2008 Tour Narrative
In Brief: The mainly warm, settled weather we had this year was great to be out in, and made for much more pleasant picnic lunches than might otherwise have been the case, but it wasn’t ideal for delivering the fallouts that Lesvos is famous for. Even so, there was more than enough going on to make every day interesting, and by the end of the week almost all of the migrants we were hoping to see had put in an appearance. A couple of days of heavy rain at the beginning of April meant that the all-important rivers and pools were brimming, while the subsequent warm weather resulted in probably the best show of wildflowers ever on this trip.
In Detail: The small pool known as Kalloni Inland Lake is always a good starting point—and a great place to get a handle on some of the more confusing warblers. Great Reed Warblers could be watched clambering around in full view, dwarfing the Reed Warblers and Sedge Warblers that sometimes appeared alongside. The noisy but usually somewhat shy Cetti’s Warbler is abundant here, and they were almost as easy to see as they were to hear, delivering their loud, staccato song from the bare tops of otherwise impenetrable bushes. The first of many Eastern Olivaceous Warblers sang in full view, standing out as a bright beacon against the dark backdrop. Little Bitterns and Little Crakes were more difficult, but our persistence was rewarded with amazingly good views of a couple of crakes, while we found a few obliging Little Bitterns elsewhere.
The Kalloni saltpans and surrounding fields are undoubtedly among the best-watched places on the island, and are worth a look every day, especially in the morning and evening when the light is at its best. Wood Sandpipers, Avocets, Black-winged Stilts, and Little Stints were numerous, but small numbers of Marsh Sandpipers, Spotted Redshanks, and Curlew Sandpipers added variety, with an arrival of over 50 Curlew Sandpipers toward the end of the week including many that were acquiring the attractive brick-red underparts of breeding plumage. The total absence of Ruff, usually the most abundant shorebird at this time of year, was exceptional, but on our fifth day a flock of around 150 birds arrived and from then on they too were easy to find.
With careful scanning of the raised embankments separating the pans we were able to find a few Stone Curlews, but most exciting was a flock of Collared Pratincoles that appeared one evening, only to become almost invisible the moment they settled on the dry mud in front of us! Nearby, the green sheep pastures, liberally carpeted with flowers, formed an attractive backdrop to a gathering of beautiful Ruddy Shelducks. We were fortunate to be very close at hand when some friends of ours found a Blue-cheeked Bee-eater at Skala Kalloni, a stunningly attractive species and the first one recorded by a WINGS group here.
On a warm, still day there is hardly a more aesthetically pleasing spot on the entire island than the quieter parts of the Napi hills, just a few miles from Kalloni. A major factor is the rich soundscape: the songs of Hoopoes, Turtle Doves, Golden Orioles, Subalpine Warblers, Cirl Buntings, Woodlarks, Black-eared Wheatears, and Orphean Warblers blend with the distant chiming of sheep bells. Taking care not to be fooled by the low-pitched, scratchy song of the numerous Masked Shrikes, we listened carefully for the even deeper “chuntering” song of the ultra-elusive Olive-tree Warbler—and sure enough, we could hear one! Experience has taught us the need to be as quiet and still as possible when trying to get a view of Olive-tree, and thanks to everyone’s efforts we succeeded in getting excellent telescope views of the bird as it periodically emerged from deep within the trees to sing in the sunshine. A dull bird to look at, maybe, but a very exciting bird to see and hear!
On the north coast of the island, our second visit to the charming harbor of Skala Sikiminias was memorable for the presence of Audouin’s Gulls, by no means easy to see on Lesvos. Several passed at very close range as we set up our picnic lunch, and before we left we had terrific extended views of one fishing just offshore and later of a confiding pair standing on an exposed rock.
Later in the week, at the west end of the island, the weather began to change and it was clear that migrants were coming in. Numerous Yellow Wagtails emerged from a field of clover to settle on the surrounding bushes and fence-wires, the male Black-headeds among them bearing a striking similarity to the Black-headed Bunting that was perched in their midst. Four species of shrike, including a handsome Lesser Gray, congregated around a couple of isolated bushes that have proved to be one of the most extraordinary migrant traps on the island. Suddenly an Ortolan Bunting appeared, while behind us a newly arrived Montagu’s Harrier battled the strengthening breeze. A last-minute decision to check the ford at Skala Erresos proved worthwhile when we discovered a female Citrine Wagtail and a couple of Temminck’s Stints among a flock of almost fifty Wood Sandpipers just by the roadside.
When everyone was gathered together for the obligatory group shot, absolute panic ensued when a wonderful dark-morph Eleonora’s Falcon passed just over our heads, details of its plumage being visible to the naked eye! If only the camera hadn’t been on a time delay setting, we might have had some very amusing photographs!
I don’t know how many times we are going to have to visit this small island before we grow tired of it, but after eight tours and a few private visits, neither Ian nor I feel we are coming even close to this point. In fact, the more we get to know Lesvos the more we look forward to returning.
- Killian Mullarney
Updated: September 2008