Hi David - thanks for your comments. Probably won't go back to Lesvos for a few years but if I do, I will go in Spring. Had a birding trip to Bulgaria in 2012, so most of the birds to be found in Lesvos, I had seen already. A lovely island nonetheless and I would certainly like to explore it in more detail. A butterfly heaven also!
Hi Mark, I agree it is an excellent book and having done the spring migration I can pretty safely say you would definitely meet Mr Lesvos (Steve Dudley's common name over there) as all the organised trips, including his, keep in contact. Most of the birding hotels keep a daily log of birds so a trip on your own (with family of course) would still be good with all the daily information to hand.
Glad you enjoyed your trip. Hope you make it there in spring.
Just back from two weeks in Lesvos, 7-20 September, staying at Molyvos in the north of the island. A family holiday rather than out and out birding. The birding consisted of five or six pre breakfast walks at and around Perasma/Molyvos Reservoir, short coastal road walk, boat trip from Molyvos to Skala Sikaminias and a full morning (!) at and nearby Kalloni Saltpans.
Managed 84 species, with one lifer, which I was fairly pleased with bearing in mind virtually all migrant breeding warblers and buntings had departed. Also, no terns or harriers. Weather hot and sunny for the most part, around 28 degrees, two days when it rained for part of those days.
The Steve Dudley book, 'A Birdwatching Guide to Lesvos' is highly recommended and is probably the best birding guide I've ever bought. The island is beautiful and it is generally acknowledged that Spring is the key birding period. A couple of weeks in April would be absolutely ideal.
Birds of note :-
Yelkouan Shearwater Dalmatian Pelican Shag Black Stork Greater Flamingo Great White Egret Teal Garganey Honey Buzzard Long legged Buzzard Short toed Eagle Red footed Falcon Sparrowhawk Kestrel Peregrine Avocet Little Ringed Plover Ringed Plover Kentish Plover Little Stint Temminck's Stint Black winged Stilt Whimbrel Greenshank Green Sandpiper Wood Sandpiper Slender billed Gull Turtle Dove Little Owl Kingfisher Bee-eater Middle Spotted Woodpecker Woodlark Sand Martin Crag Martin Tawny Pipit Red rumped Swallow Crested Lark Roller Yellow Wagtail Whinchat Stonechat Blue Rock Thrush Cetti's Warbler Lesser Whitethroat Eastern Orphean Warbler Spotted Flycatcher Krupers Nuthatch (Lifer) Red backed Shrike Raven Hooded Crow Serin Spanish Sparrow Cirl Bunting
Noticable movements of Bee-eater, Yellow Wagtail, Whinchat, Red backed Shrike, Spotted Flycatcher, Willow Warbler and Lesser black-backed Gull. There is a raptor watchpoint, 'The Bandstand' north of Kalloni. I was told of good numbers of raptors coming through on 8 September including 1500 Honey Buzzard and significant numbers of both Lesser spotted Eagle and Montagu's Harrier.
Butterflies :- Scarce Swallowtail, Swallowtail, Large White, Small White, Green veined White, Clouded Yellow, Long-tailed Blue, Brown Argus, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Aegean Grayling and Gatekeeper. Only got into butterflies this Spring. Both inexperience and the lack of a suitable European field guide meant that I more than likely missed several more species!
-- Edited by Mark Jarrett on Sunday 21st of September 2014 04:22:53 PM
I was on on Lesvos from 19th - 26th August based at Scala kalloni. Had morning walks and bicycle rides to Christou and Tsiknias rivers, the salt pans and Metochi Lake, I have to say I'm not a very knowledgable birder but some of my highlights were as follows: 21 Stone Curlew at Christou river, 14 Black Storks nearby inland. Flocks of Bee Eaters and the Flamingoes at the Salt Pans, together with 8 or so Black Winged Stilts and 3 more Stone Curlews. Alpine Swifts x 3, Wood and Common Sandpipers,Yellow Wagtails, Kingfisher at or near Metochi Lake, White Storks and Greenshank at Tsiknias River & Long Legged Buzzard. Woodchat Shrike (m) Red backed Shrike (m & f) and Lesser Grey Shrike fairly common sightings as were Little Ringed Plovers
It's my 3rd consecutive year on Lesvos in August based at Skala Kalloni.. Previous visits have recorded Barn Owl, Hoopoe, Golden Oriole, Collared Pratincole, Short Toed Eagle (I think), flocks of Bee Eaters 40 or 50 strong, Honey Buzzard,
If you want a hot, quiet family holiday location where you can sneak off and do some birding I can't think of a better place. I also agree that Steve Dudleys book was a great help.
Just spent 2 weeks in Lesvos, Aug 19th-Sept 2nd, stayed in Petra an excellent location. Spent 1 full day birding and every morning had a walk around outskirts of Petra. Saw 79 species in total with 13 totally new for me. Steve Dudley's birdwatching guide to Lesvos was extremely useful. Most of my walks were on the headland between Petra and Molyvos and the highlites here included first Winter Isabelline Shrike, Rock Nuthatch, Tawny Pipit, Yelkouan Shearwater, Sombre Tit, Honey Buzzard, Icterine Warbler all lifers, also many Red-backed Shrike, Woodchat Shrike and a single masked Shrike, frequent Short-toed Eagle, Black-eared Wheatear, Cirl Bunting, Blue Rock Thrush, Crested Lark, single Ruppells Warbler, Turtle Dove and Olivaceous Warbler. Nearby is a man-made res called Perasma which in Steve Dudleys book is said to have been emptied, this is not the case at all. Here I saw 12 Black Stork, 2 Ortolan Bunting, 3 Middle Spotted Woodpecker, all lifers, also 11 Grey Heron, 82 Little Grebe, 1 Ferruginous Duck, Green Sandpiper and Eleonoras Falcon. Kalloni Saltpans added upto 1000 Greater Flamingo, 300 Avocet, 12 Black-winged Stilt, 100+ Bee-eater, 1 Little Stint, 1 Whiskered Tern, Kentish Plovers with young, Great White Egrets and Little Egrets. At Achladeri Forest added Krupers Nuthatch, another lifer. In olive grove behind Petra following an overnight thunderstorm 30+ Spotted Flycatcher with 25 Pied Flycatcher and 3 Golden Oriole, 2 females and 1 male (these were flycatching also), also single Hoopoe. On route to the airport for return flight finished off with a Long-legged Buzzard. The Isabelline Shrike and Ferruginous Duck are Greek rarities and I have had to fill in rarity forms to be sent to the Hellenic Ornithological Society. If accepted the Shrike will be a first for Lesvos and the Duck the 10th record. Best bird for me though were the Golden Orioles which I've dreamed of seeing since the age of 8 when I first saw a picture of one in my first bird book Would definately recommend Lesvos as a destination for all birders. Cheers Ian
and the Duck the 10th record.