Lesvos - Day 4: 3rd September 2025

A late start and around the Bay after breakfast where an adult and juvenile Black Stork were feeding on the Mesa Wetlands but were soon spiralling up into the cloudless blue where a dark Eleonora’s Falcon briefly joined them.  There were no waders on the pools at all.

Black Stork (ACV)

 Black Storks

It was already 30c by 10am at Achladeri but I found a male Kruper’s Nuthatch within the first five minutes as he quietly poked around the big pine cones making contented little meep noises every now and then.

Kruper’s Nuthatch

I continued around the woods but it was getting increasingly hot even under the trees.  I found a family group of Cirl Buntings and a few Great Tits and Chaffinches and could hear Short-toed Treecreepers and Middle-spotted Woodpeckers but the heat drove me back to the car where a Hoopoe was feeding on the grass.

Small Skipper

Scrappy Cirl Bunting

The beach road was cooling but had just two bobbing Common Sandpipers and the dry fields that hosted so much in the spring were dotted with chats and wagtails but other than the odd Red-backed Shrike there was nothing else.  The little harbour had its usual four species with 11 Black-headed Gulls, eight Med Gull, seven Med Shags and 12 Yellow-legged Gulls including a brute of a immature with a GBBG like black bill.

Common Sandpiper

Common Sandpiper

Med Gulls

Yellow-legged Gull

Yellow-legged Gulls 

Yellow-legged Gull - a monster

Med Shag

Med Shag

A hot Med Shag

Respite and an ice-cream was calling back at the Pela and three more Black Storks were wading in the northern saltpan channel.

If I come again at my normal late September window then I am claiming this Pela viewpoint as my new back at base lookout to the north

Five hours later it was time to head out but if anything it was even hotter and topped 37c! A Common Sandpiper was on the channel just past the bakers and down at the Tsiknias there were five Wood Sandpipers, a Greenshank and a very long billed Curlew.

Common Sandpiper 

Curlew

Curlew

Curlew - as usual most appear incredibly long billed and pale on the underwing and this one had some dark rump streaking which I had not seen before.

Curlew (ACV)

A young potato field was being irrigated and about 150 Corn Buntings were relishing the sprays while  they poked along the ridge and furrows.  There was no one different species in there with them!

Potato Bunting

On around the Loutzaria Triangle where there felt like there were a few more bids around with nine Red-backed Shrikes, two Woodchat and a Lesser Grey, Hoopoe, a good sprinkling of Spotted Flycatchers, Willow Warblers, Whinchats and Northern Wheatears, eight Short-toed Larks, Tree and two Tawny Pipits and a blizzard of Sparrows and flava Wagtails.

Spotted Flycatcher

Spotted Flycatcher (ACV)

Woodchat Shrike - subtle from this angle

Lesser Grey Shrike

Red-backed Shrike (ACV)

Whinchat

Whinchat

Whinchat

Whinchat and the magic multi-coloured sprinkler head!

Black-headed Wagtail - although more Chocolate-headed in fresh plumage

Blue-headed Wagtail 

flava Wagtail 

Blue-headed Wagtail

flava Wagtail 

Blue-headed Wagtail

Three Common Buzzards were hunting from wires and irrigation poles and a Marsh Harrier quartered.  Down at the KSP a short scan from the Hide gave better views of the Slender-billed Gulls but it was still very quiet on the wader front so dinner called and we bumped back through the middle once again.

Common Buzzard