Lesvos 2025 Part 2

 So on with more birding from Lesvos! Well the first one isn't a bird, but it's pretty!

Gulls and Terns down at Tsiknias River mouth,

Bee-eater,

White Stork in the fields by the river,

as was this Yellow-legged Gull,

Couldn't resist photographing more storks.

Shelduck are always wonderful to see wherever you are.

As are Black-headed Buntings.

A well camouflaged Ringed Plover in the gravel at the river.

The Kallonis Saltpans are always reliable for Black-winged Stilt.

There were also plenty of Juvenile Ruff about.

Now a Dalmatian Pelican up close is an amazing thing, with a 3 metre wingspan, they are very impressive.

Further afield we stopped at the Petrified Forest visitor centre in case there were any Little Owls in the adjacent farm buildings and weren't disappointed. 

From there we carried on to Faneromeni and the fords, it was very quiet (and hot!) with not much about, but this Squacco showed briefly.

We then stumbled across a pair of Rufous Bush Robin delivering food to a very well hidden nest, we watched from a distance for a while, it was awesome!

They were closely watched by this female Red-backed Shrike.

A break from birds. A butterfly!

From Faneromeni, we went for a fantastic late lunch in Sigri, then took the track to Eresos.

With plenty to see, this Cretzschmar's Bunting posed nicely for us.

And at the Meladia Chapel we found Pied Flycatcher

and a nice Wood Warbler.

Then as we approached Eresos, a well hidden Little Owl presented itself to us!

That's enough for the moment... part 3 tomorrow perhaps!

Birding in Lesvos 2024 - Part 3

 In part 3 I'm just going to post a few of my favourites from the 2nd week.......

Black-headed Bunting in full voice..

Nightingale,

Goshawk have a bit of a problem with a Raven,

Shelduck on Tsikinias River,

Caspian Gull,

Red-throated Pipit,

more Greater Flamingo,

Pygmy Cormorant,

Laughing Dove in Loutra Village,

Collared Dove,

Spur-winged Lapwing (Plover),

Purple Heron,

European Bee-eater,

ready for it's close up!

Krüpers Nuthatch,

Long-eared Owl (Again, no apologies!),

Masked Shrike,

Female Montagues Harrier,

Black Stork,

Squacco Heron,

Lesser Grey Shrike,

Stone Curlew,

Corn Bunting,

Persian Squirrel,

Eastern Olivaceous Warbler,

Black-headed Bunting yet again,

Spotted Flycatcher,

Stonechat (with lunch),

Find the Rock Sparrow,

Spotted Redshank,

Short-toed Treecreeper,

Krüpers Nuthatch,

Butterfly!

Marsh Sandpiper,

Bar-tailed Godwit & Marsh Sandpiper

and finally setting up the bonfire in Skala Kallonis Square for the Greek Orthodox Easter Celebrations.

I did say I would do a list of all the birds we came across in the two weeks, so here it is:

Alpine Swift  ("Apus melba")

Avocet  ("Recurvirostra avosetta")

Barn Owl  ("Tyto alba")

Bar-tailed Godwit  ("Limosa lapponica")

Bee-eater  ("Merops apiaster")

Black Stork  ("Ciconia nigra")

Black Tern  ("Chlidonias niger")

Blackbird  ("Turdus merula")

Black-eared Wheatear  ("Oenanthe hispanica")

Black-headed Bunting  ("Emberiza melanocephala")

Black-tailed Godwit  ("Limosa limosa")

Black-winged Stilt  ("Himantopus himantopus")

Blue Rock Thrush  ("Monticola solitarius")

Blue Tit  ("Cyanistes caeruleus")

Buzzard  ("Buteo buteo")

Caspian Gull  ("Larus cachinnans")

Cetti's Warbler  ("Cettia cetti")

Chaffinch  ("Fringilla coelebs")

Cinereous Bunting  ("Emberiza cineracea")

Cirl Bunting  ("Emberiza cirlus")

Citrine Wagtail  ("Motacilla citreola")

Coal Tit  ("Periparus ater")

Collared Dove  ("Streptopelia decaocto")

Common Sandpiper  ("Actitis hypoleucos")

Common Tern  ("Sterna hirundo")

Coot  ("Fulica atra")

Cormorant  ("Phalacrocorax carbo")

Corn Bunting  ("Emberiza calandra")

Crag Martin  ("Ptyonoprogne rupestris")

Crested Lark  ("Galerida cristata")

Cretzschmar's Bunting  ("Emberiza caesia")

Curlew Sandpiper  ("Calidris ferruginea")

Dalmatian Pelican  ("Pelecanus crispus")

Eastern Olivaceous Warbler  ("Iduna pallida")

Fan-tailed Warbler  ("Cisticola juncidis")

Glossy Ibis  ("Plegadis falcinellus")

Golden Oriole  ("Oriolus oriolus")

Goldfinch  ("Carduelis carduelis")

Goshawk  ("Accipiter gentilis")

Great Reed Warbler  ("Acrocephalus arundinaceus")

Great Tit  ("Parus major")

Great White Egret  ("Ardea alba")

Greater Flamingo  ("Phoenicopterus roseus")

Green Sandpiper  ("Tringa ochropus")

Greenfinch  ("Chloris chloris")

Greenshank  ("Tringa nebularia")

Grey Heron  ("Ardea cinerea")

Gull-billed Tern  ("Gelochelidon nilotica")

Hen Harrier  ("Circus cyaneus")

Hooded Crow  ("Corvus cornix")

Hoopoe  ("Upupa epops")

House Martin  ("Delichon urbicum")

House Sparrow  ("Passer domesticus")

Icterine Warbler  ("Hippolais icterina")

Isabelline Wheatear  ("Oenanthe isabellina")

Jackdaw  ("Corvus monedula")

Jay  ("Garrulus glandarius")

Kentish Plover  ("Charadrius alexandrinus")

Krüper's Nuthatch  ("Sitta krueperi")

Laughing Dove  ("spilopelia senegalensis")

Lesser Grey Shrike  ("Lanius minor")

Lesser Kestrel  ("Falco naumanni")

Levant Sparrowhawk  ("Accipiter brevipes")

Linnet  ("Carduelis cannabina")

Little Bittern  ("Ixobrychus minutus")

Little Crake  ("Porzana parva")

Little Egret  ("Egretta garzetta")

Little Grebe  ("Tachybaptus ruficollis")

Little Owl  ("Athene noctua")

Little Ringed Plover  ("Charadrius dubius")

Little Stint  ("Calidris minuta")

Little Tern  ("Sternula albifrons")

Long-eared Owl  ("Asio otus")

Long-legged Buzzard  ("Buteo rufinus")

Mallard  ("Anas platyrhynchos")

Marsh Harrier  ("Circus aeruginosus")

Marsh Sandpiper  ("Tringa stagnatilis")

Masked Shrike  ("Lanius nubicus")

Middle Spotted Woodpecker  ("Dendrocopos medius")

Montagu's Harrier  ("Circus pygargus")

Moorhen  ("Gallinula chloropus")

Night-heron  ("Nycticorax nycticorax")

Nightingale  ("Luscinia megarhynchos")

Ortolan Bunting  ("Emberiza hortulana")

Pied Wheatear  ("Oenanthe pleschanka")

Purple Heron  ("Ardea purpurea")

Pygmy Cormorant  ("microcarbo pygmeus")

Raven  ("Corvus corax")

Red-backed Shrike  ("Lanius collurio")

Red-breasted Flycatcher  ("Ficedula parva")

Red-footed Falcon  ("Falco vespertinus")

Red-rumped Swallow  ("Cecropis daurica")

Red-throated Pipit  ("Anthus cervinus")

Reed Bunting  ("Emberiza schoeniclus")

Reed Warbler  ("Acrocephalus scirpaceus")

Ringed Plover  ("Charadrius hiaticula")

Robin  ("Erithacus rubecula")

Rock Dove / Feral Pigeon  ("Columba livia")

Rock Sparrow  ("Petronia petronia")

Roller  ("Coracias garrulus")

Rough-legged Buzzard  ("Buteo lagopus")

Ruddy Shelduck  ("Tadorna ferruginea")

Ruff  ("Philomachus pugnax")

Sardinian Warbler  ("Sylvia melanocephala")

Scops Owl  ("Otus scops")

Sedge Warbler  ("Acrocephalus schoenobaenus")

Serin  ("Serinus serinus")

Shelduck  ("Tadorna tadorna")

Short-toed Eagle  ("Circaetus gallicus")

Short-toed Lark  ("Calandrella brachydactyla")

Short-toed Treecreeper  ("Certhia brachydactyla")

Skylark  ("Alauda arvensis")

Spanish Sparrow  ("Passer hispaniolensis")

Spotted Crake  ("Porzana porzana")

Spotted Flycatcher  ("Muscicapa striata")

Spotted Redshank  ("Tringa erythropus")

Spur-winged Lapwing  ("Vanellus spinosus")

Squacco Heron  ("Ardeola ralloides")

Stonechat (rubicola)  ("Saxicola torquatus rubicola")

Stone-curlew  ("Burhinus oedicnemus")

Subalpine Warbler  ("Sylvia cantillans")

Swallow  ("Hirundo rustica")

Swift  ("Apus apus")

Tawny Pipit  ("Anthus campestris")

Temminck's Stint  ("Calidris temminckii")

Turtle Dove  ("Streptopelia turtur")

Western Rock Nuthatch  ("Sitta neumayer")

Wheatear  ("Oenanthe oenanthe")

Whinchat  ("Saxicola rubetra")

White Stork  ("Ciconia ciconia")

Whitethroat  ("Sylvia communis")

White-winged Black Tern  ("Chlidonias leucopterus")

Wood Sandpiper  ("Tringa glareola")

Woodchat Shrike  ("Lanius senator")

Yellow Wagtail  ("Motacilla flava")

Yellowhammer  ("Emberiza citrinella")

Yellow-legged Gull  ("Larus michahellis")