Lesvos Day 12: 2nd May 2018

Day 12: 2nd May: 

An early rise saw sunup illuminating the waders on the north east salt pans. The monstrous Dalmatian Pelican was still cruising around like some adrift iceberg and somehow managed to sneak from the back pan to the closest water with none of us seeing it. There was a similar assortment of waders but only eight Grey Plover remained but Curlew Sandpipers had increased to 39 and 19 Marsh Sandpipers were feeding in one flock. Another 17 Marsh and 23 Curlew Sands were on the south west corner pan and a couple of Ruddy Shelducklings swam in the channel.

Dalmatian Pelican

Stunning pans

 

White Stork

Black-winged Stilt

Most of the day was spent doing the northern circuit.  We started at the Raptor Watchpoint where a Goshawk and the usual Buzzards and Short-toed Eagles were seen before heading up to an already too warm Kavaki.

A few Yelkouan Shearwaters were offshore and the Ruppell’s and particularly the Eastern Subalps performed very well while the cobalt Blue Rock Thrush was still using his favourite outcrop. Ravens kronked and Turtle Doves purred and six Bottle-nosed Dolphins passed so close to shore you could hear them blow.

Kavaki view

Ruppell’s Warbler

Eastern Subalpine Warbler

Blue Rock Thrush

Bottle-nosed Dolphin

Turtle Dove - ACV

Perasma Reservoir gave me Coot and two Black-winged Stilts along with the usual squabbling gulls, Hooded Crows and Ruddy Shelduck. The butterflies were just as magical as last week although migrant Silver-Y Moths were now present in droves along with the odd Hummingbird Hawkmoth. Most of the Browns were female and I am unsure as to which species they should be ascribed.

Balkan Marbled White

Balkan Marbled White

Balkan Marbled White

Scarce Swallowtail

Scarce Swallowtail

Scarce Swallowtail

female Meadow Brown sp

female Meadow Brown sp

female Meadow Brown sp

female Meadow Brown sp - no spots on this one!!!

Painted Lady

 

Clouded Yellow

Black-veined White

Levantine Skipper

Orbed Underwing Skipper

Silver Y Moth

Fallenia fasciata

Syrian Thistle -  Notobasis syriaca

From here we followed the main road inland towards to Sykaminea where Alpine Swifts zoomed through the sky and the trees were full of singing Chaffinches, Nightingales and Blackbirds with the odd trill from an Eastern Bonelli's and Subalpine Warblers. 

Down the bends to Skala Sykaminias for ice cream and the back along the north track to Eftalou seeing  an adult Audouin's Gull  as we left the village and then down through Anaxos and onto the mast at Agriosikos before dropping back to Kalloni. 

Skala Sykaminias

Skala Sykaminias

Skala Sykaminias

Skala Sykaminias and Dias the Red and Green Macaw

Audouin's Gull

The mast was full of Scarce Swallowtails and another early Cardinal but rock turning in the extreme heat was once again un-productive and frustrating so a return to base was called for.

From Agriosikos to the Kalloni Saltpans

Megascolia maculata flavifrons

An as yet, unidentfied very large Bombus with curious black spots in the white tail  - ACV

And this at last explain why I have never, ever see a live Beech Marten.  They not only throw themselves in front of the sparse traffic on the island but electrocute themselves by being too inquisitive...

 
A couple of hours on the pans in the evening saw 13 graceful White Winged Black Terns hawking the channel and a good search did not yield anything new bar the first Dunlin of the trip and a couple of Pratincoles. Bee-eaters prukked all around but most were invisibly high. The Alykes still held water and Red-throated Pipits dotted the grass and a few flavas flicked amongst them but the male Citrine seemed to fly off as I arrived. 

  We had dinner in Anaxos at Omega with Alison and Costas as hosts with the sound of Red-rumped Swallows and Bee-eaters in the in the warm evening air...