Lesvos May Page 1

Transcription

1 Lesvos 1-15 May 2018 Page 1

2 This spring I went for the seventh time to the beautiful island of Lesvos. For my wife Trudie it was the sixth time. As usual we stayed at the Pela Hotel in Skala Kallonis. We had a lovely vacation again. We visited lots of nice places, met a lot of nice people and the food was delicious. And of course we saw a lot of beautiful birds, flowers, butterflies and other animals. 1 May: At 02:00 in the morning we left home. Our daughter Sylvia brought us to Schiphol Airport. We reached the airport about 03:00. It was very cold that night and there was a lot of rain. We past the security smoothly. The plane took off at 07:45, so we had to wait quite a long time on the airport. We first headed to Samos and after the new passengers for Amsterdam had boarded, we left for Lesvos. It s a short flight from Samos. After picking up our hired car at Mytilini Airport, we drove to Skala Kallonis and about 16:00 we reached our hotel. We had a drink on the terrace, talked a while with Thekla and Howard Vaughan, another Lesvos regular. Then Trudie went to our room and I went to the Kalloni saltpans. There I met again some people I ve met before on the island. One of them got stuck with his car in the sand and with the help of a few men, we could get the car out again. That evening we had dinner at the hotel and went to bed early. Wood Sandpiper Red-rumped Swallow 2 May: I didn t go out early. After breakfast we first went to the saltpans. In the fields opposite the Saltwork Entrance I found a beautiful male Citrine Wagtail. Then we visited the ruins of an old Christian Basilika near Agia Paraskevi. I never went to this place before and it was a very interesting site. Page 2

3 Then we went to the forest at Achladerí to try to find Krüper s Nuthatch, but we didn t see them. A short-toed Treecreeper showed very well. Short-toed Treecreeper I heard that a Great Spotted Cuckoo was reported at Apothikes, so I went there but the bird was gone. Because I was in the neighborhood, I drove to Mákara, but there were very few birds. In the large pool near the bridge was a group of dogs in the water so all the birds were gone. I ended the day at the saltpans and along Tsiknias River and went back to the hotel. We had heard that our favorite restaurant, Ambrosia, was closed so we had to find another restaurant. We had dinner at Sampo. Back in the hotel we had a drink in the bar and had a chat with some Lesvos friends. 3 May: After breakfast we went to the west. First I drove up Mount Ordimnos but we didn t get very far, because the road was blocked. Some people were working on the road. Page 3

4 Then we visited Ipsilou monastery. We parked our car below and walked up the mountain. On the way up we took the old monk trail and back down we took the road. In the monastery the monks keep Chukar Partridges and one bird had managed to escape. Near the bell tower I could take some pictures of this Swallowtail and on the roof I saw a Blue Rock Thrush bringing food to his nest Swallowtail Along the road there were a lot of butterflies and the endemic grasshoppers, Poecilimon mytelenensis. We never saw so many of them together. We had lunch in Sigri and then took the coastal road to Eresós. Not far from Sigri there were two Short-toed Snake Eagles circling around above the valley. Along this road we saw a lot of butterflies too and I managed to take some nice pictures. Balkan Marbled Whites Black-eared Wheatear Page 4

5 Trudie wanted to go back to the hotel. I went to the saltpans and Tsiknias River. In the river I found a Marsh Sandpiper and at the lower ford was this very confiding Common Sandpiper. That evening we had dinner at Caprice. Wood Sandpiper and Marsh Sandpiper Common Sandpiper 4 May: I woke up early and went to the saltpans. In the moat was a group of ten Black Storks. Then on to Tsikniasr River, where I could photograph this Rosy Starling. I had never seen this bird on Lesvos before, because normally we are already back home when they show up on the island. After breakfast we went to Molivos. At the Kalloni Mini Soccer Pitch we checked the trees for Eurasian Scops Owl, but we couldn t find one. There was a dog with three lovely puppies. Later that day we heard from Holland there should be four puppies. Page 5

6 We spent an hour at Kavaki. There I saw Rüppell s Warbler, Blue Rock Thrush, Eastern Subalpine Warbler and Red-backed Shrike. These birds were too far away for a photo, so I took some pictures of butterflies, other insects and of this Cirl Bunting on the fence. Levantine Skipper Poecilimon mytelenensis Cirl Bunting We walked a while through Molivos, had a drink and bought some souvenirs. Back in Skala Kallonis I went to the saltpans where a group of Collared Pratincoles was flying around. That evening we had dinner at Sampo. 5 May: I woke up early and went to Metochi Lake. Then to the saltpans and Tsiknias River. After breakfast we went to the Kalloni Mini Soccer Pitch, but again we couldn t find any Eurasian Scops Owls. We did see al four puppies this time and gave the dogs something to eat and some water. Then we went for a walk in the Potamia Valley. The weather forecast had said that it would be a bit cooler today, but again it was very warm. We saw few birds, so I took some pictures of other animals. Banded demoiselle White-legged damselflies Small Pincertail Page 6

7 I ended the day at the saltpans where I could take this picture of a Curlew Sandpiper. That evening we had dinner at Faros. Trudie wasn t very hungry and she wanted just a snack. I had one too, a little bigger though. 6 May: This morning I went to Tsiknias River. At the lower ford I saw a Spur-wInged Plover. It flew towards the mouth of the river where I found it again. Because it started raining I went back to the hotel. While having breakfast we got a storm with lots of rain and thunder. So we had no breakfast in the sun this morning. Thekla told us it hadn t rained so hard since January. After the heat of the last few days it felt quite nice. When it stopped raining we went to the saltpans. There were still heavy clouds and a lot of wind that caused high waves in the bay. The nearly dry fields had water again and a lot of birds were back in the fields. At the small bakery in the harbor of Skala Kallonis we bought something to eat. In the afternoon I went back to the saltpans. This Black Stork showed well and suddenly this Spurwinged Plover landed just in front of me. Page 7

8 A large group of Ruff showed very well also. On the way back to the hotel I saw two people taking pictures along the road at the Kalloni Pool. There were a lot of Eastern Tree Frogs, so before dinner I spent a while with these beautiful frogs. We ended the day with a walk to the mouth of Christou River and back along the beach. We had dinner at the hotel. 7 May: Before breakfast I went to the saltpans and to Kalami Marsh. There were a few Garganey males, a Water Rail, some beautiful bugs and some colourful spiders. Unfortunately the birds were too far away for a decent picture. Page 8

9 After breakfast we went to Kalloni Pool. Several people were taking pictures of the Eastern Tree Frogs. Besides the frogs there was a beautiful butterfly, the caterpillar of a Scarce Swallowtail and a Southern Darter. Caterpillar of Scarce Swallowtail Theretra alecto Southern Darter In a hedgerow on the parking of the Kalloni Bay Hotel were also several insects and spiders and people were taking there pictures too. Philaeus chrysops Greek Marbled Bush Cricket Then we went to the waterfall at Klapados. Despite the heavy rain of the last days, the fall had no water at all. But it s still a beautiful place with plenty of frogs, Stripe-necked Terrapins, dragonflies and damselflies. Page 9

10 We moved on to Kavaki and then took the coastal road from Efthalou to Skala Sikamineas. There we had a drink and while we were on the terrace it started raining again. We took the road through the Napi Valley back to our hotel. At the saltpans I could take this picture of mating Blackwinged Stilts and a Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin. We had dinner in the hotel. 8 May: I didn t go out early. After breakfast we went for a walk in the Napi Valley. A Spur-thighed Tortoise was lying on his back in the middle of the road and we turned it back on his feet. We saw some great birds i.e. Olive Tree Warbler, Masked Shrike, Woodchat Shrike, Eurasian Hoopoe, Black-eared Wheatear and Eastern Subalpine Warbler. On the track I saw this Ladybird Spider. Spur-thighed Tortoise Woodchat Shrike Ladybird Spider Past the Kremasti Bridge we went to the Kalloni Mini Soccer Pitch in another attempt to see Eurasian Scops Owl, but again we didn t find one. I went to Achladerí, walked up the mountain and had great views over the forest and the bay of Kalloni. Page 10

11 After Kalami Marsh and along the Tsiknias River I went back to the hotel. We had dinner at Sampo. 9 May: This day I didn t go out early. After breakfast we went to Mount Olympus. We drove all the way up till where the concrete road ends and walked up the last part to the top. We had spectacular views of the island. We saw Eurasian Crag Martins collecting mud, Cretzschmar s Bunting, House Martins and Black-eared Wheatear and when walking the way down we saw this beautiful Scarce Swallowtail. Eurasian Crag Martin Scarce Swallowtail After the Olympus we visited Plomari. We were never there before. We took a walk around the town, had some ice-cream and went back to Skala Kallonis. I went to the saltpans and could photograph this European Bee-eater and a Black-winged Stilt. We had dinner in the hotel. Page 11

12 10 May: Early in the morning I went to Metochi Lake and Tsiknias River. After breakfast we went to Kalloni Mini Soccer Pitch again and thanks to an English birder with a telescope we finally saw a Eurasian Scops Owl. We then went to Petri and walked from there to the Valley of the Mills. We saw a Persian Squirrel that wasn t bothered at all of us being there and I could take some pictures of it. We also saw a Western Rock Nuthatch at his nest. We had lunch in Petra and afterwards we went to Gavathas. We were never there before and the village was nearly extinct. Near Skalochori we past a pool with lots of Stripe-necked Terrapins in it. Page 12

13 Near the school in Kerami we saw two Eurasian Scops Owls and at the saltpans, near the pumping station, House Martins were collecting mud to built their nests. We had dinner in the hotel. 11 May: Early in the morning I went to Achladeri to try to see Krüper s Nuthatch and after walking up the mountain I saw two of them. A stray dog came to and me and it looked like it had some puppies hidden somewhere. After breakfast we first went to see the Eurasian Scops Owls near the school in Kerami. Then we went to Agiassos. At Achladeri we brought some food to the dog. The plan was to go walking in the forest near the Agiassos sanatorium, but when we got there it started raining again and we heard thunder so we stayed in the car. A Greek farmer came to me, asked where we came from and gave us a large bag of cherries. They were delicious. We went to the town centre and drank a cup of coffee in a traditional kafeneion. Then we drove to the east side of the bay of Kalloni. We stopped at Mikri Limni and wanted to go for a walk around the lake, but we just got out of the car and heard thunder again so we went back in the car. Dark clouds above the Olympus Spotted Fritillary We went to Nifida and also looked at Alikoudi Pool. An pair of Pied Avocets had young and the birds tried to lure us away by pretending to be injured. Then we went back to the hotel. I was not in the mood to go out again and we stayed in the hotel. It got darker and finally it started to rain in Skala Kallonis as well. Page 13

14 12 May: I didn t go out early this morning. After breakfast we went to Metochi Lake and from there we did the walk to the Metochi monastery and on to the Leimónos monastery. We started this walk last year too but that day it was so hot that we didn t finish it. This day the weather was perfect. Along the route we saw this Woodchat Shrike and a lot of beautiful insects, like this Julodis ehrenbergii. We visited the museum of Leimónos monastery. We had to walk the same way back to our car. We bought some groceries in Skala Kallonis and I went to the saltpans, Tsiknias River and to the school in Kerami. There this Eurasian Scops Owl showed itself very well. Page 14

15 13 May: I got up very early this morning, because I wanted to be early on the road from Eresós to Sigri. At 06:30 I arrived there. I had a great morning. A lot of birds showed very well and I could take some nice pictures of Cretzschmar s Bunting and Red-backed Shrike. Before going back to the hotel I drove along the road to the Petrified Forest and saw a Chukar Partridge on a rock and I could photograph a Little Owl near the barn and a Yellow-legged Gull. Cretzschmar s Bunting Red-backed Shrike Little Owl Yellow-legged Gull After a late breakfast we drove through the Potamia Valley all the way up to Anemótia and back to Skala Kallonis. We took a quick look at the Eurasian Scops Owls at Kerami before going to the bakery to buy lunch. The rest of the afternoon we were just being lazy. In the beginning of the evening we took a walk along the beach to Christou River and I went to the saltpans and Tsiknias River. We had dinner at the hotel. 14 May: Our last full day on Lesvos. Early in the morning I went for a walk at Agriosikos, the area near the radiomast above Filia. I saw Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Eastern Bonelli s Warbler and Western Rock Nuthatch. On the way back to the car this bird flew past me to a big rock along the track. It stayed long enough for me to take some pictures of it. Page 15

16 After breakfast we went to Chrousos. I was glad to drive in a 4x4, because the road was very rough and we got stuck in the sand. Luckily we got out again. Near a farm this Little Owl was chased away by a dog and landed on a pole beside the road. Then we went to the beach at Mákara. There were few birds around, but we saw Western Rock Nuthatch very well. Near Parákila we visited the little chapel Aghios Ioannis and did take a look at the little harbour. Then we went back to the hotel to say goodbye to some other guests that were going home again. After they left, I went to the saltpans and Tsiknias River where I saw a White and a Black Stork. 15 May: At 05:45 I was already awake and went to Metochi Lake, the saltpans and Tsiknias River. From the hide at the saltpans I could see a Terek Sandpiper very well. After breakfast we said goodbye to Thekla, her father and Despina. We went to the bakery to buy our lunch and said goodbye to the man from the bakery too. For the last time we went to the saltpans and then to the beach at Aghios Ergomenis. At the beach at Charamida we had lunch and stayed there a few hours. About 14:30 we reached the airport, delivered our hired car and could check-in immediately. About 17:30 the plane took off. We had to fly to Dalaman in Turkye first to pick up some passengers and at 21:51 (Dutch time) we landed on Schiphol Airport. Our daughter Sylvia was already there and just after midnight we were back home again. Page 16

17 List of birds: Alpine Swift Arctic Tern Barn Swallow Black-crowned Night Heron Black-eared Wheatear Black-headed Bunting Black Redstart Black Stork Black Tern Black-winged Stilt Blue Rock Thrush Cetti s Warbler Chukar Partridge Cinereous Bunting Cirl Bunting Citrine Wagtail Collared Pratincole Common Buzzard Common Chaffinch Common Coot Common Greenshank Common Kestrel Common Moorhen Common Nightingale Common Sandpiper Common Shelduck Common Swift Common Tern Corn Bunting Crested Lark Cretzschmar s Bunting Curlew Sandpiper Eastern Bonelli s Warbler Eastern Olivaceous Warbler Eastern Orphean Warbler Eastern Subalpine Warbler Eleonora s Falcon Eurasian Collared Dove Eurasian Crag Martin Eurasian Hoopoe Eurasian Jay Eurasian Reed Warbler Eurasian Scops Owl Eurasian Tree Sparrow European Bee-eater European Blue Tit European Goldfinch European Greenfinch European Shag European Stonechat European Turtle Dove Garganey Glossy Ibis Page 17

18 Great Cormorant Great Tit Greater Flamingo Green Sandpiper Grey Heron Gull-billed Tern Hooded Crow House Martin House Sparrow Isabelline Wheatear Kentish Plover Krüper s Nuthatch Lesser Grey Shrike Lesser Kestrel Little Bittern Little Egret Little Grebe Little Owl Little Ringed Plover Little Stint Little Tern Long-legged Buzzard Mallard Marsh Sandpiper Masked Shrike Middle Spotted Woodpecker Montagu s Harrier Northern Raven Olive-tree Warbler Pied Avocet Red-backed Shrike Red-footed Falcon Red-rumped Swallow Red-throated Pipit Rosy Starling Ruddy Shelduck Ruff Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin Rüppell s Warbler Sand Martin Short-toed Treecreeper Short-toed Snake Eagle Sombre Tit Spanish Sparrow Spotted Flycatcher Spur-winged Lapwing Squacco Heron Stone Curlew Temminck s Stint Terek Sandpiper Water Rail Western Great Egret Western Jackdaw Western Marsh Harrier Western Rock Nuthatch Page 18

19 Whinchat Whiskered Tern White Stork White Wagtail White-winged Tern Wood Sandpiper Woodchat Shrike Yellow-legged Gull Page 19