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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Penny Clarke" data-source="post: 1239612" data-attributes="member: 40022">Monday 12th MaySigri area and west of islandWe had the car packed by 5.55am and we left to go to the Sigri area of the island. It was a nice change from going on the hairpin drive down to Skalla Kalloni! We stopped along the way for a picture and saw a sub alpine warbler. We noticed a local farm vehicle parked up, down the side of the ravine and we all remarked that he must have a very good handbrake! Along the way we watched a red backed shrike by the road side while poodling along side a flock of sheep that we being steered along the road by a farmer. We stopped at the Sigri/Eressos junction (7.25am) where we had 4 Isabelline wheatears, 1 woodchat shrike, male and female red backed shrikes, Cretzschmar's bunting, 3 hooded crows, sub alpine warbler, cirl bunting and a black headed bunting. We had to stop for Graham to go to the loo and while we were waiting for him, we could see a farmer coming down the field in a farm vehicle who was about to get a bird’s eye view of Graham - Pete, Glyn and I were in uncontrollable laughter and Graham had to move pretty sharpish and the comments Graham made to us (which I can’t repeat on here) just had us laughing even more! It was freezing cold this morning and I had my emergency rain mac on over my fleece just to keep warm!We then drove up the very steep road that ascended to the Ipsu monastery. We parked the car on a corner near the top and then walked down a very pretty, tree lined track by the monastery, that desended very steepily - we had distant views of a blue rock thrush below and also a beautiful little owl sitting on a rock warming himself in the sun (see pic). A photographer called Pete Coe who had also arrived at the same time, very kindly let me put my camera onto his long lens for a picture of the little owl (see pic). We also saw a spotted flycatcher on this track. We walked back up to the monastery as the monks wanted to get the sheep up this path to feed them and they beckoned us to walk back up, so we had a look from a viewing point on the roof, accessed from the courtyard and I spotted our first Rock sparrow. We then continued down the same track and around the monastery - we saw black eared wheatears, house sparrows. The best spectacle of all was Glyn doing a ‘Kosak’ dance when a bl**dy great snake dived through his legs, down the path and into the undergrowth!!! - we were in stitches to say the least! Shortly after this Graham spotted an interesting lizard which we thought was a snake eyed lizard. We also had another sombre tit up here, along with linnets and a female blackcap. Back at the car we watched both male and female black eared wheatears (see pic). Further down from the monastery we stopped by a particular spot to see our first Cinereous bunting, also a woodchat shrike sitting in a tree. We spent quite a bit of time here, watching several interesting insects including a dark green fritiliary on the other side of a dry stone wall which Pete got pictures of, painted ladies etc etc. I photographed a small lizard on a rock and some very pretty colourful crickets, a metallic green moth and a tiny, vivid black and red spider which I think looked like one of the jumping wolf type spiders.We left here to go to Sigri, but diverted north to go to Faneromeni Beach first. We stopped the car to view Sigra bay on the way - the road was lined with olive groves and hay fields. There were loads and loads of bee eaters here flying high in the sky, calling and sometimes landing on the wires, they were just stunning to watch, I could have sat here all day - not close enough to photograph though! We saw our first Lesser Kestrel, male and female red backed shrikes - it was very beautiful scenery here and it got better and better as we approached the beach area. Shortly before the beach turn off we screeched to a stop, as a massive snake whipped across the road - I shot out of the car with camera - it went up the side of the bank and then came back down and straight for me!!! (see pic) and then hesitated and disappeared up the bank again out of sight (obviously I was too big for his main course!). Graham did not get out of the car! After the turn off to the beach we hesitated by a field track and looked up at the telegraph wires to watch 3 Lesser Grey Shrikes!!!, also 1 starling, 1 red backed shrike. We parked the car just after the last house where builders were working, by a very rich area of flowers which held numerous insects. Graham decided it was time for a snooze in the car and Pete and I snapped some pics, whilst Glyn tried to spot another good bird. I took tons of pictures of a Thread Winged Lacewing which posed on white daisies for me (see pic). The reedbed next to us which was lined with yellow and white irises was mean’t to be a good spot for fan tailed warbler (yes I know the name has changed to zitting something or other but in my book its still fan tailed warbler), but we didn’t see any. We then took the car to the track on the beach which was absolutely stunning (see pics) with big rocks embedded with quartz and a reedy pool by the edge adjoining the beach. We sat on the rocks and seawatched and saw a med. shearwater (3.15pm), a shag, little ringed plover and little stint on the beach (3.20pm) and by the pool a wood sandpiper and a black headed wagtail (3.30pm), also little egret. We wanted to continue north to the two fords which seem to be hot for birds, but time was running away and we decided to carry on south to the Sigri to Eresos road as planned. We found out later that we really should not have missed out those two fords, as thrush nightingale was seen there and something else good that I can’t remember now, but apparently its also a good spot for roller - I still havn’t ever seen one. Next year I will will be covering those two fords thoroughly!The Sigri to Eressos road is just awesome, a really wild area with very few houses/buildings. We stopped at the Rufous Bush Robin site along the way (just after 2 houses) and waited with other birders for one to show. While we waited we saw spotted flycatchers, a pair of red backed shrikes, yellow leg gulls, black headed buntings, crested larks, a Cretzschmar's bunting and a female cirl bunting. It took quite a while to see the Rufous Bush Robin, but at 5.30pm I picked it up, we all saw it, but not long and memorable views I am afraid. We then carried on to the track to Eressos - very moutainous, wild and stunninghly beautiful here. We stopped at a chapel (on your right) surrounded by tall firs and pine trees and next to this leading up the sea in the distance, was a vast reed bed with bee eaters flying in all directions, low over the reeds in the evening sunlight - it was just simply awesome. In fact I have never seen so many birds flying in all directions - yellow wagtails, blue headed wagtails, 2 spotted flycatchers, 2 bee eaters preening in a bush, black headed buntings (see pic), male blackcap, garden warbler, olivacious warbler, red backed shrikes, black headed wagtails. We tore ourselves away and continued to a beautiful ford with pools either side surrounded with colourful flowering bushes, reeds and tamarisk. Several birders were here - someone said it was called Milunda Ford. In the corner of the left pool was a little bittern, a sedge warbler (several of us watched this - rare on Lesvos apparently) (7pm), more spotted flycatchers, cettis warbler and on the pool to our right ruddy shelduck with 7 young! Crag martins flying around us, a common buzzard soared above, little owl, Cretzschmar's bunting again and an ortolan bunting sitting in a bush.On the way back between Eressos and Andisa, in semi darkness I saw a largish chalk blue bird soaring along a ridge as we drove round a massive hairpin bend. But no one would stop, because I don’t think they believed me.......... ??????!!!!!!! A roller maybe - I will never know!We got back at 8.50pm and went straight out to eat at the nearest restaurant (almost next to Anaxos Gardens) and I had a lovely greek salad and french fries and a peachy flavoured drink - too tired for Ouzo tonight.Pic 1. Little Owl. Pic 2. Black Eared Wheatear. Pic 3. Large Snake! Pic 4. Thread-Winged Lacewing. Pic 5. Flowers by the Milunda Ford.</blockquote>

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