Birding in Lesvos 2026

 So our annual visit to Lesvos....

We went out for two weeks at the beginning of  May and had a brilliant tine apart from both of us becoming rather ill for a couple of days, that messed up our plans quite a bit. So we didn't quite hit the number of birds that we have seen in the past couple of years. But then again the birding is some respects seemed quite different too.  So we managed 124 species this year, with two species that have eluded us since we started going to Lesvos 11 years ago.

The weather as well was awful when we arrived, but improved as the the first week went on and stayed very nice until our last full day which turned windy and wet again.

So here's a few photos from week one.

Day one around Skala Kallonis,

Red-backed Shrike by the bakery,

Night Heron, trying to hide in the pools behind the Pasiphae Hotel,

                                        

Black-headed Bunting at the Tsikinias River,

along with an Eastern Olivaceous Warbler 

and a Crested Lark strutting his stuff.

By the Pasiphae Hotel a Nightingale was giving it some welly.

Day Two:

Out and about around Kalloni Salt Pans;

Wood Sandpiper,

Whiskered Tern,

Tawny Pipit,

Glossy Ibis,

Squacco Heron,

Gloosy Ibis,

Greater Flamingo,

and Little Owl.

Day Three, Heading west to Sigri, via Epsilou Monastery. I didn't take many photos today, even though we saw plenty, nothing that close for any halfway decent photos.
Cinerous Bunting being electric!

Ortolan Bunting,

NorthernWheatear

Masked Shrike.

Day three, staying local near Kalloni, visiting Matochi Lake and Potemia Valley and Reservoirs.

But first Alykes Wetland for more Glossy Ibis action,

a fleeting glimpse of Collared Pratincole,

Plenty of waders, Sandpipers and Ruff,

Another Eastern Olivaceous Warbler giving it large, 

Fkamingoes at Parakila Marshes,

Night Heron showing a little better at the Pasiphae Hotel pond and

Terrapins at the 'hidden resevoir' at Potemia

Day Four, Makara Valley. Again many birds were seen, but photography was proving difficult, but I managed a few.

Woodchat Shrike,

Rock Nuthatch,

Cirl Bunting,

Turtle Dove,

Little Ringed Plover,

Squacco Herons,

Masked Shrike,

Alpine Swift

and a quick visit to the 'Kalloni Scops Copse' before heading to Makara for the Scops Owls.

and a Persian Squirrel at Kerami School

Day Five, today was lunch at Molyvos day, with a few stops on the way.

Blue Roch Thrush at Kavaki Bay

and a Subalpine Warbler also at Kavaki Bay,

At Molyvos Reservoir, a first for us, a bird that has eluded us until now,

two Great Spotted Cuckoo making Great Spotted Cuckoos!! Awesome.

That will do for week one.

A Few Birds from New York

 A couple of photos I did manage from New York, using the small lens!

Mourning Dove,

American Robin,

Blue Jay,

Red-tailed Hawk and

a Northern Mocking Bird.

Next stop Lesvos!

Red Squirrels, Osprey and a catch up!

 We have been really busy the last few weeks with decorating, some friends coming to stay and recovering from our trip to New York.

Firstly the trip to New York and Niagara wasn't a birding trip, so no binoculars or long lens on the camera, but we did add 11 new species to our bird list! Which was very nice.

Since then we haven't been got out much, we did manage a couple of hours at Portmoak Moss near Scotlandwell, where we heard loads of birds, but saw very few. The only one to trouble the camera was this Buzzard;

We took our friends Wendy & Tim to Loch of the Lowes while the were here, we had good views of the two Ospreys, fingers crossed they are successful this year and raise a chick to maturity. 🤞

We started though with a nice Red Squirrel sighting on the short woodland walk before going to the visitor centre.

Disappointingly all off the seed feeders had been removed from by the picture window in the visitor centre as they had seen evidence of Trichomonosis, so they had been removed  to hopefully restrict the spread of the disease.

Being a Sunday, which we normally avoid, the reserve was busy and the hides were full with photographers who had set up camp in the hope of getting good shots of the Ospreys. Perhaps on a weekend the SWT should think about time limiting access to the hides. 😏

When we eventually got into a hide later in the day  it was pretty quiet, with Great crested grebe and Goldeneye showing well.

The Osprey weren't very active, so I took a shot of one on the nest, obviously even with the 500mm lens, it's still pretty distant.

On the way home we popped into the RSPB Loch Leven reserve, just to check for more Red Squirrels in the woodland and we were lucky again.

A lovely day, oh and we had some Roe Deer at Loch Leven too....

That'll do!