Lesvos - Day 5: 4th September 2025

North and over the top this morning with Kavaki being the first stop.  It was very quiet and already too hot to be out in the full sun.  There was not a bird to be seen out to see but I do like the view.  

Kavaki

A male Red-backed Shrike waved his tale at me and a Sardinian Warbler rattled but I did not linger too long and headed up to Persama where the reservoir has still not been repaired and was devoid of any water what so ever so I carried onto the end  passing Bee-eaters on the wires and once down at the bottom of the concrete track I could hear many more. The seemed high and getting closer and soon a cloud of them came into view as they strongly headed south and I counted about 140 in this one group and soon added over 60 more on a similar path.

Bee-eater (ACV)

Bee-eaters

Gangs of Ravens tumbled and alerted me to two males and female Marsh Harrier drifting over high so perhaps there was a little immigration underway.  The Ravens left the local Short-toed Eagles well alone.

Ravens 

Marsh Harrier

Marsh Harrier

Short-toed Eagle

I kept to the shadow edges of the track where the water was still overflowing from the spring into the trough and there were many Southern Skimmers and a couple of Red-veined Darters zipping up and down. Both Whitethroats, Sardinian Warbler and Blackcap were seen. 

Southern Skimmer

Southern Skimmer

Small Copper

Chaste Tree - sometimes they are white

A Nightingale was scolding in the Kermes Oak and briefly popped up and I immediately thought Thrush Nightingale – I even saw a little yellow gape patch. It dropped back down.  Confusingly two minutes later a Nightingale flew from the bushes on the other side of the track and perched up nicely and was clearly a rich rufous Common Nightingale!  I am always one for the two bird theory!

Cirl Buntings called and an Ortolan flew over calling but I could not find it but as I neared the car a Bunting flicked up and into an Oak. I walked on, stopped as my brain processed the tail pattern and stepped back to see a rather smart Ortolan sat just within the leaf cover.   Fabulous although  it was so bright when I lifted the camera that I fluffed the pics.  Bins first – camera second – always.

Essence of Ortolan

Snake-eyed Lacertid

It was already over 30c and not even lunchtime so we headed down to Petra for a nose about and to pick up some lunch. It does not look much from up on the main road but it is in fact a delightful little village with bars, tavernas and local craft shops.  As usual autumn Jackdaws were around town.

Back over the top and searching for some lunchtime shade sent me up the Klapados track (and no, not the seriously dodgy concrete and boulder track but the longer safer route closer to the Kalloni Raptor Watchpoint Bandstand).  I found the ‘car park’ and after a fine cheese pie and some Baklava I headed off down the trail to the spring and stream I hoped would still be below.  Just message me if you would like a dropped pin!

I have only been down here a couple of times – the first with my parents and the late and very deeply missed Sam Shippey.  I had this tranquil spot to myself and sat down with the gnarled and boulder contorted Oriental Planes and just soaked it up and thought about my friend as I watched the same Eastern Willow Emeralds, various annoying Graylings (I suspect Rock, Freyer’s and Great Banded), Cleopatras and gliding Cardinals. 

Feel free to input on these Graylings

Eastern Willow Emeralds

Eastern Willow Emeralds

Eastern Willow Emeralds

Southern Darter

Southern Darter

Southern Darter

There were Levant Water Frogs and Giant Pond Skaters and a few Blue Featherlegs (White-legged Damselflies to us Brits) and what I am sure are Southern Darters but I am hoping Roy will help with that one as he usually does!

Levant Water Frog

Levant Water Frog

Blue Featherleg

Cardinal

There were birds too with Coal, Blue, Great and Medium-tailed Tits, Chaffinches, Short-toed Treecreepers, Wren and a delightful 1w male Collared Flycatcher.  I always say that you have to be lucky to find a Ficedula flycatcher in the autumn but somehow I always do seem to find a young male of one of these!

Short-toed Treecreeper

I slogged back up to the top where the views back down either side of the island were glorious but in the distance way off on the east side of the Gulf a huge fire was raging and smoke was billowing up into the heavens.

Fire in the sky

Time to retreat and roost although I did find a spot outside the room where I could be in the shade (now 37c) and scan the skies to the north.  Almost immediately I picked up a Dalmatian Pelican circling overhead and over the next twenty minutes found three northbound (?) Short-toed Eagles and a distant Honey Buzzard!

Dalmatian Pelican 

Dalmatian Pelican 

The early evening potter out onto Loutzaria did not reveal any changes but there were now two Lesser Grey Shrikes and a party of 70 Bee-eaters obviously looking for somewhere to roost and two White Wagtails were in the fields with the Corn Buntings.

Grey Heron

Grey Heron

Crested Lark

Corn Bunting and five Bee-eaters

Down at the Racecourse we watched the two fire response planes (I think they are called Camels?) repeatedly descend to the Gulf to scoop up water to take back to the fire.  There was no visible smoke now so hopefully they were in the process of dampening down.

There were still two Lesser Grey Shrikes around and a very dapper Tawny Pipit actually stayed put for once.  Off shore there were 17 Sandwich Terns and in the bay I picked up Curlew and heard two Grey Plover and three Ringed Plover and best of all an Oystercatcher which as it flew set off alarm bells as the neck collar was huge and very broad and almost went around to the back of the neck and there also appeared to be more white in the wing.  Once on the beach it seemed to show a browny back and for some reason felt the wrong shape and with a longer thinner bill.

Tawny Pipit 

Tawny Pipit 

Tawny Pipit 

Tawny Pipit - seldom do they show like this

Lesser Grey Shrike

Sandwich Tern

Sandwich Tern

Northern Wheatear

Northern Wheatear

I had to do some Googling after dinner as I could not remember what eastern Oystercatcher race I was thinking off but it seems to fit the form 'longipes' which is the race I saw a few years ago on Shetland. I hope others get to take a look.  Always something to learn.

Oystercatcher - showing characters of Siberian 'longipes'

There were 12 Dalmatian Pelicans and eight Spoonbills still on the south east pan and several Great Egrets dotted about while the drive out gave much better views of two more Spoonbills and several Slender-billed Gulls once again.

Spoonbills (ACV)

Little Ringed Plover (ACV)