Lesbos suppression? (1 Viewer)

[phyllosc]

I've just returned from the island and I thought I'd share something with you all that I heard a few days ago. I was chatting to a couple of birders at the Kalloni saltpans, the usual stuff swapping gen etc, when they mentioned having seen a Roller. In fact they'd seen more than one. As Roller seems fairly scarce I quizzed them on its location. At this point they became a little hesitant, stating it was somewhere between Sigri and Eressos. As these are miles apart I asked for more precise details. The guys said they were not in a postition to give anymore information. Thinking this might be a sensitive site I asked if it was on private land. It wasn't but the guys had been asked by someone not to spread news of this site. The conversation came to a halt with me stating this sounds like suppression.

Quite why the site needs to be suppressed was never made clear and of course there may be valid reasons. However, I cannot help but 'smell a rat'! The birding culture on Lesbos is very positive with birders for all over Europe swapping gen and helping each other out. However, it will be a pity if suppression starts to creep in!

Is this site known to anyone?

Dave C
Suffolk

 

[Kalispera]

Hi Dave,
Do you know which day this was, you then can look on Steve Dudley's website and see if that coincides with the sightings of any Rollers.

Sigri and Eressos really could mean the coast road, we have seen many on there over the years, but, I don't know of any private land as such.
I think these people you were speaking to are very selfish and spoilers, unlike many other birders on Lesvos.

www.lesvosbirding.com

 

[Steve Dudley]

Hi Dave. I came across several instances of active suppression this spring - nothing too rare thankfully. Since there is an active culture of suppression in some quarters in the UK, its not surprising that it should creep in to the Lesvos scene too since British birders predominate on the island.

Thankfully there were plenty of Rollers seen across the island this spring, so most folk should have caught up with one. There were a couple reported from between Sigri and Eresos (in the Meladia Valley and approaches to/from), so hopefully whilst the folk you spoke with were suppressing their bird, I hope it was picked up by others and ended up being reported.

Some birders aren’t as forthcoming as others or simply don’t share stuff more out of confidence and keep themselves to themselves. Thats fine. We cant all be social animals happy to chat away with others. For some it doesnt occur to mention stuff to others as they arent aware what is worth mentioning (I learnt of a Spur-winged Plover at Skala Eresou last week on my last night despite the observers coming into the Pasiphae most evenings and looking in the log!).

Many birders though are happy to share news in passing in the field. Still relatively few folk actually enter records in the Birding Lesvos log at the Hotel Pasiphae with 80% of what goes in (and ending up on the website) seen or collated by me during the day as I stop to speak to as many birders as possible.