Cover photo: Cinereous Bunting (Emberiza cineracea)
Eric and his group from America were here for a week’s birding (13 to 18/04). We went around all the great spots in central and western Lesvos and had all the breeding species and an amazing variety of migrant ones. We had three photographers and an avid bird sound recorder in the team.
Here are some record photos of mine:
(cover photo: Cretzschmar’s Bunting)
Paul (UK) and I were birding around central and western Lesvos. I was surprised to find so many spring migrants had arrived on 17 March.
Here are some highlight shots of the birds we had:
We also had Ruddy Shelducks, Glossy Ibisses (not my side of the car…), Short-toed Eagle, Marsh Harriers, Common Swifts, Barn & Red-rumped Swallows, several Black-eared and Northern Wheatears, Blue Rock Thrush, Zitting Cisticola, Western Rock Nuthatch, e.t.c.
(cover photo: Blue-cheeked and European Bee-eaters)
Steve, Bob and I made the very best of Lesvos in Spring with five full days (18-22/04) birding (primarilly just birdwatching) all around the island.
Here are some highlight shots from our birding:
Together with Pieter (South Africa), we had a very early start in some phrygana areas to get his target passerine species and moved to the wetlands and then to the pine forest. This was a birdwatching oriented trip and here are some record photos I took:
We also had Blue Rock Thrush, Kruper’s Nuthatch, Sombre Tit, Woodchat Shrike, Cirl Bunting, Dalmatian Pelican, and others.
David has been to Lesvos in Spring for many years now. This was our second year out together. We spent two days in the west and one around the Kalloni Gulf.
I had the most impressive sighting of tens of Black-headed Buntings (Emberiza melanocephala) in a single flock out in the west:
Here are some more of the photos I managed to take:
Lesser Grey Shrike (Lanius minor)- one of the 4 species of shirkes we had!
Roller (Coracias garrulus)
Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur)
Bee-eater (Merops apiaster)
Ruddy Shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea) ducklings
Red-breasted Flycatcher (Ficedula parva)
Our black-capped Jay (Garrulus glandarius atricapillus)
Some poppies still in blossom (Papaver rhoeas)
We were after certain species to photograph them for Burg’s (Holland) life list. On the first morning we had torrential rain in the west, yet we did manage to get our target birds.
Here are some highlight photos (Burg, of course, managed way better than mine..!):
Cretzschmar’s Bunting (Emberiza caesia)
Cinereous Bunting (Emberiza cineracea)
Masked Shrike (Lanius nubicus)
Woodchat Shrike (Lanius senator)
Great Spotted Cuckoo (Glamator glandarius)
Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler (Phylloscopus orientalis)
Red-throated Pipit (Anthus cervinus)
Two great days out with Marco from Italy. We had all the Lesvos specialities plus Red-footed Falcons and Collared Pratincoles in several sites.
Here are some highlight photos of mine:
Cirl Bunting (Emberiza cirlus)
Alpine Swift (Tachymarptis melba)
Masked Shrike (Lanius nubicus)
Red-backed Shrike (Lanius collurio)
Our “wetland flower” Iris orientalis
Two days out birding with Caroline and Gill from England. In the central parts of the island, and a quick visit to the west to search for the White-throated Robin.
Here are some highlight photos (not so many as we mainly just watched the birds!):
Greater Flamingos (Phoenicopterus roesus) by the Kalloni Gulf.
Collared Flycatcher (Ficedula albicolis)
Kruper’s Nuthatch (Sitta krueperi)
Isabelline Wheatear (Oenanthe isabellinus)
This couple of birders were at the spot where the White-throated Robin was seen that morning and for hours later. The male bird was seen only by the founders.
This was a photography oriented birding and here are my first photos for Spring 2023 guiding season with Hendrinck from Holland. We first explored the eastern and central parts of the island and moved to the west on the second day.
Here are some highlight photos:
Laughing Doves (Spilopelia senegalensis) at Loutra.
Black-winged Stilts (Himantopus himantopus) by the Kalloni Pans
Temminck’s Stint (Calidris temminckii).
Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides), one of several we had on both days.
Ruddy Shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea).
A pair of Red-rumped Swallows (Cecropis daurica) in dawn light.
Female Masked Shrike (Lanius nubicus).
Female Cinereous Bunting (Emberiza cineracea).
Two (!) Collared Flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis)- an impressive influx of them this week!
Tawny Pipit (Anthus campestris).
Rock Sparrow (Petronia petronia)
I had two days of birding with Janet from the USA. We enjoyed finding together Squacco Heron, White and Black Stork, Pied Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, White-winged Tern, Bee-eater, Laughing Dove, Yellow Wagtail, Sardinian Warbler, Black-eared Wheatear, Kruper’s Nuthatch, Black-headed, Cretzschmar’s and Cinereous Bunting, Short-eared Owl, Short-toed Eagle and many more. Birdwatching was our main goal, so I only have a few good photos from the trips worth posting here.
Scops Owl (Otus scops)
Lesvos Birdwatching 