BirdForum is the net's largest birding community dedicated to wild birds and birding, and is absolutely FREE!

Register for an account to take part in lively discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Selsey Birder" data-source="post: 1482541" data-attributes="member: 42221">Well here is the second intalment, i cannot believe how long it takes to write up each day. I have a Kenya report to do from last November, but i am not sure i can manage 14 days, especially as i am not sure i can remember all of the little extra pieces now!May 4thWith our ever patient partners off to ride their Donkeys we elected for a 5.30am start, driving over the mountain to Kalloni so that we arrived at the Lower East River just after first light at 6am. We had also heard about a variety of crakes at Metochi Lake and intended to try to find it (past experiences of my friends had resulted in being thoroughly lost on the back roads) after our visit to the East River. The river was not exactly abounding with birdlife, however Nightingales were calling everywhere and a Cetti’s was also seen as we headed slowly for the lower ford. As we approached we realised that a bird tour was here before us, however this turned out as a stroke of good fortune, it was being led by a West Sussex birding acquaintance Bernie Forbes, who promptly provided us with exact directions to reach the Inland Lake. There were a few waders around the ford including a pair of LRP’s, 5 Wood Sands and a Common Sand, also on the telegraph pole opposite (and we saw it there again later in the week) a Little Owl.Now with exact directions we headed off through Skala Kalloni and with just one error arrived at an already busy lake by 7am. We had excellent views of 2 Little Bittern and eventually a female Little Crake skulking in the undergrowth immediately opposite the viewing road. We had a little controversy here since we may have seen a second bird, but the jury was out, so let’s call it one! We had plans to drive over to the west coast, so could not stay for long. We drove back into Skala Kalloni for breakfast, the car behind getting excellent views of a Masked Shrike as we rejoined the main road, the only place open in the square was the bakers – excellent place – we grabbed a selection of cheese and bacon pies, olive bread and vanilla slices to keep us going and then headed off on the Filia road, our first principal destination being the Ipsilou monastery, but with intended stops en route for known birds.Our first stop was beyond Vatoussa at the entrance to the “Grand Canyon” where we all clearly saw a medium sized bird flying away from the rock face with a very fast deep wing beat (we saw it twice in 15 minutes), however despite some considerable experience between us we could not identify. We solved the mystery on Friday, so i won’t ruin the story at this juncture. There was a Masked Shrike perched in a tree at the top of the rock face, 2 Short-toed Eagles cruised over, together with a Long-legged Buzzard that was perched on a distant peak. The layby and river course below also provided Sub-alpine Warbler, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Jay, Red-rumped Swallow, Barn Swallow, Chaffinch, Cirl Bunting and brief views of Crag Martin. We now drove on towards Andissa (surely the award winner for the most different spellings of one place on the island, i saw four different versions and indeed the signs at either end of the village spell the name differently!) and on the hairpin climb towards the village had a shrike perched on a nearby wire. Not the safest place to stop, but we could not resist a brief stop for excellent views of a Lesser Grey Shrike. There was a fairly strong northerly wind blowing and up here on the higher ground it certainly was not warm, fortunately we had all brought jumpers and windcheaters for the monastery, forewarned by those who had visited previously within our party. Anyway one more stop before we reached that part of the journey, the road junction with the Eressos road, this being the stronghold on the island of a different wheatear, failure at the actual junction, but no more than half a mile along the road towards the monastery a layby and for two members of the group another lifer – 5 Isabelline Wheatears flitting around on the hillside and between here and the monastery further viewings of their much more common cousin the Black-eared Wheatear, a Masked Shrike flying across the road and Bee-eaters perched on wires beside the road.We parked at the bottom of the one way system around the monastery, i cannot understand why anyone would drive up, there is so much to be seen by walking slowly up the road (on either side) and watching all of the bushes above and beneath the road. We arrived at about 9.45am and the bushes were genuinely alive with migrant passerines, together with those resident birds which are so sought after by many visitors. We started to climb the southern or “down” slope of the one-way system, immediately finding Western Rock Nuthatch and Cretzscmar’s Bunting on the rocks below the road, then a flash of vivid yellow flying across the road, a male Golden Oriole, only a brief view, but plenty more to follow in the next couple of hours.So what was the predominant species here this morning? Well we certainly saw more than 20 Wood Warblers, but numbers of Spotted Flycatcher were incredible, i would estimate there were up to 100 of them in the bushes and trees along that road. In amongst these we found at least 6 Pied Flycatcher and other people there at the same time saw a male Collared Flycatcher, but sadly we were never in the right place at the right time. There was also an Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler above the road, but i was looking and listening for one particular bird. Suddenly a call and there it was, a male Cinereous Bunting, singing from a small boulder below the road.We kept searching up and down the road, also finding 3 Blackcaps, a Garden Warbler and pairs of both Linnet and Sombre Tits. However, best of all were the Golden Orioles that were interestingly all males appearing all over the place, even perching up at the top of trees below the road, permitting everyone to have excellent scope views of the birds.However, time ticks ever onwards and we wanted to be back in Petra for the girls when they returned at 3.30pm from their donkey trek. We had been hearing some interesting whispers about a very early Rose-coloured Starling on the Sigri to Eressos track so we decided to head in that general direction. As we reached the place where the ground started to drop towards Sigri the anticipated Kestrels appeared on the skyline. We stopped at another bandstand type construction and were able to identify at least 10 Lesser Kestrels zipping along just above the fields ahead of us.Now we needed to find our way through Sigri and onto the Eressos track. The attempt to drive through the village was thwarted at the harbour when what we took to be the correct road (later proven to be so as we drove back through the village successfully along the narrow street) was blocked by painters using a scaffold that blocked the narrow street entirely. Nothing for it but to turn round and try a different route, again fortune smiled on us as in driving back to a junction we found two more male Golden Orioles sat in a small tree beside the road. Success this time and we started to head south on the track. We stopped at a small river with an ivy clad building within a couple of miles, the ivy was literally full with a huge Spanish Sparrow flock and also Sam & Paul both saw a Starling within the ivy, not a commonly seen bird at this time of year. Two couples were birding further up the dry river course, i wandered up as they located a nice male Pied Flycatcher, when we met them later that afternoon they told us of a Rufous Bush Robin that had materialised within 15 minutes of us departing.We continued along the track, having heard that the RC Starling had been seen that morning in the vicinity of the Meladia Valley. However, perched on a telephone wire another 5 minutes along the road was another bird we had heard about earlier that day – sorry Penny – a beautiful Roller – hopefully some photos to follow. Sam and I crept out of the car and eased the doors closed as Ads tried to creep closer beneath the bird with his video camera. Paul was driving the car behind and a tour group was just in front of us, as somebody, who shall remain nameless got out of the following car and slammed the door! Unsurprisingly the Roller erupted from the wire and flew off. We then continued to the Meladia Valley and another good discovery.There were a number of people milling about, but no sign of the reported Starling, there was however plenty of water still here, Stonechat and Sedge Warbler were flitting about, we were told that two Icterine Warbler had been seen earlier in the sparse trees. Wading through the ford we headed along the track in the general direction when Paul realised there was a wagtail in the small rivulet running beside the track. It was elusive, but then Ads cried female Citrine Wagtail and there she was jumping from one tamarisk to another within the small river. All of the groups hanging around the small lake rushed over and thanked us profusely. I just wonder why they were not looking for birds rather than standing about!We strolled up the track, took the turning 200 yards further up, scanned the second of the two trees and there was an Icterine Warbler feeding within the branches, well it was now appx 1pm, so we started to return to Sigri as we wanted to visit the Faneromeni Ford whilst we were in the area. However, the best laid plans and all that. 1 mile back along the track there was a small chapel surrounded by a small copse of trees and lots of vehicles (well at least 10) gathered around it. So we stopped!Sat on a telegraph pole was a Starling, but not the right type – grrrrrr. There were a number of birds flitting around the trees and this quickly produced another Icterine Warbler and a couple of Turtle Doves, together with yet more Spotted Flycatchers. However, just as we decided to move on an excited clamour, sat on a small bush just west of the road was our original quarry. An adult Rose-coloured Starling, which quickly flew towards Sigri along the track, but only 100 yards. Now comes one of those moments when you wonder if you are really hearing what is said to you. The leader of the Birdfinders group was walking beside me as we walked towards where the bird had flown. He stated, and i swear this is true, “I don’t know why we are all walking in this direction, the bird flew in the opposite direction strongly over the field” after i had informed him that was an ordinary starling he capped it all by stating “well nobody told me there were two starlings in the area”!!! As my friend Ads then commented “well for a start that bird did not have any pink on it”. Ah well no further comment required.We now set off again for Sigri and quickly realised that Paul's car had dropped a long way behind us, we had missed a Little Owl sat on a stone beside the road, however as we topped a rise in the road, sat in the back i spotted a small falcon flying over the nearby cliff. A quick falling out of the car, and there was another of our target birds for the week, a first summer male Red-footed Falcon.This time we set-off and reached Faneromeni Ford with only one further stop, this time north of Sigri for a number of small falcons, this time at least 6 Lesser Kestrels and 4 Red-footed Falcons. Now i must admit when we arrived at the ford (appx 1.45pm) i was a little disappointed by the number of birds. There were a variety of Yellow Wagtails in the river and best of all a pair of Citrine Wagtails. One other thing that i must just mention, i have never ever seen so many tadpoles in all my life, there were literally tens of thousands making the water actually look black in places. Now with the time already 2.15pm we needed to drive back across to Island as the girls were expected back at 3.30pm. One more stop was required though, quartering the fields just north of Sigri was a ring-tailed harrier. The group present were calling it as a Montagu’s, now these are notoriously difficult, but on the balance we considered the bird to be too dark beneath, Pallid Harrier in our opinion.After greeting the girls – and hearing the stories of the day – three of us (Paul, Sam and Myself) decided to head back up to Petra reservoir at 5.30pm as we had not been there in the morning! The usual birds were all there, plus a couple of unexpected extras. On the way up the valley, just beyond the reservoir, i guess it would have been about 6.15pm, Sam spotted a small raptor harrying a Raven over the copse at the top of the valley. We all had brief views of a bird with pointed wings, but nothing more as it dropped below the skyline. Then Paul heard a Hoopoe calling, now great credit here as he started to scan distant trees and amazingly he found the bird sat in one of the trees on the skyline – excellent find my friend.We carried on to the top of the valley, listening to the Nightingales calling from everywhere, now i must admit to laughing at Paul’s attempts to call them out, nowhere near as successful as his Hoopoe hunt. Actually Sam’s method of telling the little b******ds to show themselves was just as instructive. Anyway as we topped the rise of the valley a small hawk with black pointed wings shot out of the undergrowth, Levant Sparrowhawk had added itself to the trip list, which was now comfortably clear of 100. On the way back down the valley we also saw our first Cuckoo of the trip, then i picked up a falcon flying at some distance towards the distant lighthouse, an Eleonora’s Falcon, they were to prove much more common later in the week, but this was the first of the holiday and an excellent way to finish our second day on the Island.Well that’s not quite true, because we were out in the village again that evening for another excellent meal!To be continued.........</blockquote>

Verification