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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Lesbos 2012 (4 Viewers)

Lesvos/Travelling Birder

Hi Tony
You're right Lesvos is a great place to get up close to the birds and renew some old acquaintances.
Though I was sad to see the number of general holiday makers down
and many tavernas up north shut.Only two flights a week will have a big effect on on the local economy.
Very nice pics by the way.
Re:Travelling Birder
For anyone interested the site is down for the moment.
Seems like its getting to be an annual event.
see this thread:
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=229962
Best
Mick


Just wanted to say a big thanks to everyone for the excellent advice on this thread and in Steve's website, twitter and excellent book. We had a lovely week in Lesvos, seeing almost everything we wanted to see thanks to the advice of others. I had forgotten how pretty the island is.

I attached a couple of photos here and, if anyone is interested, more are on Flickr (mixed with a few from 2006) at => http://www.flickr.com/photos/54189378@N02/sets/72157628301722353/

There seemed to be Ruppell's warblers showing everytime I stopped at Kavaki - 3 in view at the same time at one point opposite the night club despite being after their peak period of activity. Are numbers recovering, or perhaps I was just very lucky ?!
Saw the spotted crake but missed the rosy starlings and OT warblers - something saved for next time !

There were some other waders and warblers that I couldn't identify and have included in a separate thread in the identification forum. I'd link the thread if I knew how to !!

regards
Tony
 
There seemed to be Ruppell's warblers showing everytime I stopped at Kavaki - 3 in view at the same time at one point opposite the night club despite being after their peak period of activity. Are numbers recovering, or perhaps I was just very lucky ?!
Saw the spotted crake but missed the rosy starlings and OT warblers - something saved for next time !

Hi Tony, Ruppell's were very good this year. There are eight territories this season at Kavaki, up from six in last couple of years. I also didn't hear if any reported incidents with people entering the scrub chasing the birds. Perhaps cos they were so well behaved and easy to view/photo from the main road and laybys.

OTWs were difficult this year. Numbers were down at several sites I visited, but they were being reported from far and wide. Something to look forward to!
 
Taverna Dionysos - a new Skala Kallonis village hub for birders

Since so many birders use the Dionysos tavern in Skala Kallonis, I decided to place a new Lesvos Birding log there this spring. The new log was well used and will be retained there until the end of September. Thanks to all who contributed this spring and I hope many others got value out of having a log in the village for the first time.

The main Lesvos Birding log at the Hotel Pasiphae is of course still in situ too and will remain there until the end of September also (when both logs get sent to me for the annual report).

And just or Dave (CactusD) here is the new 'birds of Lesvos' poster requested by the Dionysos Taverna to coincide with them hosting the new log book. The poster measures 2.4m x 1.4m, features a selection of Dave's photos taken in 2011, and all the text is in both English and Greek. And yours truly had to negotiate London underground and airports with it rolled up as a 2.6m long tube with all my other luggage! George and Stamatis (owners of the Dionysos) are thrilled with it, and enjoy being a focal point for birders in spring.

The Dionysos will remain Lesvos Birding's village hub for birders from 2013.
 

Attachments

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Dear Steve,
That looks superb. My wife and son are very impressed and are looking forward to making their first visits soon!!
Cheers much,
Dave
:t::t:
 
Magpies on Lesvos

Hi all
I was wondering what the current status of the common magpie was on Lesvos. Whilst I know that there are occasional sighting personally I have never seen one there in the past 10 years?
I was told of a single sighting out west, at the "1939 memorial water trough" along the Eressos-Kalloni road on 13/05/12 (this is not a location I know, it is as detailed by a Mr Albert Devitt).
Best
Mick
 
Hi all
I was wondering what the current status of the common magpie was on Lesvos. Whilst I know that there are occasional sighting personally I have never seen one there in the past 10 years?
I was told of a single sighting out west, at the "1939 memorial water trough" along the Eressos-Kalloni road on 13/05/12 (this is not a location I know, it is as detailed by a Mr Albert Devitt).
Best
Mick

Hi Mick, only four confirmed records, the last being 2008. I know of a good sighting for which we expect a full submission from this spring at Dipi Larisos. I know the memorial your on about. Location isnt really relevant for vagrants as they're so rare they will turn up anywhere.
 
Lesvos,Greece raptor ID from May 2012 ?

I guess that the attached photos are of buteo buteo , however confirmation would be appreciated.
Taken at the Petrified Forest 13/05/12.
Many thanks
Mick
 

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Lesvos,Greece raptor ID from May 2012 ?

I guess that the attached photos are of buteo buteo , however confirmation would be appreciated.
Taken at the Petrified Forest 13/05/12.
Many thanks
Mick

This bird had been ID from other sources as a juvenile Long Legged Buzzard.
Thanks Steve et all..
Mick
B :)
 
Proposed wind farms on Lesvos

Some of you may be aware of this issue already. It was meant to be done and dusted earlier, but deadlines keep getting extended and local opposition have asked that I ask birders across Europe that visit Lesvos to help them oppose the proposal to build 153 wind turbines across the west of the island.

See article here.

The item on my website includes details of those people to contact to register your concern about the proposal and the impact it will have on the island and its wildlife and potentially tourism. In addition the the impacts of densely packed turbines on raptors and larger birds using this part of the island, the construction and access impact is also huge for so many turbines across a small area. Around 100km of roads will need to be constructed, over 20,000m3 of earth removed to level the individual sites, etc. The construction impact is now being recognised as as high of not higher than operational impact and there is a very good paper recently published on this issue (see post on website for details).

I must stress that this is not going to be a major benefactor project for the island. It wont be large employer (when built it will be a minimal employer0 nor will it have wider benefits locally, and all the electricity generated will be taken offshore and back to the mainland.

The new deadline for submissions is 20 July.

Thanks for your support.
 
Proposed wind farms on Lesvos

ref. my earlier post (here) I have posted my own personal opposition response to the proposed wind farm developments in western lesvos on my Lesvos Birding website at http://athene-birdinglesvos.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/proposed-wind-farms-on-lesvos.html

I'm in the process of distributing this to key individuals and it ialso being used by local campaigners on the island (transleted in to Greek for local consumption and posted on websites, presented at public meetings, etc).

Please feel free to use what you want from my letter to help you form your own responses to those individuals I have previously listed on the website.
 
Other news from the island this week includes a new law which provides increased protection for 380 wetlands throughout the Aegean, including 43 on Lesvos, and the road contractor who damaged the Kalloni wetlands during the recent road-widening scheme has been fined €81,950 by the Environmental Control Department for damaging a Natura protected site and the public prosecutor is working on legal measures to make remove the offending sections and restore the habitat. Also, the EC is pursuing the Friends of Green Lesbos, Nautilos, WWF, HOS major complaint about failure of the Greek government to enforce Natura protected site status in Lesvos. This is all excellent news and I hope we can add the wind farms to the list of good news.
 
ref. my earlier post (here) I have posted my own personal opposition response to the proposed wind farm developments in western lesvos on my Lesvos Birding website at http://athene-birdinglesvos.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/proposed-wind-farms-on-lesvos.html

I'm in the process of distributing this to key individuals and it ialso being used by local campaigners on the island (transleted in to Greek for local consumption and posted on websites, presented at public meetings, etc).

Please feel free to use what you want from my letter to help you form your own responses to those individuals I have previously listed on the website.

Lets hope that any Lesvos petition is as successful as that relating to the Norfolk Docking Scheme.
Mick
 
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Proposed wind farms on Lesvos

Hi again

The situation is quite fluid as you can see from my increased communications on this!

Please read this even if you have already sent emails of objection. There is still more you can do.

I have updated my online opposition letter slightly. After consultation with others (inc. advice from BirdLife and HOS) I have added additional information within my letter about the impact on the specific Special Protection Area and then number of turbines which will fall within the SPA. I have also revised by benefits to the local economy. See my letter here.

Please use parts of my submission for your own objections.

Some VERY important notes to bear in mind.

WWF have advised us that we must be specific in on our objections to the developments on the basis of threats to bird life since the developments impact on Special Protection Area (SPA) GR4110010SPA with 95% of the proposed turbines falling within the SPA.

This is the ONLY argument in law against the proposals. The problem we face is that in opposition to a proposal we cannot take the issue to law as now infringement of any existing laws have taken place. We just need to be strong in our message that we understand the law and we understand the infringements of the relevant protection in this case. Recourse to law can only go ahead if the proposal goes through, but which time it likely to be too late to stop the development, only have the company and Greek government fined after any development takes place. You know what they say, the laws is an ass!

This said, given the diverse nature of those we are contacting to voice our opposition we should continue to press both the environmental and socio-economic impacts of the developments. If what we are doing filters down to the electorate then that is the second route of challenge that can happen during this process (and more and more people on the island are being mobilized against these proposals – you’d be amazed how quiet they have kept this until we woke various people up to it).

Another development is that we are being advised to write and post our opposition submissions to:
Hellenic Republic, Perifereia Voriou Aigaiou (North Aegean Prefecture) at Perifereiaki Epitropi Perivallontos, Kountouriwti 1, 81100, Mytilini, Lesvos, Greece

Feel free to post your objection to them if you wish, but I’ve now been provided with a name and email to send this to – Lemonos Giorgos - [email protected]

You might also want to copy your emails general office of the North Aegean Prefecture - [email protected] and [email protected].

Lastly, on individual emails, can I please ask that your submissions should be focussed and should express clearly your objection to the impacts on the bird life and nature in the areas to be developed (as above), and your concerns for the decline in eco-tourism the developments might inflict and thus the impact on the Lesvos economy. Please don’t just state that you love the island and its a beautiful place and they’re wrong to be ding what they are doing. The latter will be registered at the lowest level and is pretty well useless to the campaign (sorry!). So, please be specific and feel free to use sections from my submission. Don’t be afraid to send in a second submission if you feel your first may not be hitting the mark for us.

I’m waiting for details of an online petition to be send to me and I will pass these details on as soon as I get them.

Thanks for all your support and encouragement.
 
THANK YOU!

Thanks to all those who sent in their opposition to the wind farm proposals on Lesvos and neighboring islands (the deadline for submissions passed last Friday, 20 July). Many people copied me in to their emails so it was good to see so many people actively engaged on this issue.

We have a second opportunity now to record our opposition to these and other proposals threatening the Aegean islands. A petition as been set up (link below). Please sign it. The petition is very loosely worded and is aimed at the general public rather than from conservationists and is a general opposition to the proposed expansion of wind farms and solar farms (we now have several on Lesvos) which threaten to engulf large areas of many islands because these areas are not deemed to be economical.

The petition will run up to the vote on this until the North Aegean Periferia vote on the major wind farm proposals. We don't know when this vote will take place so please vote now to ensure you don't miss it! Thanks.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/aegean-vs-big-energy-industry
 
Trip reports

I've added the first trips from spring 2012 to my Lesvos Birding website - see here.

With the Travellingbirder site down (gone for good?), those of you with trip reports hosted by them will know that these are effectively lost and the links form my site to them no longer work. If you are able to find somewhere else to host your report please send me the new URL.

I'm looking at ways of hosting reports as part of Lesvos Birding. I'll keep you informed.
 
Trip reports

Having uploaded my Lesvos bird reports for 2009, 2010 and 2011 to Scrib (www.scribd.com), I can offer to host Lesvos trip reports on the Lesvos Birding account (so all Lesvos reports appear together).

Send me a Word doc or PDF and I will do the rest.
 
A plea for 2012 records to be sent to me asap. I start work on the 2012 report during the autumn evenings so that I can get it out as soon as I can in 2013 - aiming for end of Feb as usual.

All records to me direct via my Lesvos Birding website (see link down left hand side).

Thank you!
 
I know folk are beginning to head out to Lesvos for their autumn hols, so I've just added sightings for July and up to 14 August to my Lesvos Birding website - see here.

Feel free to email me your records from Lesvos or on your return so we can keep things as up to date as possible for others going out throughout August and September.
 
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