Lesvos Report April 2010.

Masked Shrike, Lesvos April 2010.

In April 2010 I led a tour for Ornitholidays to Lesvos (click on link to see more of their worldwide birding tours). Here's a brief tour report. The official tour report can be found on the Ornitholidays website.

LESVOS ITINERARY 22 - 29 April 2010.

22 April: Early morning flight from Manchester to Lesvos via Gatwick to pick up rest of the birders! Arrival in Mytilene, pick up bus and drive to Skala Kallonis in the central part of the island of Lesvos. Check-in at our hotel (Hotel Pasiphae) and the straight out birding around the nearby Skala Kallonis Pool and Cristou River.

23 April: Pre-breakfast trip to Metochi Lake with rest of morning at Kallonis Saltpans. Afternoon in Lower Tsiknias Valley and Madros.

24 April: Cristou River and saltmarsh before breakfast. Achladeri Forest until lunchtime calling at Mesa and Skala Kallonis Saltpans. Afternoon in the Napi Valley.

25 April: Kallonis Mini Football Pitch (can't call it "soccer"), AKA "Scops Copse" and Potamia Valley early morning. Drive out to Ipsilou Monastery and then into Sigri for lunch. Afternoon in the Sigri Fields and Faneromeni Beach area, birding the ford before heading back to Skala Kallonis. A quick stop at the football pitch for another look at the Scops Owls before heading back to the hotel.

26 April: Early visit to Kallonis Saltpans and Sheepfields. Post-breakfast drive to Kavaki Cliffs near Molivos, returning to Skala Kallonis via Mandamos and the Napi Valley. Afternoon at the Kalonis Saltpans and Sheepfields.27 April: Metochi Lake before breakfast then a drive to Skala Eressos and Ipsilou Monastery. Afternoon birding Sigri Fields and Faneromeni Ford after lunch in Sigri.

28 April: Pre-breakfast walk in the Potamia Valley for Olive-tree Warbler. Joined other birders by the water pumping station at Kallonis Saltpans for the Rufous Bush Robin before heading out to the Napi Valley. Afternoon at Kalami Marsh, Mesa and Skala Vasilikon.

29 April: Drove to Mytelene Airport via Kallonis Saltpans and Kalami Marsh. Afternoon flight back to Manchester via Gatwick.

Little Bittern, Sigri Fields, Lesvos April 2010.

WEATHER.

Unfortunately we experienced northerly winds virtually everyday of the trip, that must've had adverse effects on our chances of a decent fall of migrants that Lesvos is famed for during migration months. However, generally the weather was fine with temperatures from 22 - 25 degrees Celsius most days. One day of strong NNW winds brought some rain and made birding difficult at times but did coincide with our most spectacular afternoon's birding in the Sigri Fields where shrikes appeared on most fences, Bee-eaters appeared and one field was literally packed with flava wagtails!

SPECIES.

Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna
Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea
Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
Garganey Anas querqudula
Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata
Chukar Alectoris chukar
Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis
Cory's (Scopoli's) Shearwater Calonectris diomedea diomedea
Yelkouan Shearwater Puffinus yelkouan
European Shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis
Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus
Black-crowned Night- Heron Nycticorax nycticorax

Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides
Little Egret Egretta garzetta
Great Egret Egretta alba
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
Purple Heron Ardea purpurea
Black Stork Ciconia nigra

White Stork Ciconia ciconia

Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus
Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia
Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber
Short-toed Eagle Circaetus gallicus
Western Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus
Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus
Montagu's Harrier Circus pygarus
Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus
Common Buzzard Buteo buteo
Levant Sparrowhawk Accipiter brevipes
Common Kestrel Falco tinnuculus
Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni

Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus
Eurasian Hobby Falco subbuteo
Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus
Spotted Crake Porzana porzana

Little Crake Porzana parva
Baillon's Crake Porzana pusilla
Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus
Eurasian Coot Fulica atra
Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta
Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus
Stone Curlew Burhinus oedicnemus
Collared Pratincole Glareola pratincola
Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius
Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula
Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrius
Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea
Temminck's Stint Calidris temminckii
Little Stint Calidris minuta

Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola
Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus
Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia
Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucus
Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa
Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata
Great Snipe Gallinago media
Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago
Ruff Philomachus pugnax
Mediterranean Gull Larus melanocephalus
Yellow-legged Gull Larus cachinnans

Audouin's Gull Larus auodouinii
Little Tern Sterna albifrons
Common Tern Sterna hirundo
Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon niloctica
White-winged Tern Childonias leucopterus

Whiskered Tern Childonias hybridus
Rock Dove (Feral Dove) Colomba livia
Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto
European Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur
Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus
Great Spotted Cuckoo Clamator glandarius
Little Owl Athene noctua

Eurasian Scops-Owl Otus scops
Common Swift Apus apus
Pallid Swift Apus pallidus
Alpine Swift Apus melba
Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops

European Bee-eater Merops apiaster
European Roller Coracias garrulus
Middle Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopus medius

Crested Lark Galerida cristataWoodlark Lullula arborea
Greater Short-toed Lark Clandrella brachydactyla
Sand Martin Riparia riparia
Eurasian Crag Martin Ptyonoprogne rupestris
Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
Red-rumped Swallow Hirundo daurica
Common House Martin Delichon urbica
Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris
Tree Pipit Anthus trivialisRed-throated Pipit Anthus cervinus

White Wagtail Motacilla alba
Yellow (Blue-headed) Wagtail Motacilla flava flava
Black-headed Wagtail Motacilla (flava) feldegg
Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola
Rufous Bush Robin Cercotrichas galactotes
Common Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchus
Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe
Isabelline Wheatear Oenanthe isabellina
Black-eared Wheatear Oenanthe hispanica
Whinchat Saxicola rubetra
Common Stonechat Saxicola torquata
Common Blackbird Turdus merula
Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius
Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla
Common Whitethroat Sylvia communis
Ruppell's Warbler Sylvia rueppelli
Subalpine Warbler Sylvia cantillans
Cetti's Warbler Cettia cetti
Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus
European Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus
Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus
(Eastern) Olivaceous Warbler Hippolais pallida
Olive-tree Warbler Hippolais olivetorum
Wood Warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix
Winter Wren Troglodytes troglodytes
Spotted Flycatcher Muscipapa striata
Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca
Collared Flycatcher Ficedula albicollis
Great Tit Parus major
Eurasian Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus
Sombre Tit Poecile lugubris
(Eurasian) Penduline Tit Remiz pendulinus
Kruper's Nuthatch Sitta krueperi
Western Rock Nuthatch Sitta neumayer
Short-toed Treecreeper Certhia brachydactyla
Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor
Red-backed Shrike Lanius cullurio
Woodchat Shrike Lanius senator
Masked Shrike Lanius nubicus
Eurasian Jay Garrulus glandarius
Western Jackdaw Corvus monedula
Hooded Crow Corvus cornix
Common Raven Corvus corax
Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus
House Sparrow Passer domesticus
Spanish Sparrow Passer hispaniolensis
Common Rock Sparrow Petronia petronia
Common Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs
Common Linnet Carduelis cannabina
European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis
European Greenfinch Carduelis chloris
European Serin Serinus serinus
Cretzschmar's Bunting Emberiza caesia
Cirl Bunting Emberiza cirlus
Cinereous Bunting Emberiza cineracea
Black-headed Bunting Emberiza melanocephala
Corn Bunting Miliaria calandra