Muddy Turnstone
Young birder
This was my first trip to Greece. We stayed for two weeks and visited three islands, Poros, in the Saronic Bay, Sifnos, a middle-sized island of the Cyclades, and Naxos, the biggest island in the Cyclades. I worked up a list of 51 species, while it's not so much, and I could get far more by a single birding day at home, it was after all a family holiday, and as 22 of them were lifers, I am not the one to complain!
Athens
Athens is (in my opnion) the ugliest city I have ever been too. Except from Monastiraki and Plaka I didn't like the city at all. We lived at Marina Hotel, and the first morning a mixed flock of swifts flied around outside my balcony. There were a few Common but also Pallid and a single Alpine.
On our last day there were at least a hundred Alpine Swifts around the Acropolis, and a Lesser Kestrel flied by.
Poros
Poros is a small island in the Saronic Bay. It is actually two islands connected with a short bridge. It has one nature type, coniferous forest, which covers the whole island. On my visit Poros was clean of birds, and the most exciting birds I saw was two Alpine Swifts flying around the hills close to the Poseidon Temple.
Sifnos
Sifnos was a much more exciting island than Poros. On the ferry from Piraeus to Sifnos I got views of two Yelkouan Shearwaters. At the beach of Kamares, the harbor town on Sifnos, were we lived, there were Cetti's Warblers, Reed Warblers and Sardinian Warblers. A group of Goldfinches was also flying by.
At Seralia Beach close to Kastro, on the east coast, I found both Keeled and Brown Skimmer. Along the road from Apollonia to Cherronissos, there were a Long-legged Buzzard, four Eleonora's Falons, a flock of Rock Doves and a single Short-toed Eagle. On the cliffs close to Cherronissos two Shags sat, and a Cory's Shearwater quickly flew by. On the hills I found a flock of seven Crested Larks along with a Darter sp.
Naxos
Naxos was the last and the biggest island. Here I knew were to find the birds, thanks to David and Nikos Probonas. Aliki was a large salt pan south of Hora, were I found Little Egrets, Greater Flamingos, Kentish Plovers, Common Sandpipers and dozens of Black-winged Stilts. To the east of Aliki there was a smaller pool just along the main road, with lots of weed. Here I found Garganeys, Moorhens, Little Grebes and a Ferruginous Duck. Lesser Emperors was also common here.
South of Agios Prokopios there was a small dirt road leading to a smaller pool south-west of Aliki. The pool was dry during my visit, but I found six Stone-curlews, Little Ringed Plover and a Red-rumped Swallow.
Mount Zas, the highest mountain of Naxos, was a nice place. I didn't found any Griffon Vultures, but five Blue Rock Thrushes on the cliffs, as well as a male Cirl Bunting and two Black-eared Wheatears. Along the road to Pyrgaki a smaller pool lied, called Glyfada. Here I found two Green Sandpipers and a Stilt. At Agiassos, south-east of Pyrgaki, I finally found my Griffons, circling above the hills.
After all a very nice trip! I highly recommend Naxos, specially for a mixed family/birding holiday. Sifnos was also good, but there it was mostly luck to see something along the road. And I don't recommend Poros at all...
Complete list:
1. Little Grebe
2. Yelkouan Shearwater - L
3. Cory´s Shearwater - L
4. Shag - L
5. Little Egret - L
6. Grey Heron
7. Greater Flamingo - L
8. Mallard
9. Garganey
10. Ferruginous Duck - L
11. Griffon Vulture - L
12. Long-legged Buzzard - L
13. Marsh Harrier
14. Short-toed Eagle - L
15. Lesser Kestrel - L
16. Eleonora's Falcon - L
17. Common Moorhen
18. Eurasian Coot
19. Black-winged Stilt -L
20. Eurasian Stone-curlew - L
21. Ringed Plover
22. Little Ringed Plover
23. Kentish Plover
24. Common Sandpiper
25. Green Sandpiper
26. Eurasian Curlew
27. Black-headed Gull
28. Yellow-legged Gull - L
29. Rock Dove - L
30. Feral Dove
31. Eurasian Collared Dove
32. Common Swift
33. Pallid Swift - L
34. Alpine Swift - L
35. Crested Lark
36. Barn Swallow
37. Red-rumped Swallow - L
38. House Martin
39. Blue Rock Thrush - L
40. Northern Wheatear
41. Black-eared Wheatear - L
42. Cetti's Warbler - L
43. Reed Warbler
44. Sardinian Warbler - L
45. Magpie
46. Hooded Crow
47. House Sparrow
48. Green Finch
49. Goldfinch
50. Chaffinch
51. Cirl Bunting - L
List of Dragonflies
1. Lesser Emperor - L
2. Keeled Skimmer - L
3. Brown Skimmer - L
4. Whiteface sp.
5. Darter sp.
Athens
Athens is (in my opnion) the ugliest city I have ever been too. Except from Monastiraki and Plaka I didn't like the city at all. We lived at Marina Hotel, and the first morning a mixed flock of swifts flied around outside my balcony. There were a few Common but also Pallid and a single Alpine.
On our last day there were at least a hundred Alpine Swifts around the Acropolis, and a Lesser Kestrel flied by.
Poros
Poros is a small island in the Saronic Bay. It is actually two islands connected with a short bridge. It has one nature type, coniferous forest, which covers the whole island. On my visit Poros was clean of birds, and the most exciting birds I saw was two Alpine Swifts flying around the hills close to the Poseidon Temple.
Sifnos
Sifnos was a much more exciting island than Poros. On the ferry from Piraeus to Sifnos I got views of two Yelkouan Shearwaters. At the beach of Kamares, the harbor town on Sifnos, were we lived, there were Cetti's Warblers, Reed Warblers and Sardinian Warblers. A group of Goldfinches was also flying by.
At Seralia Beach close to Kastro, on the east coast, I found both Keeled and Brown Skimmer. Along the road from Apollonia to Cherronissos, there were a Long-legged Buzzard, four Eleonora's Falons, a flock of Rock Doves and a single Short-toed Eagle. On the cliffs close to Cherronissos two Shags sat, and a Cory's Shearwater quickly flew by. On the hills I found a flock of seven Crested Larks along with a Darter sp.
Naxos
Naxos was the last and the biggest island. Here I knew were to find the birds, thanks to David and Nikos Probonas. Aliki was a large salt pan south of Hora, were I found Little Egrets, Greater Flamingos, Kentish Plovers, Common Sandpipers and dozens of Black-winged Stilts. To the east of Aliki there was a smaller pool just along the main road, with lots of weed. Here I found Garganeys, Moorhens, Little Grebes and a Ferruginous Duck. Lesser Emperors was also common here.
South of Agios Prokopios there was a small dirt road leading to a smaller pool south-west of Aliki. The pool was dry during my visit, but I found six Stone-curlews, Little Ringed Plover and a Red-rumped Swallow.
Mount Zas, the highest mountain of Naxos, was a nice place. I didn't found any Griffon Vultures, but five Blue Rock Thrushes on the cliffs, as well as a male Cirl Bunting and two Black-eared Wheatears. Along the road to Pyrgaki a smaller pool lied, called Glyfada. Here I found two Green Sandpipers and a Stilt. At Agiassos, south-east of Pyrgaki, I finally found my Griffons, circling above the hills.
After all a very nice trip! I highly recommend Naxos, specially for a mixed family/birding holiday. Sifnos was also good, but there it was mostly luck to see something along the road. And I don't recommend Poros at all...
Complete list:
1. Little Grebe
2. Yelkouan Shearwater - L
3. Cory´s Shearwater - L
4. Shag - L
5. Little Egret - L
6. Grey Heron
7. Greater Flamingo - L
8. Mallard
9. Garganey
10. Ferruginous Duck - L
11. Griffon Vulture - L
12. Long-legged Buzzard - L
13. Marsh Harrier
14. Short-toed Eagle - L
15. Lesser Kestrel - L
16. Eleonora's Falcon - L
17. Common Moorhen
18. Eurasian Coot
19. Black-winged Stilt -L
20. Eurasian Stone-curlew - L
21. Ringed Plover
22. Little Ringed Plover
23. Kentish Plover
24. Common Sandpiper
25. Green Sandpiper
26. Eurasian Curlew
27. Black-headed Gull
28. Yellow-legged Gull - L
29. Rock Dove - L
30. Feral Dove
31. Eurasian Collared Dove
32. Common Swift
33. Pallid Swift - L
34. Alpine Swift - L
35. Crested Lark
36. Barn Swallow
37. Red-rumped Swallow - L
38. House Martin
39. Blue Rock Thrush - L
40. Northern Wheatear
41. Black-eared Wheatear - L
42. Cetti's Warbler - L
43. Reed Warbler
44. Sardinian Warbler - L
45. Magpie
46. Hooded Crow
47. House Sparrow
48. Green Finch
49. Goldfinch
50. Chaffinch
51. Cirl Bunting - L
List of Dragonflies
1. Lesser Emperor - L
2. Keeled Skimmer - L
3. Brown Skimmer - L
4. Whiteface sp.
5. Darter sp.
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