[Steve Dudley]

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater! Nuff sed!

Todays bird news update now on the Lesvos Birding website.

[Steve Dudley]

No sign of yesterday's Blue-cheeked Bee-eater but a Red Knot at Christou (4th record), a Dalmatian Pelican at Kalloni pans and the Spur-winged Plover still at Faneromeni. Plenty of Red-backed Shrikes out west and a couple of Rollers.

Todays bird news update now on the Lesvos Birding website.

[Steve Dudley]

A very quiet day. News of the first Rose-coloured Starlings yesterday and a couple more today. The Spur-winged Plover remains at Faneromeni and bush-robins are all over the place!

Todays bird news in full on the Lesvos Birding website.

[Steve Dudley]

A very thin day with no reports of anything other than what I saw with my group out west!

The Spur-winged Plover appears to have moved on, as do all the shrikes around Faneromeni in recent days. A very windy (but at least dry) day out west meant many things were hunkered down in the morning at least.

Weather - Thick cloud, strong winds and heavy rain in central areas during the morning. Out west dry and soon clearing to bright sunshine and scatter clouds. strong southerly moderating during day to light by evening. 28C out west mid-afternoon.

Todays news now on the Lesvos Birding website.

[Mick Sway]

8 Elenora's at Petri quarry this am.
Booted Eagle over Metochi at 14.00
Auduin's gull at Tiskanias river mouth 16.00
With 2 Oytercatchers.
Mick Sway

[Steve Dudley]

Another thin day with little reported. More Eleonora's Falcons seen today and a handful of Marsh Warblers going through. But where are the Rosy Starlings?

And . . . Mick's sightings about which I'm just about to add to my site! Booted Eagle is therefore bird of the day!

Todays sightings now on the Lesvos Birding website.

[Steve Dudley]

Originally Posted by Mick Sway

8 Elenora's at Petri quarry this am.
Booted Eagle over Metochi at 14.00
Auduin's gull at Tiskanias river mouth 16.00
With 2 Oytercatchers.
Mick Sway

Thanks Mick and thanks for the message passed on by Nicky and Adrian. Always happy to help.

[Steve Dudley]

Another thin day with again very little reported. A few more Rosy Starling and Eleonora's Falcons but not a lot else in a thunderstorm hit day. Same forecast for tomorrow too.

Todays sightings now on the Lesvos Birding website.

[Mick Sway]

Eastern bonellis warb and one Eleonars at Filia .
Hobby at Metochi after storm.
Mick

[Steve Dudley]

Well, it was the last day for many of us but some of us went out on a high connecting with a mobile flock of 33 Rose-coloured Starlings. The Spotted Crake reappeared on the Tsiknias River and there was a large passage of hirundines and swifts.

Todays sightings now on the Lesvos Birding website.

And its the last night of daily sightings here on Lesvos Birding. Thanks to all who have shared their news with me by whatever means. See you next year!

[cheshirebirder]

Just returned from 2 weeks and thought worth mentioning a good site for olive-tree warbler that we came across on the 17th. We did walk 20 from Mike Maunder's new book of walks. It's a pleasant 2 hour ramble from Liota (Ligeri) to Gavathas and back. We heard ( and saw a few ) 9 Olive-tree warblers during the walk. Five were in oaks on the way down to Gavathas and 4 were in the olive groves on the route back. As they were only singing intermittantly ,there may have been more ! I think they were all different individuals , as they were in the main spaced out well along the route, though at one point there were 3 singing at the same time close together. Having heard only 2 otherwise during the 2 weeks, thought it worth mentioning this.
cheers, Bill Turner.

[Mick Sway]

Hey Bill
Re OT Warbler
I saw and heard one singing at the back of Anaxos olive groves yesterday morning at 06.30, (seems a long time ago now).
I was also pleased to find a basking lattice brown butterfly (one of a few flitting about the area) a Lesvos species
that Ray Purser kindly put me on to a few days earlier.The field guides say that it is quite unusual to see them with their wings open (see pics).
It was great to speak to you and Linda again, I haven't laughed like that for some time (the "Silkmen" being relegated was no joke though!).
Birds apart we met some lovely Lesvos "returnees" and characters, thank you Lesvos for a great and always interesting holiday.
Best
Mick
PS also see below a snatched shot of the boot we saw last week.

Originally Posted by cheshirebirder

Just returned from 2 weeks and thought worth mentioning a good site for olive-tree warbler that we came across on the 17th. We did walk 20 from Mike Maunder's new book of walks. It's a pleasant 2 hour ramble from Liota (Ligeri) to Gavathas and back. We heard ( and saw a few ) 9 Olive-tree warblers during the walk. Five were in oaks on the way down to Gavathas and 4 were in the olive groves on the route back. As they were only singing intermittantly ,there may have been more ! I think they were all different individuals , as they were in the main spaced out well along the route, though at one point there were 3 singing at the same time close together. Having heard only 2 otherwise during the 2 weeks, thought it worth mentioning this.
cheers, Bill Turner.

[Steve Dudley]

Now firmly back to earth having arrived home last night. Once we'd checked in yday, some of us went off to Cape Lena and enjoyed cracking views of Scopoli's Shearwater and a female Honey-buzzard in off the sea from Turkey. Nice farewell!

I'd just like to thank all those birders who shared bird news over the last month. Also thanks to the Hotel Pasiphae for being my home from home for the last month, Taslis for looking after me and lots of other birders' car hire needs and the tavernas Dionysos (Skala Kallonis), Soulatso (Skala Eresou), Australia (Sigri) and the beach tavena at Ancient Pyrrha, and Tsaliki's cafe (nr Petra) - enjoyed you all very, very much.

Thanks again and until next spring - when we'll do it all again!

[Steve Dudley]

Hi Bill. OTW is quote a widespread species on the island, but like so many species (e.g. Kruper's) birders seem fixated with just a couple of sites when they can be easily found if you go out and look for them elsewhere.

Mike Maunder's new book looks excellent. Just a shame I don't have the time to do many of his walk myself.

Originally Posted by cheshirebirder

Just returned from 2 weeks and thought worth mentioning a good site for olive-tree warbler that we came across on the 17th. We did walk 20 from Mike Maunder's new book of walks. It's a pleasant 2 hour ramble from Liota (Ligeri) to Gavathas and back. We heard ( and saw a few ) 9 Olive-tree warblers during the walk. Five were in oaks on the way down to Gavathas and 4 were in the olive groves on the route back. As they were only singing intermittantly ,there may have been more ! I think they were all different individuals , as they were in the main spaced out well along the route, though at one point there were 3 singing at the same time close together. Having heard only 2 otherwise during the 2 weeks, thought it worth mentioning this.
cheers, Bill Turner.

[Tony Knight]

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/5418937...7628301722353/

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

[Mick Sway]

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

Originally Posted by Tony Knight

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/5418937...7628301722353/

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

[Steve Dudley]

Originally Posted by Tony Knight

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!

[Steve Dudley]

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.

[CactusD]

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

[Mick Sway]

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

[Steve Dudley]

Originally Posted by Mick Sway

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.

[Steve Dudley]

A summary of the main sightings for May is now on the Lesvos Birding website.

[Mick Sway]

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

[Mick Sway]

Originally Posted by Mick Sway

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

[Steve Dudley]

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.