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Real Birder |
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Lesvos 2nd to 16th May 2015 |
Our last trip to Lesvos was in the Autumn of 2009; we had visited the Island in spring on 3 previous occasions, each of these were very memorable in their own right and are posted on several birding web sites. If we have one complaint about birding in spring it is the amount of like-minded people who visit the island at the same time, this can make birding a little difficult at times. Although most people don’t mean to disturb the birds, the amount of folk visiting the same recognised sites can cause unintentional disturbance. A good example of this is the Inland Lake (Matochi); we have made the effort to be there at first light on many occasions, only to have a birding group arrive and disgorge its human contents out of the mini-bus onto the banks of the pool. The resulting disturbance pushes all the birds deep into cover and this can be very frustrating. This is where birding in autumn scores highly; there are very few birders to disturb the birds - but there is a downside; there are very few birds to disturb. The contrast between spring and autumn is stark in the extreme, salt pans that held many hundreds of birds in spring are almost totally devoid. An over-wintering flock of Flamingos and Avocets is about all that is left. Terns, waders, gulls, ducks and egrets are mostly gone. An influx of Black Storks and the errant White Pelican creates some interest. All the habitats that were so vibrant with bird life are now silent and devoid of many of the birds encountered in spring. We have only visited Lesvos once in autumn and our comments should be taken in that context, however the difference between spring and autumn is so stark that we can confidently predict that most birders who have visited the island in spring would find autumn’s offering very disappointing. Enough about the negatives of birding Lesvos in the autumn: with two poor weeks birding in the Isles and Highlands of Scotland in the spring of 2014 and two very barren weeks birding Mallorca in the autumn of the same year we decided to return to Lesvos for some productive birding in the spring of 2015. Having established itself as a premier birding location some dozen or more years ago we hoped many of the early birders have moved on, leaving the island a little less congested, hopefully making for less frenetic birding. FLIGHT We booked our flight through Thomas Cook, leaving Birmingham at the ungodly hour of 05-10 on the 2/05/2015. Total cost for the two of us £675. Both outbound and inbound flights were early, arriving in Lesvos some 25mins ahead of schedule, and arriving back in Birmingham 15mins early. Our chosen hotel was the Aeolian Gaea; a hotel we have stayed at before and one we would highly recommend. Our choice of room was a Junior Suite, details of all types of accommodation at the Aeolian Gaea can be found on their web site. Total cost for two weeks approx. £1,470 based on a bed and breakfast basis. This is very much at the higher end of Lesvos accommodation, more modest hotels in Skala Kalloni can be obtained at a more modest cost. Contacting the hotel will allow you to book a stay at the hotel. Booking directly with the hotel will result in obtaining a reduced rate. HIRE CAR Having birded Lesvos previously we would recommend a vehicle with as high a ground clearance as you can afford. Our choice was a Suzuki “Jimny”, we have hired one previously on Lesvos and it worked well: this was hired from Avis through Thomas Cook. Total cost £456-52. Total cost of holiday excluding airport parking and spending £2,601-52. LITERATURE etc
WEATHER During our 14 day trip the temperatures hovered between 74°C and 82°C, no rainfall was recorded. During the second week the breeze stiffened during the late afternoon requiring a jumper pulled over the shoulders when dining out in the evenings. DAY 1 As stated previously our flight left on time at the ungodly hour of 05-10 and with an extremely strong tail wind, we arrived on the island of Lesvos 25min ahead of schedule. With ours being the only plane in, our bags were very soon spotted and retrieved from the carousel, things had run particularly well so far, but were about to go downhill badly. Picking up a hire car from the airport has never been easy and we should have known better; our experience this time surpassed all others - a full description on the debacle can be found in “Moans Groans & Memorable Moments”. With time running out due to our delay at the airport, little time was left for meaningful birding. Having checked into our hotel and dumped our luggage, we met up with B&B for a light lunch at their hotel. The rest of the day was spent showing them the local patch with the emphasis on local shops, the harbour and favoured eateries. Our evening was concluded with a splendid meal at the Caprice Kitchen Bar, a taverna we were to favour for most of our evening meals. Several meals were taken at the Sea Horse which were well cooked and very good value for money. The problem was that several of our group had a sweet tooth and the Sea Horse didn’t do puddings. DAY 2
Birds of Day 2
Subsequently all birds highlighted in red are newly seen that day. It is not my intention to repeat very common birds after every days report, only new or the more significant sightings will be recorded. A full list of species seen can be found at the end of this report. DAY 3 Today started similar to the day before, a quick walk around the Kalloni pool along the bay to the harbour then a visit to the other bakery where today’s lunch was purchased. Brian had had his car delivered, so took on the mantle of chauffeur. Our plan of action was to visit the west of the island taking in Parakilla, Agra and Tavari, ending up at Ipsilou Monastery. Things started to go downhill at Tavari when a long term tummy problem flared again. After dragging myself up the steep road and then back down again at Ipsilou it was time to cut short our time in the field and return to our hotel. Little Bittern, Honey Buzzard, Short-toed Eagle, Eleanora’s Falcon, Hoopoe, Wood Lark, Red-rumped Swallow, Song Thrush, Stonechat, Northern Wheatear, Black-eared Wheatear, Linnet and Cinereous Bunting. DAY 4 Not wishing to push our luck, tummy-wise, today we decided not to stray too far. We left our hotel at 05-50 and headed straight for the salt pans returning to our hotel for breakfast through the back lanes. We met up with B&B at our hotel at 09-30 when again we returned to the pans, only this time Brian was carefully writing down the directions, this was to aid him in birding independently. From the salt pans we made our way to the Scops Owl roost, now known as the “Scops copse”, where we were soon viewing one of the 3 owls roosting there. A brief trip to the bottom of the Potamia Valley, which was fairly quiet and unproductive, saw us return to our hotel for a beer and a well-earned rest. Grey Heron, Purple Heron, Little Egret, Squacco Heron, Black Stork, Greater Flamingo, Ruddy Shelduck, Shelduck, Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Golden Plover, Marsh Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Terek Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Little Stint, Temminick’s Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Ruff, Common Tern, Little Tern, Whiskered Tern, White-winged Tern, Scops Owl, Hoopoe, Middle-spotted Woodpecker, Blackbird, Yellow Wagtail, Black-eared Wheatear, Cetti’s Warbler, Olivaceous Warbler, Blue Tit, Woodchat Shrike, Chaffinch and Black-headed Bunting. DAY 5
Birds of Day 5 Purple Heron, Squacco Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Black Stork, Glossy Ibis, Spoonbill, Greater Flamingo, Garganey, Short-toed Eagle, Long-legged Buzzard, Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Stone Curlew, Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, Marsh Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Turtle Dove, Little Owl, Red-rumped Swallow, Tawny Pipit, Citrine Wagtail, White Wagtail, Whinchat, Stonechat, Olivaceous Warbler, Krüper’s Nuthatch, Short-toed Treecreeper, Red-backed Shrike, Lesser Grey Shrike, Woodchat Shrike, Cirl Bunting and Black-headed Bunting. DAY 6
Little Bittern, Black Stork, Greater Flamingo, Ruddy Shelduck, Lesser Kestrel, Avocet, Little Ringed Plover, Wood Sandpiper, Little Stint, Ruff, Little Owl, Alpine Swift, Hoopoe, Red-rumped Swallow, Whinchat, Stonechat, Black-eared Wheatear, Whitethroat, Subalpine Warbler, Sombre Tit, Western Rock Nuthatch, Red-backed Shrike, Lesser Grey Shrike, Woodchat Shrike, Ortolan Bunting, Cretzschmar’s Bunting, Cirl Bunting and Black-headed Bunting. DAY 7
Little Egret, Little Bittern, White Stork, Glossy Ibis, Greater Flamingo, Ruddy Shelduck, Garganey, Short-toed Eagle, Marsh Harrier, Goshawk, Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Ringed Plover, Wood Sandpiper, Gull-billed Tern, Common Tern, Little Tern, Barn Owl, Long-eared Owl, Common Swift, European Bee-eater, Hoopoe, White Wagtail, Yellow Wagtail, Black-eared Wheatear, Subalpine Warbler, Sombre Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Krüper’s Nuthatch, Red-backed Shrike, Woodchat Shrike, Masked Shrike, Cirl Bunting and Black-headed Bunting. DAY 8 We left the hotel at 06-30 and birded the east track at the salt pans and took our birding chum Frances to the Long-eared Owl site after breakfast. We returned to the salt pans with B & B via the back lanes, and spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon birding. We all returned to our hotel for a light lunch, spending the rest of the afternoon processing Brian’s photos on the laptop. Back out at 17-45 to catch up with a very obliging Spur-winged Lapwing. Birds of Day 8
DAY 9
Birds of Day 9 Little Egret, Squacco Heron, Black Stork, White Stork, Greater Flamingo, Ruddy Shelduck, Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Little Ringed Plover, Wood Sandpiper, Ruff, Common Tern, Little Tern, Common Swift, Hoopoe, Robin, Olivaceous Warbler, Lesser Grey Shrike, Spanish Sparrow and Black-headed Bunting. DAY 10
Birds of Day 10
DAY 11 Out before 06-00 a strong breeze had sprung up overnight: with heavy cloud cover, we decided to visit the east track at the salt pans again and our hope was that the change in the weather may have brought stuff in, especially as several distant rainbows were evidence indicating heavy rain, possibly over Turkey. It turned out to be the opposite with the pans being the quietest of the whole trip. The rest of the day was spent doing the local patch and taking in the Panaghias monastery, a site we have often passed but never entered. Birds of Day 11
DAY 12
Cormorant, Ruddy Shelduck, Buzzard, Lesser Kestrel, Kestrel, Little Ringed Plover, Wood Sandpiper, Whiskered Tern, White-winged Tern, European Bee-eater, Sand Martin, Swallow, House Martin, Red-rumped Swallow, Stonechat, Black-eared Wheatear, Spotted Flycatcher, Collared Flycatcher, Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Lesser Whitethroat, Red-backed Shrike, Lesser Grey Shrike, Woodchat Shrike, Jackdaw, Spanish Sparrow, Cretzschmar’s Bunting and Black-headed Bunting. DAY 13 With most of the recognised birding sites done at least once, we were beginning to run out of sites we felt would offer the chance of something new, especially as the weather remained warm and settled throughout. With the salt pans offering the best chance of new birds, we again visited them prior to breakfast. After consultation with B & B we decided to visit the inland lake first, then take a slow walk up the Potamia Valley. Completing this by early afternoon we decided to revisit the Scops Copse, not one of our best decisions as there was a school of 50-70 children using the site as a playground. A quick return to the pans completed the day’s birding. Earlier we had found a very obliging Kentish Plover near the side of the road; as Brian hadn’t got Kentish this trip, we returned. No Kentish, but a single Collared Pratincole, the first for the trip. Grey Heron, Little Egret, Squacco Heron, Black Stork, Glossy Ibis, Greater Flamingo, Ruddy Shelduck, Marsh Harrier, Buzzard, Little Crake, Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Collared Pratincole, Ringed Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit, Wood Sandpiper, Little Stint, Temminck’s Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Ruff, Gull-billed Tern, Common Tern, Little Tern, White-winged Tern, Black Tern, Long-eared Owl, Common Swift, Red-rumped Swallow, White Wagtail, Yellow Wagtail, Zitting Cisticola, Red-backed Shrike, Woodchat Shrike and Black-headed Bunting. DAY 14
Our return journey home was uneventful again our plane left a little early arriving in Birmingham 15mins ahead of schedule. SUMMARYConsensus of opinion was that this year was a quiet one bird-wise and certainly we would concur. We had 135 species, which was par for the course for our previous spring visits, but overall numbers of birds encountered were less than previously. Although Lesvos had had a wet spring we would estimate water bird numbers were at least 30% down and we would not argue if a figure of 50% was put forward. Passerine numbers were also well down. Steve Dudley said that meaningful passage of passerines finished during his second week on the island and he arrived in late March. Several reasons were put forward for this which included the spring equinox being early, settled weather encouraged birds to continue migrating without needing to refuel, very strong prevailing winds pushed birds over the island, the Maltese have shot over 3 million passage birds, the amount of birders on Lesvos is having a detrimental effect on the birds. We are not sure what the reason is, but this does seem to be a trend we have encountered at several locations throughout Europe including our own east coast. The weather was dry throughout, with temperatures ranging from the low 70’s to the mid 80’s. The cost of living has moderated as you would expect; we used “Caprice” for most of our evening meals which is more expensive than most, even so we could have a 3 course meal for between £15 to £20. MOANS, GROANS and MEMORABLE MOMENTS. Moan - Our hire car was obtained through Avis booked through the Thomas Cook site; we had booked a Suzuki Jimny to be picked up at the airport. Avis has no office at the airport so you have to wander around the car-park trying to identify the agent. Having finally found ours, our papers were processed and we were informed our vehicle was on its way and would be with us within 10 minutes. After many enquires a vehicle was produced after we had stood on the car-park for 2hrs. This vehicle was a wreck, the driver’s seat was badly ripped with the stuffing hanging out, the back of the seat was broken away from the frame. The boot was covered in what looked like builders rubbish, the tyres were badly worn and of different makes. Although we had requested a hard-top we were presented with a soft-top, again many of the securing studs were either missing or badly rusted, leaving it to flap. We flatly refused the vehicle and with no other car to offer us, we were put in a taxi and delivered to our hotel. A Suzuki Vatara was delivered the next day and although it was better than the first vehicle it was still not anywhere near the standard you would get anywhere else in the world. Groan - We had hoped that the popularity of the island would have waned by now, with birders moving on to other locations; well the opposite was true, there were far more birders on the island than we had experienced in our previous 4 trips. Europe has also discovered Lesvos with birders from Switzerland, France, Holland and Denmark swelling the numbers. On one trip to the Inland Lake we encountered over 50 birders lining its banks. Moan - The long lens brigade have proliferated beyond belief, with 500mm lenses outnumbering telescopes by 10 to 1. Although most are well behaved, there is a significant number who must get the shot at any cost. This could be to the detriment of either birds or birders. It was commonplace to find your passage blocked by a vehicle with several lenses sticking out. Many of these were reluctant to move until confrontation took place; not what you need when birding on such a lovely island. Groan - To emphasise the previous point, a Penduline Tit's nest was discovered 20 metres upstream of the lower ford on the East River prior to our arrival on the island. This was staked out every day of our 14 day trip from dawn to dusk. According to Steve Dudley’s daily blog some photographers were crossing the river to get as near to the nest as possible. Many of these photographers wouldn’t know the difference between a Collared Dove and a Collared Pratincole. Indeed, I heard one enquire when pointing his lens at a Little Bittern, “do I already have one of these?” Unfortunately with cameras and long lenses becoming more affordable, this proliferation will only continue; why buy a 500mm lens if you have to be within a metre to get the shot required. Memorable Moments
Pat & Judy Hayes |
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