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Mid-April, whole day bird-photography trip around Western Lesvos

Posted on by Eleni Galinou

Hans and I spent the day in the vast garrigue areas of Western Lesvos (Agra and Sigri). Our main target was the Cinereous Bunting and the birds found in this specific habitat. It was a windy and relatively cold day but we managed to get what we wanted. Fantastic photos of the Cinereous Bunting, Chukar, Linnet and a bird Hans had for the first time photographed: the Wood Lark. We also found: BLUE ROCK THRUSH (a male singing and displaying for a long time), Sombre Tit, MASKED and Woodchat SHRIKES, CRETZSCHMAR’S BUNTING, ISABELLINE WHEATEAR, Ruddy Shelducks, Rock Pigeons, Orphean Warbler, Collared Flycatchers, Short-toed Eagle etc.

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Chukar (Alectoris chukar), photo: HANS GLADER

Mid-April, half-day trip around Southern Lesvos

Posted on by Eleni Galinou

Together with Wouter and Luise, we visited the East side of the Kalloni Gulf : coastal wetlands, pine forest and olive-groves and agricultural land by Polichnitos. A day full of passing hirundines and swifts with 1st sightings of some bird species for this Spring! We had: KRUPER’S NUTHATCH, Turtle Doves, 2 PALLID HARRIERS, Ruddy Shelducks, Ruffs, Wood Sandpipers, Kentish Plovers, Black Stork, Glossy Ibisses, WHISKERED and BLACK TERNS, MASKED and WOODCHAT SHRIKES, lots of SPANISH SPARROWS etc.

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Whinchats (Saxicola rubetra) on the move!

Mid-April, half-day trip around Central Lesvos

Posted on by Eleni Galinou

Phillippe and Pascale had already been on Lesvos for a week and had seen nearly all of the island’s specialties. Our day’s targets were the MASKED SHRIKE and EASTERN ORPHEAN WARBLER. Also the Isabelline Wheather and some wild flower species. I chose a route including the birds’s prefered habitats, around Agia Paraskevi and later Agra and we got our targets within the first one hour having the rest of the trip to also enjoy some good birds (and plants!): Turtle Doves, 2 GREAT SPOTTED CUCKOOS, Purple Herons, Little Owl, Woodchat Shrikes, SOMBRE TIT, Woodlark, Subalpine Warblers, WESTERN ROCK NUTHATCH, CINEREOUS, ORTOLAN, CRETZSCHMAR’S and Cirl Buntings, etc.

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Rhododendrum luteum

Mid-April , afternoon half-day trip around Central Lesvos

Posted on by Eleni Galinou

Beatrice C. (a novice birder) had a tight program on the island so I had to create this taylor-made afternoon trip to some wetlands of the north coast of the Kalloni Gulf and pasture land near Agia Paraskevi. We had Ruddy Shelducks, GLOSSY IBISSES, Flamingos, PURPLE HERON, Spoonbills, Black Storks, SQUACCO HERONS, Ruffs, Wood and MARSH SANDPIPERS, WOODCHAT SHRIKES, SOMBRE TIT, SPANISH SPARROWSetc.

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A Sombre Tit, processing its food!

Mid-March up-date

Posted on by Eleni Galinou

More migrants have been recorded until the 20th of March: GLOSSY IBISSES first seen on 15/3 by the Kalloni Pans flooded fields (photo by Christ. Samaras) and in Skala Kallonis (by Thekla Koukourouvli) . It was the same day they were also recorded for the first time in Northern Greece coastal wetlands (by Dimitris Kokkinidis, check the Facebook group “About Thrace beyond, birding and more“).

Also, ALPINE and COMMON SWIFTS, together with more Barn Swallows (Kalloni Pans, by Lefteris Kakalis) on 17/3 and, finaly, RUPPELL’S and SUB-ALPINE WARBLERS in Haramida on 20/3 (photo by Petros Tskamakis).

All records posted on Facebook group “Lesvos Bird News“!

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First week of March: the first migrants

Posted on by Eleni Galinou

Spring has come here on Lesvos!

Besides all the Almond trees in blossom we had the first arrivals of migrant birds: Small numbers of House Martins (Delichon urbicum) and Swifts (Apus apus) in the towns, sightings of single Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica). Also a single White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) back to one of the two Kalloni area active nests.

At the wetlands the first flocks of passing waders: 280+ Dunlins, 27 Ruffs and 59 Avocets (all observed at the Kalloni Salt Pans).

End of September, half-day trips around Central Lesvos

Posted on by Eleni Galinou

Red-backed Shrike; Lesvos

The highlights of 2 half-day (27 and 28/9, 08:00-14:00) guided birding and BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY trips around Kalloni, Molivos and the wetlands of the North coast of the Kalloni Gulf were:

DALMATIAN and WHITE PELICAN, LONG-LEGGED BUZZARDS, Sombre Tits, KRUPER’S NUTHATCHES and Middle Spotted Woodpeckers,  Rock Nuthatches, dozens of RED-BACKED SHRIKES, WHINCHATS and Willow Warblers, and of course Flamingoes, Black Storks, Ruddy Shelducks, Spoonbills etc.

(photo © El. Kakalis)

Beginning of August, family trip to the Kalloni Salt Pans

Posted on by Eleni Galinou

Had this visit to the Kalloni Salt Pans the evening of August 10. With Giorgos H. and his three member family with very little birdwatching experience. We had more than great views of Dalmatian Pelicans, Flamingos, Black Storks, Avocets, Black-winged Stilts, Common and Little Terns, Ruddy Shelducks etc and lots of fun!

International Summer School of Geoparks visit to the Kalloni Salt Pans

Posted on by Eleni Galinou
Kalloni Salt Pans; Lesvos

Let’s not forget that the whole island of Lesvos is designated as a Global Geopark by Unesco!

Participants in the International Summer School of Global Geoparks visited the Kalloni salt Pans on the morning of June 24. They were presented about the wetlands of the Aegean and Lesvos and birdwatched at the East parts of the Kalloni Pans. We watched together: Flamingos, 5 DALMATIAN PELICANS, 15+ Slender-billed Gulls, nesting Black-winged Stilts, a magnificent Short-toed Eagle that flew low over us all, Black Storks, Common and Little Terns etc.

The summer school that was entitled “Unesco Global Geoparks”was hosted by the Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest and the Geography Dept of the University of the Aegean. It had participants from all parts of the world (Iran, Brazil, Indonesia, France, Greece, Cyprus, Portogal, Senegal etc.).

The previous evening Lesvos Birdwatching participated in a panel discussion about the alternative activities on the island of Lesvos.

For more about the summer school see here.

Birdwatching at the Kalloni Salt Pans

School visit at the Kalloni Salt Pans

Posted on by Eleni Galinou
School birdwatching at the Kalloni Salt Pans; Lesvos

The Primary School of Nees Kydonies (east part of the island, near Mitilini) wanted to have a look at the Kalloni Salt Pans birds as part of their yearly long-distance excursion. There was a great influx of Flamingos in the pans these last period (in contrast with the few hundreds of birds earlier in May) so we were able to observe them really well as a mixed flock of immature and adult Flamingos were feeding/resting at a very close distance. The kids were impressed by the birds themselves, their habits and the journeys they undertake (we even saw a bird with a coloured ring, ringed in Turkey!).

Kalloni Salt Pans; Flamingos; Lesvos