Lesvos Day 4: 20th April 2019

A true day out west today, unlike my half hearted attempt yesterday. It was proper brass monkey weather today and my post breakfast stroll to the Kallonis Pool yielded Bittern, Squacco and a surprising Eastern Subalpine Warbler which was my first around the town. 

Eastern Subalpine Warbler

Eastern Subalpine Warbler

I headed up on the Dafia route collecting a Hoopoe and a couple of Eastern Bonelli's Warblers en route along with a Black Stork and Mistle Thrush and Wren for the list. 

View from the Skalachori by pass

Cretan Catchfly - Silene cretica

 

Black Stork

Black Stork over Lardia

In no time at all we were at the Isabelline layby where all three breeding species were on show but it was sooooooo cold and windy and the birds were keeping low. A Woodlark sang three notes and gave up and a Golden Oriole did likewise despite my best efforts. A Tree Pipit blew over and Cinereous Buntings sang from lichen covered boulders.

 

Northern Wheatear

I braved the southern slope of Ipsilou passing windswept Wheatears and Buntings on my way up and once in the lee I found Wood, Bonelli's and Willow Warblers feeding in the grey green oak canopy. All three species were singing and both Pied and Collared Flycatchers flicked around along with three Lesser Whitethroats and a rather showy Sombre Tit.

Black-eared Wheatear

Sombre Tit

It was nice to find the Jean Cassidy Bee-eater lurking in its new rock face location...

 
Red-rumped Swallows hawked and three White Storks circled above and Hoopoe and Cuckoos sang in the valley below while a singing Black-capped Jay sounded like an angry sheep crossed with a mewing Buzzard and a stroppy Hooded Crow.
 

Down into Sigri with its tumbling flocks of Jackdaws and the a slow drive towards Faneromeni passing a nice male Collared Fly, a pair of Masked Shrikes and a couple of Lesser Whitethroats in the fig groves on the way down.

Collared Flycatcher

A Little Ringed Plover was on the windswept beach pool and a Purple Heron was flushed from a field puddle but it all appeared very quiet. Onwards past a male Redstart to the Upper Ford which quite literally contained only two Moorhen and two, what I now know to be regular farmyard Greylags and not Steve and Paul's wild birds from last week! 

Redstart

I left Andrea with the car and headed back up to the side track that took me to another little valley and associated ford. 

The 'new' ford was in the botton of the valley and goes overthe stream that cuts under the road on the way to the Upper Ford

For some reason this was full of birds and my Lesser Whitethroat tally reached 32 along with 12 Whitethroat, seven Blackcap and three Orphean. Sylviatastic! A pair of Sombre Tits continued my superb run and a female Montagu's Harrier drifted quickly through while five Short-toed Eagles and a Long-legged Buzzard all hung in a line up the valley although I doubt any self respecting cold blooded reptile would have been vaguely on show. 

Blackcap

Blackcap

Eastern Orphean Warbler

Eastern Orphean Warbler

Sombre Tit

Sombre Tit

Long-legged Buzzard

Short-toed Eagle

Short-toed Eagle

Whinchats were dotted about but only two Woodchats were found. Vagrant Emperors and Red Veined Darters were around the pool and Painted Ladies and a few Clouded Yellows zipped through.

Whinchat

 The joys of sharing the roads...

From here we hit the track to Eresos. It was very quiet to be honest with a few Stonechats, Crested Larks and Cretzschmar's Buntings. 

View from Meladia Chapel

Whinchat

Cretzschmar's Bunting

Cretzschmar's Bunting pair

A very pied male black throated Black-eared Wheatear had me going for a short while and a single Pallid Swift was zipping around with a few Commons. 

Black-eared Wheatear but pied enough to give me Finche's palpitations

Down at the ford in Meladia I had just missed an Ortolan but had happy recompense with Pied Fly, several showy Reed, Sedge and Cetti's Warblers and at least ten Lesser Whitethroats. Nearly 1000 Spanish Sparrows zoomed up valley and a female Montagu's Harrier headed the other way. Up above hundreds of Yellow-legged Gulls wheeled and Ravens, three Short-toed Eagles, Lesser Kestrel, two Common Buzzard and two Long-legged Buzzards were seen as well as languid Alpine Swifts.

Pied Flycatcher

Short-toed Eagle

Short-toed Eagle

A pair of Ruddy Shelduck were vociferously telling us to bugger off with much honking and 'flying away' and I suspect that there were chicks hidden somewhere in the river.

Ruddy Shelduck

 

Ruddy Shelduck - ACV

Hooded Crow watching the Shelducks - ACV

There were some great encounters with Black-eared Wheatears and Cretzschmar's Buntings, the first Red-throated Pipit and an Icterine Warbler was a good addition to the list. 

Eastern Black-eared Wheatear

Eastern Black-eared Wheatear

Eastern Black-eared Wheatear

Cretzschmar's Bunting

Cretzschmar's Bunting

Cretzschmar's Bunting

The track out was far better than the one in and a male Montagu's Harrier was the highlight of the road up while the final leg to Eresos was capped by a stop at the dead patch of burnt scrub where Killian had earlier seen a Barred Warbler. I got out and there it was! Not particularly barred but once again those intense yellow eyes. 

Montagu's Harrier

The view down towards Eresos

Barred Warbler - Killian Mullarney

From here it was a steady run back to Skala Kallonis and a final look at the KSP where 57 Gull-billed Terns rested on Avocet Island along with 13 Greenshank, three Spotted Redshank, 27 Ruff and singles of Curlew Sandpiper and Dunlin. 

Gull-billed Terns

Gull-billed Terns

Gull-billed Terns

The sky grew dark and the wind got up crashing the temperature once again but no rain came of it. It was good to catch up with Steve and Liz Dudley at last. Fourteen Glossy Ibis circled Alykes and females of Hen, Marsh and Montagu's Harrier were all seen.

Corn Bunting

Dinner and a thick blanket beckoned but there was still time for a cheeky Whiskered Tern quartering the Kallonis Pool to round up a long but rewarding day...