Hi Everyone,
I have been very fascinated and interested on a lot of reports posted,it goes with out mentioning it could fill a good book or two, here is my account on a trip on a family holiday.
This is an account of a walk I had up a Mountain on The Greek Island of Zante(Zakynthos),It was not a planned birding trip, merely a break from the norm on a family holiday with my wife and children.
This proves a trip off the beaten track can bring as much rewards(if not more) as sunbathing on the beach.
A Trip to Mount Skopos, (Kalamaki- ZAKYNTHOS)
An earth tremor a hour before I ascended Mount Skopos did not deter my excursion in the slightest. This was my first time I had ventured up a mountain of any sort. Indeed it was not at all steep it merely required me to ascend a well worn path upwards with a little care.
I decided to set off early as possible in order not to be exposed to the adhering mid-day Ionian sun.
The terrain was marshy scrubland with a scattering of bushes and thickets which led to the foot of Mount Skopos.As this mountain was also on the coast of the Bay of Laganas it offered a great variety of habitats to all wildlife in a very constricted area.
I continued the ascent from Kalamaki beach and caught sight of a Fantail Warbler uttering his unmistakable ''chip chip'' aerial song which was accompanied with a high jerky undulating flight pattern.
Goldfinches were in abundance thriving on the broken scrub and Teasels.
The path narrowed as I approached a flower bordered dirt track, a sub-species of Whites and Clouded Yellows flittered around me as I walked,their wing pattern was not the familiar patterns one would associate with British varieties.
The path got steeper as it meandered between broken and rocky scrub enabling me to witness a pair of Sardinian Warblers to the right of me in some bushes,their conspicuous red eyes and sockets and white chins were clearly visible.More goldfinches with their young could be seen everywhere.Piercing staccato bursts of Cettis Warbler could be heard as Wall Brown butterflies floated across the path only to momentarily disappear amongst the roadside vegetation. A Rose beetle flew inches past me and all manner of insect life came to life. Painted Ladies,Grayling, Swallowtail/Southern Swallowtails flew into a smudge of violet coloured flowers which led us to some Cleopatras further up the path.
The scrub was getting sparse and was giving way to more rocky outcrops,when a movement to my left caught my attention and I was able to identify it as male Black Eared Wheatear.It's black mask and buff plumage tinted with a hint of pink,contrasting with the green foliage behind it.
Minutes later I saw a very good view of a Cetti's warbler singing loudly from the top of a bush,he's rounded tail flicking in a downward motion.I got a glimpse of movement further up the path (now the green terrain was in the minority giving way to larger rocky areas.) A Blackbird sized bird was jumping from rock to rock. On closer inspection this bird's tail was somewhat shorter than a blackbird.The sunlight then revealed it's blue-black plumage to the full,it was unmistakable, I had seen my first Blue RockThrush.
I decided to walk up to a small quarry and then planned to descend via the town of Argassi.
As the din of the working quarry got louder I sighted a kestrel.Lesser Kestrels have been known to frequent the area, but it was definitely the former.I headed downward only to give a wide birth to some yellow and brown hornets collecting mud from a nearby diminishing puddle,no doubt for their nest, further down the path I couldn't help stop to admire the view of the westward descent to Argassi. The unnatural blue bay of Laganas flecked with silver reflections of the sun, was down to the right of me,Swallows and Red Rumped swallows were below me catching insects on the wing as I looked down on them from a height.I could stay up here all day,but my water was getting low and I decided to carry on.The rocks gave way to scrub and a lone Male Linnet was feeding on the roadside.Whilst again admiring the view I saw some Grayling Butterflies, but one of them really stood out it was twice as big as the others,one to look up on when I get home.
A Black Kite Greeted me as the path disappeared into bushy terrain, It perched on a small bare tree and gave a high pitched squeal and took off again over the green slopes.
The lower descent to Argassi was littered with lots of sightings of Sardinian,Cettis Warblers,Greenfinches and Goldfinches and I almost trod on a Green Balkan Lizard before it scurried into the undergrowth.
I arrived in Argassi four hours after I set off,leg weary but nether the less very fulfilled.