Lesvos spring 2009 news (1 Viewer)

Steve Dudley

aka The Toadsnatcher

• Mar 28, 2009

• #1

Hi all

Some news items for birders visiting the island this spring to note.

Firstly, the new hide at Parakila Marsh has been burnt down. The police dont yet know who did this but it is belived that someone had been 'living' in it on and off over the winter and they may have done this accidentally or another line of enquiry is that some locals got fed up of it being used as such and torched it. It is believed that the arson is not anti-birdwatching/wildlife relate. but we will see.

The other hides are still OK. Hopefully the the one built on the Kalloni Salptans perimeter road will be open for use this spring. Waste of time otherwise!

Secondly, after a lot of work I have at last completely overhauled the A Checklist of the Birds of Lesvos on the website. This has recently been agreed with HRC (with whom I have worded closely) and local Lesviot birders.

I hope to have some news on a more formal recording system for the island commencing in from this spring. I'll post as soon as this is confirmed by HRC.

 

Steve Dudley

aka The Toadsnatcher

• Apr 3, 2009

• #2

Away for the week, I've come back to some bird news and, just as interesting, some photos of water levels on the island from both Terry Robinson (Skala Polichnitou resident) and Eleni Gallinou (Lesviot now living on Samos but on her regular spring visit back home).

Eleni's bird news includes a Spur-winged Plover near Kalloni Saltpans whilst high spring surface water is very clear by the photos including an overflowing Potamia Reservoir.

All the news and photos at www.lesvosbirding.com.

 

Sandra (Taylor)

Well-known member

• Apr 3, 2009

• #3

The check list of birds has a black background, Steve. Will this use gallons of my toner if I print it?

 

Steve Dudley

aka The Toadsnatcher

• Apr 3, 2009

• #4

I presume so unless you can disable the background setting.

 

Dimitris

Birdwatcher in Oz

• Apr 6, 2009

• #5

Sandra (Taylor) said:

The check list of birds has a black background, Steve. Will this use gallons of my toner if I print it?

Click to expand...

Why not copy paste it into a word document?

Cheers!

Dimitris

 

Steve Dudley

aka The Toadsnatcher

• Apr 8, 2009

• #6

Things definately beginning to pick up on the island with Citrine Wagtail this morning and Spur-winged Plover in recent days. Also the first migrant herons and Glossy Ibises coming through.

Regular updates on www.lesvosbirding.com.

 

R

ronjax

Well-known member

• Apr 15, 2009

• #7

Thomson Airways Carry On Baggage

Possibly too early to ask for 2009 to Lesvos, but does anyone have any experiences with Thomson from Manchester?
Their bumf mentions 5kg max which is below the "norm" now from Manchester which is 7kg.
First Choice Airline last year didn't seem to bothered .
I spent 20 fruitless minutes (at 10p per minute) waiting to get through to Thomson on the phone this morning.
About time they weighed passengers as well as their bags and gave an inclusive allowance!

Ron

 

Steve Dudley

aka The Toadsnatcher

• May 16, 2009

• #8

Now I'm back and catching up with thinks after three weeks on the island, I would like to thanks all those who those birders who provided info during my three week stay which formed the basis of the Lesvos Birding Hotel Pasiphae log and daily website updates. In particular Bob Buckler (Wingspan Bird Tours), Terry & Sue Robinson, Ian Pitts, Dave Bradnum, Paul Manning, Precill & Neil Preston, Donald & Jennfier Rhodes, Pete & Jan Deans (and their holiday-mates Fiona and Geoff) and Ian Lewington, and all those who passed on info to me in the field or wrote things up in the Lesvos Birding log at the Hotel Pasiphae. Sorry if I missed ayone out! Thanks alot everyone - news only spreads if people are willing to share.

Lastly, I would like to thank all the staff at the Hotel Pasiphae for their usual care and attention not only of me over the last three weeks, but of all the birders staying with them this season. The Pasiphae again proved to be the premier of the Skala Kallonis hotels and has an increasing birding buzz in the evenings as birders staying elsewhere come in to use the Lesvos Birding hotel and share news at the bar.

 

Sandra (Taylor)

Well-known member

• May 18, 2009

• #9

Thanks alot everyone - news only spreads if people are willing to share.

This works both ways Steve. Me & Bob would like to thank you too for passing on information when we happened to come across you. I would probably have written off my first ever goshawk as something else (don't ask!) if you hadn't shared your knowledge at the bandstand. Meeting lots of new (and renewing old friendships) really makes our holiday.

Sandra

 

Selsey Birder

Well-known member

• May 20, 2009

• #10

Hi Steve,

It was a pleasure to share any info we had, i am still writing up my trip report and will post a day at a time as i find the time.

Thank you for your help too - greatly appreciated.

Ian

 

Mick Sway

Well-known member

• May 24, 2009

• #11

Photographers v Birders

Steve
Re:http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=1488823#post1488823
I appreciate your guarded views relating to photographers vs birders.
However I would like to point out that probably half of all birders are now looking for some photographic record, using either super zoom,digi-scoping or better and also hire a car. Clearly, though we would all like that ace pic, we all can't pull up under a tree at the same time in a car or set up a hide by a nesting bird.
The fact is that as birding gets increasingly popular and technology improves,its likely that some wildlife on Lesvos (and elsewhere) will suffer through over twitching if not better protected.
Having visited Lesvos each year since 1999, we have seen both an increase in birding tourism and unfortunate field behaviour.
Some times though you can get lucky - see pic
A displaying pair of bush robin dropped within a few metres of us,as a we were having a drink in the car at Sigri.
We watched them for 5 minutes as they performed their display and then flew off.
Keep up the good work and we look forward to the book.
Mick
:t:

 

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Last edited: May 24, 2009

Steve Dudley

aka The Toadsnatcher

• May 24, 2009

• #12

I agree with you Mike. As a long-standing digiscoper I enjoy the odd photographic opporunity myself. The tide change however is the switch to DSLR, the users of which have to be much, much closer to the subject than we digiscopers need to be. And there is a misunderstanding with a lot of birders who think that a big lens means you dont have get so close. The other thing is I know of no other place where this number of birders, birder-photographers and photographers (not my three distinct groups here) come in to direct contact (and conflict) as they do on Lesvos.

But we need to be positive and manage the situation rather than let conflict take hold. Whilst birders need to be more accommodating of photographers, photographers should think twice before camping/parking below a nuthatch nest being watch daily by dozens (hundreds) of birders. Kruper's is not a diffuclt bird to see elsewhere in the forest, so go find your own nest to photo without the crowds!