lesvos

Eleonora's Falcon - Falco eleonora, Sikiminia , Lesvos The rough North coastal track of Lesvos (Eftalou to Sikiminia road) provides excellent views of the coast of Turkey, from where ,unfortunately thousands Syrian migrants have crossed the Aegean, into Greece, many of them loosing their lives...

Meladia Valley Ford , fig grove is one of Lesvos Islands must check out , migrant locations. A well established fig grove adjacent a ford in an otherwise barren location, many passerines find food and shelter there. In 2019 the nearby ford was the subject of a massive flood in mid April that...

Having been on the island for four weeks, Mark and I had given up hopes of finding any new birds, when we stumbled into this little cutie, during our last couple of days.Meledia Chapel is a tiny orthodox church, surrounded by pine trees, which attract migrants in the spring. Over the years many...

As we drove into Sigri, following a rain storm, we found 5 of these, each one resting on a telegraph pole.

Looking for long eared owls, dipped but found this little fella, roosting in an olive grove.

The light wasn't with us for this one.

The ford at the Meladia Valley is often a stopping off point for passerines, herons and wading birds. Raptors often patrol the area including 4 species of harrier, short toed eagle, buzzards and several types of falcon.On Lesvos Ortolan are rather scarce on passage , unlike their eastern ...

The ford at the Meladia Valley is often a stopping off point for passerines, herons and wading birds. Raptors often patrol the area including 4 species of harrier, short toed eagle, buzzards and several types of falcon.On Lesvos Ortolan are rather scarce on passage , unlike their eastern...

Still looking to see one with a snake. This Spring we had to make do with both long-legged and common buzzards with snakes as prey. I suppose we can't complain. :-)

Lucky for me when three of these beauties briefly dropped into a wetland pool.

Didn't have much luck with photographing Bee-eaters this spring. This shot is a very heavy crop though I like the light, late afternoon , just before dusk at the Meladia Valley. Time for a brew.

If you're looking for a European birding destination this spring, you can't do any better than Lesvos. It hosts several species of endemics, much more difficult to view and photograph, in other parts of Europe. This bunting with a very limited European range is one of them. We were however lucky...

Strictly speaking we don't do nesting birds, but we were far enough away viewing from the opposite side along a busy road , not to be a source of interference.

We watched from the car as this lovely shrike took a beetle in mid air, then munch on it, while perched on a cable.

After many years of trying to get close to migrating Little Crakes on Lesvos, this year we timed it right as a very animated male and female, were foraging amongst the reeds, near the track around Metochi Lake. The female proved to be the much more confiding of the two.

Same area as was bulldozed a couple of weeks later,taking their nest site with it. Motive was financial, i.e.sale of top soil.

Good spring for red backs in Lesvos this year

Seen in the courtyard of an isolated building on a very windy day. Think that this is female, though it could be a first year male.

Following the photographing of these confiding birds in Lesvos, it was reported that a local farmer bulldozed their nest site, for the sale of top soil from the river bank in which they'd burrowed. If true this was both unnecessary and cruel as by waiting a couple of weeks, their young would...

As i walked up the lane from Faneromeni upper ford to do some business (never leave your camera in the car), my attention was drawn to what I thought was the call of the olive tree warbler. When I tried to find the bird in question (often a fruitless excerise in my experience) instead, low down...

I took this picture in the early evening in Lesvos, just as the egrets were looking for somewhere a little quieter!

Only managed this brief glimpse through a bush.

This Black Stork was seen late evening dancing and stamping in shallow water on Lesvos; it was clearly trying to disturb food items, but didn't seem too successful and it's efforts became quite frantic.

Reasonably common at Lesvos from late April to mid may, whilst migrants join the resident breeders for a short time. T and I watched this little lady for a while has she hopped from this metal post onto a barbed wire fence (out of camera view) picking up small grasshoppers and thrashing and...

3 BF members or 4 BG members........ A cracking week with Jamie acting as Tonto the ever reliable scout, finding all the birds in all the right locations UK version of a brat pack lol