North-central Greece 26 April-8 May 2015 (1 Viewer)

Just reaching the end of a great trip around quite a good part of this beautiful country. We flew from Edinburgh to Athens and then on to Thessalonica, going back the same way on Thursday. I will post a trip report when I get back to my usual damp habitat. Tomorrow is a travel day as we return to Thessalonica via Kavala.

We have stayed in Kerkini, Sidirokastro, Kavala, Porto Lagos and ended up on Thassos for four days for a rather relaxing end to the trip. We have seen some great birds, got a mammal tick, ate some delicious food and enjoyed the superb hospitality of the Greeks. All done using trains, buses, ferries and the occasional taxi. The iPad is about to die but I'll post the report when I get home (after watching the election results) on Friday.

David

North-central Greece 26 April-8 May 2015: 2

We left Edinburgh early on Sunday 26 April on EasyJet flight to Athens. We arrived in Athens and then had two hours or so to wait before getting a Ryanair flight to Thessaloniki. There we got a taxi for €20 to our hotel in the city centre, the Davitel Tobacco Hotel, so called because it is a converted tobacco warehouse. We had one night in the city. There were few birds seen but there were huge numbers of swifts (Common or Pallid) over the buildings in the late afternoon as well as Common Starlings, Hooded Crows, House Sparrows, Collared Dove and Feral Pigeons. The next day we were leaving for Kerkini but we had a morning in the city, the highlight was a Bottle-nosed Dolphin seen off the waterfront.

We caught a KTEL bus from Thessaloniki to Sidirokastro in the early afternoon but on reaching Sidirokastro we found that we had missed the last bus to Kerkini and had to get a taxi to Kerkini for €40. If you are going to Kerkini by public transport there is a train from Thessaloniki at 6:55 am which stops at Mandraki or you need to be in Sidirokastro before 3pm in the afternoon. We didn't see many bird from the bus but a few villages had White Storks and their nests and a few Common Kestrels, but the best were three Black Storks circling above a field next to the road.

We got to our hotel, the beautiful Oikoperiigitis Hotel in Kerkini village at around 5pm. The staff were welcoming but they spoke little English, we booked in and had a beer. The English speaking member of staff, Vassilis, was working and arrived to speak to us just as we finished. He was aghast that we had used a taxi and said we should have called the hotel and they would have picked us up from Sidirikastro for the cost of the fuel.

Vassilis took us out on a boat on the lake and here the birding began in earnest. On leaving the harbour at Kerkini we saw Pygmy Cormorant, Common Tern, Black-headed Gull and Great Crested Grebe. We crossed the lake to the flooded forest where there is a huge colony of waterbirds in the trees these included Pygmy and Great Cormorants, Grey Herons, Little Egrets, Black-crowned Night Herons, Squacco Herons and Eurasian Spoonbills. The highlight here were the pelicans, non breeding Great White Pelicans with a few greyer Dalmatian Pelicans mixed in with them. I also saw a single Great Egret fly by. We fifnisdhed by going to see the artificial platforms built to encourage Dalmatian Pelicans to breed, Vassilis explained that these have attracted about 300 pairs of Dalmatian Pelicans to nest at the lake, the platforms are usually taken by the Great White Pelicans but the Dalmatians breed slightly later and eject the Great Whites for their own nests. There were Whiskered Terns and Common Terns around the platforms too.

We then returned to harbour where we were serenaded by Common Nightingales and Marsh Frogs before returning to the hotel for some Water Buffalo and pasta.

David

Hello David, thanks for the first part of your report. I was in Thassos a few years ago, in Golden Beach on the east of the island, so I am looking forward to how you got on there. I didn't do any dedicated birding or even take binoculars but highlights were the family of falcons (Eleanora's or Peregrines ?) that used to soar high across the bay every day and the gulls that begged for food from the people on the ferry across from Kavala. A great place and I'd love to go back some day. Dave.

Trunks Istanbul said:

Hello David, thanks for the first part of your report. I was in Thassos a few years ago, in Golden Beach on the east of the island, so I am looking forward to how you got on there. I didn't do any dedicated birding or even take binoculars but highlights were the family of falcons (Eleanora's or Peregrines ?) that used to soar high across the bay every day and the gulls that begged for food from the people on the ferry across from Kavala. A great place and I'd love to go back some day. Dave.

Click to expand...

Thanks, saw quite a lot on Thassos, that was the last part of the trip so will be later.

Cheers

David

North-central Greece 26 April-7 May 2015: 3

A full day at Kerkini, I began with a walk along the dyke from the harbour. Vassilos had said that in the morning there was often a feeding frenzy of cormorants around the harbour. This morning it was there with both species and a few Dalmatian Pelicans. Nightingales sang throughout the walk and the wet fields leading up to the harbour held Great Reed Warbler, Eurasian Reed Warbler, Cetti's Warbler, Hoopoe, Golden Oriole, White Stork , Syrian Woodpeckerand Common Moorhen. The walk along the dyke was quite productive starting with a female Masked Shrike supported by Common Buzzard, Cirl Bunting, Sardinian Warbler, Common Cuckoo, Common Blackbird, Eurasian Hobby, Black Stork, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Great Crested Grebe, Eastern Olivaceaus Warbler and best of all two of what I assume we're migrant Eastern Orphean Warblers. On the walk back to the hotel I saw a small European Pond Tortoise crossing the road, with at least two species of frog calling from the roadside fields.

In the afternoon we took another walk along the dyke and added Lesser Grey Shrike, Eurasian Tree Sparrow and Spanish Sparrow. Then we went to look at the White Stork nests in the village. All three Passer species were nesting in the stork nests. A Dalmatian Pelican also flew low over the village. After dinner, Souvlaki, a Little Owl was calling near the hotel.

David

North-central Greece 26 April-7 May 2015: 4

Vassilis drove us to the railway station at Livadia where we caught the 8.30 train to Sidirokastro, which was 45 minutes late. There were a couple of Stork's nests near the station and we watched the hirundines, including Red-rumped Swallow while we waited. The short train journey was enlivened by the odd Common Buzzard and a single Black Kite. When we arrived in Sidirokastro it was a long walk from the railway station to the town centre then a short taxi trip to our hotel on the outskirts of the town.

We dumped our bags and walked back into town, stopping at the bridge over the river to see if the rock nuthatch was about. There were no nuthatches visible, although we could see two nests. Among the Barn Swallows and House Martins there were a few Eurasian Crag Martins around the rock. A group of German birdwatchers were disappointed too in their nuthatch hunt. We then went for lunch before walking up towards the castle but could not find a route up to the castle. A female Eurasian Sparrowhawk flew by, it was a big dark bird so definitely not the wished for Levant. The only other bird seen on this walk was a White Wagtail feeding in a stream.

We returned to the hotel and I went out for a walk on my own. This led me back to the river and on the way I saw Woodchat Shrike, Eurasian Jay, Corn Bunting, Cirl Bunting, Sardinian Warbler, Crested Lark and Grey Wagtail. I also saw an escaped Canary, with its owner trying to catch it. At the river I decided to try for the nuthatch again and initially all I saw were a Blue Rock Thrush, a Northern Raven and Western Jackdaws but then a small short tailed bird flew over my head, a Nuthatch but it was in silhouette and there were tall trees very nearby, you get Eurasian Nuthatch in Sidirokastro too. I went back to where we had seen the nests and a small bird appeared on the rock ledge near the nests. It was a Western Rock Nuthatch which was singing but it stopped briefly before flying off towards the river, it soon returned to the same ledge and I saw it in total for about a minute. We wnet back later that evening to the same place but waited half an hour and did not see the nuthatch. We did see a dead House Martin and a dead House Sparrow hanging from the same martin's nest, it looked as if the sparrow was trying to take it over and it and the martin had got their heads stuck in the entrance.

David

North-central Greece 26 April-7 May 2015: 5

We now began a relatively birdless part of the journey. We left Sidirokastro where there was a bustling local market around the bus station. From there we got a bus to Serres, a larger and busier town where we stopped for a few hours before catching another bus to Kavala. We spent the night in Kala which is quite an attractive city with a Byzantine castle above the harbour and an Ottoman viaduct.

The following day we caught a bus to Xanthi in Thrace hoping to catch a bus to Porto Lagos but we missed the bus by a few hours. This meant another taxi ride and we arrived in Porto Lagos around lunchtime, grabbed some Mussel pilaf in a local tavern and then went for a walk. Porto Lagos is situated on a strip of land separating the Vistonis Lake from the Aegean Sea but you really need a car to explore fully

There were lots of good birds seen and on our walk we noted a traffic of Grey Herons overhead flying to a heronry in the pine wood on the seaward side of the harbour. The calls of Mediterranean Gulls were constant as small groups flew from the lake to the sea and both Black-headed Gulls and Slender-billed Gulls were also seen, although Yellow-legged Gulls were the commonest species. A flock of Glossy Ibis were seen and in the fields and marshes there were Common Buzzard, Marsh Harrier, Zitting Cisticola, Crested Lark, Black-headed Wagtail, Little Egret, Sardinian Warbler and European Serin.

There was an outlet for the lake close to the hotel and here we saw Eurasian Oystercatcher and Black-winged Stilt. There were lots of Nightingales in the bushes and the hirundines included Barn Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow, House Martin and Sand Martin, while a Woodchat Shrike hunted from the utility wires outside the hotel. The most surprising birds seen were three Mute Swans which flew from the lake to the sea.

We had dinner in another taverna, fried Bream for me, and we ensured that we were up early for the bus back to Xanthi. Some Greater Flamingo were feeding at the edge of sea and the three Mute Swans were seen flying back to the lake from the sea. The bus took us to Xanthi where we caught another bus to Chrysopouli to catch another to Keramoti where we caught a ferry to Thassos.

David

North-central Greece 26 April-7 May 2015: 6

Thassos is the northernmost of the Greek Islands, the shortest ferry crossing is from Keramoti to Thassos Town, where we stopped for lunch before catching a bus to Liminaria on the south coast of the island. We were here for four days and were staying in an apartment about a kilometre from the town centre. This was the relaxing end of the holiday and I did not expect to see many birds. On the ferry we saw Yelkouan Shearwater, European Shag, Sandwich Tern and Black Tern were seen.

Everyday we walked into town along the coast but it was not until the last two days that we walked past the town, up past the mining palace and into the pine woods.

These woods were interesting with lots of Nightingales, Sardinian Warblers, Chaffinches, Great Tits, Eastern Subalpine Warblers, Eastern Olivaceous Warblers, Hoopoes, Raven, Common Kestrels, Tawny Owl , Booted Eagle and Black-eared Wheatear. On the walk between the apartment and the town centre we saw Hoopoe, Woodchat Shrike and a single Common Sandpiper. We also saw a Beech Marten every night as it foraged along the seafront at Liminaria on the last three nights, and another Beech Marten was seen on the road between our apartment and the town.

As we got the bus back to Skala Prinou to get the ferry to Kavala we saw some Alpine Swifts and an Eleanora's Falcon over some sea cliffs on the island's east coast.

Our trip ended with a night in Perea near Thessalomiki's airport and the return flights to Athens and Edinburgh.

Trip list to follow.

David

North-central Greece 26 April-7 May 2015: 7 - The list

1. Great Crested Grebe – Common on Lake Kerkini.
2. Yelkouan Shearwater – 2 seen from the Keramoti to Thassos ferry.
3. Dalmatian Pelican – common Lake Kerkini where nesting on artificial platforms. 2 also seen flying over the E90 motorway near Lake Volvi.
4. Great White Pelican – common but not breeding at Lake Kerkini, shier than the Dalmatians.
5. Great Cormorant – common at Lake Kerkini.
6. European Shag – seen from the Keramoti-Thassos ferry and from Skala Prinou- Kavala ferry.
7. Pygmy Cormorant – common at Lake Kerkini, not as abundant as Great Cormorant.
8. Black-crowned Night Heron – common in the flooded forest at Lake Kerkini.
9. Squacco Heron – A few seen in the flooded forest at Lake Kerkini.
10. Little Egret – common, abundant at Lake Kerkini and Porto Lagos, a few seen each day on Thassos.
11. Great Egret – one seen flying over the boat at Lake Kerkini.
12. Grey Heron – abundant at Lake Kerkini and at Porto Lagos.
13. White Stork – common in the small villages and around Lake Kerkini.
14. Black Stork – Three seen over fields by the road as we approached Lake Kerkini by bus, two seen the next day near the harbour at Lake Kerkini.
15. Eurasian Spoonbill –common at Lake Kerkini.
16. Glossy ibis – a flock of 30 seen in the air at Porto Lagos.
17. Greater Flamingo – 5 seen from the bus stop at Porto Lagos.
18. Mute Swan – 3 seen in the evening flying to the sea at Porto Lagos, then returning towards Lake Vistonis when waiting at the bus stop the following morning.
19. Common Shelduck – a few seen from the bus at the Nestos delta near Keramoti.
20. Mallard – A few seen at Lake Kerkini.
21. Garganey – I flushed a pair at the river leading from Lake Vistonis to the sea at Porto Lagos.
22. Black Kite – one seen from the train outside Mandraki.
23. Marsh Harrier – one seen Porto Lagos.
24. Eurasian Sparrowhawk – one females seen Sidirokastro
25. Common Buzzard – common throughout.
26. Booted Eagle – one seen flying strongly north at Liminaria, Thassos, being mobbed by Hooded Crows.
27. Common Kestrel – Common throughout.
28. Red-footed Falcon – one male seen on roadside utility wires at Porto Lagos.
29. Eurasian Hobby – one flew over the dyke at Kerkini.
30. Eleanora’s Falcon – one seen with Alpine Swifts over cliffs on the west coast of Thassos.
31. Common Moorhen – Kerkini.
32. Common Coot – one Kerkini.
33. Eurasian Oystercatcher – Porto Lagos.
34. Black-winged Stilt – Porto Lagos
35. Spur-winged Plover – one seen in flight at Keramoti as we arrived in the town.
36. Common Redshank – Porto Lagos.
37. Common Sandpiper – Lake Kerkini and Thassos
38. Black-headed Gull – Lake Kerkini and Porto Lagos.
39. Slender-billed Gull – a few seen at Porto Lagos.
40. Mediterranean Gull – common at Porto Lagos.
41. Yellow-legged Gull – Common throughout.
42. Sandwich Tern – seen in some numbers on the ferry from Keramoti to Thassos.
43. Common Tern – seen in small numbers at Lake Kerkini and from the Keramoti-Thassos ferry.
44. Little Tern – seen in small numbers Porto Lagos.
45. Black Tern- one seen from the Keramoti – Thasos ferry.
46. Whiskered Tern – a few seen around the pelican breeding platforms at Lake Kerkini.
47. Feral Pigeon – Common in towns.
48. Woodpigeon – seen in country side north of Kerkini in small numbers.
49. European Turtle Dove – pair seen near Kerkini.
50. Eurasian Collared Dove – Common throughout.
51. Common Cuckoo – heard at Kerkini with one being seen there.
52. Little Owl – heard Kerkini and near Perea on the last night.
53. Tawny Owl – heard Liminaria, Thassos.
54. Pallid Swift – common.
55. Common Swift – not as common as the previous species bit identified frequently.
56. Alpine Swift – only seen on Thassos from bus going to Skala Prinou from Liminaria.
57. European Hoopoe – seen Kerkini and Thassos.
58. Syrian Woodpecker – one seen well Kerkini, another woodpecker drumming in the olive groves in Sidirokastro was probably Syrian too. Didn’t sound quite right for a Great Spotted.
59. Green Woodpecker – one flushed from the ground at Porto Lagos.
60. Crested Lark – seen on marsh at Porto Lagos.
61. Woodlark – seen and heard among the olives at Sidirokastro.
62. Sand Martin – only seen Porto Lagos.
63. Eurasian Crag Martin – Sidirokastro.
64. House Martin – Common.
65. Red-rumped Swallow – seen Kerkini, Porto Lagos, Thassos and Perea.
66. Barn Swallow – Common.
67. White Wagtail – Sidirokastro and Thassos.
68. Grey Wagtail – on river at Sidirokastro.
69. Black-headed (Yellow) Wagtail – Kerkini and Porto Lagos.
70. Common Nightingale – common.
71. Black-eared Wheatear – one female seen at Liminaria, Thassos, by the “Palace”.
72. Blue Rock Thrush – Sidirokastro.
73. Cetti’s Warbler – Common at Kerkini and Porto Lagos Cettia cetti
74. European Reed Warbler - Kerkini
75. Great Reed Warbler – Kerkini and Porto Lagos
77. Eastern Olivaceous Warbler – seen at Kerkini and at Liminaria, Thassos
78. Sardinian Warbler- common Sylvia melanocephala
79. Eastern Orphean Warbler – two singing males Kerkini, probably on passage as this site should be two low.
80. Subalpine Warbler – singing in the pinewoods above Liminaria, Thassos.
81. Zitting Cisticola – Porto Lagos
82. Semi-collared Flycatcher – one male seen in the woods at the eastern end of Liminaria, Thassos.
83. Common Blackbird – Common.
84. Eurasian Nuthatch – Kerkini.
85. Western Rock Nuthatch – Sidirokastro, requires patience!
86. Great Tit – Thassos.
87. Lesser Grey Shrike – one seen Kerkini.
88. Masked Shrike – one seen Kerkini.
89. Woodchat Shrike – Sidirokastro, Porto Lagos and Thassos.
90. Common Starling – Common throughout.
91. Common Magpie – common throughout.
92. Eurasian Jay – Sidirokastro.
93. Western Jackdaw – Thessaloniki, Kerkini, Sidirokastro Porto Lago and Kavala.
94. Hooded Crow – Common throughout.
95. Common Raven – Sidirokastro and Thassos.
96. Spanish Sparrow – Kerkini
97. Tree Sparrow – Kerkini
98. House Sparrow – common throughout
99. Common Chaffinch – Kerkini and Thassos
100. European Goldfinch - Common throughout.
101. European Greenfinch – Sidirokastro
102. European Serin – Porto Lagos
103. Reed Bunting – Kerkini
104. Cirl Bunting – Kerkini, Sidirokastro and Thassos
105. Corn Bunting – Sidirokastro.

David

Photos



White Stork with lodgers at Kerkini village.

David