(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.
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).
(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:
(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:
Gary E. and Austin M. were excellent birders and good friends for years and the day was really enjoyable! We started very early from the central parts of the island for the Kruper’s Nuthatch and then headed West for the other island’s specialties.
You can find out more (species and photos) at Austin’s blog:
http://austinmorley.blogspot.com/p/lesvos-greese-2019.html
Our meeting point was Eressos village and Don M. and I had only a few morning hours available for our birding. Nevertheless, we had a great birding morning!
The great views of nest providing and singing Cinereous and Cretzschmar’s Bunting and Rock Nuthatch would be just enough for us but we got even more: a female Orphean Warbler providing its 3 recently fledged chicks, Black-headed Bunting, Bee-eaters, Eleonora’s Falcon, Crag Martin, Ruddy Shelduck, Long-legged Buzzard!
A lovely day in the West with Yon and Chara H. from Holland. A slow but very productive birding mostly by walking around Sigri and Eressos villages. Interesting birds we had together were: Cinereous, Cretzschmar’s and Black-headed Bunting, Isabelline and Black-eared Wheatears, Rock Sparrow, Bee-eaters at a nesting site, Golden Orioles (more than 25!), Masked and Woodchat Shrikes, Lesser Kestrel, etc.
Hanna and Emil, South African birders, had a full-day trip around the island to enjoy the most of the birds of Europe.
We started from the Agia Paraskevi area and continued to Eressos and Sigri for some of the island west’s specialties. The afternoon found us back in the Kalloni Salt Pans for some wetland birds.
We managed to see 57 different bird species, having as highlights: Masked and Woodchat Shrike, Cinereous, Cirl and Cretzschmar’s Bunting, Orphean and Oriental Warblers, Purple Heron, Glosy Ibis, Curlew and Marsh Sandpiper, Long-legged Buzzard, Short-toed Eagle, Little Owl, etc.
The highlights of these 2 full-day trips around the wetlands of the Kalloni Gulf and Molivos area (day 1) and Schalochori and Eresos areas (day 2) with Svante and Elizabeth were: DALMATIAN PELICANS, Ruddy Shelducks, Cory’s and Manx Shearwaters, AUDUIN’S GULL, KRUPER’S and Western Rock NUTHATCHES, Sombre Tit, Middle Spotted Woodpecker, ISABELLINE WHEATHEAR, RUFOUS BUSH ROBIN, EASTERN ORPHEAN WARBLER, EASTERN BONELLI’S WARBLERS, OLIVE-TREE WARBLERS, Black-headed Buntings, Woodchat and MASKED SHRIKES, CRETZSCHMAR’S and CINEREOUS BUNTINGS, Short-toed Eagle, Long-legged Buzzard etc and a bonus of a CITRINE WAGTAIL!
A total of 99 different bird species were recorded.
(photo by Lefteris Kakalis)
Lesvos Birdwatching 