I’ve just returned from an enjoyable week’s birding (29th April - 5th May) on Lesvos, Greece with Dave Hatton, Dan Duff and John and Jenny Chainey. At times our trip looked unlikely due to the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud, but restrictions were lifted shortly before our departure. We were also fortunate that a 2 day national strike finished the day before we returned home.
Weather-wise we enjoyed blue skies every day with a little high hazy cloud on our last 2 days – great for most holiday makers, but too settled to produce a fall of migrants.
We stayed in modern accommodation to the SE of Kalloni and covered the areas around Kalloni, Sigri (including the petrified forest and Ipsilou monastery) and the area around Agiasos.
The birding highlights included a Baillon’s Crake, a Spur-winged Plover, plenty of migrant Whiskered and White-winged Black Terns, 19 Gull-billed Terns, small numbers of Red-footed Falcons, a roosting Nightjar, a roosting Scops Owl, 3 juvenile Rock Nuthatches watched fledging from a roadside nest, a Penduline Tit and nest, several Blue Rock Thrushes, several Eastern Bonelli’s Warblers, several Orphean Warblers, several Ruppell’s Warblers, 2 Olive-tree Warblers, several Collared Flycatchers and 4 Rufous Bushchats. We also had good views of 2 live Glass Lizards which were surprisingly large; last year we only saw road casualties. We didn’t do so well with plants. We were probably too late for Peonies near Agiasos and the directions in our book were misleading. However, we encountered Holy Orchids at a number of places.
Besides the wildlife we managed to dip a Roman aquaduct (don't ask!), but found the dramatic bridge at Kremasti after a long and bumpy drive.
Overall another excellent week on Lesvos with plenty of birds and many at close range.