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birding...
Greece Lesvos
Lesvos, at approx 25x40 miles in area is the second largest of the Greek islands after Crete. Situated only between 5-8 miles from Turkey it is ideally situated to receive migrants tracking along the Turkish coast in spring and autumn, and also to host several species of restricted breeding range - with Kruper`s Nuthatch and Cinereous Bunting probably ranking as the most important. It boasts a wealth of varied habitats within its confines, ranging from the two important sets of salt pans at Kalloni and nearby Skala Polichnitos to the various wetland habitats (rivers, lakes and marshes) around the Gulf of Kalloni and other productive river mouths dotted around the island as far west as Faneromeni. Although olive groves predominate (with approx 11 million trees) there are extensive areas of upland pinewood to the south- west of the island especially, and the area above Agiassos also boasts a large area of sweet chestnut woodland - unique on the island. Oak woodland is also widespread, especially to the north and west. Apart from large areas of coastal scrub and wildflower meadows, there are also extensive tracts of more rugged, sparsely vegetated upland terrain (especially to the west) and the highest points (at approx 350 metres) are to be found around Mt Lepetimnos in the north-east and Mt Olympus in the south-west. Apart from olive growing and small scale agriculture, the predominant activities involve livestock grazing (predominantly sheep and goats); fishing and tourism - though with its small beaches, shallow bays, small hotels and lack of night-life Lesvos can hardly lay claim to being a touristy island in the full sense of the word. Therein lies its attraction to birders and botanists, because it still remains largely unspoilt and one can always be assured of an extremely friendly welcome wherever one wanders on the island. A Brief Selection Of Some Of The Best Birding Sites Birding on the Greek Island of Lesvos (available from him direct [£19.70 including p&p] within the UK. If you wish to be fully informed and updated on sites, bird species and the spring migration pattern then there is also his 48 page Lesvos Spring-Summer 2001 Update [available at at £7.50 inclusive of postage]. These and other Lesvos items (checklists, videos, maps etc) can be purchased direct from: Don`t forget - the sites below are only a very small selection of the large number of sites referred to in Richards book. Rest assured that there are many more with the capacity to produce most of the species so far mentioned - and probably many more. At a conservative estimate, 160+ species should be quite attainable for a two week visit around mid-April! Lesvos Bird Records Committee (LBRC) View LBRC species: http://lesvosbirdrecords.blogspot.com/2009/04/lbrc-species-list.html
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Achladeri Area
Heading eastwards from Kalloni Salt Pans you pass the semi-tidal wetland area known by birders as Derbyshire (good for storks, Ruddy Shelduck, Great White Egret and various gulls, including Slender-billed). Once you cross the bridge over the river you pass a track to the left by a small army hut (where Kruper`s Nuthatch were recently found breeding) and then skirt the coast until you cross another river with a picnic site (excellent for Serin, Nightingale etc); through the area known as Achladeri Plain and on to the pinewoods bordering the army camp just before the army base at Achladeri. The two tracks off to the left here produce most of the typical woodland birds, including Kruper`s Nuthatch, Short-toed Treecreeper, Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Serin and Coal and Long-tailed Tit (both scarce species here). Long-eared Owl may also be a possible bonus to the sharp-eyed, and in late spring and summer the shade here is always welcome.Kalloni East River
Situated just east of Skala Kalloni Square, the river is driveable for nearly 3 kms on either bank between the river mouth and the main road bridge. This can afford excellent views from a vehicle in the peak months of April and May. However, even outside this period there is usually water between the main ford and the river mouth and a few pools upriver from the ford. Apart from an excellent selection of waders, herons, storks, egrets, wagtails etc and all the birds mentioned above, it is also a good area for singing warblers (Olivaceous and Great Reed especially); Nightingale, buntings and shrikes. In migration time almost anything can turn up along here, and usually does! The Upper East River area gives a taste of upland birds like Western Rock Nuthatch, Black-eared Wheatear and Blue Rock Thrush. Both Subalpine and Ruppell`s Warbler also nest, and Rufous Bush Robin are regularly to be seen displaying from late April. The whole area is also good for raptors.Kalloni Pool
Though gradually becoming overgrown, this excellent wetland area, situated within sight of most of the main hotels in Skala Kalloni, is always worth a look when wet (usually up to mid or late May). It usually holds breeding Water Rail and Black-winged Stilt, Kingfisher, regularly feeding White Stork, parties of Glossy Ibis, waders, crakes, numbers of Little Egret, Little Bittern, Purple, Night and Squacco Heron. Amongst wintering and passage wildfowl, gulls and terns, Garganey and a late April passage of marsh terns (usually Whiskered and White-winged Black) are specialities. A Bittern often lingers in April and harriers and sometimes Peregrine may hunt the area.Kalloni Salt Pans
If you continue along the track directly opposite East River main ford this takes you past a number of wet meadows (check the wires in spring for Red-footed Falcon, Roller and Lesser Grey Shrike and also listen for Quail) and past the treatment works to Kalloni Salt Pan channel. A variety of waders are possible here at the appropriate times (Marsh and Curlew Sandpipers and Spur-winged Plover for example) and the main pans usually hold a good selection of waders, duck, gulls and terns in season - with Greater Flamingo and Avocet usually present in good numbers. All four harrier species regularly hunt the area in spring and autumn. If you continue past the works entrance and past the concrete headland to the area I describe as the flooded sheep field you encounter good numbers of nesting Bee-eaters in spring and summer, and the field itself (when wet) attracts a good spring passage of Yellow Wagtails of various races and often considerable numbers of pratincoles, Red-throated Pipit and the odd Calandra Lark amongst the flocks of Short-toed. Stone Curlew also breed, and gatherings of Ruddy Shelduck can exceed 40 birds in early spring.Napi Valley
This area is accessed from Kalloni Salt Pans via Agia Paraskevi and Napi, heading in the direction of Madamados. It consists predominantly of pastureland and areas of mixed olive and oak (mainly the latter) interspersed with drystone walls. As such it hosts many of the island`s more specialised breeding species, like Sombre Tit, Masked Shrike, Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Orphean and Olive-tree Warbler and even Hawfinch. The area close to the radio mast is also an excellent spot for observing raptor movements, and apart from breeding Short-toed Eagle and Long-legged Buzzard, Hobby, Eleonora`s Falcon, various Eagles and often sizeable parties of Red-footed Falcon can be seen here on migration.Sigri Area
This area is about as far removed from Kalloni as you can get, but it`s well worth the drive of approx 90 minutes. You can either approach via Agra and Messotopos or up the centre of the island, but in either case the rugged upland scenery is spectacular. Apart from a variety of raptors, Western Rock Nuthatch, Cretzschmar`s and Cinereous Bunting, Red-rumped Swallow, Crag Martin, Woodlark and Rock Sparrow are all likely en route. If you haven`t already connected with all these species by the time you reach Ipsilou monastery (perched on a hillside on the approaches to Sigri) then a small diversion may be in order, especially as this can be one of the best spots on the island for falls of migrants (warblers and flycatchers especially) as well as all the typical breeding upland birds. Isabelline Wheatear can also be seen from the roadside, as well as parties of hunting Lesser Kestrels.Sigri Area cont…
If you do a right along the coast just before Sigri you come to the fertile, irrigated area known as Faneromeni. Here the cultivated fields, fig and olive groves play host to a variety of migrant warblers, wagtails, chats shrikes and pipits, and both Wryneck, Roller and Golden Oriole are regularly recorded here in spring, along with attendant raptors like harriers. If you continue along to the river mouth by the beach or go straight along to Faneromeni ford and beyond you can usually tick off most of the wetland species already mentioned (at least until the watercourse dries up in May) - with a particular emphasis on birds like Little Bittern, Spotted Crake, Citrine Wagtail and a good chance of Great Snipe around mid-April. Large falls of flycatchers around the extensive stands of bamboo and reeds bordering the river usually include good numbers of Collared and a few Red-breasted, Rufous Bush Robin and Bee-eater both breed in good numbers, and the whole area can be alive with flocks of Spanish Sparrow and Black-headed Bunting in spring. In autumn, check the area around the irrigators for feeding and bathing migrants.contributor |
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Richard Brooks
(Norfolk, England)
richard.brooks@england.com
http://www.richard-brooks.co.uk
useful reading |
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Birding on the Greek Island of Lesvos
Edited by Richard Brooks Series: BIRDING ON THE GREEK ISLAND OF LESVOS 246 pages, col plates, 26 line illus, maps. 1998ISBN: 0952724928
Buy this book from NHBS.com
trip reports |
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Travelling Birder
http://www.travellingbirder.com
The Travellingbirder.com birding trip report search engine guides you to 7,000+ birding trip reports on the Internet. You can search for trip reports from a specific country and time of year. Not all these reports are in English. So, if you can’t find the trip report you want on this Fatbirder page… give them a try!
1999 [May] Andy Senior
http://anytimetours.co.uk/lesbos1999.htmA group of four birders, Guy Bottomley, Roy Bottomley, Paul Robinson and myself, visited Lesbos in early May 1999 for a week of fairly intensive birding. We had birded together in Andalucia in 1994 as well as in the UK, but Lesbos was a new experience for most of us. Roy had visited Lesbos previously, but in September as a family holiday. He therefore had some experience with the species we would encounter. Guy also had relevant previous experience from a birding trip to Turkey...
2000 [May] - Papilio
http://www.papilio.co.uk/A quick lunch and we were soon out looking at the Kalloni II Pool just outside the hotel. Sixty Glossy Ibis, Squacco Heron, Little Bittern and Wood Sandpiper were amongst the birds on the pool – all just a stone`s throw from our hotel...
2000 [September] - Maurizio Sighele
http://www.maudoc.com/maudocbirding/lesbos.htmItalian trip report
2000 [September] - Paul Wetton
http://www.paulos.uk7.net/frame.htmlThe next few pages describe our visit to the Greek island of Lesvos (Lesbos) in the first two weeks of September 2000. We stayed at the Vassos Apartments just outside the small village of Skala Kalloni at the north end of Kalloni Bay...
2001 [April] – Pat & Judy Hayes – Lesvos
http://www.realbirder.com/lesvosreport.htmA drive or walk along the East River can be very rewarding. The area between the road bridge and the sea is very popular but don’t ignore the river above the bridge as this tends to be less heavily birded and some of the rarer birds have been found here...
2002 [May] - Birdwatching Report from Vatera
http://www.birdtours.co.uk/vatera/report.htmMore a list of birds than a report...
2003 [April] - Honeyguide
http://www.honeyguide.co.uk/pdfs/2003lesvos.pdf2003 [May] - Bob Biggs
http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/Greece/lesbos7/lesbos-may-2003.htmWe had notched up 146 species on our 1996 trip and I knew that I would fall some way short of that number this year. I had decided not to jeopardise future trips so thought that I would keep my solo birding to a minimum. As it turned out, all three of us went out most mornings and then I nipped out for a couple of hours in mid to late afternoon while the rest of the family went to the swimming pool at the Kalloni 2 Hotel. Lorraine is very interested in birds, wild flowers and using her digital camera. However, she is also interested in sunshine so she had lots of choice on this holiday!
2003 [May] - Terry Fenton
http://www.birder.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Lesbos0503.htmThis was to be the first holiday I`d had where birding was high on the agenda! It was also our first spring trip to southern Europe...
2003 [May] Paul Wetton
http://www.paulos.uk7.net/frame.htmlSarah and I visited the beautiful island of Lesbos for the second time from 1 May to 15 May 2003. We stayed at the Madonna Apartments, courtesy of Dimitra Balkizas, the owner, in the resort of Vatera which is situated on the southern coast of the island...
2004 [April] - Honeyguide
http://www.honeyguide.co.uk/pdfs/lesvos-salisb2004.pdf2004 [April] - Honeyguide
http://www.honeyguide.co.uk/pdfs/lesvos-2004.pdf2004 [May] - Avian Adventures
http://www.birdtours.co.uk/avian-adventures/April-05/Lesvos/lesvos-2004.htm...As we drove across the island we were seeing birds and as we passed the Kalloni Salt Pans, we managed our first glimpses of the graceful Greater Flamingos. Moving on to the heart of Kalloni Town, we located a White Stork’s nest, which also housed a colony of Spanish Sparrows...
2004 [May] - Bob Buckler
http://www.birdfinders.co.uk/news/lesvos2004.htmThe drive to our hotel in Skala Kallonis was a fair one and we didn`t arrive until late afternoon, but we still had time, after checking in and freshening up, to do some birding around the Kallonis (pronounced Kalloni) pools – literally just outside the hotel...
2004 [May] - Jos Wanten
http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/Greece/lesvos9/lesv-may-04.htmAlthough this was already our 7th visit to Greece this was actually the first time that bird watching was one of our main occupations....
2004 [May] - Terry Fenton
http://www.birder.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Lesbos0504.htmFor our third trip to Lesbos we left the expensive tours and first charter from Manchester (First Choice) to either the rich or hard-core birders and opted for one of the cheaper packages that flew out on the 6th May. As we were a week later than last year, I expected fewer birds but more settled weather. The birds did not disappoint...
2005 [April] - Honeyguides
http://www.honeyguide.co.uk/pdfs/Lesvos-2005.pdf2005 [May] - Robert Hoare
http://www.tripreports.cliftongrovebirds.com/lesvosmay05.htmlWe arrived in lesvos in the late afternoon on thursday 12th May. The one & half hour coach ride from the airport to Anaxos in the north of the island produce the first sightings of White Stork nesting on a chimmney in Kalloni and 140+ Greater Flamingo on Kalloni salt pans...
2005 [May] – David & Amanda Mason – Lesvos
http://www.realbirder.com/LesvosTripReport2005.htmAfter breakfast we headed up the Napi Valley to the Olive-tree Warbler site. On the way we had 5 Red-footed Falcons and 2 Hoopoes. At the site itself we had Honey-buzzard, 2 Long-legged Buzzards, single Eleanora's Falcon, Golden Oriole, a pair of nesting Masked Shrikes, Sparrowhawk, Middle-spotted Woodpecker, Woodlark, Hawfinch, a number of singing Orphean Warblers, Cirl Bunting and about 5 singing Olive-tree Warblers...
2005 [May] – Pat & Judy Hayes – Lesvos
http://www.realbirder.com/LesvosTripReportPat2005.htmI am aware that organised birding trips have an agenda to maximise the amount of birds seen, against the time spent in the field but this should not be to the detriment of both birds and other birders. Several birding companies were guilty of both. Early morning trips to the inland lake were spoilt by mini buses containing a dozen birders or more disgorging their human cargo as soon as they arrived, pushing birds clearly visible prior to their arrival into dense cover...
2005 [September] - Robert Hoare
http://www.tripreports.cliftongrovebirds.com/lesvossept05.htmlFor our two week stay in Lesvos we choose to stay in the north of the island just outside Molyvos hoping to catch up with migrants moving south through Turkey,and over the next 2 weeks we were not to be dissapointed...
2006 [April] - Rob Lucking & Steve Henson
http://www.honeyguide.co.uk/pdfs/2006lesvos.pdfHoneyguides tour - pdf
2006 [May] - Robert Hoare
http://www.tripreports.cliftongrovebirds.com/lesvosmay06.htmlWe arrived onto the island of Lesvos in the late afternoon, after clearing customs we set of on the coach to Anoxos. Lesser-Grey Shrike, White-Winged Black Tern and Greatear Flamingo were all seen on route. Arriving at the excellent Anoxos Hotel we off loaded our luggage and sat down with a few cold beers watching Alpine Swift and Red-Rumped Swallow flying overhead. We then sorted out the car hire for the following 2 weeks and retired to the hotel bar... [not just excellent reports but very nicely illustrated with Robert's own field sketches]
2007 [May] - Anser Birding
http://www.anserbirding.com/At last I can publish the trip report for this destination, thanks to Phil Shepherd for writing it up in his usual style and to Nick Goatman for some rather excellent images. The heat of the day was used wisely if not a little frantically around the pool on some days, the food was a hit and the birding great. Thanks to all who went on the trip, I am glad you all got your target lifers...
2007 [September] - Honeyguide
http://www.honeyguide.co.uk/pdfs/2007-Lesvos.pdf2008 [May] - Pat and Judy Hayes
http://www.realbirder.com/Lesvos2008.htmlWithout any tales of woe with regard to Lesvos this trip, we expected business to be very much as usual for our fourth visit to this wonderful island and we weren’t disappointed. Prior to our visit of 2005 we had read Richard Brooks’s update, which told of severe winter temperatures decimating both the olive and citrus trees on the island and the abortive attempt to drain Kalloni pool. I have to say that the latter is still a shadow of its former self with very little open water visible to any of us less than 8ft tall. All the trees have now recovered...
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Birdfinders
http://www.birdfinders.co.uk/tours/greece.htmBirdfinders offer a late April/early May trip each year...
Caligo
http://www.caligo.com/europe/greekislands.it.htmlThe nearby Kalloni salt pans and surrounding fields provide one of the very best sites, and one that we shall return to several times. We watch the telegraph wires for birds, including Lesser Grey Shrike, Red-footed Falcon, Bee-eater, and possibly Roller on passage, while the surrounding fields can hold Collared Pratincole and Red-throated Pipit. The salt-pans themselves should hold a mass of Greater Flamingos and Avocet, together with hundreds of waders, including Curlew Sandpiper in their lovely breeding plumage. Raptors in the area can include both Montagu`s and Marsh Harriers and Short-toed Eagle...
Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays
http://www.honeyguide.co.ukIf you are looking for a quality natural history holiday, this is a great place to start. The Honeyguide programme offers a mix of the very best of wildlife in fascinating parts of Europe...
Lesvos
http://www.richard-brooks.co.ukMy four years of organizing early spring visits for people ahead of the main tourist season have confirmed the island`s terrific potential for bird and wildflower spectacles in early spring, when everywhere is green and fresh, the wetlands are at their most productive and the weather largely pleasant, without being too hot or plagued with tiresome insects! There is always something new from day to day and the mass influx of birders and tour groups peaking in the first half of May (when the main impetus of migration is arguably over) has not yet occurred.
Lesvos island travel guide
http://www.lesvos-safaritours.comLesvos Safari Tours organizes and structures Tours and Outdoor activities on the island 12 months a year, enabling the intrepid independent traveller, family, group or other to access the traditional wild side of the island...
Lesvos Travel
http://www.lesvostravel.co.uk/For a real taste of Greek country life and the chance to lose your self in a rustic atmosphere that still retains the slow pace of a bygone age, the island of Lesvos is second to none. Situated in the Northeast Aegean Sea it is the second largest of the Greek islands after Crete and until recently was virtually unknown as a tourist destination to all but the Greeks themselves. By the way, the correct spelling is Lesvos and not Lesbos although you will constantly come across both versions even on the island itself...
Magical Journeys
http://www.magicaljourneys.com/Lesvos/lesvos-interest-birdwatching.htmlBirdwatching on the Greek Island of Lesvos...
Ornitholidays
http://www.ornitholidays.co.uk/Ornitholidays offer two separate trips to Lesvos each year...
Sappho Travel
http://www.sapphotravel.com/Flights, ferries and accommodation...
Sunbird Tours
http://www.sunbirdtours.co.uk/brochure_2003/europe/greece/lesvos.htmlLesvos – spring migration through the Aegean
Travelling Naturalist
http://www.naturalist.co.uk/tours2009/lesvos.phpJust a few miles off the Turkish coast, the attractive Greek isle of Lesvos is now firmly on the map as one of the best places, not just in Greece, but in the whole of Europe, for watching birds on spring and autumn migration. Add to this wonderful scenery, lovely flowers in spring, and resident birds including Krüper`s Nuthatch and Cinereous Bunting in their only European breeding location, and you can see why the island is proving so popular!
Vatera
http://www.aphroditehotel.gr/en_birdwatch.htmLesvos in resent years has more than proven its green credentials. So come on over to Vatera, with the welcoming people, the lovely accommodations to stay in, good food and all creature comforts. Avoid the big towns, walk the forests, the valleys and the hills Listen to the sounds, observe the flights of the birds, see the wild flowers and be part of the local community life, for a little while. Don`t forget to bring with you your photographic equipment, as it is truly worth it to capture Mother Nature at her best.
Wingspan Bird Tours
http://www.wingspanbirdtours.com/WINGSPAN BIRD TOURS offer a range of exciting bird-watching holidays and Bird Tours throughout Spain, Morocco, Lesvos and Portugal. Our Bird-watching breaks range from day trips in Andalucia to 10 days in Morocco. We cater for beginners and accomplished birders alike, we offer good value, good company and great birding...
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Pela Hotel - Skala Kalloni
http://www.pelahotel.gr/english.htmLooking for birdwatching (birding) or Vacation in Greece? PELA HOTEL at Skala Kalloni of Lesvos (Lesbos) Island Greece... The Wetland of Kallonis Gulf is one of the most significant parts of the ecologic assets of Lesvos. The coastal areas that stretch perimetrically to Kallonis Gulf consist a unified ecologic system, as this area is consisted of a mosaic of salt-pits, small rivers and torrents estuaries, reedy-areas, pine-trees woods and olive groves...
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Birding Lesvos
http://www.greeknet.com/birding.htmThe basic geography of Lesbos, together with its size and location so close to the Turkish coast, mark it out as an area of varied habitats, with some good wetlands, likely to prove extremely attractive to spring and autumn migrants; wet enough to keep a fair variety of wintering wildfowl, waders etc.; yet also playing host to a good mix of breeding birds - some of them, like Cinereous Bunting and Kruper`s Nuthatch, quite outstanding...
Birdwatching at Vatera Lesvos
http://www.aphroditehotel.gr/en_birdwatch.htmA few kilometres from the beach of Vatera is one of the largest waterlands of Greece. It is composed of a rare and unique ecosystem...
Friends of Green Lesbos
http://www.greenlesbos.comLesbos is the most beautiful and ecologically rich of the Eastern Aegean Islands. Its beauty and richness are important both to those who live and work there and to its many visitors. The Friends of Green Lesbos is an international society for all who want to see the rich and wonderful environment of Lesbos protected and enhanced. Membership is free to all. Please join us.
Lesbos - Jewell of the Aegean
http://www.osme.org/osmeweb/lesbos.htmlWhen describing Lesbos, words like magical island, migration hotspot. and jewel of the Aegean tend to trip off the tongue with monotonous regularity. On top of all these accolades I would just add the words a wildlife photographers dream. Above all it is this fact that has now lured me back to the island six times in the last five years.
Lesvos Birding
http://www.lesvosbirding.com/This is the only truly dedicated birding website for Lesvos. It includes a full up-to-date systematic species status list, site guide, extensive trip report section, photo gallery links, maps, background info on how to get there, where to eat, etc. and during the main birding weeks from mid-April to mid-May, a daily summary of the days main sightings is posted each evening (see entries for spring 2008)...
Molivos Friends
http://www.molivosfriends.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=28Lesbos is world-renowned as a capital for bird watchers. Home to home to more than 200 species of birds, the island hosts a unique combination of indigenous and migratory birds. Within the past five years, Lesbos has become home to a flock of migratory Flamingos, in addition to the many thousands of other birds who pass through here every year!
Visible Migration of Birds of Prey in Lesbos
http://www.greenlesbos.com/downloads/migration.pdfBirds of prey are predominantly diurnal migrants. In order to save energy during migration, the broad winged species: buzzards, honey buzzards, eagles, hawks and harriers try where possible to soar, utilising favourable head winds and exploiting thermals that rise from the land...
Wildlife & Wild Birds
http://www.lesvos.com/wildlife.htmlLesvos is known to the birding world as one of the best locations in Europe to see migrating birds. The islands vast and varied landscape offers numerous species of birds exactly what they want and thus it is a haven not only for birds but for birdwatchers too who arrive in droves in the spring. This is also the best time to see the beautiful display of wildflowers. For people interested in birds the best place to stay is Skala Kaloni.
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Kit Day Bird Photography
http://www.kitday-uk.com/lesvos_2008.htmlExcellent images of birds taken on the island...
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