lesvos next week (1 Viewer)

[Tony Knight]

Off to Lesvos next week armed with richard Brooks' book - are there any good new sites that i should bear in mind which aren't covered in his book which is a good few years old now ? Or alternatively good old sites that are no longer productive ?

Having just got divorced, a week that delivers kruipers nuthatch, cretzch??....bunting, cinereous bunting, lesser grey/masked shrike, ruppells warbler, sombre tit etc and a new birdwatching partner would be perfect !! I don't ask for much.....

 

[cheshirebirder]

Off to Lesvos next week armed with richard Brooks' book - are there any good new sites that i should bear in mind which aren't covered in his book which is a good few years old now ? Or alternatively good old sites that are no longer productive ?

Having just got divorced, a week that delivers kruipers nuthatch, cretzch??....bunting, cinereous bunting, lesser grey/masked shrike, ruppells warbler, sombre tit etc and a new birdwatching partner would be perfect !! I don't ask for much.....

Where abouts are you staying,Tony ? We're returning this year after great time in May 2005. You can't go wrong really - we found Richard Brook's guide 90% still applicable and most birds are distributed across the Island.

 

[Steve G]

There will still be plenty of migrant movement through the island so repeat visits to certain sites is well worthwhile.
A few visits to Faneromeni area via Ipsilou monastery is always worthwhile. If based at Skalla Kalloni try to drive up the west side of the East river each evening (sun wil be behind you) to the Kalloni-Mytilene road then turn right > head to the saltpans then return to SK via the track from the saltpans to the East river > across the ford & back to SK. This drive can be done in 45 mins & each time you should get new birds as a number of habitats are involved -> fair chance of a Lanner looking for a light supper at the saltpans!!

 

[Rob Smallwood]

And the car makes a great hide too.

Two year's ago we found Cinerous easily at the chapel site SW of Skala Kalloni, but only by going up the track on the right before the chapel which takes you to the hills above it. Here there were plenty of singing males, with plenty of other birds of interest too, but they could not be seen or heard from the chapel steps. Well worth a visit.

 

[Tony Knight]

steve

thanks for the excellent advice - i had intended to walk most of the time but richards book does seem to promote the idea of birding from the car at many of the sites !

Tony

 

[Tony Knight]

Rob

thanks - i will make sure to check this track out

Tony

 

[Tony Knight]

Where abouts are you staying,Tony ?

staying at SK at the Aegean...

 

[Steve G]

Hi Tony,
I would strongly suggest you hire a car for many reasons. The island itself has a number of small & beautiful beaches & villages well worth visiting (Skala Sikkiminia comes to mind). A car will give access to many good birding sites & you will need one to get to the Kruper's Nuthatch sites as well as to access the Cin. buntings. As Rob mentions above a car makes a great hide .... I managed to get a great many photographs from my vehicle which I wouldn't have got otherwise.
If you do hire a car try driving up the Potamia valley > the road is a bit potholed but the scenery & the birds make it worthwhile. The small Potamia river runs dry in the summer but has a section about 4-5km up the valley that holds permanent water -this section holds lots of marsh frogs, some terrapins, lots of wee fish & amazingly a strange freshwater crab which seems to feed on algae. This section draws in Black Storks (a few pairs breed on Lesvos) & with luck close views are possible. The Potamia is also good for raptors including the odd passage Aquila spp.
Have a good & productive time & visit Mariana's restaurant in SK if you get the chance.

 

[Tony Knight]

Steve

I have a car booked ready at the airport and it will be well used. The comment about walking was purely that I thought I'd be driving to these places and then getting out and walking but in many cases it seems that the tip is to stay in the car !

thanks again for the detailed advice

Tony

 

[toby]

Tony,

I assume you're back and had a good time. I'm off there next week, so was wondering if you managed to connect with Kruper's, Cinereous Bunting, and Olive Tree Warbler, and if so where?

I've got RB's book, but am just after any 2006 info'. Thanks (to you or anyone else) in advance.

 

[cheshirebirder]

Tony,

I assume you're back and had a good time. I'm off there next week, so was wondering if you managed to connect with Kruper's, Cinereous Bunting, and Olive Tree Warbler, and if so where?

I've got RB's book, but am just after any 2006 info'. Thanks (to you or anyone else) in advance.

Same plea from me too , please! I'm off there in 2 weeks , so any useful up-to-date info would be greatly appreciated , especially on Olive-tree .

 

[James Lowther]

Same plea from me too , please! I'm off there in 2 weeks , so any useful up-to-date info would be greatly appreciated , especially on Olive-tree .

me three ha ha!!
James

 

[cheshirebirder]

Same plea from me too , please! I'm off there in 2 weeks , so any useful up-to-date info would be greatly appreciated , especially on Olive-tree .

Sorry to bump this up but any new info really would be appreciated.

 

[cassowary]

Sorry to bump this up but any new info really would be appreciated.

I have recently returned from lesvos and had one of my best european birdwatching holidays.

Olive tree warbler is reliable this spring both around the Napi valley 'cattle grid' site and near the upper ford at Faranomeni approx 100 yds before the ford in the back of the olive grove on the right (as you approach the ford from Sigri).

Lots of other good birds for the island still around eg: white throated robin.


Good luck and good birding.

 

[cheshirebirder]

I have recently returned from lesvos and had one of my best european birdwatching holidays.

Olive tree warbler is reliable this spring both around the Napi valley 'cattle grid' site and near the upper ford at Faranomeni approx 100 yds before the ford in the back of the olive grove on the right (as you approach the ford from Sigri).

Lots of other good birds for the island still around eg: white throated robin.


Good luck and good birding.

Thanks for the reply , cassowary. Looking forward to my return visit now. Where was the W T Robin ?

 

[beaker]

Thanks for the reply , cassowary. Looking forward to my return visit now. Where was the W T Robin ?

I and a party of four Sandbach birders have just returned fron Lesvos.170 species in a week and according to the tour guides we met the best week for 8 or so years for amount and variety of birds. I will do a trip report tonight for anyone interested and will answer specific queries from that if I possibly can.
Cheers.

Andy F

 

[beaker]

I and a party of four Sandbach birders have just returned fron Lesvos.170 species in a week and according to the tour guides we met the best week for 8 or so years for amount and variety of birds. I will do a trip report tonight for anyone interested and will answer specific queries from that if I possibly can.
Cheers.

Andy F

Trip report now posted in vacational trip report section.It's not brilliantly written but anyone needing recent information let me know.

Andy F

 

[cheshirebirder]

Trip report now posted in vacational trip report section.It's not brilliantly written but anyone needing recent information let me know.

Andy F

Thanks ,Andy.

 

[Sandra (Taylor)]

Lesvos

Not yet had time to read Beaker's report on Lesvos - just reading the postings from a week or two ago.

We arrived back on Thursday after two weeks on Lesvos in Skalla Kalloni. Magic! But one or two accesses have changed. You can no longer drive up the river - missing out the town and making a short cut to the saltpans too. After heavy rain in January/February part of the bank has collapsed, and there is a heap of gravel/soil tipped on another part of the track - most likely to stop you driving past the dangerous slipped banking. So that was out for the week.

The potamia vally track is quite rough in places as far as the bridge and the track up to the left of the bridge is pretty bad shortly after leaving the bridge - and we have driven on some bad tracks! The right hand side of the river bank is partially collapsed a few metres in then almost totally impassable some time later where the track does a detour into the olive grove.

Will be doing a trip report shortly if you want to watch out for it.

I don't think the white throated robin had been seen during the latter part of our holiday - we dipped on that.

Sandra

 

[Tony Knight]

Tony,

I assume you're back and had a good time. I'm off there next week, so was wondering if you managed to connect with Kruper's, Cinereous Bunting, and Olive Tree Warbler, and if so where?

I've got RB's book, but am just after any 2006 info'. Thanks (to you or anyone else) in advance.

Toby et al

sorry for the lack of a reply - for some reason I didn't see the email that noted there had been further replies on this thread and have only just seen them !

having said that, I failed to see either krupers or olive tree warbler despite detailed descriptions of exactly where they were so couldn't have helped much...smashing photos of cinereous though, just on the bend in the road below Ipsilou. All others such as rufous bush robin, ruppells etc seemed to be where Richard's book suggested they should. The cattle grid road at the top of Napi (not sure if this was in his book) was probably my favourite site. I took 800 photos in all in the week inc this obliging hoopoe which hopefully i have managed to attach !! also a blue rock thrush taken at the layby site at molyvos. fingers crossed !

Did manage to drive up the east river, part of the bank had fallen away but you could still drive past and many others seemed to do so also.

Didn't find myself an attractive and single 35-43 birding partner though !! Always an unlikely tick !!

Tony