower Ford and the Black Stork, three Ibis, a Grey and two Purple Herons lurked on the now very well vegetated Kalloni Pool on the way back and a Great Reed Warbler gurked away merrily.

Squaccos

Grey Heron

Purple Heron

Purple Heron

A last repast with Thekla before heading back out for a walk along the Tsiknias upstream from the Lower ford where a Whiskered Tern dipped down delicately. It was already incredibly hot and but we persevered and the Nightingales suddenly decided to become showy and we had some fabulous encounters. 

A Pela Swallow

Nightingale

Nightingale - ACV

Four Little Bitterns were seen and ten Squacco probably included those seen south of the ford earlier. A Greenshank became our 173rd bird for the trip as it ran amongst the Wood Sands. Black and White Storks drifted over along with a few more Bee-eaters. 

Squacco - ACV

Squacco 

Greenshank

The Upper Tsiknias Ford

The Yellow-legged Gulls would periodically descend en masse to have drink and quick bath and Little Egrets and an immature Night Heron joined the Squaccos and both Black-headed Wagtails and Buntings dotted the river banks as a colourful send off. 

Yellow-legged Gulls

Black-headed Bunting

Scabious sp

Globe Thistle

Stripe-necked Terrapin

1st summer Night Heron

Small Skipper - they are huge!

Honey Bee & Thistle - ACV

We saved the best for last as just a few seconds after I had suggested that a male Citrine Wagtail would be the proverbial icing when a buzzy wagtail called, et voila a yellow headed beauty landed just in front and proceeded to pose for us...

Citrine Wagtail

Citrine Wagtail

Citrine Wagtail

 Sums up this magical island doesn't it?

Back to the Pela for lazy lunch and a last dangle of my legs in the pool and then off we went after bidding our fond farewells to Thekla and her Dad and of course Kratos and his two new tiny playmates. 

So inviting...

And here are the two pups that we rescued about ten days later - the little boy

and his sister - Both are being rehomed together in the Netherlands -Thanks to Leo Tukker for the pics!

I safely negotiated Mytilini and within a short time we were boarding our short flight to Athens.  A ringtail Montagu’s Harrier almost got diced by the turbo prop as we landed and the next couple of hours were spent upstairs in an air conditioned lounge awaiting our connecting flight, watching a female Marsh and male Monty quartering the runways with House Martins and a single Kestrel zipping around taking my mainland Greece list to ... four. 

Every visit to Lesvos is different but the one constant is the superb warmth and hospitality from those we now firmly call friends. Till the next time...

Kalinychta

Little Grebe	Little Ringed Plover	Crag Martin	Short-Toed Treecreeper
Great Crested Grebe	Ringed Plover	Swallow	Golden Oriole
Black-necked Grebe	Kentish Plover	Red-Rumped Swallow	Masked Shrike
Scopoli's Shearwater	Grey Plover	Tawny Pipit	Red-Backed Shrike
Yelkouan Shearwater	Spur-Winged Plover	Tree Pipit	Woodchat Shrike
Cormorant	Little Stint	Red-Throated Pipit	Lesser Grey Shrike
Shag	Temminck's Stint	Black Headed Wagtail	Jay
Little Bittern	Curlew Sandpiper	Blue Headed Wagtail	Jackdaw
Night Heron	Dunlin	Citrine Wagtail	Hooded Crow
Squacco Heron	Ruff	White Wagtail	Raven
Little Egret	Common Snipe	Wren	House Sparrow
Great White Egret	Curlew	Nightingale	Spanish Sparrow
Grey Heron	Spotted Redshank	Redstart	Rock Sparrow
Purple Heron	Greenshank	Whinchat	Chaffinch
Black Stork	Marsh Sandpiper	Stonechat	Serin
White Stork	Green Sandpiper	Black-Eared Wheatear	Greenfinch
Greater Flamingo	Wood Sandpiper	Isabelline Wheatear	Goldfinch
Glossy Ibis	Common Sandpiper	Northern Wheatear	Linnet
Spoonbill	Turnstone	Blue Rock Thrush	Cirl Bunting
Ruddy Shelduck	Mediterranean Gull	Blackbird	Cretzshcmar's Bunting
Shelduck	Slender Billed Gull	Cetti's Warbler	Cinereous Bunting
Mallard	Black-Headed Gull	Sedge Warbler	Black-Headed Bunting
Wigeon	Yellow-Legged Gull	Reed Warbler	Corn Bunting
Garganey	Audouin's Gull	Marsh Warbler	Total: 173
Shoveler	Gull-Billed Tern	Great Reed Warbler
Osprey	Sandwich Tern	Icterine Warbler
Short-Toed Eagle	Common Tern	Eastern Olivaceous Warbler
Marsh Harrier	Little Tern	Olive Tree Warbler
Hen Harrier	Whiskered Tern	Eastern Subalpine Warbler
Montagu's Harrier	White-Winged Black Tern	Sardinian Warbler
Pallid Harrier	Rock Dove	Ruppell's Warbler
Goshawk	Wood Pigeon	Eastern Orphean Warbler
Sparrowhawk	Collared Dove	Lesser Whitethroat
Levant Sparrowhawk	Turtle Dove	Common Whitethroat
Common Buzzard	Cuckoo	Garden Warbler
Long-Legged Buzzard	Great-Spotted Cuckoo	Blackcap
Honey Buzzard	Barn Owl	Eastern Bonelli's Warbler
Kestrel	Scops Owl	Wood Warbler
Lesser Kestrel	Little Owl	Willow Warbler
Red-Footed Falcon	Common Swift	Pied Flycatcher
Hobby	Pallid Swift	Collared Flycatcher
Eleonora's Falcon	Alpine Swift	Spotted Flycatcher
Chukar	Bee-Eater	Long-Tailed Tit
Little Crake	Hoopoe	Coal Tit
Moorhen	Middle Spotted Woodpecker	Somber Tit
Coot	Short-Toed Lark	Blue Tit
Black-Winged Stilt	Crested Lark	Great Tit
Avocet	Wood Lark	Kruper's Nuthatch
Stone Curlew	Sand Martin	Wood Nuthatch
Collared Pratincole	House Martin	Rock Nuthatch

Lesvos: Day 8: 2nd May 2017

Day 8: 2nd May: 

A decidedly civilised day that started along the coast at Skala Vasilikon in the hope that at long last we might catch up with Olive Tree Warbler on one of these trips. Staying longer than the party usually means that I do, but this is Sam’s 5th visit so we put in the effort and got our reward and although the views were not great we did have three birds singing at close quarters and with a bit of patience were able to work out which trees he favoured and eventually get a view down that bright orange gullet!

These particular groves were full of birds with at least four pair of Masked Shrikes, Woodchat, Cirl and Black-headed Buntings, Middle Spot Woody, Subalpine, Olivaceous and Orphean Warblers, Blackbirds, Tits and Turtle Doves.  It was magical and the chorus was only occasionally broken by a passing car and the sounds of the family pruning the olives in the adjacent grove.

This male Black-headed Bunting was sitting too close to my head for a better shot!

The Alikoudi beach pool was still a little high with no small waders but a fine Glossy Ibis preened in the sun and a Curlew called. the flowers around the edges were superb...

Glossy Ibis

Glossy Ibis

We searched all the wires for a Roller but found nothing but more Buntings and a smart male Red-backed Shrike. The Poly Pans were almost devoid of birds so we retraced our steps and only stopped to rescue two abandoned small puppies that we first saw three days ago but failed to catch. This time a concerted effort saw both safely ensconced in a crate in the back of the van for the journey back to the Pela where Thekla is helping to re-home them in the Netherlands. I think this takes her total to 20 since October. Anyway they are in good hands now. 

Red-backed Shrike

Red-backed Shrike

 

This wonderfully marked Cormorant eluded my every attempt at a photo!

Grumpy and a bit car sick but safe

After depositing the puppies and having lunch we headed back out again and north to Skala Sykamenias so that my party could see this pretty little seaside village and of course evade the Parrot in Kavos cafe and have an ice cream before trundling along the scenic if a little rougher north coast track. 

Skala Sykamenias

Icecream at Kavos Cafe

Kate lounging - un-lizard like

There was no molesting of guests this year...

It may have been quiet but the views across to Turkey are superb. The only signs of that the great influx of people took place here now is the boat wreck still on the point and the empty UN welcome camp. Three Yelkouan Shearwaters flapped east but it was otherwise nothing but a pleasant drive.

 

Euphorbia scrub, the shipwreck and Turkey beyond

There was even time at 5pm for the first and last swim of the holiday and whilst rescuing Grasshoppers I heard the Yellow-legged Gulls kicking off and immediately thought big raptor and sure enough an Osprey drifted into view with said Gulls on its tail. Not too bad a bird from the pool!

Off for a last dinner at the Dionysos but there will still be time for a few hours birding tomorrow before heading off to the airport.