(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.
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:
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.
I had my first 5 House Martins flyover Perama village (Gera Gulf) on Feb 13! I was happy and sad to see them as the days that followed it was extremely cold…
The meeting point with Beatrice C. and her friends was the Messa wetland and we saw different birds there when we started our day and again when we finished it!
We visited the nearby pine forest for the nesting KRUPER’S NUTHATCH where we had really beautiful views of the male visiting the nest to take care of his incubating partner.
Later on, we visited the coastal wetlands of the northern Kalloni Gulf and we had together a very interesting list of migrant and summer visitor species: Black Stork, DALMATIAN PELICANS, GLOSSY IBISES, Flamingos, Black-tailed Godwits and Ruffs, MARSH SANDPIPERS, Black-winged Stilts, OSPREY, Black-headed Yellow Wagtails, many passing Common Swifts etc
Here are some photos of the birds we found:
By the end of this March a good number of spring visitor species of birds were recorded already (data taken from Lesvos Bird News group on Facebook):
White Storks (Ciconia ciconia) on the Kalloni (a pair) and Kerami nests
Dalmatian Pelican (Pelacanus crispus)
Garganey (Anas querquedula)
Ruff (Calidris pugnax) and Green (Tringa ochropus) and Wood Sandpiper (T. glareola)
Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus) and Avocet (Recorvirostra avocetta)
Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius)
Glossy Ibiss (Plegadis falcinellus)
Little Crake (Porzana porzana)
Short-toed Eagle (Circaetus gallicus) and Pallid Harrier (Circus macrorous)
Yellow and Black-headed Wagtail (Motacilla flava)
Barn (Hirundo rustica) and Red-rumped Swallow (Cecropsis daurica) and House (Delichon urbicum) and Sand Martin (Riparia riparia)
Common Swift (Apus apus)
Hoopoe (Upupa epops) and Woodchat Shrike (Lanius senator)
Sedge (Acrocephalus scheoniclus) and Sub-alpine Warbler (Sylvia cantillans)
Northern (Oenanthe oenanthe), Black-eared (O. hispanica) and Isabelline Wheatears (O. isabellina, a pair at territory, featured photo of this post by L. Kakalis)
Cretzschmar’s Bunting (Emberiza caesia)
The guiding season for 2018 begins in a few days!
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“!
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).
Lesvos Birdwatching 