ORIOLE BIRDING TOUR REPORT LESVOS 5TH 12TH May 2011

Transcription

1 ORIOLE BIRDING TOUR REPORT LESVOS 5 TH 12 TH May 2011

2 Thursday 5th May Our Thomson flight from Manchester to Mytilene was hassle free and we arrived on time to be met by David and Larry who had taken the Gatwick flight. We soon also met with our ground agent Lena who helped us sort out the hire vehicles and then led us in convoy the one hour drive across the island to Skala Kalloni and our base for the next seven nights at the Malemi Hotel. The route took us past the wetland areas around Kalloni Salt Pans and from the vehicle we saw our first Black-winged Stilts, a Glossy Ibis, two female Montagu s Harriers, White Stork, Greater Flamingo and a Spur-winged Plover seen by one group member! Over the petrol station at Kalloni, two Short-toed Eagles and a Eurasian Hobby were noted. After settling in we reconvened around 1730 for a walk around Kalloni Pool and along the track towards the East River. Eastern Olivaceous Warbler were nesting outside the hotel and for the first ones outside, a Lesser Grey Shrike was seen and proved to be the only one of the trip! Adrian and Larry had a Honey Buzzard drift over and five Red-rumped Swallows were among large numbers of hirundines settling on the wires. Along the beach front, four Mediterranean Gulls and several Common Terns were noted, while a Squacco Heron gave good views on the marsh. Our first passerine migrants included three Whinchats and two Spotted Flycatchers, with a Great Reed Warbler giving superb views among the beachfront tamarisks. Black-headed Bunting, Spanish Sparrow, Littleringed Plover, Corn Bunting and a hunting Long-legged Buzzard completed our list for the day as we returned to the hotel for dinner and an early night! Friday 6th May A cool and overcast day awaited us this morning with a few people venturing out to kalloni pool before breakfast and noting Little Bittern, two Squacco Heron, Common Nightingale, Cetti s Warbler, two Spotted Flycatchers and nine Red-rumped Swallows. Our first main location after breakfast was the nearby Potamia Valley where we were greeted by huge numbers of hirundines feeding low over the fields and massing on the wires. Three Woodchat and one Masked Shrike, two Tree Pipits, ten Whinchats, fifteen Spotted Flycatchers, four Turtle Doves, two Black-headed Buntings, Common Kestrel, Steppe and Long-legged Buzzards, two Short-toed Eagles and a nice Eastern Orphean Warbler where among the other species seen, with resident species such as Cirl Bunting, Peregrine, Crag Martin, Sombre Tit and Western Rock Nuthatch also seen well. Twelve European Bee-eaters were a welcome sight overhead and the first of many Black Storks seen during the week drifted over. Pride of place would have gone to the Paddyfield Warbler found by Adrian in lush vegetation along the stream bed near the bridge, but it was only seen by Ashley and could not be relocated despite extensive searching. A great rarity on the island! Nearby Metochi Lake was our next stop and provided superb views of both Little Bittern and Purple Heron with two of each seen. A Great Reed Warbler gave stunning views as it sang in the open no more than ten feet away, and a superb male Red-backed Shrike was noted in adjacent fields. Ten Whinchats, twenty Spotted Flycatchers, Common Whitethroat, Woodchat Shrike and Blackcap were other migrants noted, and we had great views of a pair of Western Rock Nuthatch. We finished the day at Kalloni Saltpans, an outstanding birding location and one which we would revisit on an almost daily basis. Large numbers of Greater Flamingo, Pied Avocet and Blackwinged Stilt proved standard fayre, Marsh terns would provide a highlight with fifty Whiskered Terns and fifteen Black Terns dancing over the pans along with twenty Little Terns and a single Gull-billed Tern, the latter giving magnificent close views. Seven Squacco Herons and two Common Sandpipers were in the moat along the western side of the pans, but it was in the south-west corner that the main concentration of waders was seen. Thirty Curlew Sandpipers and ten Little Stints looked superb in breeding plumage, alongside six Ruff, Little-ringed Plover and five Wood Sandpipers. The sheep fields still held seasonal pools where thirty Little Egrets, a single breeding plumaged Cattle Egret, four Great White Egrets and twenty Ruddy Shelducks were feeding, with two Montagu s and one Marsh Harrier quartering the fields beyond. Three Red-footed Falcons were also here, including two females and a first-summer male. Saturday 7 th May A light Northerly wind and pleasant temperatures of around 20C today as we made the short journey down to the lower East River after breakfast. European Bee-eaters were moving through here in small flocks numbering up to about twenty birds and passerine migrants included four Black-headed Buntings, ten Whinchats, five Spotted Flycatchers and two Black-headed Wagtails of the race feldegg. Between five and nine Temminck s Stints were seen around the ford area, giving tremendous close range views as they crept along the edges of the muddy islands, the perfect light conditions allowing close examination of their salient features. Two Little Stints were also noted with six Little Bitterns

3 and Squacco Heron along the river, and both Eastern Olivaceous and Great Reed Warblers in the bankside vegetation. Raptors were well represented by a dark phase Booted Eagle, several Short-toed Eagles and a superb Long-legged Buzzard which gave great views as it hovered over the adjacent fields. Up to six Red-footed Falcons were also feeding here, perching on bushes and overhead wires between bouts of hovering. One fine adult male came right past us giving superb views, its silvery upperwings and red trousers clearly visible. One of the other highlights here was a European Roller perched on the wires, surprisingly proving to be the only one of the trip. Heading North towards Petra from here we passed through Kalloni town and called in at the Mini Soccer Pitch where we had good views of a roosting Eurasian Scops Owl. Twenty European Bee-eaters passed overhead here and it was proving to be a good day for this species. At Petra we parked along the track to Petri village and walked a kilometre or so through the olive groves and up onto the wooded hillside. Subalpine Warblers were seen well here along with ten Spotted Flycatchers, Pied Flycatcher, five Whinchats and a beautifully confiding Wood Warbler. Longlegged Buzzard and two Honey Buzzards drifted along the ridge and an immature Northern Goshawk passed overhead being mobbed by Hooded Crows. A Eurasian Golden Oriole gave brief views and two Middle-spotted Woodpeckers were seen well through the scopes as they fed in a small stand of Poplar. A stop in Molivos followed, a beautiful town where we enjoyed a coffee and saw our first Black-eared Wheatear at the castle, from where we could take in the spectacular views across to Turkey and back towards Ipsilou Monastery in the West of the island. We ended the day at Kavaki headland in the hope of connecting with Ruppells Warbler, but like most other birders on the island at the moment we failed with this species. Black-eared Wheatear, two Subalpine Warblers, three Whinchats, five Spotted Flycatchers, European Greenfinch and five Common Linnets were noted. Sunday 8 th May A much better day for weather with a light southerly breeze and temperatures in the twenties. We took this opportunity to travel out to the West of the island to some of the best spots for migrant passerines, and this proved a good decision. Reaching the river crossing between the Perivolis Monastery and Andissa, we paused to break the journey and check the wooded stream gulley from the bridge. Twenty Spotted Flycatchers were sallying across and indicated an arrival, while an Eastern Bonelli s Warbler was less obliging and didn t give great views. Common Nightinagle, Common Cuckoo, Eurasian Hoopoe, Middle-spotted Woodpecker, Steppe Buzzard and Short-toed Eagle were also noted here and along the road nearby, while a Black Stork also circled over giving great views. Moving on, we stopped in one of the lay-bys just beyond the turn to Agra. Isabelline Wheatear was our target bird here and gave itself up immediately, with absolutely fantastic views of up to five birds here including a displaying male on a rock right in front of us. Overhead visible migration was starting to take shape as the day warmed up, with hundreds of swifts and hirundines, including several Alpine Swifts, flocks of European Bee-eaters and large numbers of Eleonora s Falcons. Moving along the road for a better look at these enigmatic raptors, we enjoyed stunning close range views of up to one hundred birds including some lovely dark phase individuals. Several Lesser Kestrels were also among this movement, plus further flocks of swifts and hirundines. The scrub on the slope below was full of passerine migrants including two Icterine Warblers, three Pied Flycatchers, ten Spotted Flycatchers, two Blackcap, Common Whitethroat, Isabelline and Black-eared Wheatears. Resident species included Woodlark and Cirl Bunting while we also had good views of our first singing male Cretzchmar s Bunting. Arriving at Ipsilou Monastery the good birds continued to come thick and fast, An Eleonora s Falcon circled over with a Eurasian Hobby for a superb comparison, and then an immature Northern Goshawk passed low overhead pursued by corvids. The rocky slopes on the south-east side of the mount produced the first of ten Cinereous Buntings, three Rock Sparrows and a Northern Wheatear plus a Western Rock Nuthatch nest. The wooded slopes further up towards the monastery were literally dripping with migrants, and we estimated around one hundred Spotted Flycatchers here, along with fifty Wood Warblers, fifteen Icterine Warblers, five Blackcap, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Whitethroat, five Pied Flycatchers and a Masked Shrike. Two Sombre Tits showed really well, and a Little Owl was roosting in a tree near the monastery. From the top, a male Blue Rock Thrush was seen and more Alpine Swifts and Crag Martins passed at eye level. After a late lunch we headed west towards Sigri and headed along to the upper ford at Faneromeni. Another fifty Spotted Flycatchers were sallying across the river between the stands of bamboo, and it was here, perched low down on a horizontal stem, that we found a stunning male Collared Flycatcher. Brief but good views were obtained of this dazzling bird, along with five Pied Flycatchers, while three Little Bitterns gave stunning views as they fished for tadpoles in the shallow pools. Overhead, thirty European Bee-eaters were seen, though perhaps the highlight was the bizarre

4 behaviour of two local women who were walking bare-foot along the river and decided to choose the exact spot we were standing to start gathering some kind of plant from the river before one of them almost fell in whilst trying to throw a pair of wellingtons to the other! We retreated to the vehicles and headed to the nearby Sigri fields on a tip off from another birder about a second male Collared Flycatcher. Amazingly the bird was still present, flycatching from a wire fence along the edge of a recently mown field. The views this time were both prolonged and superb, and we now felt that we had really put this species to bed! More Spotted Flycatchers, Whinchats, Woodchat Shrike and Bee-eaters were also seen here. At the Faneromeni lower ford, another twenty European Bee-eaters continued a great day for this species, and two Squacco Herons were flushed. Two Sedge Warblers, Grey-headed Wagtail, Wood Sandpiper and another ten Spotted Flycatchers were also present. At the beach here, we had magnificent views of a female Masked Shrike, plus had our first Yelkouan Shearwaters of the trip and a Eurasian Shag. Two Little Stints were on a pool near the beach, and we also found our only Tawny Pipit of the tour here. Purple Heron, Greyheaded Wagtail, three Squacco Herons, two Little-ringed Plovers and another twenty European Beeeaters completed the scene. A Common Coot on Skala Kalloni pool was our last tick of the day as we headed into the town square for a delightful taverna dinner. Monday 9 th May Back to a North-easterly airflow today and hence much cooler, with fleeces out at our first stop at Mesa. Twenty Whiskered Terns were dipping low over the saltwater pools here, giving amazingly close views. Huge numbers of swifts and hirundines were overhead and we also noted Little Grebe, Ruddy Shelduck, Black Stork and Red-rumped Swallow. A Glossy Ibis flew in and began feeding on the open area by the junction. Heading towards Agiasos and the pine forests of the south-east corner of the island, we stopped at Panaghia Chapel and noted a nice selection of woodland species including European Serins, Woodpigeon and Long-tailed Tit. A Short-toed Treecreeper gave good views and overhead seven Black Storks drifted north. Turtle Dove, Stonechat and a nice showing of Violet Helleborine Orchid was also seen at this attractive location. Nearby at Dimitrios we stopped by the new road bridge to look for Grey Wagtail, which we saw immediately. Common Nightinagle, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Crag Martin and Common Chiffchaff were also present, but the undoubted highlight was the discovery of a pair of Krupers Nuthatch in the pines near the road, which gave some brilliant views after initially proving elusive. Butterflies here included Powder Brimstone, Green Hairstreak and Scarce Swallowtail. Agiassos was our next location, and particularly the area around the sanatorium which proved good for Eastern Subalpine Warbler. Further along this road we entered deciduous wooded country reminiscent of an English oak wood in early spring. Song and Mistle Thrush and European Robin sang alongside Eurasian Hoope, which we had very good views of, and Middle-spotted Woodpecker. The distinctive eastern Mediterranean race Jays were also seen and a Common Cuckoo was noted briefly. This was a superb area for orchids, with carpets of Green-winged Orchid and Sword-leaved Helleborine. Heading back towards kalloni via Mesa, we saw a Black Stork by the roadside mantling to shade the water with its wings, a unique sight indeed. The salt pans was our final destination and we were greeted by loads of other birders looking for a Great Snipe seen earlier in the day. We didn t see this bird, but added Grey Plover, Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover and four European Stone Curlew to the list. Fifty Ruff, Curlew Sandpipers, Little Stints, Temminck s Stint, Wood and Common Sandpipers were among the waders noted, while five Great White Egrets flew in and thirty Whiskered Terns were hawking. Three Black Storks circled in and landed, three Squacco Herons were along the moat and twenty five Ruddy Shelducks were in the sheep fields. The highlight though were the two White-winged Black Terns which showed really well on the north-west pan, providing a great end to the day. Tuesday 10 th May Another warm day but with a fresher North-easterly breeze making for a cool start. We headed along the Napi Valley and in particular to the Platania track which runs back along the eastern ridge of the valley. Here we parked and spent a couple of hours walking through the open hillside with scattered oaks, and into the olive groves about 4km along. This was a superb area for resident species, and we had great views of some migrants too including two Eurasian Golden Orioles which we watched for twenty minutes. Six Masked Shrikes, ten Woodchat Shrikes, three Cirl Buntings, Little Owl, three Woodlark, five Eurasian Hoopoe, three Turtle Doves, Western Rock and Wood Nuthatches, Eastern Orphean Warbler, two Short-toed Eagles, fifteen European Bee-eaters and an Alpine Swift were also noted. A pair of Subalpine Warblers were feeding fledged young, a Common Cuckoo gave superb

5 views perched in the open and a flock of 25 White Storks spiralled north along the western ridge of the valley. We headed back to Kalloni saltpans where we counted an increase to thirteen White-winged Black Terns. Twenty five Whiskered Terns and a few Black Terns were also present, along with the usual selection of three Great White Egrets, fifty Ruff, thirty Little Stints, twenty Curlew Sandpipers, two Stone Curlews, six Black Storks, five Wood Sandpipers and a Squacco Heron. The Alykes Wetland at the south-east corner of the pans was mainly dry by this stage of the season, though we did see a couple of Kentish Plovers and a male Black-headed Wagtail here. The highlight though was the stunning subadult Dalmatian Pelican which cruised in from the south over the Gulf of Kalloni and dropped onto the pans, a really spectacular sight! Two Short-toed Larks showed well in the dunes here and we also had good views of two European Bee-eaters and a Swallowtail butterfly. We headed back to Skala kalloni via the track to the East River, with the most notable sighting being a Eurasian Hobby circling over the track. We took a break during the late afternoon before reconvening at 1800 and heading to nearby Metochi Lake in the hope we might connect with Little Crake. We sadly didn t find this species but the Little Bitterns showed superbly well and a Great Reed Warbler was once again singing out in the open. A Eurasian Hobby with prey was mugged by a Peregrine, giving a great comparison, and large numbers of European Bee-eaters were gathering here to roost. Wednesday 11 th May Perhaps the warmest day today with temperatures in the mid twenties by lunchtime. Still a Northeasterly breeze seemed to be keeping passerine migrant numbers low though. We returned to the headland at Kavaki to try again for the elusive Ruppells Warbler. On arrival some other birders put us onto a nice flock of Yelkouan Shearwaters sat on the sea quite close inshore, and in fact we saw large numbers of the species moving offshore. A River Warbler was singing from the scrub on the seaward side of the lay-by throughout our stop, but typically could not be located. A sighting of a Blue Rock Thrush on the craggy headland then led to the discovery of a Chukar in the same spot, and simultaneously the male Ruppells Warbler appeared behind us, singing in the open from three different perches allowing everyone to get good scope views. Subalpine and Wood Warblers were also noted, along with fifty European Bee-eaters and a Broad-bodied Chaser dragonfly. From here we continued to Molivos and took the very rough track eastwards along the coast towards Skala Sikinimias. We parked the vehicles and walked a section of the track here, which proved outstanding for Eastern Subalpine Warbler, with perhaps twenty individuals noted. Migrants included a brief Eurasian Golden Oriole, three Red-backed Shrikes including a nice male, Lesser Kestrel, Blackheaded Bunting, three Masked Shrikes, two Woodchat Shrikes, Alpine Swift, Red-rumped Swallow and three Whinchats. A family party of Stonechats and a Powdered Brimstone were also noted along this pleasant section of caost, with two Turtle Doves showing well on the track as we continued on. A long lunch in Skala Sikinimias followed with the group enjoying a fish and wine meal in a local taverna while the guides tried to find Audouin s Gull. There was no sign of the gulls, but no-one really minded! We headed back along the Napi Valley towards Kalloni and took the track along the Upper East River to Madaros. This was an area used by breeding Rufous Bush Robins though no-one birding the island had seen one yet this spring. Four Eastern Orphean Warblers indicated an arrival, and we also noted Cirl Bunting, Masked and Woodchat Shrikes. Overhead three Black and one White Stork passed on a thermal with two Short-toed Eagles. Making our way back to the vehicles, a stroke of fortune came our way as a passerine jumped out of the scrub onto the fence in front of us Rufous Bush Robin! Most of the group got good views as it perched in the open for a few moments before disappearing. Two further views followed, before the bird crossed the track and vanished into a clump of scrub on the hillside never to be seen again. One final stop of the day at Kalloni Salt Pans proved worthwhile as we were greeted by seven splendid White-winged Black Terns feeding just feet away over the moat. We enjoyed the birds for a a while as they dipped over the water before tracking back and retracing their feeding route, always flying into the wind. A huge increase of Little Stints included over 150 birds, and fifty Whiskered Terns were hawking over the grassland near the hide. It was here in the main channel that we chanced upon a stunning Spur-winged Plover, photographed by birders earlier in the day. We had great views of this lovely wader by using the cars as a hide watching it as it fed among Wood Sandpipers. Thursday 12 th May Our final day on the island saw us pack the vehicles and begin heading towards the south-east and Mytilene airport where we had to be by It felt chilly in the moderate North-easterly winds as we made a stop at the Lower East River ford where we saw three Little Bitterns, two Yellow Wagtails [including a female Ashy-headed], two Temminck s Stints, four Wood Sandpipers, two Little-ringed

6 Plovers, Common Nightingale, Red-rumped Swallow and one hundred Sand Martins. The highlight was the fabulous views we had of European Bee-eaters from our vehicles, flying in to the river bank and prospecting their nest holes. One bird perched no more than ten feet from the car window and another pair were seen displaying and mating we had seen many hundreds of these beautiful birds during the week, but these views were definitely memorable. We continued on towards Mytilene, but instead of taking the rather arduous route through the cities unsigned one way system, we took the more attractive route around the peninsula bringing us out at Cape Lena just 1km south of the airport. The very strong winds here made it difficult to get outo of the car yet alone use a telescope, but it turns out that we didn t even need the latter to get magnificent views of Scopoli s Shearwaters as they were passing so close inshore. We sat here for half an hour watching these magnificent seabirds, often in the company of the smaller Yelkouan Shearwaters, and we were able to study the finer details of the underwing and bill pattern which separate this species from the similar Cory s Shearwater of the Atlantic. We arrived at the airport dead on 1130 to drop off our hire vehicles and check in for the return flight home. Systematic List Birds 1. Little Grebe 2. Scopoli s Shearwater 3. Yelkouan Shearwater 4. Dalmatian Pelican 5. Eurasian Shag 6. Grey Heron 7. Purple Heron 8. Little Bittern 9. Squacco Heron 10. Little Egret 11. Cattle Egret 12. Great White Egret 13. Black Stork 14. White Stork 15. Glossy Ibis 16. Greater Flamingo 17. Common Shelduck 18. Ruddy Shelduck 19. Mallard 20. Short-toed Eagle 21. Booted Eagle 22. Eurasian Sparrowhawk 23. Northern Goshawk 24. Common Kestrel 25. Lesser Kestrel 26. Red-footed Falcon 27. Eleonora s Falcon 28. Marsh Harrier 29. Montagu s Harrier 30. Common [Steppe] Buzzard 31. Long-legged Buzzard 32. Honey Buzzard 33. Peregrine 34. Chukar 35. Common Moorhen 36. Common Coot 37. Stone Curlew 38. Pied Avocet 39. Black-winged Stilt 40. Common Ringed Plover 41. Little-ringed Plover

7 42. Kentish Plover 43. Grey Plover 44. Spur-winged Plover 45. Ruff 46. Curlew Sandpiper 47. Temminck s Stint 48. Little Stint 49. Wood Sandpiper 50. Common Sandpiper 51. Black-headed Gull 52. Mediterranean Gull 53. Yellow-legged Gull 54. Little Tern 55. Gull-billed Tern 56. Common Tern 57. Black Tern 58. White-winged Black Tern 59. Whiskered Tern 60. Turtle Dove 61. Woodpigeon 62. Collared Dove 63. Common Cuckoo 64. Eurasian Scop s Owl 65. Alpine Swift 66. Common Swift 67. Eurasian Hoopoe 68. European Bee-eater 69. European Roller 70. Middle-spotted Woodpecker 71. Crested Lark 72. Short-toed Lark 73. Woodlark 74. Pied Wagtail 75. Grey Wagtail 76. Yellow Wagtail 77. Sand Martin 78. Barn Swallow 79. Red-rumped Swallow 80. Crag Martin 81. House Martin 82. Tawny Pipit 83. Tree Pipit 84. Winter Wren 85. European Robin 86. Common Nightingale 87. Rufous Bush Robin 88. Stonechat 89. Whinchat 90. Northern Wheatear 91. Black-eared Wheatear 92. Isabelline Wheatear 93. Blue Rock Thrush 94. Song Thrush [H] 95. Common Blackbird 96. Mistle Thrush [H] 97. Blackcap 98. Eastern Orphean Warbler 99. Lesser Whitethroat 100. Ruppells Warbler 101. Common Whitethroat 102. Eastern Subalpine Warbler

8 103. Sedge Warbler 104. River Warbler [H] 105. Cetti s Warbler 106. European Reed Warbler 107. Paddyfield Warbler 108. Great Reed Warbler 109. Icterine Warbler 110. Eastern Olivaceous Warbler 111. Eastern Bonelli s Warbler 112. Wood Warbler 113. Common Chiffchaff [H] 114. Spotted Flycatcher 115. Pied Flycatcher 116. Collared Flycatcher 117. Blue Tit 118. Great Tit 119. Long-tailed Tit [H] 120. Sombre Tit 121. Wood Nuthatch 122. Western Rock Nuthatch 123. Krupers Nuthatch 124. Short-toed Treecreeper 125. Red-backed Shrike 126. Woodchat Shrike 127. Masked Shrike 128. Lesser Grey Shrike 129. Western Jackdaw 130. Eurasian Jay 131. Hooded Crow 132. Common Raven 133. Eurasian Golden Oriole 134. House Sparrow 135. Spanish Sparrow 136. Rock Sparrow 137. Chaffinch 138. Greenfinch 139. Goldfinch 140. Linnet 141. European Serin 142. Cretzchmar s Bunting 143. Cirl Bunting 144. Cinereous Bunting 145. Black-headed Bunting 146. Corn Bunting Butterflies 1. Mallow Skipper 2. Orbed Red Underwing Skipper [ Grizzled Skipper from Bushchat site] 3. Swallowtail 4. Scarce Swallowtail 5. Eastern Festoon 6. Orange Tip 7. Eastern Dappled White 8. Clouded Yellow 9. Pale Clouded Yellow [identified from foodplant present in habitat] 10. Powdered Brimstone 11. Green Hairstreak 12. Small Copper 13. Common Blue

9 14. Mountain [Brown] Argus [same species as our Northern Brown Argus] 15. Holly Blue 16. Painted Lady 17. Red Admiral 18. Spotted Fritillary 19. Small Heath 20. Persian Meadow Brown [ Turkish Meadow Brown] 21. Wall Brown Odonata 1. Dark Spreadwing [Emerald Damsel seen in numbers at Mesa] 2. Odalisque [Darter type from Krupers site] 3. Broad-bodied Chaser 4. Small Skimmer [Darter type seen at East River ford] 5. White-legged Damselfly Orchids 1. Red Helleborine 2. Green-winged Orchid 3. Sword-leaved Helleborine 4. Pyramidal Orchid