Lesvos 9th/22nd September 2005
For our two week stay in Lesvos we choose to stay in the north of the island just outside Molyvos hoping to catch up with migrants moving south through Turkey,and over the next 2 weeks we were not to be dissapointed.
Day 1 - 9th September
Arriving at our appartment i made a point of going out on to the balcony to check out the view, we were idealy situated looking out at the old lighthouse on the faros headland. Red-Rumped Swallow, Barn Swallow, House Martin and Sand Martin were all flying around in good numbers.I then heard Bee-Eater calling overhead and looking up saw 40+ Bee-Eater flying in off the sea ,a second larger group of 80+quickly followed and all headed inland.We quickly headed out of the appartment and began to search the various fields to see what else was around. 4 Spotted Flycatcher were seen catching insects from fence posts, a male Black-Eared Wheatear was found resting on a drystone wall and good numbers of Red-Backed Shrike were seen around various fields. As dusk approched we decided to retired back to our appartment but were halted by the call of a churring Nightjar. Searching the area we managed to see a male glide past calling "Kru-ik -Kru-ik "as it passed by.
Day 2 - 10th September
A morning walk around the fields around Molyvos produced 9 Red-Backed Shrike, 1 juv Lesser Grey Shrike hunting insects from a small olive tree, 30+ Willow Warbler, 6 Spotted Flycatcher, 25 Red-Rumped Swallow, 100+ Barn Swallow, 60+ House/Sand Martin. After Breakfast a black morph juv Honey Buzzard was seen fly in off the sea and head up into the valley behind Efthalou . We stayed in this area for the rest of the morning in the hope of more raptors but no more were to be seen. Searching the fields once more produced 6 Tawney pipit feeding in a dry grassy field,12 Red Backed Shrike, 4 Spotted Flycatcher, 100+ Goldfinch, 10 Linnet and good numbers of Hirundines. A flash of blue then caught my eye in the distance that turned out to be a Roller. It was watched for about 10 mins peached on a dead tree befor it dissappeared into the olive groves.
Day 3 - 11th September
On hireing a car the previous everning we headed to the salt pans near Kalloni, first birds to be seen were 400+ Greater Flamingo mainly all adult birds but there were a small number of juv birds.Setting up the scope i began to scan the area for waders, 8 Avocet, 5 Black Winged Stilt, 3 Redshank, 5 Little Stint, 10 Kentish Plover, 3 Little Ringed Plover and 4 Curlew Sandpiper were seen. Looking over the fields we saw 30+ Corn Bunting perched on wires, 1 Bee-Eater also on the wires, 20+ Yellow Wagtail flying over, 5 Whinchat, 6 Spotted Flycatcher,12 Black Eared Wheatear, large numbers of Goldfinch feeding on thistles,good numbers of Crested Lark and Willow Warbler.Driving further along the salt pans we saw 1 Black Stork, 2 Little Egret, 4 Grey Heron and 3 Great White Egret.
Curlew Sandpiper
Driving back to Molyvos we stopped at Petra Reservoir birds seen in this area were 3 Common Sandpiper, 1 Wood Sandpiper, 2 Green Sandpiper, 1 Little Ringed Plover, 1 Little Stint, 1 Black Heades Wagtail, 3 Whinchat, 4 Black Eared Wheatear, 1 Spotted Flycatcher and 2 Corn Bunting. Arriving back at Molyvos we saw Middle Spotted Woodpecker , 1 juv Lesser Grey Shrike and 2 Tawney Pipit.
Day 4 - 12th September
1 Black Kite and 1 Honey buzzard low over our appartment early am. An morning spent around the Eftalou valley and Molyvos fields produced much the same as previous days so we again headed towards the salt pans. First stop was Kandri beach and whilst Yvonne decided to get some sun i took a walk along the salt marsh. 2 Stone-Curlew were seen walking along the salt marsh but managed to do a dissappearing act into the scrub as soon as they saw me. Also in the area were 100+ flyover Yellow Wagtail, 3 Tawney Pipit, Whinchat, Red Backed Shrike, 5 Kentish Plover, 2 Little Ringed Plover, 2 Curlew Sandpiper, 1 Curlew, 1 Little Stint,2 Little Egret, 10 Great Cormorant and a flyover flock of calling Bee-Eater.
Stone-Curlew
Moving futher along the coast we stopped at east river but the area was very dry a only had a few Little Egret and Grey Heron in the area so we headed to the salt pans , birds seen were an adult winter Lesser Grey Shrike, Whinchat, Blue Headed Wagtail, Tawney Pipit, and a female Marsh Harrier around the fields. Waders seen were Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint, Redshank, kentish Plover, Little Ringed Ploverand Avocet also on the salt pans were 50+ Black-Headed Gull, Yellow-Legged Gull and 400+ Greater Flamingo
Day 5 - 13th September
2 Honey Buzzard in off the sea at Molyvos early morning but no further raptors after a 3hr watch. A drive to Sigri stopping off a verious locations was our plan for the day. First stop was near the small pond just outside Skoutaros here we saw Western Rock Nuthatch, Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Sombre Tit,Willow Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat. Moving futher on we stopped off at the gorge near to Andisa where 8 Cragg Martin were in the area as well as several Blue Rock Thrush ,Black Eared Wheater, Stonechat and Cirl Bunting. Pressing on we stopped near to the Petrified Forest where a large raptor was spotted soaring above the valley ,it was a Short Toed Eagle. Other birds in this area were 1 Long Legged Buzzard, Eleonoras Falcon,Black Eared and 2 Northern Wheatear, Whinchat and Western Rock Nuthatch. Driving onwards to Sigri we walked the various valleys but nothing much was seen apart from Whitethroat, Orphean Warbler and Spotted Flycatcher. Heading back to Molyvos we stopped at the layby in petra for Ruppells Warbler but our luck was out and all we saw were 3 Willow Warbler and 2 Whinchat. Arriving back at Molyvos the Lesser Grey Shrike was still showing but again to distant for a photo also 1 Tawney Pipit was still in the dry grassy field.
Day 6 - 14th September
A poor days birding with very little around and the weather was in the high 90s making it hard to walk for any distance. Curlew Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Little Stint, Kentish Plover, Little Ringed Plover, Avocet and Greater Flamingo seen on the salt pans. A Single Grey Heron and 6 Little Grebe were the only birds on petra reservoir. A short walk around the Molyvous fields produced only Middle Spotted Woodpecker,Red Backed Shrike and 1 Spotted Flycatcher, As the afternoon turned to dusk we had a heavy thunderstorm with heavy rain so i was very eager to be out at first light the next day
Middle-Spotted Woodpecker.
Day 7 - 15th September
Out at first light the weather was very overcast and much cooler than previous days, i made my way up to the old lighthouse between Molyvos and Efthalou to get a good vantage point looking out over Turkey. Straight away there was a small movement of Marsh Harrier flying in off the sea and passing overhead into the Efthalou Valley . As it got lighter more raptors began to fly in from the sea passing very low overhead ,several groups off 30+ and 40+ Marsh Harrier poured over the lighthouse followed by 200+ Honey Buzzard, this specticle continued for the next 2 hrs with at least 450 honey Buzzard, 200+ Marsh Harrier, 4 Lesser Spotted Eagle, 2 Booted Eagle, 1 Goshawk ,2 Eurasian Sparrowhawk, 3 Eleonoras Falcon,5 Black Stork and over 2000 Barn Swallow. As i got my breath i decided to walk into the Efthalou valley to see if any passerines had came in with the weather. first birds seen were 3 Pied Flycatcher on the edge of the olive groves, large numbers of Spotted Flycatcher and willow Warbler were everywhere.As i walked further on 2 Hoopoe were flushed from the track and a Golden Oriole was seen flying past ,as i arrived in to the mountain valley large numbers of Wheatear were seen with 10 Northern, 30+ Black Eared and 2 Isabelline, i then saw a a strange thrush like bird fly up in front of me and land on the roof of a old barn it turned out to be a winter male Rock Thrush. Staying in this area for the rest of the day produce a steady passage of Marsh Harrier and Honey Buzzard , 7 Tawney Pipit, another Hoopoe and to finish the day in style 2 Ortolan Bunting.
winter male Rock Thrush.
Day 8 - 16th September
After a night of heavy rain i made my way to the Efthalou valley just after first light. Two Middle Spotted Woodpecker were seen feeding on the ground in one of the olive groves but soon flew off when they saw me . Walking further along the trail a male Golden Oriole was seen fly through the trees and landing just out of range for the chance of a photo, also in this area were 2 first winter Orphean Warbler, 4 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Common Whitethroat and 10 Spotted Flycatcher. As i neared the valley i flushed a Hoopoe that had been drying its self out in the sun, reaching the point were so many raptors had passed yesterday i began scanning the skys and surrounding hillsides but there was no sign of any raptor movement, after about 3 hrs i left the area and decided to check out the salt pans at Kalloni. We arrived at Kalloni salt pans just after midday and began to serch the fields for any migrants. I was amazed to see at least 200 or more Yellow Wagtail feeding around a flock of sheep that were desturbing insects as they walked around, looking more closly there were many different races Blue Headed(flava), Grey Headed(thunbergi), Black Headed(feldegg), Ashy Headed(cinerocapilla) and 1 possible Spanish(iberiae) after about two hours of wagtail watching we walked further down the road were we saw Lesser Grey Shrike, 8 Tawney Pipit and lots of whinchat and Black-Eared Wheater. Checking the salt pans we saw a Sandwich Tern flying over, the wader numbers were very small with a few Curlew Sandpiper,Little Stint, Redshank, Avocet, Little Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover and 1 Black Winged Stilt. The Greater Flamingo numbers were about 450 birds. Heading back to Molyvos i once again tryed out the Efthalou Valley area and was rewarded with 2 Cirl Bunting, Orphean Warbler, Hoopoe,1 Cuckoo, Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Spotted Flycatcher,Little Owl and 5 Roller that all flew down the valley together with 1 juv bird landing in full view on the top of a dead tree.
Roller
Day 9 - 17th September
A good start to the day with 17 Marsh Harrier, 38 Honey Buzzard, 1 Lesser Spotted Eagle and 1 Short-Toed Eagle flying in off the sea from Moliyvos castle from 8.00am to 11.00am. After breakfast i visited Petra Reservoir on the approch road i saw 5 Red-Backed Shrike, 1 Cirl Bunting, 1 Stonechat and 6 Black-Eared Wheater. Reaching the resovoir i set up the scope and began to scan the area 6 Little Grebe, 1 Wood Sandpiper, 3 Common Sandpiper and 1 Little Ringed Plover seemed to be the only birds on the resovoir. I was just leaving when two gulls flew in so i decided to set up the scop again,and was i glad i did, 2 Audouins Gull .1 juvenile and 1 adult winter bird as i was watching these birds through the scope a Snipe walk passed the two gulls ,not seeing many snipe befor in lesvos i began to look at it more closely and noticed very prominent whitemarkings on the wing coverts . My mind went into overdrive trying to think where i had seen snipe with these markings befor, then it came to me Great Snipe. Looking at the bird again i noticed that it also had a heavily barred belly i was now satisfied that i was indeed watching a Great Snipe. I was later join by another couple of birders from Denmark who also confirmed that it was a Great Snipe, we tryed to get a bit closer to take a photo but ended up flushing it to the far side of the reservoir so we decided to leave it to rest.
adult winter Audouins Gull
On the walk back down to the car a Cettis Warbler was heard calling from a bushy area. Arriving back at Moliyvos i went for a walk around the Efthalou area to see if anything new had came in ,birds seen were Blue Rock Thrush, Middle Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Tawney Pipit, 3 Spotted Flycatcher, 2 Eleonoras Falcon, Little Owl, Whinchat, and good numbers of Hirundine
Day 10 - 17th September
An early morning 3 hr raptor watch produced 4 Honey Buzzard and 1 Marsh Harrier so i decided to head back up to Petra Reservoir. There was no sign of yesterdays Great Snipe ,only birds on the res were 6 Common Sandpiper, 1 Wood Sandpiper, 2 Little Stint and 6 Little Grebe. I then drove down to Kalloni salt pans and parked just off the main road at the far end and walked up the dirt track viewing the various salt pans and laggoons.A White Stork was seen flying over the salt pans and landing out of view in a field, walking down the track i noticed 2 pale waders resting on a small island they turned out to be Marsh Sandpiper . As i watched the Marsh sandpipers i began to scan the area , birds seen were 500+Greater Flamingo, 40+Avocet, 30+Little Stint, 12 Little Ringed Plover, 10 Kentish Plover, 10 Curlew Sandpiper, 2 Black Stork, 5 Great White Egret, 20+Little Egret, 15 Grey Heron, 8 Great Cormorant and 1 Black Necked Grebe. Looking in the fields i saw 2 Tawney Pipit, 3 Whinchat, 3 Yellow Wagtail and 2 Black-Eared Wheater. Walking back to the car a Common Kingfisher flew passed me heading down the estuarie.
Kentish Plover
Arriving back in molyvos i spent a couple of hours in the Efthalou area . Birds seen were Cuckoo, Hoopoe, 15 Red-Backed Shrike, 5 Spotted Flycatcher, 3 Western Rock Nuthatch, 2 Middle-Spotted Woodpecker, 3 Orphean Warbler, 12+Willow Warbler and 10 Red-Rumped Swallow.
Day 11 - 19th September
An early morning 3hr raptor watch between 8.00am-11.am near the old light house at Efthalou produced 16 Honey Buzzard, 1 Common Buzzard, 2 Marsh Harrier and 5 grey heron. The last hour went very quite so we decided to head for Kandri Beach so that Yvonne could get a bit of sun. I decided to have a walk around the salt marsh to see if the Stone Curlew was still around but the area was very quite the only birds seen were 1 Curlew, 9 Little Stint, 2 Redshank, 1 Dunlin, 5 Great Cormorant and 1 female Reed Bunting. Returning to Molyvos i walked over to the Efthalou Valley and discovered that there was a massive movement of raptors moveing through the valley . Between 3.30 pm and 4.45pm over 300 honey Buzzard, 150+ Marsh Harrier, 1 Booted Eagle, 2 Great Spotted Eagle, 1 Lesser Spotted Eagle, 10 large unidentified raptors and to top the day 1 Juvenile Pallied Harrier. I stayed in the valley until 6.30pm but no more raptors passed over after 4.45pm after seeing such a large movement of raptors i wondered just how many i had missed earlyer on in the afternoon.
Day 12 - 20th September
After yesterdays raptor bonanza i decided to stay in the Efthalou valley all day watching for raptors. The day proved to be nothing like yesterday afternoons massive movement but there were still birds passing through the days total was 9 Marsh Harrier, 24 Hony Buzzard, 5 Eleonoras Falcon,1 Peregrine, 1 Long Legged Buzzard and 1 Lanner. Other birds in the area were Lesser Whitethroat, Whinchat, Black Eared Wheater, Cirl Bunting,Little Owl, Willow Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, Red Backed Shrike, Red Rumped Swallow, House Martin & Sand Martin.
Red-backed Shrike
Spotted Flycatcher
Day 13 - 21st September
Work up to heavy rain and decided to sit it out for a while on the appartment balcony . As i was sat drinking a coffee a juv Red Footed Falcon flew passed and landed on electric wires right in front of the balcony, a mad dash to grab the camera resulted in one decent photo befor it was chased off by a jay. After the rain had eased imade my way to the Efthalou Valley to see if anthing else had arrived. There was once again a steady passage of15 Honey Buzzard with singles passing over most of the morning .Roller and Hoopoe were also seen near to the Olive groves , Other birds in the area were Middle Spotted Woodpecker, 7 Whinchat, 10Spotted Flycatcher,Blue Rock Thrush, Black Eared Wheatear,Eleonoras Falcon, Barn Swallow, House Martin,4 Red Rumped Swallow and 1 Little Owl.
juv Red-footed Falcon
Day 14 - 22nd September
As we only had a few hours befor our flight home we had a last walk around Efthalou and saw the following 1 Common Swift, 10 Red Rumped Swallow, Barn Swallow, House Martin, Sand Martin, 3 Spotted Flycatcher, 2 Red Backed Shrike and 6 Willow Warbler. To sum up the holiday in one word "UNBELIVEABLE" the massive passage of Raptors were totaly unexpected and just goes to show what a fantasic island Lesvos is for birds.