This year we decide to re-visit a favoured Greek island, the island of Lesvos, which lies in the Aegean Sea, just off the Turkish coast. It was our third visit, and one that was long awaited. The hotel was great, the food and people were great , the weather was great and the birding was great. All in all, a great holiday!!
We based ourselves at Skala Kalloni, where we have stayed during previous visits. So we were well familiar with the area, and the little town where all the tavernas and bars are located. We stayed at the Hotel Pasiphae, which was very nice and ideally located, with only a 10-15 minute walk into the village. The hotel had a superb pool and sun area, with a huge garden and terrace where we had our meals. We were even serenaded in the evening by Nightingales and Scops OwI and I found Millet Skipper in the garden, apparently quite a good butterfly species for Lesvos.
I hired a small car which was ideal for me to do most of my birding and photography during the early hours of the morning and late afternoon. I mainly covered local “hot spots” close to Skala Kalloni, such as the Potamia Valley, Metochi Lake, the Salt Pans and the Tsiknias River valley and associated tracks. We made one visit to Sigri and Ipsilou in the far west and one visit to the beautiful town of Molivos, on the north coast. Two of our favourite places on Lesvos.
Without too much chasing around, with lots of driving and visiting a range of different sites, I saw 92 species during our two week stay. A good range of local species were seen and photographed, along with a few migrants, including Dalmation Pelican, Montagu’s Harrier, Slender-billed Gull, Black Tern, Red-backed Shrike, Lesser Grey Shrike, Squacco Heron, Spur-winged Plover, Glossy Ibis, and Great Egret. With a little more effort, it is easy to see well over a hundred species.
All being well, I’m looking forward to a re-visit next year, when I hope to catch-up with a few birds I didn’t see this year. Lesvos is a great place for an easy birding holiday, good food and reasonably inexpensive.
Now back in the UK, I still have the sounds of Bee-eater, Nightingale, Black-headed Bunting, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler and Crested Lark, ringing in my ears. For me that is Lesvos.
For a more comprehensive collection of photographs from the holiday visit my FLICKR Site at :-
https://www.flickr.com/photos/spinney_birder/albums
