Lesvos Birdwatching

22 & 23 April, full-day birding

Posted on April 24, 2023December 28, 2023 by Eleni Galinou

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).

13 & 14 May, full-day birding

Posted on May 14, 2022April 3, 2023 by Eleni Galinou

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)

May 7, full-day

Posted on May 8, 2022March 25, 2023 by Eleni Galinou

We had a full day around the whole of the island with Paul. P from Canada, that wanted to make the best of his single day birding on the island.

Here are some record shots from our birding:

Sombre Tit (Poecile lugubris)

Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)

Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)

Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides)

Little Owl (Athene noctua)

Cinereous Bunting, female (Emberiza cineracea)

White Stork (Ciconia ciconia)

Also had Kruper’s Nuthatch, Cretzschmar’s Bunting, Laughing Dove, Scops Owl, Masked Shrike, Black Stork and many more!!

27-30 April full-day birding

Posted on May 1, 2022January 18, 2023 by Eleni Galinou

Ruppell's Warbler;Lesvos;Lesvosbirding;Lesvosbirdwatching

(with Jean-Paul from France)

During this series of four full days around Lesvos, we got the main target species to take photos from (Kruper’s Nuthatch, Olive-tree Warbler, Cinereous and Cretzschmar’s Buntings) and had a great time birding around all parts of the island.

Here are some of my record shots from our birding:

Black-headed Bunting (*Emberiza melanocephala*)

Cretzschmar’s Bunting (*Emberiza caesia*), female

Cretzschmar’s Bunting (*Emberiza caesia*), male

Isabelline Wheatear (*Oenanthe isabellina*)

Cinereous Bunting (*Emberiza cineracea*)

Laughing Dove (*Spilopelia senegalensis*), at its 1st confirmed breeding site in Greece

26 April full-day birding

Posted on April 27, 2022January 18, 2023 by Eleni Galinou

(with Fabrizio, Mario and Sandro from Italy)

I helped this group of friends photograph the Kruper’s Nuthatch, Cinereous Bunting and Cretzschmar’s Buntings, Masked Shrike, Black-eared Wheatear, Scops Owl, Stone Curlew and several more species.

Here are some of my record shots from our birding:

A pair of Eastern Black-eared Wheatears (*Oenanthe melanoleuca*)

A flock of Greater Flamingos (*Phoenicopterus roseus*) out of nowhere!

Masked Shrike (*Lanius nubicus*), female

16 April full-day guiding

Posted on April 16, 2022January 16, 2023 by Eleni Galinou

(with Guinderno and Paola from Italy)

During this full day around the Kalloni Gulf and Western Lesvos, we got all lifer targets Guinderno had when coming to Lesvos: Kruper’s and Western Rock Nuthatch, Masked Shrike, Sombre Tit, Cinereous and Cretzschmar’s Buntings and I got a Common Rock Thrush!!

Here are some record shots from our birding:

Squacco Herons (*Ardeola ralloides*), Black-winged Stilt, Flamingos, Ruffs, Wood Sandpipers.

Common Rock Thrush (*Monticola saxatilis*)

Isabelline’s Wheatear (*Oenanth isabellina*)

Eastern Subalpine Warbler (*Sylvia cantillans*)

Collared Flycatcher (*Ficedula albicollis*)

12 & 14 April half-day guiding

Posted on April 14, 2022January 16, 2023 by Eleni Galinou

(with Anne and Leo from Norway)

During 2 half-days around the Kalloni Gulf and having Skala Kallonis as a starting point, we had:

Ruddy and Common Shelduck, Garganey, Flamingo, Black Stork, Glossy Ibis, Wood and Marsh Sandpiper, Short-toed Eagle, Long-legged Buzzard, Scops Owl, Woodlark, Black-headed Wagtail, Black-eared Wheatear, Eastern Orphean Warbler, Sombre Tit, Kruper’s, Western Rock and Common Nuthatch, Cinereous, Cretzschmar’s and Cirl Bunting and many more (even a Fox!) and many more.

Here are some record shots:

Greater Flamingos (*Phoenicopterus roseus*)

Black-winged Stilts (*Himantopus himantopus*) and a Marsh Sandpiper (*Tringa stagnatilis*)

Yelkouan Shearwaters (*Puffinus yelkouan*)

1st half of April scouting birding

Posted on April 11, 2022January 17, 2023 by Eleni Galinou

I was out with my son on this extremely windy day (April 10) to check some areas for newly established bird territories and, at the same time, take part in the Greek Bird Race that was held this weekend. The race is formally organised for Athens and Thessaloniki areas but other parts of Greece may take part without competing. This year’s 4th race was dedicated to the Turtle Doves (#YearOfTheDove).

We first visited some garrigue areas with scattered trees between Parakila and Agra. Several singing Cinereous and Cretzschmar’s Buntings gave good opportunities for “welcomes” and some photos. The area was full of Black-eared Wheatears and singing well-hidden Eastern Orphean Warblers. Here are some photos:

**Cinereous Bunting *(Emberiza cineracea)* foraging by the track side.**

**Another Cinereous Bunting at its singing post.**

**Eastern Black-eared Wheatear (Oenanthe melanoleuca)**

Also had singles of Sombre Tit and Rock Nuthatch.

Our list was 66 bird species long with 2 hour, early morning, birding, a car passage from the main Mitilini-Kalloni-Parakila “wetland-road” and an hour spent in the pine forest on the way back to Mitilini.

We also had 2 species of Scorpions.