Lesvos - Day 6 - 18th January 2026

A relatively early start saw me round on the east side of Mesa at 8am to meet up with Eleni and some ex-students who were out doing a full wildfowl count (Greek version of WeBS).  It was bitterly cold but by the time they arrived I had found one of the Slavonian Grebes in The Bay where it gleamed in the early sunshine that was battling against the lowering cloud.  There was a raft of 14 Black-necked Grebes close in and eight Red-breasted Mergansers and a flock of three male and female Pochard surprised us all by flying right past us and around the corner!  This is a very scarce bird here and only my third record.

Down in the Mesa Wetland channel there were two Black Storks; a super glossy adult and brown hued 1w bird and 14 Spoonbills glowed as they fed alongside the road with the Flamingos and a female Pintail.

Spoonbills & Flamingos

Spoonbills

Spoonbills

Spoonbills

adult Black Stork

1w Black Stork

Spoonbills

I soon left them to their counting and headed back for breakfast seeing a ringtail Hen Harrier near the Spoonbills on the way.  Another Hen Harrier – an adult female was on the Kamares with a pair of Pintail and three Spoonbills here too.  The Golden Plovers were absent again.

The sky was getting darker but the forecast was for better weather out West so that was the way we headed. The Sunday roads were empty and there was a suggestion of some snow dusting on the tops and a few flakes drifted down.  Perivolis Monastery was dark and even colder but I still had a short walk.  The 26 Siskins were still in the Plane trees and the Ivy berries were being feasted on by many Blackcaps, Song Thrushes, three Mistle Thrushes and several Blackbirds.  Everything bar the Siskins was skittish once again and despite counting 30 Song Thrushes I have not got close to getting a picture of one. As they flew across the river they all called and suddenly one call was that of a  Redwing and there it was flashing those underwings! It dashed into the Ivy opposite and did not come out again but I was happy.

Same view and a very different sky

Siskins

Cypress cones

Upwards and across to the Petrified Forest road for no particular reason.  There were several more water filled hollows alongside the road but the only birds bar Ravens and Buzzards were several Corn Buntings, Crested Larks and Rock Doves.  Back down on the main road there were five Rock Sparrows around the next sheep shelter.

The sea looked very dark and rough as we descended to Sigri with Ravens alongside all the way down.  Yellow-legged Gulls were in the bay but the drive down to Faneromeni only produced flocks of Crested Larks, Chaffinches, Goldfinches and House Sparrows around the sheepy areas and 30 Meadow Pipits came up from the big crop field.  Forty Rock Doves flew through.

The Sigri Oak Grove looks a little different in January

The Upper Ford was absolutely bone dry on the seaward side and had just a few puddles above and not one bird and yet down at the beach the pool was so full that it had swamped the track to the river mouth all the way up to the wall and was completely unpassable. A chunky vole with a visible tail shot across the road and I seem to remember that down on the coast Harting's Vole is the more likely.

For the first time ever lunch was taken in the car rather than standing around outside looking for birds! Some Yellow-legged Gulls moved offshore and a single female Wigeon flew by but that was it.  The thing is that January is an unknown out here for most of us so I was determined to visit regular spots to see how they were this time of year.

I have noticed that most of the Palms on the island are now dead having been destroyed by what I presume is Palm Weevil.  You could see the exit holes in the heart of this one.

Back over past Ipsilou and then down towards Gavathas before taking the track to Ancient Antissa.  Robins, Cirl Buntings and Chaffinches were seen on the first section and once down in the valley bottom there were Meadow Pipits, more Chaffinches and  flock of 35 White Wagtails in one field.  The river was high and a quick look (it really was that cold. 2c and windchill) gave me a calling Reed Bunting and four Cetti’s Warblers but no hoped for Moustached Warblers although I bet they are here. A flock of eight Jackdaws were the first of the trip and a high skein of duck turned out to be Mallard which of course will be winter migrants here.

Squirting Cucumber - Ecballium elaterium

Wavy Mullein - Verbascum sinuatum

The Willow and Reed filled area just below the ford

Perivolis Monastery is upstream from here

Senecio anulatus - a South African climbing - trailing Ragwort with Ivy-like leaves

Senecio anulatus 

Senecio anulatus 

Wavy  were found once the rocky landscape reappeared but with the sky blackening I opted to head out and back towards home taking the Anemotia road back down once again.  The cloud base was lowering once again and it was snowing on the tops but there was a sharp cut off point and it looked like a Christmas cake had been dusted with lots of icing sugar. 

Back down at sea level the sunshine returned and it seemed that the Bay itself was keeping the blackness over the hills at bay and with that a foolish hour was spent down at the Alykes Sheepfields once again although despite four layers I was chilled through and numb by the time I gave up.  The light was strange with sunshine and blackness making any bird with white on them positively glow.

Not your normal Lesvos attire

I did count 20 Spoonbills and a new high of 25 Dalmatian Pelicans and the two adult Black Storks were not those I saw it Mesa in the morning.  Lapwings and Starlings were being blown around an the 70 strong Greenfinch flock contained some Linnets and two Serins again.

Ruddy Shelducks and a Raven

I re-found the six Gadwall on one of the pans - a good bird here

Wigeon feeding unit

illuminated Spoonbills

Windblown Lapwing

Lapwing

The tups are looking magnificent at this time of year with incredibly long thick coats down to the ground.  At the risk of repeating myself from my March visit - they remind me of Bantha from Star Wars.

The Bay itself was unworkable for which I was very grateful as I could not have stayed out a moment longer!