Lesvos Bird Reports 2018 (1 Viewer)

[Mick Sway]

9 April 2018 Kalloni Salt Pans Report Savi's Warbler

09/04/18 Report from Kalloni Salt Pans
As originally reported on Lesvos Bird News , earlier today.
Amongst the more common species, were:


28 Garganey
14 Northern Pintail
1 Eurasian Spoonbill
1 Eurasian Curlew
1 Green Sandpiper
1 Marsh Sandpiper
3 Slender-billed Gull
1 Savi's Warbler
1 Meadow Pipit

 

[Mick Sway]

11 April 2018 Kalloni S P - Gull-billed terns

11/04/18 Kalloni Salt Pans
Lesvos Bird News reports 8 gull-billed terns as a fly over this morning.
Turtle dove also recorded there today.

 

[Mick Sway]

12 April 2018 - Kalloni SP & Tsiknias River

12/04/18
Alykes Wetland (Kalloni SP)
Lesvos Bird News reports the following.
85+ Glossy Ibisses,
48 Little Egrets
2 Squacco Herons
1 Purple Heron
10 Grey Herons
15 Garganey
3 Black-tailed Godwits
1 Marsh Harrier

Tsiknias River
3 Purple Herons
8 Night Herons

Metochi (Inland) Lake
3 Purple Herons
1 Squacco heron

late news.
Mitilini airport area.
Influx of Spanish Sparrows

 

[Mick Sway]

14/04/18 Mesa/Kalloni SP

A recently arrived birder made the following report , amongst the more common species:
Saturday 15 April 2018
Mesa Wetland
7 gargany and a purple heron

Tsiknias river. mouth
gull-billed terns (no count stated)

Lotzaria
whinchat, little owl and yelllow wagtails of various races.

Kalloni Salt Pans
Pintail 20

Channels
wood sandpipers , ruff and green shank, and marsh sandpipers.

Sheepfields
little egret and glossy ibis + 1 spoonbill

Alykes Wetland
short-toed larks and red-throated pipits and Whiskered terns.

Kalloni Bay

150* common scoter reported
1 black-necked grebe.

* These would be rare visitors, even in winter and are particular to North western Greece
They are most likely Yelkouan shearwaters.

 

[Mick Sway]

15 April 2018

Report from the same source as yesterday.
Given that the temperatures are currently in the mid 20s, we should see the wetlands rapidly shrinking.

Kalloni pool
Note the source says it is very overgrown and apparently low on standing water.
No surprises there, sadly.

Kalloni Salt Pans:
Main Road Hide viewing over the Salt Pans.
gull-billed terns 20
little terns 6
slender-billed gulls 4

Sheepfields
glossy ibis around 100 + many grey heron and squacco.

Main Salt Pans Channel
ruff, wood and 10 marsh sandpipers + 4 spotted redshanks.

Kalloni raptor watch :
cirl, cretzschmar’s and ortolan buntings
(no raptors)


A report by local birder:

Western Lesvos (Sigri ?) - no specific location sited
Several pied flycatchers and common whitethroat seen

 

[hampers]

Mick, I'd me happy with the Ortolan up there!

 

[Mick Sway]

Bunting's

Mick, I'd me happy with the Ortolan up there!

Me too Phil.
We have only ever seen them 3 times in nearly 20 years birding on Lesvos Just managed 1 photo , even that was at a fair distance.
Though the experts tell me that they are quite common.
Last year someone reported rock bunting (somewhere South of Vatera from recollection), though we've never had any luck with them.
Lesvos is a great place to see European Buntings with 4 breeding species fairly easy to see on the island:
corn bunting Emberiza calandra
Black-headed Bunting Emberiza melanocephala
cinereous bunting Emberiza cineracea
Cretzschmar's bunting Emberiza caesia

 

[Mick Sway]

16 April 2018 Migration Hotting Up

16/04/18 Reports from various birders{

Molivos
Lesser spotted eagle - fly over

Tsiknias River
Spur winged plover

Alykes Wetland
7 collared pratincoles

Pamfila
2 Red footed Falcons (Falco vespertinus) male & female as reported on Lesvos Bird News

Platania
Golden oriole

 

[Mick Sway]

16 April 2018 Kavaki

16/04/18
Further reports from visiting birders:

Kavaki:

Ruppells , sub-alpine and orphean warblers showing well with
black-eared wheatear and blue rock thrush.
Offshore yelkouan shearwater

Perasma/Petra reservoir
Quiet only YL gulls and ruddy shell duck.

Kalloni Salt Pans
Channels
Curlew sandpipers and Temminck stint.
Still good numbers of Marsh sandpipers

Alykes Wetland
collared pratincole
Glossy ibis circa 200.

Tisknias River
spur-winged plover.

 

[Mick Sway]

17 April 2018

17/04/18
Report from visiting birder.
Metochi/Inland lake .
Vegetation around the perimeter is reported as low offering a good line of site.
masked shrike
little grebes.
little crake (s)
short-toed eagle
long-legged buzzard.

Alchaderi
Kruppers nuthatch,
sort-toed treecreeper
Serin.

Kalloni Saltpans
influx off:
curlew sandpipers, little and temmincks stints
pallid harrier - female
starling 4 - on wires (an unusual sighting for spring)

Tsiknias River
Spur winged plover

 

[hampers]

Mick, having trouble deciding where to go first at weekend, Metochi with less vegetation sounds great. I've had a message re bee-eaters and rollers 'out West'! Think that may be first place on Sunday.

Phil

 

[Mick Sway]

18/04/18 Black Winged Pratincole,Caspian Gull & Golden Plover

18/04/18 Kalloni Salt Pans and surrounds
A brief report by a well respected birder arriving today , notes the following:
Black-winged Pratincole hawking with dozen Collards hawking overhead.
A first-year Caspian Gull on Kalloni saltpans.
A Late Golden Plover ,
17 Pintail
+ good numbers of red throated pipits.

 

[Mick Sway]

First site.

Mick, having trouble deciding where to go first at weekend, Metochi with less vegetation sounds great. I've had a message re bee-eaters and rollers 'out West'! Think that may be first place on Sunday.

Phil

I do wish that there was more feedback from other birders.
Though I guess that Killian's report will have you straight out on the Salt Pans.

 

[hampers]

I do wish that there was more feedback from other birders.
Though I guess that Killian's report will have you straight out on the Salt Pans.

Yes looks like it. There's more filtering through on the WhatApp group I set up.

Phil

 

[Mick Sway]

17 April 2018 Kalloni SP

17/04/18
A report from Eleni at Lesvos Bird News , see here for more updates:
Kalloni Salt Pans and wetland:
Glossy Ibises 110
Red-throated Pipits 30
Meditereranean Gulls 3
Squacco Herons 3
Collared pratincole 11
Singles of:
Black Winged Pratincole
Night Heron
Whiskered Tern
Pallid Harrier,

 

[Mick Sway]

19 April 2018 - first Monte's near Haramid

19/04/18 Amali's forest, near Haramida Marsh
A montegu's harrier was seen and photographed here, by Stylianos Zannetos this morning.
As first reported on Lesvos Bird News .
Image reproduced by his kind permission, with thanks.

 

[Mick Sway]

19th April 2018

19/04/18 Report from West of the island by a visiting birder:
Sigri and surrounding area.
Montagu’s Harrier
Marsh Harrier 3+
Red-footed Falcon 3
Lesser Kestrel 2
Short-toed Eagle 2
Little Owl
Purple Heron 2
Little Stint 6
Glossy Ibis 4
Black Stork 2
Red-backed Shrike 2
Woodchat Shrike c30
Isabelle Wheatear
Roller 4 (together at the Fig Orchard Maladia)
Golden Oriole 3
Collard Flycatcher 1 m Sanatorium
Pied Flycatcher 6
Turtle Dove c20
Whinchat c50
Redstart 2
Tree Pipit
Red-throated Pipit

 

[Mick Sway]

19 April 2018 - White pellicans x 2

19/04/18 Kalloni Bay beyond salt pans
2 white pelican were reported doing a flyover the Kalloni Salt Pans ,
landing in Kalloni Bay today.

 

[Mick Sway]

19 April 2018 Skala Polichnitos

19/04/18
A brief report from Lesvos Bird news
Skala Polichnitos:
14 Bee-eaters
1 Black-headed Bunting
4 Red-footed Falcons

also a single Little Gull (Hydrocoleus minutus)

 

[Mick Sway]

20 April 2018 Cattle Egret and Hen harrier

20/04/18
Two separate reports from different parties, this morning on Lesvos BN.
Skala Eressos
A cattle egret was seen this morning near Eressos.
No specific location given.

In the general area of Polinnichtous Salt Pans
A female Hen Harrier
two good birds for Lesvos in Spring

Just a shame that the correspondents aren't more specific about the location.