Lesvos - Day 3 - 17th September 2024

The Scops Owls were still singing when I awoke at 5am to check the moth trap but the Passenger I saw around the trap last night was nowhere to be seen so I went back to bed again!

Up to the north coast today pausing at a birdless Kavaki on the way for a potential raptor watch from Argenos overlooking Turkey.  We had a fair couple of hours but it was slow to get going but just before I left we picked up five incoming Honey Buzzards.  These included a fine adult male while a juvenile Montagu’s Harrier drifted over.

Kavaki 

Honey Buzzard

Honey Buzzard

Montagu’s Harrier

A moulting male Goshawk put in several appearances and three Sparrowhawks were also noted.  Local Short-toed Eagles, Peregrine and Common Buzzard added more raptor action.

Goshawk

Goshawk

Three Great White Egrets headed east through the strait and six Woodpigeons below us were probably the largest group I have seen here.  Robin ticked and two Hawfinch bounced through while Cirl Buntings trilled and Ravens kronked.

Mallow Skipper

Down to Kagia for lunch overlooking the sea with Sardinian Warblers and Lesser Whitethroats in the scrub and Shags snorkelling with the Octopus fisherman.

We retraced back to a searingly hot Perasma Reservoir where 13 Ruddy and two Common Shelduck loafed with a single Teal.  Two Green Sandpipers and three Greenshank were around the margins and a Black-necked Grebe was with the bobbing Littles.  A Glossy Ibis circled in from up high and is not a species I regularly see in the autumn but was unphased by the pale Eleonora’s Falcon zipping back and forth.

Glossy Ibis

Glossy Ibis and Ruddy Shelducks

The cool shade of the Pela beckoned and I sat outside the room and watched the sky and was rewarded with a fair passage of raptors high overhead and in just 45 minutes I logged 11 Honey Buzzard, Common Buzzard, Long-legged Buzzard, six Marsh Harriers, imm Pallid Harrier, Sparrowhawk, m Red-footed Falcon, three Short-toed Eagles, Black Stork and several groups of Bee-eaters.  I did look a bit odd sitting outside my room in the shade looking above the car park and was glad that David joined me for a while so that I did not look even weirder than usual!

Honey Buzzard

Honey Buzzard

Honey Buzzard

A quick nap and then off round Loutzaria where there appeared to be fewer Willow Warblers and Red-backed Shrikes but I did find four each of Tawny and Tree Pipit.

Red-backed Shrike

Red-backed Shrike

Red-backed Shrike

Willow Warbler

Willow Warbler

I was pleased to find a delightful Crimson Speckled

I spent till dark watching the saltpans and concentrating on the south east corner from the Alykes Sheepfield bridge.  With better light and no haze I was able to count 17 Dalmatian Pelican, 31 Spoonbill, three Black Stork, a mini raft of seven Black-necked Grebes, two Grey Plover, Stone-Curlew, five Curlew and two Mallard.  Fifteen Ruddy Shelduck flew in from Mesa and on the foreshore there were two Common Sandpipers and the Sandwich Terns were flying around noisily. Four Slender-billed Gulls flew towards town and a brutish 2cy Caspian Gull flew around the end lazily.

Two noisy Kingfishers sent me on my way and a scan near Hide Two added Greenshank, Redshank and two Dunlin with 17 Little Stint.  A Spotted Redshank called and three Kentish Plover scuttled around like stop start toys.

A Lesser Grey Shrike was out on the dry ‘wetlands’ with at least ten Whinchat and Northern Wheatear sitting up on top in the last rays of the sun while a huge orange moon appeared over the hills.

Whinchat

Lesser Grey Shrike

There were no Nightjars on the drive back but plenty of bat action and the Little Owls were audible near the Ford.  I shall try again another night.  The Scops Owls at the Pela welcomed our return.