Lesvos - Day 5 - 19th September 2024

Tree Pipits were moving over the Pela during breakfast and I had counted 17 before we headed out for the day. Achladeri was the first stop and it was already in the high twenties by the time we arrived before 9.30.

I took a solitary amble up into the woods and it did not take long to find the Kruper’s Nuthatches. There was a bit of calling and some chattering but most of the time I could hear them tapping pine seeds that they had extracted and excellent views were had albeit up in the pine canopy.

Kruper’s Nuthatch

Kruper’s Nuthatch

Kruper’s Nuthatch

Cirl Buntings and Chaffinches were moving around and I heard Woodlark, Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Sardinian Warblers and Short-toed Treecreepers but as usual seeing the birds was more challenging.  Two parties of Medium Tailed Tits (sorry) were found and I do love their little black bibs and more chattery calls.  I actually encountered them all morning and heard them from the car on several occasions as we drove through the pine forests.

Freyer's Grayling I reckon

We took the beach road from there and followed it around the coast with just a Great White Egret for our troubles until the little nameless harbour where as expected there were Med Gulls with 21 on the rocks with eight Black-headed Gulls. A Common Sandpiper bobbed amongst them and 11 Mediterranean Shags were up on the rocks. Even the adults seem to have paler feet than northern birds and to my eye the bill looks longer too.

Mediterranean Shags

Mostly Meds

There were not many small birds out here with just the odd one or two of the usual triumvirate of Red-backed Shrike, Spotted Flycatcher and Willow Warbler.  Down at the Poly Pans there was a good display by some very pink Flamingos, nine shiny Black Storks and a selection of waders with ten Redshank, 120 Avocet, Curlew Sandpiper, three Dunlin, 18 Little Stint and a single Grey Plover. There were 42 Sandwich Terns on the posts with two more Med Gulls and four Slender-billed Gulls. Twelve Ruddy Shelduck circled in and then disappeared back to the south.

Some groves already had the nets out for the Olive harvest

Black Storks

Ruddy Shelduck 

Ruddy Shelduck 

Greater Flamingos

Avocets

Slender-billed Gull

We looped back up into the cool woods adding roadside Wren on the way before lunch at the Evertaglous (sure I have spelt that wrong again). Kingfishers and Grey Wagtail were on the river which was still flowing but is now so overgrown with Plane tree saplings that it needs a good stripping out before they completely swamp it.  Common Blues joined Lang’s Short-tailed Blues, Meadow Browns and Cleopatra on the Lithrum, Mint and Chaste Trees while Southern Darters were the only species I could find.  It was very hot and in fact we headed back to the hotel.

Lang's Short-tailed Blue

Common Blue

Meadow Brown sp

Thorn Apple

Southern Darter I think

Common Blue

The sticky plant that smells like cannabis

'Hop on Baby!' can't remember the name of this chunky hopper

Grey Wagtail

Blue Winged Grasshopper

An early dinner and then out onto Loutzaria at dusk.  It was still very warm and most of the small birds had already called it a night or moved on but the flava Wagtails were heading off to roost and Corn Buntings were gathering on the ground prior to finding their own beds for the night.  I am sure this species roosts at ground level, at least here as I often see them first thing in the morning leaving the grass along side the track on the Eastern pans.

Hooded Crows

A Wood Sandpiper flew over high calling – the first this week and down at the pans I could hear Greenshank and Little Ringed Plover.  A ringtail over the Alykes was assumed to be the orange juvenile Montagu’s Harrier but it was not and closer inspection revealed a very slight and buoyant Pallid Harrier with paleish creamy underparts and a striking face pattern and boa.  I paid special attention to the underwing pattern in the fading light.  Hopefully it will still be around tomorrow.  Two Hoopoes flopped across the field and Corn Buntings were gathering here too.

Pallid Harrier

Out on the pans a growing white mass was made up of 42 Little Egrets, 14 Great Whites and about 70 Sandwich Terns and four Black Storks stood around the edges.  By now the light was negligible and so we bumped back with the bats in the headlights but once again no Nightjars – perhaps they have already gone through this year.