A www.blueeyedbirder.com adventure:
At breakfast we were joined by a host of hirundines with over 40 Red-rumps around the hotel and Sand and House Martins lining the wires. The Spanish Sparrows even came down from the palms to forage alongside the road.
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| Spanish Sparrow - Antony Wren |
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| Spanish Sparrow - Antony Wren |
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| Spanish Sparrow - Antony Wren - quality wire moment although lacking the rusty overtones |
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| Sand Martins - Antony Wren |
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| Greater Flamingo at Mesa - Antony Wren |
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| Greater Flamingos at Mesa - Jim Willett |
After our bakery visit we headed east around the bay to Achladeri where we had the place to
ourselves for an hour. It was calm but still unseasonably cool and the woods
were quiet to start with but will some effort I managed to find Kruper’s
Nuthatch twice and get everyone onto Short-toed Treecreepers, Cuckoo,
Medium-tailed Tits (sorry) and Cirl Buntings. Chaffinches and Blackbirds were
common and a single Serin was seen but the pair of Masked Shrikes in the
bramble by the old Nuthatch nest were unobliging and followed each other into
the pines where his scratchy song was heard.
We turned a few
rocks but the recent deluge was visible in flood lines of debris throughout the
woods and most were devoid of life. A large Roman Snail was found though and
the Violet Limodores were in fine flower along with a couple of Wild Gladioli.
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| Roman Snail |
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| Violet Limodore |
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| Cistus creticus |
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| Wild Gladioli |
After a brief Poppy
field stop we pulled off at Mikri Limni where Kruper’s Nuthatches we heard and
not seen and Coal Tit was added to the list before we moved on towards the
other side of the Gulf of Jera. Crag Martins were the only species of note on
the way along with a few Alpine Swifts.
We wiggled through
the Olive groves and the outskirts of Loutra before parking up at Charmida to
search the marquis for Sylvias. It was a very successful visit and with some
patience we found at least three singing male Ruppell's and watched one pulling silk
from the nest web of Processionary Moth caterpillars. These were some of the
best views I have had in years. Sardinian, Subalpine and Orphean were also to
be found along with Cretzschmar’s Buntings.
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| Cretzschmar’s Bunting |
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| Ruppell's Warbler |
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| Ruppell's Warbler |
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| Andrew Litchfield |
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| Jim Willett |
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| Ruppell's Warblers - different shots from the crew - Jim Willett |
Down below us two male
Chukar were trying to out sing each other and actually showed very well with
one being visible against the blue see beyond. Short-toed Eagle and Common
Buzzard spiralled above and to my surprise a female Honey Buzzard came in low
over our heads which was both marvellous and unexpected on this early date.
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| Short-toed Eagle - Antony Wren |
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| Chukar |
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| Probelpsis ocellata |
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| Geometrician |
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| Dorycnium hirsutum |
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| Helichrysum stoechas |
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| Sage Leaved Cistus - Cistus salvifolius |
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| Anthyllis hermanniae |
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| Cistus creticus |
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| Sticky-Bartsia - Parentucellia viscosa |
With such quick
success we came back into Loutra where the Laughing Doves were quickly found
with a bubbling male and a female tucked on a nest above a shop sign. I do hope
that they get a proper toe hold here.
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| Laughing Doves |
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| Cozmopteryx pulchrimella - an old favourite from back home on Pellitory-on-the-Wall |
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Pomegranate
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Lunch was taken at
the Evertagulous river bridge were a pair of hoped for Grey Wagtails were noted
and Odalisques danced between sunny perches. I had not seen this species for
some years and it was good to be reacquainted.
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| Grey Wagtail - Antony Wren |
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| Odalisque |
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| Odalisque |
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| Odalisque |
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| Blue Featherleg |
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| Blue Featherleg - Antony Wren |
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| Beautiful Demoiselle - Antony Wren |
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| Beautiful Demoiselle |
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| Small Skimmer - Antony Wren |
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| Neoscona adianta |
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Menemerus semilimbatus - Antony Wren
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Menemerus semilimbatus
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| A large Wolf |
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| Green Hairstreak |
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| Lysimachia atropurpurea |
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| Megascolia maculata |
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| Branched Broomrape - Orobanche ramosa |
The wind had increased as we reached the Kalloni Saltpans and we did not linger long but retreated to the hotel for some creature comforts before heading out again at 4.30. The sand bar at the end of the Tsiknias was under water along with any LRP or Kentish Plover nests and an adult Purple Heron was loitering up river where we crossed and bumped around the Triangle with only Whinchats and a female Red-backed Shrike to show for it. Bee-eaters were starting to gather in usual spots.
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| Bee-eaters - ACV |
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| Bee-eater - Jim Willett |
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| Pink Poppy - I often see these but not sure of species - Antony Wren |
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| Black-headed Wagtail - Jim Willett |
The wind was getting steadily stronger and after watching the 29 Ibis and Black Storks on Alykes Wetlands we had a quick look from the Racecourse end where we could barely stand up and decided to call it a day. We passed both the immature male Hen Harrier and a female Montagu’s Harrier hunting on the way out but there was still no sign of the Dalmatian Pelican seen earlier.
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| Black-winged Stilts |
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| Glossy Ibises |
A last look at the messages told us that a Roller had been alongside the Tsiknias an hour before and so I swung back down that way on the slim chance of connecting. After Bee-eater, Bee-eater, Blackbird, Collared Dove I picked the Roller up on the wires and we watched it for about 20 minutes glowing in the golden hour sunshine. There was smiles all round and we still got back and then out in time for dinner at The Balcony in town.
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| Roller - Jim Willett |
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| Happy Roller Wren |
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