Sandra (Taylor)
Well-known member
Day 6
Had pallied harrier on the saltpans – it had landed with food and stood in front of a clump of reeds for ages. Also ruff, stilts, avocet & chick, stone curlew, flamingoes. Drove up the Napi Valley, turning right before the road drops down to the coast. This is a lovely area of olive groves, cultivated fields, scrub. Birds included black-eared wheatear, red backed shrike, orphean warbler. We approached a car which was blocking the track – as Bob got ready to remonstrate with the driver, we realised they were watching something interesting. We joined them and had good views of a roller perched on the top of a bare tree. So they were forgiven for blocking the road! Drove to the second cattle grid and parked. Bob saw a hoopoe flying and this was just the first of two for the trip. I saw a golden oreole on the bottom branches of a tree in the olive grove and a masked shrike calling from the top of a tree. Watched olive tree warbler for 10 mins. Further up the track where it flattens out we had a woodlark on the fence.
Back to the hotel now as we had to be out again at 6.00pm to drive over to Petra to see Jim & Jean (they were staying at the Panorama and really liked it there). A little ringed plover was in the river as we passed. Black-headed buntings and crested larks were everywhere and nightingales sing from nearly every tree and bush on the river bank. We were lucky enough to actually see a nightingale today. A peregrine showed well near the Ruppell’s site between Petra & Molyvos.
We ate with our mates at the Womens’ Cooperative at the far end of Petra. Highly recommended.
Day 7
Just for a change (!) we went to the river then onto the saltpans. The army/navy were in residence on the fields here and we watched a big plane do about 5 passes – each time dropping 8 parachutists onto the far side near the caravan. So onto the inland lake where we saw Joan & Tom who were looking for night heron in an area near the Potamia Valley. Saw little grebe , swifts and moorhen at the lake then up the beautiful Potamia Valley. We parked by the bridge and walked up the right hand side of the rapidly drying river. An olivaceous warbler was singing nearby.
Back to the main road then onto Devil’s Bridge and past the minaret which, thankfully, has had repairs done to the top part which was rapidly collapsing. Turned left off the main road after a while – signed to Apothikes & Makara. The landscape changes from the dry lunar terrain, where we soon saw western rock nuthatch and black-eared wheatear, to olive trees and fields once we’d left Apothikes behind and took the track straight on to Makara. We parked up near the coast next to an army tank in a cage!! Bob walked down to the ford via a track on the beach and I did a bit of sea-watching. Soon gave that up because there were two naval vessels (big flat dinghies) close in and just moving round the bay. I didn’t like to show a lot of interest so put my binnies down. A flock of jackdaws flew in – they looked to have come from the island out in the bay but might just have risen up from the fields. Bob returned and said there wasn’t anything at the ford but soon he saw two ravens flying over. I watched a black-eared wheatear on top of the large rocks and a big black lizard sunbathing, until he spied us and was off like a shot.
Day 8
New birds are now getting harder to find but we had been told there was a great spotted cuckoo on the road to the dead goat pit, so that was where we aimed for. It had been seen near the bottom of the track, before the goat farm is reached, but then it was re-found up the hill – round two bends – on the scrub land in a tree. Then we realised there were two birds – mating! We met a group we knew from last year up there and half a dozen other people we knew. There were lots of photographers there but they weren’t disturbing the cuckoos at all. In a tree lower down by the first bend we watched a roller, gleaming in the sunlight.
Then to Theo’s for a celebratory drink where we met Mick Sway (BF) and Tina again, and Reader & Co. to swap sightings with.
Later on, when it was a bit cooler, Bob had a red-throated pipit on the sheepfields while I looked in vain for turnstone on the edge of the bay.
Day 9
A couple we’d met last year had arrived yesterday to begin a week’s stay in Molyvos and I contacted Kelvin to arrange to meet them.
Onto the saltpans then and then the bandstand. The Ruppell’s warbler was showing well over near Petra and it was a beautiful morning (so what’s new?). Visited the shops at the far end of the town and bought some gifts; visited the ancient chapel and then as usual had a beer in the lovely taverna next door. It’s overhung with vines and is dark and cool.
Drove up to Petri and did the walk above the village where we go every year. Wild flowers were in abundance and there were lovely views down to the chapel on the hill. Then back over the hills, taking the road to the Roman bridge then carried on through to Agia Pariskevi, meeting the main road back near the saltpans.
Day 10
Starting to re-visit places now. Ipsilou monastery today. Called at the Grand Canyon and there were no more birders around. Before we got there we stopped in the lay-by and had good views of the rock sparrow going in and out of the old nuthatch’s nest. (Well, I don’t suppose the nuthatch was very old – should have said the nuthatch’s old nest of course! – so why didn’t I just change it?: I’m using a PC for goodness sake, not an old typewriter with 10 carbon copies. Now I really am showing my age). At the canyon we watched a blue rock thrush and oodles of crag martins, black-eared wheatear and rock nuthatch.
At the monastery met Anne & husband who were going to the ford past Sigri for the third time this week – for the Baillon’s crake. They had had icterine warbler on the track up to the monastery but we never did find it. But had best views in 10 yrs of cinereous bunting on the slopes below the monastery. Watched a short-toed eagle soaring above us from one side of the valley to the other without one flap of its wings. Someone had seen a chukar below the monastery but although we did the circuit of the road again we missed out so decided to drive to the Petrified Forest where we usually see this elusive bird. We reached the visitor centre and turned to come back and there perched on a rock was a chukar.
Met Jean & Jim and some more friends at the Enigma tonight in Skalla Kalloni. Had good fun and lots of laughs.
Day 11
This morning we had a grey plover and a ringed plover in the river. Three night heron were roosting in olive trees in a grove close to a small lake/large pond that we didn’t even know existed. Never come across it before. It was very, very hot so we went to Scampo’s by the beach for cold drinks then early back to the room to stay in easy reach of the fridge.
Day 12
To the river and saltpans, where we had a white stork in a field on our right. Lots of curlew sandpipers in the – by now – colourful plumage. Onto the Napi Valley where we had a lovely view of sombre tit and a blue tit feeding fledged young. (I’m sure this is where I must have lost my mobile phone today)
Back to Theo’s where we met Anne & husband. I took my Knickerbocker Glory over to Donald (Kalispera) & Jennifer for a chat. Back to the room briefly then out again to Makara ford where we had been told alpine swifts came to drink there at about 5.30pm. Got there about that time – what a difference to the other afternoon when there was nothing to be seen. A flock of grey plover was on the seaward side of the ford. Could see a big mass of birds in the air off the right hand side of the island out at sea and soon four or 5 alphine swifts were above us and swooping down to drink – wonderful sight of wonderful birds. Common swift is my favourite ‘ordinary’ bird but these were sensational. Then there were two wagtails – what I would call our grey wagtail and a black & white wagtail and a group of turnstone.
Drove back to eat at Scampo’s – chatting with John Jennings, Diane & Keith.
Day 13
On the river people were looking for the citrine wagtail near the ford. Saw Reader, Digi-birder & Keith on the saltpans who aimed us in the direction of the rose-coloured starlings which had been on the island for a day or so. Saw them in a big mulberry tree on the track leading from the pans to the river. Brilliant sight with the sun shining dappled through the leaves. I’m sure lots of birders got some smashing photographs. Mine were rubbish, as usual. Got some nice photos of dappled leaves! Even when I zoomed the photos in I couldn’t see a bird – still, they’re there in my memory!
Then an unscheduled trip to the Napi valley to see if I could find my mobile phone. I thought I knew almost exactly where it must have dropped out of my bag but it wasn’t anywhere.
Talked to Carol (Damselfly) who was sitting in the shade under a tree while Mike took photographs in the grove of a masked shrike. We had met them for the first time a few days ago.
Saw orphean warbler here and the sound of hoopoe close by – later saw one flying but only very briefly. Had a pied flycatcher in this area too. Back to the saltpans and went to look at the starlings again – Damselfly was taking photos there.
Day 14
Rapidly running out of days now. Nothing new on the river. Then to Petra where I had brief sighting of a subalpine warbler in the trees on the approach road to Petra dam. Stayed a while at the Ruppell’s site to chat to some birders we had met last year. On the way back we called at the taverna on the mountain road – the one on a corner with a wonderful view down into Petra. We’ve passed it dozens of times but never stopped before. There was a welcome cool breeze blowing which was lovely after the hot sun in the town.
Back to the room to pack and get details of pick-up for our flight tomorrow – 9.40 from the hotel.
We were joined at the taverna by Donald & Jennifer and Hilda & Jim and had a lovely evening. We were given a complimentary jug of wine. Went to the square to look for the barn owl afterwards but dipped for the third time this holiday.
The morning of departure was the day I actually discovered the sunbeds! I had 10 mins. to spare while we were waiting for the coach so thought I’d try one out and that was the only time I sat by the pool.
We, and we weren’t on our own here, were very disappointed to see that each evening one of the hotel staff destroyed parts of nests that the swallows had managed to put up during the day. At breakfast we were treated to the sight of increasingly fewer pairs of swallows flying back to the breakfast terrace with mud and sticking it to the underneath of the wooden roof. Such a waste of time and effort as we knew they would be destroyed that day. The birds just didn’t seem to catch on and as the days passed, it would be getting increasingly unlikely that they would raise a family at all.
I swear the seats on the aeroplane are getting even closer together. The flight was My Jet or Fly Jet or something. The price of drinks is exorbitant, as with all companies, but I hadn’t brought my own miniatures of gin as I thought they might be taken off me at the airport! As it happened, I could have done.
To sum up the holiday – it was super, made all the better by the lovely people (birders and Greeks) we met during the 2 weeks. The birding was excellent and it was good to swap information with others. Lots of birders like to find their own birds, but I’m all for a helping hand on the way. The weather was hot, increasing to very hot at the end of the holiday. The many different wild flowers were a joy to see, especially fields of poppies. There were pink, blue, yellow, white, purple and red flowers on the river banks, roadsides, olive groves – in fact everywhere we went. We had close encounters with small, medium and large tortoises, beech martens, Persian squirrels, numerous varieties of lizard, terrapins, dead hedgehogs, cats & dogs.
Bird List
Little grebe
Cormorant
Shag
Little bittern
Night heron
Squacco heron
Little egret
Great white egret
Grey heron
Purple heron
Black stork
White stork
Greater flamingo
Ruddy shelduck
Ferruginous duck
Short toed eagle
Marsh harrier
Pallid harrier
Sparrowhawk
Buzzard
Long-legged buzzard
Lesser kestrel
Kestrel
Red-footed falcon
Eleanora’s falcon
Peregrine
Chukar
Little crake
Moorhen
Black winged stilt
Avocet
Stone curlew
Collard pratincole
Little ringed plover
Ringed plover
Kentish plover
Grey plover
Little stint
Curlew sandpiper
Dunlin
Ruff
Black tailed godwit
Wood sandpiper
Common sandpiper
Turnstone
Yellow legged gull
Common tern
Little tern
Whiskered tern
White winged black tern
Collared dove
Turtle dove
Great spotted cuckoo
Cuckoo (H)
Scops owl
Little owl
Swift
Alpine swift
Bee-eater
Roller
Hoopoe
Middle spotted woodpecker
Short toed lark
Crested lark
Woodlark
Skylark
Sand martin
Crag martin
Swallow
Red rumped swallow
House martin
Tawny pipit
Red throated pipit
Grey wagtail
White wagtail
Rufous bush robin
Nightingale
Redstart
Stonechat
Isabelline wheatear
Northern wheatear
Pied wheatear
Black-eared wheatear
Blue rock thrush
Blackbird
Cetti’s warbler
Sedge warbler
Reed warbler
Olivaceous warbler
Olive tree warbler
Subalpine warbler
Sardinian warbler
Ruppell’s warbler
Orphean warbler
Willow warbler
Spotted flycatcher
Pied flycatcher
Sombre tit
Blue tit
Great tit
Kruper’s nuthatch
Western rock nuthatch
Short-toed treecreeper
Golden oriole
Red backed shrike
Lesser grey shrike
Woodchat shrike
Masked shrike
Jay
Jackdaw
Hooded crow
Raven
Rose c9loured starling
House sparrow
Spanish sparrow
Rock sparrow
Chaffinch
Greenfinch
Goldfinch
Cirl bunting
Cinereous bunting
Cretzschmar’s bunting
Reed bunting
Black-headed bunting
Corn bunting
THE END.....................HONESTLY!
Sandra
:scribe:
Had pallied harrier on the saltpans – it had landed with food and stood in front of a clump of reeds for ages. Also ruff, stilts, avocet & chick, stone curlew, flamingoes. Drove up the Napi Valley, turning right before the road drops down to the coast. This is a lovely area of olive groves, cultivated fields, scrub. Birds included black-eared wheatear, red backed shrike, orphean warbler. We approached a car which was blocking the track – as Bob got ready to remonstrate with the driver, we realised they were watching something interesting. We joined them and had good views of a roller perched on the top of a bare tree. So they were forgiven for blocking the road! Drove to the second cattle grid and parked. Bob saw a hoopoe flying and this was just the first of two for the trip. I saw a golden oreole on the bottom branches of a tree in the olive grove and a masked shrike calling from the top of a tree. Watched olive tree warbler for 10 mins. Further up the track where it flattens out we had a woodlark on the fence.
Back to the hotel now as we had to be out again at 6.00pm to drive over to Petra to see Jim & Jean (they were staying at the Panorama and really liked it there). A little ringed plover was in the river as we passed. Black-headed buntings and crested larks were everywhere and nightingales sing from nearly every tree and bush on the river bank. We were lucky enough to actually see a nightingale today. A peregrine showed well near the Ruppell’s site between Petra & Molyvos.
We ate with our mates at the Womens’ Cooperative at the far end of Petra. Highly recommended.
Day 7
Just for a change (!) we went to the river then onto the saltpans. The army/navy were in residence on the fields here and we watched a big plane do about 5 passes – each time dropping 8 parachutists onto the far side near the caravan. So onto the inland lake where we saw Joan & Tom who were looking for night heron in an area near the Potamia Valley. Saw little grebe , swifts and moorhen at the lake then up the beautiful Potamia Valley. We parked by the bridge and walked up the right hand side of the rapidly drying river. An olivaceous warbler was singing nearby.
Back to the main road then onto Devil’s Bridge and past the minaret which, thankfully, has had repairs done to the top part which was rapidly collapsing. Turned left off the main road after a while – signed to Apothikes & Makara. The landscape changes from the dry lunar terrain, where we soon saw western rock nuthatch and black-eared wheatear, to olive trees and fields once we’d left Apothikes behind and took the track straight on to Makara. We parked up near the coast next to an army tank in a cage!! Bob walked down to the ford via a track on the beach and I did a bit of sea-watching. Soon gave that up because there were two naval vessels (big flat dinghies) close in and just moving round the bay. I didn’t like to show a lot of interest so put my binnies down. A flock of jackdaws flew in – they looked to have come from the island out in the bay but might just have risen up from the fields. Bob returned and said there wasn’t anything at the ford but soon he saw two ravens flying over. I watched a black-eared wheatear on top of the large rocks and a big black lizard sunbathing, until he spied us and was off like a shot.
Day 8
New birds are now getting harder to find but we had been told there was a great spotted cuckoo on the road to the dead goat pit, so that was where we aimed for. It had been seen near the bottom of the track, before the goat farm is reached, but then it was re-found up the hill – round two bends – on the scrub land in a tree. Then we realised there were two birds – mating! We met a group we knew from last year up there and half a dozen other people we knew. There were lots of photographers there but they weren’t disturbing the cuckoos at all. In a tree lower down by the first bend we watched a roller, gleaming in the sunlight.
Then to Theo’s for a celebratory drink where we met Mick Sway (BF) and Tina again, and Reader & Co. to swap sightings with.
Later on, when it was a bit cooler, Bob had a red-throated pipit on the sheepfields while I looked in vain for turnstone on the edge of the bay.
Day 9
A couple we’d met last year had arrived yesterday to begin a week’s stay in Molyvos and I contacted Kelvin to arrange to meet them.
Onto the saltpans then and then the bandstand. The Ruppell’s warbler was showing well over near Petra and it was a beautiful morning (so what’s new?). Visited the shops at the far end of the town and bought some gifts; visited the ancient chapel and then as usual had a beer in the lovely taverna next door. It’s overhung with vines and is dark and cool.
Drove up to Petri and did the walk above the village where we go every year. Wild flowers were in abundance and there were lovely views down to the chapel on the hill. Then back over the hills, taking the road to the Roman bridge then carried on through to Agia Pariskevi, meeting the main road back near the saltpans.
Day 10
Starting to re-visit places now. Ipsilou monastery today. Called at the Grand Canyon and there were no more birders around. Before we got there we stopped in the lay-by and had good views of the rock sparrow going in and out of the old nuthatch’s nest. (Well, I don’t suppose the nuthatch was very old – should have said the nuthatch’s old nest of course! – so why didn’t I just change it?: I’m using a PC for goodness sake, not an old typewriter with 10 carbon copies. Now I really am showing my age). At the canyon we watched a blue rock thrush and oodles of crag martins, black-eared wheatear and rock nuthatch.
At the monastery met Anne & husband who were going to the ford past Sigri for the third time this week – for the Baillon’s crake. They had had icterine warbler on the track up to the monastery but we never did find it. But had best views in 10 yrs of cinereous bunting on the slopes below the monastery. Watched a short-toed eagle soaring above us from one side of the valley to the other without one flap of its wings. Someone had seen a chukar below the monastery but although we did the circuit of the road again we missed out so decided to drive to the Petrified Forest where we usually see this elusive bird. We reached the visitor centre and turned to come back and there perched on a rock was a chukar.
Met Jean & Jim and some more friends at the Enigma tonight in Skalla Kalloni. Had good fun and lots of laughs.
Day 11
This morning we had a grey plover and a ringed plover in the river. Three night heron were roosting in olive trees in a grove close to a small lake/large pond that we didn’t even know existed. Never come across it before. It was very, very hot so we went to Scampo’s by the beach for cold drinks then early back to the room to stay in easy reach of the fridge.
Day 12
To the river and saltpans, where we had a white stork in a field on our right. Lots of curlew sandpipers in the – by now – colourful plumage. Onto the Napi Valley where we had a lovely view of sombre tit and a blue tit feeding fledged young. (I’m sure this is where I must have lost my mobile phone today)
Back to Theo’s where we met Anne & husband. I took my Knickerbocker Glory over to Donald (Kalispera) & Jennifer for a chat. Back to the room briefly then out again to Makara ford where we had been told alpine swifts came to drink there at about 5.30pm. Got there about that time – what a difference to the other afternoon when there was nothing to be seen. A flock of grey plover was on the seaward side of the ford. Could see a big mass of birds in the air off the right hand side of the island out at sea and soon four or 5 alphine swifts were above us and swooping down to drink – wonderful sight of wonderful birds. Common swift is my favourite ‘ordinary’ bird but these were sensational. Then there were two wagtails – what I would call our grey wagtail and a black & white wagtail and a group of turnstone.
Drove back to eat at Scampo’s – chatting with John Jennings, Diane & Keith.
Day 13
On the river people were looking for the citrine wagtail near the ford. Saw Reader, Digi-birder & Keith on the saltpans who aimed us in the direction of the rose-coloured starlings which had been on the island for a day or so. Saw them in a big mulberry tree on the track leading from the pans to the river. Brilliant sight with the sun shining dappled through the leaves. I’m sure lots of birders got some smashing photographs. Mine were rubbish, as usual. Got some nice photos of dappled leaves! Even when I zoomed the photos in I couldn’t see a bird – still, they’re there in my memory!
Then an unscheduled trip to the Napi valley to see if I could find my mobile phone. I thought I knew almost exactly where it must have dropped out of my bag but it wasn’t anywhere.
Talked to Carol (Damselfly) who was sitting in the shade under a tree while Mike took photographs in the grove of a masked shrike. We had met them for the first time a few days ago.
Saw orphean warbler here and the sound of hoopoe close by – later saw one flying but only very briefly. Had a pied flycatcher in this area too. Back to the saltpans and went to look at the starlings again – Damselfly was taking photos there.
Day 14
Rapidly running out of days now. Nothing new on the river. Then to Petra where I had brief sighting of a subalpine warbler in the trees on the approach road to Petra dam. Stayed a while at the Ruppell’s site to chat to some birders we had met last year. On the way back we called at the taverna on the mountain road – the one on a corner with a wonderful view down into Petra. We’ve passed it dozens of times but never stopped before. There was a welcome cool breeze blowing which was lovely after the hot sun in the town.
Back to the room to pack and get details of pick-up for our flight tomorrow – 9.40 from the hotel.
We were joined at the taverna by Donald & Jennifer and Hilda & Jim and had a lovely evening. We were given a complimentary jug of wine. Went to the square to look for the barn owl afterwards but dipped for the third time this holiday.
The morning of departure was the day I actually discovered the sunbeds! I had 10 mins. to spare while we were waiting for the coach so thought I’d try one out and that was the only time I sat by the pool.
We, and we weren’t on our own here, were very disappointed to see that each evening one of the hotel staff destroyed parts of nests that the swallows had managed to put up during the day. At breakfast we were treated to the sight of increasingly fewer pairs of swallows flying back to the breakfast terrace with mud and sticking it to the underneath of the wooden roof. Such a waste of time and effort as we knew they would be destroyed that day. The birds just didn’t seem to catch on and as the days passed, it would be getting increasingly unlikely that they would raise a family at all.
I swear the seats on the aeroplane are getting even closer together. The flight was My Jet or Fly Jet or something. The price of drinks is exorbitant, as with all companies, but I hadn’t brought my own miniatures of gin as I thought they might be taken off me at the airport! As it happened, I could have done.
To sum up the holiday – it was super, made all the better by the lovely people (birders and Greeks) we met during the 2 weeks. The birding was excellent and it was good to swap information with others. Lots of birders like to find their own birds, but I’m all for a helping hand on the way. The weather was hot, increasing to very hot at the end of the holiday. The many different wild flowers were a joy to see, especially fields of poppies. There were pink, blue, yellow, white, purple and red flowers on the river banks, roadsides, olive groves – in fact everywhere we went. We had close encounters with small, medium and large tortoises, beech martens, Persian squirrels, numerous varieties of lizard, terrapins, dead hedgehogs, cats & dogs.
Bird List
Little grebe
Cormorant
Shag
Little bittern
Night heron
Squacco heron
Little egret
Great white egret
Grey heron
Purple heron
Black stork
White stork
Greater flamingo
Ruddy shelduck
Ferruginous duck
Short toed eagle
Marsh harrier
Pallid harrier
Sparrowhawk
Buzzard
Long-legged buzzard
Lesser kestrel
Kestrel
Red-footed falcon
Eleanora’s falcon
Peregrine
Chukar
Little crake
Moorhen
Black winged stilt
Avocet
Stone curlew
Collard pratincole
Little ringed plover
Ringed plover
Kentish plover
Grey plover
Little stint
Curlew sandpiper
Dunlin
Ruff
Black tailed godwit
Wood sandpiper
Common sandpiper
Turnstone
Yellow legged gull
Common tern
Little tern
Whiskered tern
White winged black tern
Collared dove
Turtle dove
Great spotted cuckoo
Cuckoo (H)
Scops owl
Little owl
Swift
Alpine swift
Bee-eater
Roller
Hoopoe
Middle spotted woodpecker
Short toed lark
Crested lark
Woodlark
Skylark
Sand martin
Crag martin
Swallow
Red rumped swallow
House martin
Tawny pipit
Red throated pipit
Grey wagtail
White wagtail
Rufous bush robin
Nightingale
Redstart
Stonechat
Isabelline wheatear
Northern wheatear
Pied wheatear
Black-eared wheatear
Blue rock thrush
Blackbird
Cetti’s warbler
Sedge warbler
Reed warbler
Olivaceous warbler
Olive tree warbler
Subalpine warbler
Sardinian warbler
Ruppell’s warbler
Orphean warbler
Willow warbler
Spotted flycatcher
Pied flycatcher
Sombre tit
Blue tit
Great tit
Kruper’s nuthatch
Western rock nuthatch
Short-toed treecreeper
Golden oriole
Red backed shrike
Lesser grey shrike
Woodchat shrike
Masked shrike
Jay
Jackdaw
Hooded crow
Raven
Rose c9loured starling
House sparrow
Spanish sparrow
Rock sparrow
Chaffinch
Greenfinch
Goldfinch
Cirl bunting
Cinereous bunting
Cretzschmar’s bunting
Reed bunting
Black-headed bunting
Corn bunting
THE END.....................HONESTLY!
Sandra
:scribe:
