Lesvos
2005 Tour Report 5th- 12th May
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5th May The down
side of an early flight, means an upside of arriving at your destination
in time for some birding. Arriving in the NE town of Petra we collected
our bags and quickly unpacked. Following a quick snack most of the group
explored the green byways of Petra, although the journey to the apartments
did produce Avocet, Buzzard, Cormorant, Little
Egret, Lesser Kestrel, White Stork, Redshank
and Yellow Wagtail. Venturing not too far from our apartments,
we walked through back lanes into small fields and woods. This produced
some of the island stars like our first Black-headed Bunting, Crested
Lark. Some of the party saw their first Middle Spotted Woodpecker,
plus a total of 30 newly arrived Bee-eaters around the apartment
block. A single Night Heron was flushed from a ditch by one lucky
observer. The well vegetated areas held plentyof passerines including
many Great Reed Warbler, plus several Olivaceous Warbler.
The sky was worth watching as this yielded 6th May Our first
full day began with a pre-breakfast stroll in the fields, hedges and woods
around our apartment block. Straight away we heard and saw River Warbler,
amid the rich song of Nightingale and Thrush Nightingale,
and our first Masked Shrike of the tour. Olivaceous Warblers
called constantly, with the occasional Cetti's Warbler for good
measure. Several Middle Spotted Woodpeckers were also seen amid
the Olive Groves. Over the apartments good numbers of House Martin
and Swallow, with the occasional Red-rumped Swallow also.
Following breakfast we spent the rest 7th May Today we
ventured further afield and headed south towards the Inland Sea and Salt
Pans via the East River, all well known sites on Lesvos. The 40min drive
was filled with anticipation. The Inland Sea seems slightly over stated,
a modest Inland Lake greeted us and would seem a more appropriate name.
The air was filled with Swallows and House Martins, plus
hundreds of Sand Martin. The reed fringes held lots of Reed
and Great Reed Warbler, with plenty of Cetti's Warblers
too. A p
Following
an early breakfast we drove SW towards 'Derbyshire', we knew of a Krupers
Nuthatch nest, but the young were due to fledge any day, which would
have made looking for them very difficult. Arriving in the Derbyshire
area we were impressed with the mature woodlands. After a concerted effort
we eventually found the Krupers Nuthatch nest, and on form they duly performed
extremely well, as everyone had excellent scope views. The Derbyshire
area produced many new birds, including Cirl Bunting, Firecrest,
Serin, Treecreeper and Short-toed Treecreeper and
Woodlark. Moving along the coastat the Derbyshire/ Achladeri area
produced more birds, including Common and Curlew Sandpiper,
Raven, our first Ruddy Shelduck and Turnstone. Being
in the area we briefly called into the Salt Pans. 30 Little Terns
greeted us,along with 360+ Greater Flamingo. 6 Wood Sandpiper
were nice, as was a Little Gull. Unexpectedly 2 Black Stork
flew overhead, which proved to be a welcome distraction from all the waders.
4 White-winged Black Tern were again counted. At the main road
we turned N towards the Upper East River, this became a track as we wound
our way up a hillside, but was well worth the effort. Lots of Crested
Lark were seen, with Alpine Swift over head, with Black-eared
Wheatear on many rocks. Not 9th May A brief pre-breakfast
stroll around Petra produced a probable Levant's Sparrowhawk, plus
Scops Owl. Today we headed out west, towards Sigri, this would
take us through different habitats, from river beds, to
We heard
about a small valley, just off the main road at Petra, so our pre-breakfast
jaunt involved a steepish walk up a track on the outskirts of town, but
itwas well worth the effort. The scrubby covered hillside gave way to
high, steep crags that funnelled migrant birds. Red-backed Shrikes
were common, as were Black-eared Wheatear and Alpine Swift
(36) flying over the town. However our target was Sombre Tit. We
initially dipped, but after scanning the scrub an individual popped up
and entertained some of the group. The remainder frustratingly dipped
on this bird, however the wait was not in vain. A Lesser Grey Shrike
put in a brief appearance, as did Middle Spotted Woodpecker,
Spotted Flycatcher, Pied Flycatcher and Cirl Bunting.
Following breakfast we headed back towards Derbyshire as a Spur-winged
Plover had been seen. Sure enough our efforts were rewarded, as it
gave good views by a roadside pond, attracting a small gathering, along
with a distant Tawny Pipit in a grassy field. Again the group split
into 2 for lunch, most opting for a hearty taverna lunch, the rest, bread/
cheese and more birding at Kalloni Pool, which was a shadow of it's former
self, despite this we did tick Coot!, plus Great Reed Warbler.
Reunited after lunch we again visited the nearby Salt Pans. We were greeted
by the usual Greater Flamingo, Avocet and Kentish Plover.
However we did find 6 Collared Pratincoles, which looked
more like terns than waders. Also new today were a party of 15 Whiskered
Terns that passed through. On the bunds between the salt pans we saw
4 Stone Curlew, hidden by the long grass. An imp 11th May Our last
full day, which had come around all too quickly. Impressed by the small
valley we went to yesterday, we made a return visit. This proved a good
move with some excellent birding. We had several Olivaceous Warbler,
as well as River Warbler and Blue Rock Thrush. At last all
the party caught up with Sombre Tit- to the relief of all. Highlight
of the morning were the raptors, which began with 6 Long-legged Buzzard,
2 Common Buzzard and a displaying Honey Buzzard. We also
had a brilliant Pallid Harrier and Goshawk. After breakfast
we undertook a loop of the Northern Mountains, and down to the Salt Pans
via the Napi valley. Stopping many times we typically had lots of raptors
including lots of Buzzard, plus Peregrine, Sparrowhawk
and Kestrel. Although at a coastal high point overlooking Turkey
we had another Pallid Harrier, the area turned out to be honey
pot as a large party of falcons moved through. This included 11 Red-footed
Falcons, about 10 Eleonora's Falcons and 4 Hobby- incredible.
Other birds included good numbers of Swifts, plus Alpine Swift
(circa 200) as well as 2 Black Stork. In the Napi Valley we stopped
for a very welcome ice-cream and reflected on the large party of falcons.
Dropping down the Napi Valley we again stopped off at the Salt Pans. Curlew
Sandpipers were in evidence, with at least 30 present. We also had
a Fan-tailed Warbler 'zitting' by the road, plus the pair of Rufou 12th May We packed
up early and were picked up by the coach. We had a long wait at the airport,
and finally checked in. No birding today, but at the airport and on the
journey back e reflected on what a brilliant tour it had been , with some
brilliant birding in some stunning and varied landscapes. Here's to our
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