Monday, 28 July 2025

Lesvos 2025 Part 5

 Our birding journey around Lesvos continues............ this is the last one honest!
So here's a nest built into the side of a rock face...
and here's the owner, a Rock Sparrow. We saw this nest last year on the Sigri-Eresos track and much to our delight it was in use again.
So a catalogue of birds seen in he last few days;
Spotted Flycatcher,
Black-headed Bunting,
Wheatear,

another Spotted Flycatcher,
Red-backed Shrike,
A cricket of somesort,

Corn Bunting,
Lacewing,

Red-rumped Swallow,
yet another Spotted Flycatcher 😅
Butterflies galore,
Spotted Flycatcher with lunch,
I'm sure that tasted nice 😏
Caterpillar nest!
Red-backed Shrike,
that Wood Warbler again, same tree as before!
Short-toed Eagle,

Juvenile Orphean Warblers,

More butterflies.


Night Heron,
Swallows having a drink.

Then after two weeks of trying, a Scops Owl at the mini soccer pitch just outside Kallonis Town.
Squacco Heron down at the Tsiknias River again,
The Terns and Gull were still hanging around at the river mouth,
with the Common Tern doing a flyby.
Back at the river, A Black Stork, Great Egret and Little Egret keeping each other company.
At the Saltpans managed to get some nice shots of a Little Stint,
Ruff
Spur Winged Lapwing
and another Little Stint, their summer plumage is magnificent.
A close up of a Black Stork,
Shelduck,
Ringed Plover,
and Reed Warbler.
Heading back to the village, I couldn't resis more Bee-eater photo opportunities
and a Black Stork flying right over us.

So that's it for another year. Hopefully we will be back again next year and we can do it all again!
 


Saturday, 26 July 2025

Lesvos 2025 Part 4

 The Lesvos adventure continues,...............................

So we start with a beautiful Red-backed Shrike

and a White Stork posing nicely on a shed roof near the Kalloni Salt Pans.
Out Kavaki way, we came across a pair of Turtle Doves, which was delight,
then a Black-eared Wheatear down on the rocks
and a magnificent Blue Rock Thrush, but it never cam close enough for a decent photo.
Another bonus was a an Subalpine Warbler.
Continuing on from Kavaki to Petra/Molyvos resevoir there were plenty of Ruddy Shelduck, with one obliging with a flyby,
Followed by a buzzard.
A nice Black-headed Bunting, but for the life of me I can't remember where!
But this Egret was back at the Tsiknias River,
as were these White Storks.
Curlew Sandpipers at the Saltpans...
Another Stork...
And yet more Bee-eaters

I couldn't resist more Spur-winged Lapwing shots

as well as more Curlew Lapwing Photos.

Spoonbills! At the eastern side of the Saltpans we found 30 Spoonbills in one of the channels,
that then decided to relocate and join the Dalmatian Pelicans and Flamingos.
Another bird we see everywhere, but a rarity in the UK. A Corn Bunting, because they are so common I tend to forget to photograph them, so here's one!
Little Tern catching its lunch.


Yellow Wagtails..

We hunted for this one and were finally rewarded, a Collared Pratincole.

That's a great bird to end part 4 with.