Day 4 : 28th April ...
An early start to get us to Metochi
for dawn was worth the chilly feet and between us we managed eight Little
Crakes tip toeing along the edges of the misty lake.
No other Crakes species were seen but three pairs of Coots was actually noteworthy as we did not get one last year. Great Reed Warblers were the commonest species in the fringes and four Little Bitterns were seen and glowed in the new sun. A Golden Oriole sang from the Oaks and a Long-legged Buzzard was greeting the day from a telegraph pole.
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| female Little Crake |
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| female Little Crake |
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| Spot the male Little Crake |
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| male Little Crake and Moorhen |
No other Crakes species were seen but three pairs of Coots was actually noteworthy as we did not get one last year. Great Reed Warblers were the commonest species in the fringes and four Little Bitterns were seen and glowed in the new sun. A Golden Oriole sang from the Oaks and a Long-legged Buzzard was greeting the day from a telegraph pole.
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| Coot |
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| male Little Bittern |
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| Long-legged Buzzard |
Breakfast was interrupted by Paul Aubrey shouting ‘Great
Spotted Cuckoo!!’ and pointing to the Poplar in the garden. It even had the
decency to stay put for a few shots before escaping to the Kalloni Bay
Eucalypts.
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| Great Spotted Cuckoo |
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| Great Spotted Cuckoo |
Once we were fed and watered we headed down to the Tsiknias
where Citrine Wagtails did not materialise but a nice walk up from the Lower
Ford produced several Little Bitterns and Squaccos along with the usual heaps
of Wood Sands and a nice Common Snipe.
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| Black-winged Stilt |
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| male Little Bittern |
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| male Little Bittern |
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| The angles for the Little Bittern were interesting... |
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| Common Swallowtail |
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| Hayfields looking east towards the hills above Potamia and Metochi |
From here we made our way around to Achladeri (passing a
Great White Egret and 24 Ibis in flight en route) where after a short walk the
Kruper’s Nuthatches obliged as they attended their nest. Such engaging little
birds and nice to be able to watch an active nest without being to close and
have the birds feeding unconcerned around us.
Short-toed Treecreepers called and it took a while to find a singing Serin although we did then find a nest in a pine just above the bonnet of the van! Otherwise it was actually a little quiet with no Woodlarks and only Woodchats.
Dung Beetles did what they do best but did not appreciate an audience.
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| female Kruper's Nuthatch |
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| male Kruper's Nuthatch |
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| male Kruper's Nuthatch |
Short-toed Treecreepers called and it took a while to find a singing Serin although we did then find a nest in a pine just above the bonnet of the van! Otherwise it was actually a little quiet with no Woodlarks and only Woodchats.
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| male Serin |
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| male Chaffinch - ACV |
Dung Beetles did what they do best but did not appreciate an audience.
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| Dung Beetles |
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| Mantis egg cases |
The afternoon was spent driving the coastal track between
Achladeri and Alkoudi Pool with little ornithological reward but with some
truly beautiful meadows stuffed with Wild Gladioli, Corn Marigold, Corn Cockle,
vibrant Poppies and Alliums. A Middle
Spot played hide and seek and the expected warblers, shrikes and Turtle Doves
sang.
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| A huge Gladioli patch |
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| Allium sp |
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| Wild Gladioli |
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| Corncockle |
A water seep from a field gave a good opportunity to watch Black-headed Buntings, House Sparrows and an Eastern Olivaceous Warbler coming down to drink and bathe.
The beach was equally flora rich...
An attempt was made on the way back to capture the two abandoned puppies that we found but we failed miserably – perhaps another day.
A quick coffee intake respite at the Pela and then back down to the Tsiknias via the Kalloni Pool which had a superb heron selection with five Squacco, Purple Heron, six Little Egret, two Ibis and Black Stork and once at the river the female Citrine Wagtail was seen immediately tripping along the muddy edge and a Squaccos glowed mid channel against the green algal mat.
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| House Sparrow |
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| Eastern Olivaceous Warbler |
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| Eastern Olivaceous Warbler |
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| Black-headed Bunting |
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| Avocet |
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| Avocet |
The beach was equally flora rich...
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Matthiola tricuspidata - Three Horned Stock |
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| Glaucium flavum - Yellow-horned Poppy |
An attempt was made on the way back to capture the two abandoned puppies that we found but we failed miserably – perhaps another day.
A quick coffee intake respite at the Pela and then back down to the Tsiknias via the Kalloni Pool which had a superb heron selection with five Squacco, Purple Heron, six Little Egret, two Ibis and Black Stork and once at the river the female Citrine Wagtail was seen immediately tripping along the muddy edge and a Squaccos glowed mid channel against the green algal mat.
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| Black Stork |
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| Squacco |
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| Common Tern |
We ventured up river and walked almost to the road with more Squaccos and Little Bitterns to show along with two Little Stints amongst the Wood Sands before heading down to the Alykes Wetlands for a look before sundown.
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| Little Bittern |
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| Stripe Necked Terrapins |
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| Painted Lady |
Despite the poor light we were treated to another wader spectacle with a sooty Spotted Redshank and dapper Turnstone with the other species. Three Marsh Sandpipers were seen and five Squaccos and 20 Ibis fed close to the road.
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| Glossy Ibis |
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| Glossy Ibies - ACV |
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| Squacco - ACV |
A Little Owl was jammed up under a telegraph pole and White Wagtail joined a Temminck’s Stint on the ever growing trip tally.
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| Temminck’s Stint |
The Flamingos looked nice and pink in the low light and an adult Slender-billed Gull and 1st winter Black-headed Gull loitered on Avocet Island with 18 Gulls billed Terns while a Great White Egret was only the second one we had seen.
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| From left to right: BH Gull, SB Gull, GB Terns & an Avocet |
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| Greater Flamingo |
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| The Salt Pans |
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| Unsual to see Shelduck this well here |
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| A very plain Common Snipe |
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| Great White Egret |
Another long day but worth the effort... Tomorrow we go north...
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