Lesvos April/May 2025
- Bob Croxton
- May 5
- 5 min read
Updated: May 11
More text and photos to come
Lesvos 2025
Sunday 20 April
Flew to Lesvos from Manchester arriving 9.40 pm for my 5th visit to the island. Manged to quickly leave the terminal and an hour after landing arrived in Skala Kalloni. Red Fox and several bats on the way and Scops Owl could be heard from the hotel.
Monday 21 April Hotel,
Skala Kalloni pre-dawn
Nightingale and Hoopoe heard.
Kalloni Saltpans
Black-winged Stilt, Wood Sandpiper, Shelduck, Ruddy Shelduck, Crested Lark, Corn Bunting, House Sparrow, Yellow-legged Gull, Whinchat, Goldfinch, Greater Flamingo, Cormorant, Cetti's Warbler, Goldfinch, House Martin, Ruff.
Lanes between Saltpans and Tsiknias River
Blackbird, Blue Tit, Collared Dove, Hooded Crow, Blackcap.
Tsiknias River
Yellow Wagtail, Great Reed Warbler, Swallow, Snipe, Little Ringed Plover, Sedge Warbler, Bee-eater, Pygmy Cormorant, Olivaceous Warbler.
Perivoli Monastery
Black Stork, Common Buzzard Ipsilou MonasteryRed-rumped Swallow, Black-eared Wheatear.
Pythario Monastery Road
Great Tit, Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Woodchat Shrike. Tsiknias RiverCommon Sandpiper, White Wagtail, Little Egret.
Kalloni Saltpans
Pair of Marsh Harriers, Avocet, Little Tern.
About Raven, Bee-eaters, Swift, White Stork.
Tuesday 22 April
Marsh Opposite Stilt Corner
A large long winged brown Falcon was momentarily seen flying low around the Marsh. Most likely Immature Peregrine, but Lanner?
Kalloni Bay
Common Tern, Curlew.
Tsiknias River
Moorhen, Jay, Red-throated Pipit, Hoopoe.
Τυρανιδι Church car park
Masked Shrike.
Limonos Monastery
Mid-afternoon walk through olive trees and scrub was full of singing Blackbirds and Chaffinches with regular Nightingales and Turtle Doves, though few birds were actually seen. Debatable who jumped the most, when I nearly stood on what I am fairly sure was an Ottoman Viper.
Parakila Marsh Greenshank.
Metochi Lake
Coot, Squacco Heron.
AboutStonechat
Wednesday 23 April
Skarla Kalonis Salt Pans
On the way-out pre-dawn two Little Owls on over head lines, which were regular most mornings.
Smelly Pond
Red-throated Pipit, Spur-winged Plover, seven Temminck's Stints, which inevitably flew further away when a birder arrived and got out of his car. Large flock of Ruff.
Tsiknias River
Purple Heron, Black-headed Bunting, Greenfinch.
Parakila Marsh
Grey Heron.
Thursday 24 April
Kalloni Salt Pans
Smelly Pond
The Temminck's Stints were joined today with a few Little Stints.
Metochi area
Golden Oriole heard.
Arhladeri Forrest
Serin
Near Skarla Polichnitou
Sardinian Warbler.
Came across a large twich with 30 plus birders looking at a recently cut field full of birds. Told some goodies present including Richard’s & Tawny Pipit, Ortolan Bunting etc, but the crowd had scared everything to the far side of the field, so I moved on.
Friday 25 April
Kalloni Saltpans Smelly Pond
Very few waders left other than Black-winged Stilt, Wood Sandpiper and Temminck's Stint. Sand Martin first new bird of the trip today.
Tsiknias River
Spotted Crake
Potamia Old Pool
Little Grebe, Little Bittern.
Saturday 26 April
Saltpans to Tsiknias River track
Whitethroat.
Tsiknias River
Male Little Crake
Ancient Antissi
Ruddy Shelduck, Red-backed Shrike, Temminck's Stint, Mediterranean Shag.
Gavatha
A Mediterranean Shag allowed a close approach.
Sigri
Jackdaw. From the road out of Sigri several Red-footed Falcons.
Petrified Forest Road
Cretzschmar's Bunting was all of note.
Ipslou Monastery
A couple of Golden Oriole were flitting around.
Tsiknias River
Two possibly three female Little Crakes showed well pre-dusk.
Western end of Skarla Kalloni and Marsh Bat walk 2030 to 2053 hrs
Recordings and Identifications by Echo Meter (Not always correct!)
Common Bent-wing Bat, Common Pipistrelle, Noctule,
Sunday 27 April
Melada Valley
Managed to arrive before sunrise, but disappointing in general with few migrants being Blackcap, Redstart, Lesser Whitethroat, Spotted Flycatcher, Pied Flycatcher, Northern Wheatear.
Sigry
Again quiet Golden Orioles heard but not seen. And a few Yelkoucan Shearwaters passing out on the sea.
Ipslou Monastery
More Golden Oriole and the first Sub-alpine Warbler.
On the drive back a Goshawk circled over the road with typically nowhere to stop.
Near the Turkish Bridge
The first Short-toed Eagle was found circling and was joined by another.
Monday 28 April
Kalloni Saltpans
A pair of Red-footed Falcon.
Smelly Pond
Curlew Sandpiper annoyingly while two of us were parked up taking photos another birder arrived got out of his car, stood in front of the cars and scared all the birds away!
Tsiknias River
First Night Herons of the trip and first Little Bittern at this location.
Near Panaghia
Three male Mallard were the first ducks other than the two shelduck species during the trip.
Skala Kalloni
A Spoonbill flew over the town at dusk.
Thursday 29 April
Kalloni Saltpans
Very busy with birders now pre-dawn. A drive to the Sheepfield found nothing new, but on the way back a Montague Harrier and a Whiskered Tern and a close up summer plumage Curlew Sandpiper.
Tsiknias River
At last a showy male Little Crake, unfortunately it was also seen by other birders and my car was surrounded by the hoards and soon disappeared.
Wednesday 30 April
Kalloni Saltpans canal
Pre-dawn a pair of Ferruginous Ducks,little light to take a decent photograph, the photo below is all down to proccessingin Lightroom, but a video worked well.
At pumphouse corner I picked out a lone Spotted Redshank out in summer plumage from amongst a large flock of Ruff. Later got closer views.
Tsiknias River
The same female Little Crake from yesterday still present.
On the way back to the hotel for breakfast Mediterranean Gull, Lesser Grey Shrike, at Kalloni Marsh several Glossy Ibis landed.
Pumphouse Corner
The waders showed well early evening Spotted Redshank, Curlew Sandpiper, Temminck's Stint, Wood Sandpipers and many Ruff.
Thursday 1 May
Tsiknias River
The same Little Crake showed well again. Two Wiskered Tern flew past.
Kalloni Saltpans
Whiskered and Gull-billed Terns out on a good show over the dryed up fields during a rare rain shower. A flock of over 20 Mediterranean Gulls flew over north.
Friday 2 May
Kalloni Saltpans
A pair of Mallard are a rare find here this visit. On the saltworks fence a Lesser Grey Shrike. Over the Sheepfield two Whimbel north.
Tsiknias River
On arrival just before 7 am I was confronted with over 30 birders on the opposite side of the river to me. I thought they were looking at the usual Little Crake and a Little Bittern of which I had better views. It later turned out a Great Snipe was below me out of sight!
Tsiknias River (Evening)
Male Little Crake showed well in very poor light and a Hobby was found in a tree with the sun behind it only confirmed from a photo back home with the shadows removed.
Hotel Grounds
Scops Owl was momentarily seen leaving a perch after calling.
Saturday 3 May
Tsiknias River Mouth
Great Crested Grebe
Sigri
Roller, several Red-backed Shrike, Lesser Grey Shrike, Hobby and not much else.
Sunday 4 May
Kalloni Racetrack
Short-toed Lark
Tsiknias River
The female Little Crake put in its daily apperence again.
Tsiknias River Rivermouth
Ringed Plover
Flight and Train back home all just about on time.
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