Just back from the first two weeks of August in Kefalonia. By no means a birding holiday, but we managed 42 species for the fortnight just by keeping our eyes open. We stayed in Lassi, 10 minutes from the airport, and hired a car for 5 days. The weather was hot, between 30 and 35, the first week had a pleasant breeze, but the second was really hot. The roads are narrow and twisty, lots of hairpins and seldom out of 2/3 gear !!! But Kefalonia is a beautiful island with fantastic mountain and coastal scenery.
The birds :
In the hotel grounds we had Col. Dove, Sard. Warbler, Woodchat Shrike, Spot. Flycatcher, Swallow, Eastern Orphean Warbler, Great tit and over the sea, Yellow Legged Gull, Cormorant and when the wind blew, Cory's Shearwater.
Livadi Marshes was quite hard to find a spot to watch, but a track to the Lixouri side and a pull-in half way down the hill on the Agostoli side seemed to be the best. Little Egret and Grey Heron along with Dadchick and Moorhen were on the pools. We had a Ringed Plover on the stream and a Buzzard over, also here Woodchat and Red Backed Shrike, Red Rumped and Barn Swallow, and Swift.
Mount Aenos is the highest part of the Ionian Islands and probably the most productive spot, we visited twice. The best place when we were there was the radar dishes halfway up. Here we watched Wheatear and Black Eared Wheatear, Raven, Rock Thrush, Linnet, and a water trough by a goat pen had Spotted Flycatcher, as we watched a Cirl Bunting landed next to the car by the side of the road. Also had Hoopoe here on fly past. The top of the mountain by the radio masts is quite dense pine forest, there were lots of tit flocks in the treetops, but we only managed to identify Great and Coal Tit, there was also a Firecrest in with a Coal Tit flock.
On the way to Poros we stopped to watch a large mixed flock of Swallows over a valley of farmland and olive trees, it also had a couple of House Martins and over the top Alpine Swift, Stonechat and a few warblers were in the bushes. Two days later, the same valley was deserted, except for a Rough Legged Buzzard, showing it's different flight pattern and white tail.
Other birds seen were, Hooded Crow at Fiscardo, Yelkoan Shearwater off Sami harbour on the Icatha ferry.
Not easy birding but if you stick at it for 2 weeks the number begin to stack up and Kefalonia is a lovely place to visit
The birds :
In the hotel grounds we had Col. Dove, Sard. Warbler, Woodchat Shrike, Spot. Flycatcher, Swallow, Eastern Orphean Warbler, Great tit and over the sea, Yellow Legged Gull, Cormorant and when the wind blew, Cory's Shearwater.
Livadi Marshes was quite hard to find a spot to watch, but a track to the Lixouri side and a pull-in half way down the hill on the Agostoli side seemed to be the best. Little Egret and Grey Heron along with Dadchick and Moorhen were on the pools. We had a Ringed Plover on the stream and a Buzzard over, also here Woodchat and Red Backed Shrike, Red Rumped and Barn Swallow, and Swift.
Mount Aenos is the highest part of the Ionian Islands and probably the most productive spot, we visited twice. The best place when we were there was the radar dishes halfway up. Here we watched Wheatear and Black Eared Wheatear, Raven, Rock Thrush, Linnet, and a water trough by a goat pen had Spotted Flycatcher, as we watched a Cirl Bunting landed next to the car by the side of the road. Also had Hoopoe here on fly past. The top of the mountain by the radio masts is quite dense pine forest, there were lots of tit flocks in the treetops, but we only managed to identify Great and Coal Tit, there was also a Firecrest in with a Coal Tit flock.
On the way to Poros we stopped to watch a large mixed flock of Swallows over a valley of farmland and olive trees, it also had a couple of House Martins and over the top Alpine Swift, Stonechat and a few warblers were in the bushes. Two days later, the same valley was deserted, except for a Rough Legged Buzzard, showing it's different flight pattern and white tail.
Other birds seen were, Hooded Crow at Fiscardo, Yelkoan Shearwater off Sami harbour on the Icatha ferry.
Not easy birding but if you stick at it for 2 weeks the number begin to stack up and Kefalonia is a lovely place to visit
