Lesvos - Day 1: 31st August 2025

We drove down to Stansted through wind and spitty rain and arrived in good time for the 0600 flight but alas for ‘operational reasons’ our Jet 2 flight had been delayed by three hours leading to s a somewhat tortuous wait for boarding but by just before 0900 we were in the air and on our way.  I have to admit that it was a bit of a bleary eyed blur but at 1140 we were about only ten minutes out of Mytilene which was frankly astonishing.  We must have a strong tail wind and we all noticed that the decent seemed faster that usual as well but at least we landed safely – the preceding Manchester flight almost touched down and had to circle and go again!

Getting through the airport including collecting luggage took under five minutes – it was all very strange and all to soon we had picked up our car and were off through town.  While doing the paperwork an Eastern Olivaceous Warbler was in the Fig trees and as we drove along the front we saw Shags and Yellow-legged Gulls before wiggling though town.  Sunday’s is always a good day for tacking the road through!

Crag Martins were around the big quarry and opposite Dipi Larsou a Black Kite was an unexpected first raptor of the trip but from here on it was almost birdless as we passed through the crispy landscape and as we reached the Gulf of Kalloni you could see that the Walnuts and other deciduous trees had been having a tough season and many had already shed most of their cover.

We checked into the Pela, had a beer and freshened up and them pottered out of the village and through to the Tsiknias passing Green and Wood Sandpipers in the stink channel before the old nightclub where a Spotted Flycatcher hunted from some very unrusty barbed wire fencing.

Spotted Flycatcher 

Down at the river mouth there was only a Curlew and singles of Yellow-legged and Black-headed Gull and there was not a bird on the river as we drove up towards the ford.

Loutzaria was relatively quiet but I am a little earlier than I have been before but I still managed to find four young Woodchat and a single Red-backed Shrike, several Whinchat and Northern Wheatear, a few lemon and lime Willow Warblers, bouncing flava Wagtails including a couple of Black-headed, autumnal flocks of Corn Buntings and Crested Larks along with three Short-toed Larks and two Tawny Pipits.

flava Wagtail (ACV)

flava Wagtails & Willow Warbler

Willow Warbler

Woodchat

An adult female Montagu’s Harrier steadily quartered and hundreds of Lang's Short-tailed and Long-tailed Blues drifted around the trackside Brambles.

Montagu’s Harrier

Montagu’s Harrier

Montagu’s Harrier

Montagu’s Harrier - the heat haze made things tricky

A good look around the pans gave a selection of distant waders with Redshanks, Little Stints, Kentish Plover and Avocets and 14 Slender-billed Gulls and nine Black-headed Gulls were picking morsels from the still surface despite the gusty wind.

There were four Little and one Great Egret amongst the Greater Flamingos and once down at the Alykes Sheepfields I could see ten Dalmatian Pelicans and eight dozing Spoonbills out on the south east pans.  Two young Lesser Grey Shrikes and another Woodchat were hunting the fenceline and two more Curlew were out on the fields themselves.

Lesser Grey Shrike - hopefully I will get better of the coming days

Dinner beckoned and a drive alongside the pans gave good views of Little Stint, Redshank, Greenshank, Little Ringed Plover and a bonus juvenile Sanderling – a species I rarely see on the island.  

Greater Flamingos

Back the Pela a Hoopoe was sat up on the wires and Hooded Crows and two Jackdaws were heading off to roost while Red-rumped and Barn Swallows seemed undecided and circled around long after the first small Bats had come out to play.  

It is good to be back…