LESVOS BIRD NEWS 2023 (1 Viewer)

[Mick Sway]

27th September 2023 - highlights from a report on Lesvos Birders FB group
Skala Kalloni
Tree Pipits 35 on passage heading East with hirundines.
Spotted Flycatcher
Common Redstart
Red rumped swallows
Dalmatian pelican fly over
Black Kite - an early movement of 20 birds was reported
Achladeri
Short-toed Treecreepers
Long-tailed Tits
Mikri Limani
Kruper's Nuthatch 4
Coal Tits
Long-tailed Tits
Cirl Buntings
Chiffchaff
Willow Warblers several parties
Polichinitos saltpans
Greater Flamingos
Little Stints
Kentish Plovers
Sandwich Terns 72
Black stork
Skala Vasilikon - coastal track
Northern Wheatears, Spot Flys and Red-backed Shrikes.
Shag 8
Mediterranean Gull 12
Common sandpiper 2

 

[Mick Sway]

The following is a summary of a report by Howard Vaughan on Lesvos Birders Facebook group.
Howard is a Lesvos regular and a professional Bird / Wildlife Guide.
You can find his itinerary for UK (mainly South of England) and foreign guided tours on his
Blue Eyed Birder web site. For details of his Lesvos tour 17-24 April 2024 , click HERE.
28th September 2023
Apparently it was a dark and stormy night (and day):
Skala Kalloni
Grey Herons 21
Spotted Flys, Red-backed Shrikes and House Sparrows were all flycatching on flying ants
Tsiknias River
Dalmatian pelican
Shags
Cormorants
Med Gulls 18
Black-headed and Yellow-legged Gulls.
Loutzaria
Red-back shrikes
Red-throated Pipits 26
Tree and Tawnt pipits
Crested Larks
Flava Wagtails and Wheatears
Red-footed Falcons 4
Hobby
Lesser Kestrel
Marsh Harrier 2 female
Kalloni Salt Pans channel
Dunlin
Little Stints
Kalloni Salt Pans East
White Pelicans 4 immature, a scarce Lesvos bird.
Dalmatian Pelicans9
Spoonbill 14
Various waders with Grey Plovers and Curlews being audible.

 

[Mick Sway]

Images from the past few days, digi scoped and shown here by kind permission of Craig Shaw
Details on the pics.

 

[Mick Sway]

29th September 2023: Summary of Howard's daily report.
Skala Eresou river bridge
Night Heron- juvenile
Cetti's Warblers and Water Rail - heard
Eresos , Meladia Valey to Sigri
Blue and Great Tit
Willow Warbler
Blackcap
Cirl Buntings
Collared Flycatcher 1st winter male
Rock Nuthatches
Crested Larks
Woodlarks
Stonechat
Whinchat
Red-backed Shrikes
Eastern Black-eared Wheatear
Rock Sparrows
Blue Rock Thrushes
Eleonora's Falcons - 11
Lesser Kestrel 5
Buzzard
Short-toed Eagle
Marsh Harrier
Starred Agamas
Faneromeni
flava Wagtails 50
Red-throated Pipits 2
Petrified Forest road
Chukar 14
Levant Sparrowhawk
Common Linnets
Ipsilou
Honey Buzzards 4
Short-toed Eagle juvenile

 

[Mick Sway]

The following is a summary of a report by Howard Vaughan on Lesvos Birders Facebook group.
Howard is a Lesvos regular and a professional Bird / Wildlife Guide.
You can find his itinerary for UK (mainly South of England) and foreign guided tours on his
Blue Eyed Birder web site. For details of his Lesvos tour 17-24 April 2024 , click HERE.
30th September 2023
Tsiknias River.
Red-backed Shrikes
Spotted flucatchers
Black-capped Jays
Sand Martins
Dalmatian Pelican
Short-toed Eagles 2
Lotzaria
AM
Tree and Red-throated Pipits
PM
White stork
Willow warblers
Marsh harrier 2 immature
Vafios and Argennos - Raptor watch points NB brisk north easterly wind off across the straight
Honey Buzzard 5
Marsh Harrier 5
Red-footed falcon 6
Eleanora's falcon 2
Sparrowhawk
Steppe Buzzard
Common Buzzard a
Short-toed Eagle.
Kalloni Salt Pans Hide 2
Marsh Sandpiper 2
Redshank
Spotted redshank
Greenshank
Kentish Plover
Little Stint and Dunlin flock
Ruff
Ringed Plovers 4- 12 species on view.
Spannish sparrows 500 est

Report by another contributer:
Sigri - Eressos am
Blue Rock Thrush 2
Woodlarks 5
Rock sparrow 21
Eleonora’s falcon 3
Lesser Kestrel 2.

 

[Mick Sway]

1st October 2023: Summary of Howard's daily report :
Kalloni Salt Pans East - early morning
Curlews 18
Dalmatian pelicans 18
Cormorants
Pintail
Mallard 2
Grey Plovers
Corn Buntings
Zitting Cisticola w
Kingfisher
Marsh Sandpiper
Common Redshanks
Greater Flamingos
Tsiknias River , mouth and Loutzaria pm
Spoonbills
Pelicans
Great White Egrets 12
Common Shelduck 11
Teal 5
Sanderling
Kalloni Salt Pans Channel
Ringed plover
Little Ringed Plovers
Racecourse area
Lesser Grey Shrike
Kingfisher
Red-backed Shrikes
Willow Warblers
Whinchat
Wheatear
Common Whitethroat

Report 01-10-23 from Observation.org
Loutra
Laughing dove
Metochi
Peregrine
Christou River
Spotted redshank
Greenshank
Grey plover

 

[Mick Sway]

1st October 2023
Missed from yesterdays post, Merlin female, Kalloni Salt Pans
The following is a summary of a report by Howard Vaughan on Lesvos Birders Facebook group.
Howard is a Lesvos regular and a professional Bird / Wildlife Guide.
You can find his itinerary for UK (mainly South of England) and foreign guided tours on his
Blue Eyed Birder web site. For details of his Lesvos tour 17-24 April 2024 , click HERE.
2nd October 2023
Tavari
Grey and White Wagtails
Woodlarks were feeding with the House Sparrows
Lesser Kestrels 2
Skala Eresou
Eleonora's falcon
Ravens
Gavathas
Scopoli's shearwater
Black kite
Perivolis
Middle Spotted Woodpecker 2

Short and sweet today as Howard is also doing the tourist thing.

 

[Mick Sway]

3rd October 2023: Summary of Howard's daily report :
Skala Kalloni
Common Starling
North Coast Raptor Watch Points & surrounds
Sparrowhawk
Goshawk
Common Buzzards
Short-toed Eagle
European Robins
Gold, Greenfinch and Chaffinches
Siskin 2
Hawfinch 5
Meadow Pipit
Blackcaps
Lesser Whitethroat
Cirl Buntings
Middle Spotted Woodpecker
Honey Buzzard 3
Red-footed Falcon
Skala Sykamineas to Eftalou track
passerine species detailed above + Garden Warbler and Eastern Orphean Warbler
Red-backed Shrikes
Blue and Great Tits
Wood Nuthatch
Song Thrushes.
Kalloni Raptor Watch Point
Short-toed Eagle 2
Goshawk 2
Common Buzzard
Ravens.
Potamia Valley & Old reservoir
Spotted flycatchers
Red-backed Shrikes
Cuckoo juvenilew
Mistle Thrush
Little Grebes 9
Coot 2
Moorhen
Cormorant

Report from Observado:
Kalloni Salt Pans West channel
Northern pintail 2

 

[Mick Sway]

The following is a summary of a report by Howard Vaughan from Lesvos Birders Facebook group.
Howard is a Lesvos regular and a professional Bird / Wildlife Guide.
You can find his itinerary for UK (mainly South of England) and foreign guided tours on his
Blue Eyed Birder web site, along with many retrospective Lesvos trip reports.
For details of his Lesvos tour 17-24 April 2024 , click HERE.
NB: UK-Lesvos flights end this week, consequently further reports, other than by locals, are unlikely.

Lesvos 4th October:
Pervoli Monastery.
European Robin 2
Dunnock 2
Serin
Greenfinch
Chaffinch
Blackcaps
Kingfisher
Grey Wagtail
Butterflies :Great Banded Grayling, Cardinal, Painted Lady and Small Copper ,Hummingbird Hawkmoths and a Queen White Tailed Bumblebee.
Ordimnos -Kreokopou monastery
Wood Nuthatches
Chaffinches, Tits, Robins and Wren
Ravens
Short-toed Eagles 2
Sparrowhawk 2
Butterflies : Common Blues,Small Coppers ,Southern Comma, Painted Ladies,Eastern Rock, Freyer's and Great Banded Graylings.
All feeding along the mint lined stream formed from the dripping water system from the monastery.
Skala Eresou
(Lesser) Spotted Eagle sp.
Homeward 05-10-23
Tsiknias River
Kingfisher
Dalmatian pelican 4
Black stork
Lotzaria
Common redstart 2
Red-backed shrikes, Northern wheatears

This completes Howards reports for this trip.

Other reports by visiting birder.
05-10-23 Argennos Raptor Watch Point (north coast)
Spotted eagle.

 

[Mick Sway]

For Howard Vaughan's Full trip report September - October 2023
Please click here

 

[Mick Sway]

Just a couple of uncommon wintering birds, as recorded on eBird :
Mitilini 25-10-23
Woodpigeon 12
Hawfinch 2
Siskin 4

 

[Mick Sway]

A LATE SCARCE LESVOS RECORD FROM :
19TH SEPTEMBER 2019
Red knot Calidris canutus
Gulf of Kalloni discovered by Belgian birder Johan De Rycke .
The image appears here with his kind permission.
This is the first image from Lesvos that I recall seeing in nearly 20 years.
There has been no more than a handful of previous records.

 

[Mick Sway]

A late report from the:
20th November 2023
Mitilini Harbour
Black-throated diver
As reported by Eleni Galinou on eBird.

27 November 2023
A report of overnight snow in the hills surrounding Agiassos

 

[Mick Sway]

Planning a birding trip to Lesvos in 2024 ?
Here's a reminder of our Wonderful Lesvos Birders Website:
For birding locations, species lists, images & culture etc , click here
For detailed annual reports 2009- 2015 , click here!

 

[Mick Sway]

Some of the more interesting sightings of over-wintering birds
recorded by local conservationists, over the past few days.

Dipi-Larsos reedbed 9th December 2023
Water Rail 2
Moustached Warbler 2
Penduline tit 2

Kalloni Salt Pans 7th & 8th December 2023
Species included:
Slender billed gull
Northern pintail
Red breasted merganser
Eurasian wigeon
Black necked grebe
Great crested grebe
Northern lapwing
Golden plover
Skylark
Merlin

 

[Mick Sway]

Report by a visiting UK birder on the Lesvos Bird News Facebook group
26th December 2023
Kalloni Salt Pans. no 1 Hide and track.
Dalmation Pelicans x9
Hen Harrier x1 male
Chiff Chaff x4
Spoonbill x 8
Redshank x6
Winter Wren
Meadow Pipits
Golden Plover x 40+

Reported on 20th Dec same site on eBird:
Common starling 30