Lesvos : Day Four : 26th April 2016

Day 4: 26th April : 

It was blowing a hoolie when we emerged this morning but we ventured out after an early breakfast and had a chilly, windblown stroll down the east side of the Tsiknias. The male Penduline Tit popped out and flicked fluff from a reedmace head while a Cetti's Warbler looked on from the next stem. A Purple Heron lurked and there were Sand Martins on the move as well as a pair of Red-footed Falcons. A Lesser Grey Shrike watched from the wires and the Little Owl was sheltering out of the wind. 

Tskinias River Mouth with Mount Olympus engulfed in cloud

Windswept traffic jam

And why not? A smart male Blackbird

The badly oiled Wood Sandpiper

With rain imminent we headed back to pick up Sam before once again braving the wind to search for the Spur Winged Plover on the Kalloni Salt Pans. We picked it up near the Hide but soon lost it again. The weather was improving so we headed out past a Great White Egret, three more Red foots, Short-toed Lark and two leggy Tawny Pipits who were sharing their field with nine Whinchats, wagtails, Bee-eaters and Corn Buntings. 

The Stilts were particularly flighty in the gusty conditions

Great White Egret

On to Achladeri where the obligatory poppy field stop filled the mind with a sea of scarlet set off by the dark pines and brooding skies.   

Once in the wood it did not take long to find three fledgling Kruper's Nuthatches being fed by their parents and they gave superb prolonged views. Short-toed Treecreepers, Long-tailed and Coal Tits were seen and I heard a couple of Serins but we saw no Shrikes. Woodlarks sang over the trees and huge careering Alpine Swifts hurtled through with the wind behind them.

The beautiful Acladeri pine forest

Getting bogged at by an upside down Mr K

and one of his very cute kids

Snake-eyed Lizard Ophisops elegans

Snake-eyed Lizard Ophisops elegans

Grecian Southern Grayling Hipparchia senthes

Serapias species

Blue Pimpernel Anagallis arvensis

Paper Wasp

Common Poppy Papaver rhoeas

Oriental Marbled Skipper Carcharodus orientalis

But the star he was not a bird but an insect with a crazily fluffy Owl Lion complete with yellow and black wings and heart shaped deeley bobbers for antennae!

The speldiferous Owl-Lion Libelluloides coccajus

Owl-Lion Libelluloides coccajus

After a spot of lunch we followed the coast road towards Skamioudi and the Alikoudi Pool. An immature female Pallid Harrier was seen well, hunting a hedge line and a hole in the third primary on the right wing confirms that it is the same bird from Kalloni yesterday. 

These are HOOOOGE waves for the Bay...

2nd calander year female Pallid Harrier

2nd calander year female Pallid Harrier

A Squacco was trying to blend in with the vegetation in the river channel and several Common Sandpipers were along the beach. 

Common Sandpiper

Wood Sandpiper

Yellow-legged Gull

Yellow-legged Gull

Squacco

The track headed inland and a couple of olive grove stops produced singing Olive Tree Warbler, Masked Shrikes and Eastern Orphean as well as Hoopoe, Middle Spotted Woodpecker and Persian Squirrel. Black-headed Buntings, Bee-eaters and three shrike species adorned the wires as we headed back into open country before a mini wader fest at Alikoudi added five very obliging beach Collared Pratincoles to the list along with Temminck's and Little Stints. 

Masked Shrike

Black-headed Bunting

 

Alikoudi Pool

Alikoudi Pool

Collared Pratincoles

Some double Stint action

Great White Egret

House Sparrows investigating an old jetty

Family life...

The day was rounded up back at the Kalloni Salt Pans with superb views of the Spur-winged Plover on the pumping station pool and a couple of cracking Temminck's Stints and the sound of many more tropical sounding Black-headed Buntings proclaiming from wires and bushes...

Oh and someone mentioned the other day that it could not have been a Dalmatian as it lacked spots so I was pleased to find one with spots down there with the requisite adornments...

Spur-winged Plover

Spur-winged Plover

Spur-winged Plover

Temminck's Stint

Temminck's Stint - post bath

A proper Dalmatian just for Roy...

Black-headed Wagtail

Black-headed Wagtail

Patch Gold - quite literally - 10th June 2016

Yesterday was a good day. I was out on the west end of RSPB Rainham Marshes at not long after 6.30am and spent a pleasant hour ambling along the cycle path through the lush marsh and counting the breeding warblers.  A Grasshopper Warbler reeled and I managed to pick him up singing from a Hemlock and there was plenty of food carrying by other species. 

Grasshopper Warbler - I had to wait for a lorry to go behind him to show him up!

The Giant Hemlock is up over eight foot in places now but as usual was almost devoid of insect life although a Cream Spot Tiger was seeking shelter. 

Cream Spot Tiger

A small dark looking tern powered through going north east and I had no bins on my so just managed to get off one shot before it disappeared and it was whilst pondering this little mystery I heard a short fluty call from the willow birch copse up on the Silt Lagoons. 

mmm still pondering...

My brain told me Golden Oriole but my eyes told me that there were at least four half hearted male Blackbirds in the same patch. I heard it again and decided to respond with my own Oriole and much to my amazement it reacted to my own vocal efforts immediately.

Blooming ‘eck... I had actually found a Golden O on my patch. We spent the next few minutes having a chat and although I could not see him I was confident that he was out of the way of overly zealous attentions and I started to make a few calls and put the news out before heading into work with a huge grin.

Although I did not get back down to the west end I know that it sang periodically up until 1230 and was even seen on two occasions before disappearing till about 8pm when he came out and perched for those left waiting.

Both DD-L and Dave Smith managed to get recordings including the cat call that I did not hear but it seemed to be regularly making during the day.

Golden O - David Darrell-Lambert 

This was a completely new bird for the reserve, an Essex and London tick for me and many of the other people who were lucky enough to connect with him and a self found Patchwork Challenge six pointer which is a real bonus in the usually barren June.

There were plenty of other bits and bobs to be seen during the day including our first juvenile Marsh Harrier of the year on the wing and likewise broods of Shelduck, Oystercatcher and Bearded Tit while I unleashed the Bee Orchid during the Late Night Opening so that visitors could have a good look at this amazing plant.  

Bearded Tit - John Humble

 

Bee Orchid

Bee Orchid twitch - Helen Mathias

Even the Barn Owl came out to play and showed very well as it hunted the marsh for a snack for its growing young.

A lovely shot by Alasdair Wilcock

There was even some interesting river traffic with the nice Thames barge, a tiny Torpedo boat and the return of the mighty St Helena postal ship heading out at a fine old lick!

Torpedo Boat - John Ferguson

The St Helena - bet she has seen a few seabirds

The day may have lacked a sunset but I eventually headed for home at 1030pm with my own golden glow...

Lesvos Day Three : 25th April 2016

Day 3: 25th April

We had breakfast in the sunshine again, with four Hooded Crows and the ever twittering Swallows and House Martins for company as well as the cheeky male House Sparrow who now comes and sits by the table for his breakfast. Interestingly the local Spanish Sprogs never do this.

Smart Hoodie

We made our way to Soumaria to look for Scops Owls this morning with two of them giving us the evil eye while a Middle Spotted Woodpecker attempted to get back to its nest hole in one of the eucalypts. We soon left to give it a chance to feed its young. 

Middle Spotted Woodpecker - we stayed away!

 

Scops Owl

Up at the Kalloni Raptor Watchpoint two male Goshawks, Short-toed Eagles and Buzzards were seen but very few passerines and even the Cretzschmar's Buntings were not showy although unusually a Cinereous Bunting was heard singing.  Woodlarks were spiralling up above and Barry nabbed a speeding Woodpigeon for the list.

Big Views

A busy male Eastern Subalpine warbler stole the show for me and gave blinding views.

Eastern Subalpine Warbler with breakfast for the kids

We spent a good couple of hours at Kavaki where three male Ruppell's Warblers were heard and showed exceptionally well. A pair of Black-eared Wheatears was present the whole time with the black throated male shadowing his lady as she brought in pieces of grass for the nest in the retaining wall. Two Audouin's Gulls loafed offshore and two Bottle-nosed Dolphins were seen came in quite close but there were no shearwaters to be seen.    

Always stunning with the blue sky and sea and lemon scented Spanish Broom

Ruppell's Warbler

A second male Ruppell's Warbler

Black-eared Wheatear

Black-eared Wheatear

A male Sardinian scooted across the road and sang briefly and Subalps were equally vocal but the singing Eastern Orphean refused to show. There were plenty of butterflies around including Sloe Hairstreak and Eastern Dappled Whites and constant Raven action kept up sky watching.

 

Sloe Hairstreak - the blue dot by the tail is the key pointer

We made for Persama reservoir for lunch at our usual spot. It was insect heaven with a fine pair of Black Veined Whites and a monstrous Wolf Spider being the pick. Suddenly two Ravens went berserk and powered across the reservoir towards us... eyes to the skies and a very high adult Golden Eagle drifted over before performing a stupendous power dive over the ridge. A real bonus bird and a new species for the island for us. Three Common Sandpipers teetered around the edges and four Ruddy Shelduck and a single Audouin’s Gull were with the Yellow-legged Gull throng. 

Perasma

Bloody enormous Wolf Spider - even Barry almost suffered a mild brown trouser moment when he turned the rock over and it ran towards him...

Black-veined White Aporia crataegi

Orbed Red-underwing Skipper Spialia orbifer

Holy Orchid

Orb Weaver

Thermalling Gulls over Perasma

Just how Sam carries round all this gear in his mid eighties never ceases to amaze me.

Red-rumped Swallows adorned the wires

And a Cirl Bunting was feeding young

Back down to the Kalloni Salt Pans where Red-throated Pipits and flava wagtails abounded and Bee-eaters gave incredibly close views. 

The magic of Bee-eaters

Black-headed Wagtail

 

And cannot forget the occasional scenic Donkey...

Two Harriers were seen - an unequivocal adult male Montagu's with powder grey uppers and a pale gingery immature female Pallid with dark underwing secondries and a hint of boa and collar. 

2nd calander year female Pallid Harrier

The day ended on the Tsiknias with a superb Purple Heron in a tree and a Green Sandpiper trying to hide in the riverbed....

Purple Heron

Hypecoum procumbens

Watering the lucerne fodder fields and the attendant Yellow-legged Gulls