davidg
Well-known member
I first visited Naxos in the summer of 2003 and found myself a short walk from a fantastic birding site - a large salt pan full of waders, herons and gulls. My report for that trip is here: http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/Greece/naxos/naxos-aug-03.htm . I built up a reasonable list for what was essentially a non-birding family holiday, highlights were Audouin's Gull, Long-legged Buzzard and Broad-billed Sandpiper. I also met a Greek birdwatcher, Nikos Probonas, who is a regular birder on the island and kept in touch with him inbetween visits. He is keen to promote birding on Naxos and would be delighted to hear from anyone planning a visit. His e-mail address is [email protected] .
The conditions on my second trip to Naxos 2 years later in August 2005 couldn’t have been more different – instead of saltpans full of water, there was just a tiny puddle in the centre of Aliki, the main lake. Instead of dozens of waders, ducks, gulls etc there was just a handful. Despite all this I built up a good list during the 3 week stay and added several species to my Greek list.
15th August – a quick walk around Aliki in the late afternoon on our first day. 2 Common Buzzards flapped low around the airport, calling occasionally. In one corner of Aliki I found a small pool that had retained some water and accidentally flushed 8 Green Sandpipers and a single Black-winged Stilt. This last had a badly damaged leg and was a regular around Aliki throughout my stay. On the far side of the saltpan I counted 13 Stone Curlews, a number that was to rise to 19 by the end of my stay – an island record count.. Apart from these the only birds present on the dried-up lake were a handful of Kentish Plovers. They were to become the most common wader of the trip with a highest count of 96 on Aliki , with many more birds too distant to positively identify. This is also a record total for Naxos.
16th – I met up with Nikos at the ‘Three Lake’ in Aghios Prokopios. These lie just behind the main beach and are an amazing sight – the sea water has evaporated leaving a crust of salt around the edges looking for all the world like ice. Several waders favoured these lakes but only early in the morning before the first sunbathers and swimmers arrived. Little Stint, Ringed and Little Ringed Plover and Dunlin were added to the list here. Birders should be warned that the beach hereabouts seems to be nudist and I had to be careful where I pointed my binoculars!
A short trip on the back of Nikos’s motorbike and we were on the far side of Aliki at the end of the airport runway. Here a few pools remained and on one we found my first Greek tick of the trip – 2 Ferruginous Duck , one a handsome drake . A Cetti’s Warbler skulked in the reeds and a very tatty Marsh Harrier flew low over the runway.
17th – the normal early morning trip around Aliki yielded a Whimbrel which flew off calling as soon as I appeared. This is an uncommon bird on Naxos so it is surprising that I also recorded it on my first trip to the island.
18th – the first shrikes of the trip appeared with at least 3 Red-backed and 2 Lesser Greys in bushes around Aliki
19th – the first true rarity of the trip with a juvenile Audouin’s Gull with a group of Yellow-legged. Sadly it became apparent when it flew that all was not well with this bird. A 6ft length of what appeared to be fishing line hung from its bill weighted down with something attached to the other end. Nikos and I attempted to catch the bird but it flew off towards the sea and we didn’t see it again.
20th – the first of only two Hoopoes for the trip flew out of trees as I approached the airport on this morning . Unbelievably, despite the lack of rain or any other apparent source, Aliki had more water in it than on previous days. I was to learn later that a local sewage plant had accidentally expelled clean water on the other side of the airport and this had flowed out into Aliki. After a few days it covered about a quarter of the lake's bed, but had all gone again by the end of my trip. A few Turnstone had appeared to take advantage of the situation and 5 Black-winged Stilts was my highest count so far.
21st – pleasing numbers of waders this morning with a fine Grey Plover, 3 Curlew Sandpiper, 3 Ruff, 12 Green Sandpipers and 13 Turnstone.
22nd – 2 Wood Sandpiper amongst the growing number of waders and the first Wheatear of the trip – but just a Northern.
23rd – as I was counting waders they were flushed by an approaching raptor. Instead of the expected Common Buzzard it was immediately clear that this was something quite different. Very orangey in colour with a distinct pale ‘collar’ – a juvenile Pallid Harrier. It flew lazily past me and headed inland. Nikos turned up a few minutes too late ; apparently autumn sightings of Pallid Harrier are very uncommon although they are a regular sight in spring.
A juvenile Sanderling with the flock of waders was another Greek tick for me. After I left Nikos recorded a flock of 23 Squacco Herons in flight - a species that eluded me for the entire trip.
24th – Red-rumped Swallow and Shoveller were added to the trip list
25th – A Purple Heron in the centre of Aliki as I arrived in the morning flew off when the local stray dog ran towards it. The first Icterine warbler is in the bushes with several Willow Warblers, 3 Lesser Grey Shrikes and a Spotted Flycatcher . A count of 16 Garganey on the airport pools is the highest of the trip. A Shag flies past as I try to avoid getting sunburn on the beach later in the morning.
26th – a long planned day-trip to Santorini is disrupted when the ferry arrives 3 hours late. We have time for a wander around the main town but my hoped for trip to the caldera’s centre has to be abandoned. Birds are at a premium on the island but a Peregrine chasing Rock Doves off the cliffs and a Lesser Kestrel help cheer me up.
27th – Nikos had been predicting the arrival of Tawny Pipits and Isabelline Wheatears for days. Finally I flush a small bird which flies over my head making a distinct ‘chup’ call as it goes. It lands only a couple of hundred yards away and I’m able to confirm it as Tawny Pipit. A few minutes later a Wheatear does much the same thing but flies off towards the airport so I can’t identify it for certain – but probably just a Northern!
28th – another of Nikos’s predictions comes true with a Short-toed Lark appearing in much the same place as yesterday’s pipit. I haven’t travelled into the interior of the island so a flyby Eleanora’s Falcon at Aliki is my first of the trip.
29th – Willow Warbler numbers have built overnight with at least 10 along the approach track. As he joined me Nikos spotted a Wood Warbler but we can’t relocate it.
30th – Black-eared Wheatear and Whinchat are new this morning together with another Short-toed Lark. A late afternoon walk along the road around Aliki produces Blue Rock Thrush and my first Long-legged Buzzard of the trip. Walking back along the saltpan the Wood Warbler finally shows itself.
31st – a high count of 13 Red-backed Shrikes
1st September – unexpectedly my 14 year old son announces that he wants to go birdwatching with me, even if it means getting up a good 2 hours earlier than his usual time . We head towards Aliki and he tells me he’s going to be lucky for me and find some good birds. We’re taken by surprise by a loud croaking noise from behind a bush, I realise why it sounded familiar when a Raven flies low over our heads calling. I’ve given up on Jonathan being a good-luck charm when we flush something from a tree by the entrance track. The size of a small crow the only feature I can make out as it disappears is the wing colour – blue with black tips and trailing edge – it can only be a Roller. I slowly approach the field that it flew into but only succeed in flushing it again, but this time out over the airport and I don't see it again.
I meet up later with Nikos and a birding friend of his, Giannis , and they take me to several other birding spots in Naxos. Glyfada is just along the coast and is a large salt-water pool with several ducks and waders including Shoveller, Teal and Redshank . Further along the coast is Pyrgaki where I get distant views of Cory’s Shearwater out at sea. Along the road at Agiassos Cirl Bunting are common, yet I’ve seen them nowhere else on the island. A walk inland yields Cretzschmar’s Bunting , Blue Rock Thrush and Eleanora’s Falcon and a Great Tit of the race Aphrodite . High above us 6 Griffon Vultures hang in the sky. As light begins to fail we drive further inland to Kampos Baouzi and the highlight of the holiday as we watch the Griffons come in to their roost on the cliffs just a few hundred yards away. We count 24 birds and I even manage to get some shaky video footage of them. On the drive back we stop for a brief view of Nightjars and in the distance a Little Owl calls.
2nd – A flock of 11 white birds over the sea to the south of Aliki where Giannis reported seeing a group of Squacco Herons here recently. I get closer but these are Little Egrets. Nikos later tells me that he saw 29 Squaccos here later in the day. Another, or the same, Short-toed Lark is at Aliki.
3rd – the final day and I only have time for a quick dash around Aliki before we go. The second Tawny Pipit appears but I never did get the Isabelline Wheatear!
Bird List (at Aliki unless stated otherwise):
Little Grebe – 2 at the airport pools
Cory’s Shearwater – 1 off Pyrgaki
Shag – 1 off Ag.Prokopios; 1 in the harbour at Hora
Little Egret
Grey Heron
Purple Heron
Mallard
Shoveller
Teal – 1 at Glyfada
Garganey
Ferruginous Duck
Griffon Vulture – at Agiassos and Kampos Baouzi
Marsh Harrier
Pallid Harrier
Long-legged Buzzard
Common Buzzard
Kestrel
Lesser Kestrel – Santorini
Peregrine – Santorini
Eleanora’s Falcon
Black-winged Stilt
Stone Curlew
Little Ringed Plover
Ringed Plover – 1 at Agios Prokopios
Kentish Plover
Grey Plover
Sanderling
Turnstone
Dunlin
Curlew Sandpiper
Little Stint
Wood Sandpiper
Green Sandpiper
Redshank
Greenshank
Whimbrel
Snipe
Ruff
Black-headed Gull – 1 at Pyrgaki
Yellow-legged Gull
Audouin’s Gull
Rock Dove – Santorini
Collared Dove
Turtle Dove – 2 at Kampos Baouzi
Little Owl – 1 calling at Kampos Baouzi
Nightjar – c4 at Kampos Baouzi
Common Swift
Hoopoe
Roller
Crested Lark
Short-toed Lark
Sand Martin
Swallow
Red-rumped Swallow
Tawny Pipit
Tree Pipit
White Wagtail
Yellow Wagtail (feldegg)
Northern Wheatear
Black-eared Wheatear
Whinchat
Stonechat
Blue Rock Thrush
Blackbird
Sardinian Warbler
Cetti’s Warbler
Icterine Warbler
Olivaceous Warbler
Willow Warbler
Wood Warbler
Spotted Flycatcher
Great Tit – 1 at Agiassos
Red-backed Shrike
Lesser Grey Shrike
Hooded Crow
Raven
House Sparrow
Linnet
Goldfinch
Cretzschmar’s Bunting – 1 at Agiassos
Cirl Bunting – common at Agiassos
The following were recorded by Nikos elsewhere on the island over this period:
night heron
montagu's harrier
sparrowhawk
bonelli's eagle
chukar
moorhen
alpine swift
pallid swift
bee-eater
kingfisher
rock dove
house martin
wren
whitethroat
garden warbler
reed warbler
great reed warbler
golden oriole
woodchat shrike
chaffinch
greenfinch
corn bunting
The conditions on my second trip to Naxos 2 years later in August 2005 couldn’t have been more different – instead of saltpans full of water, there was just a tiny puddle in the centre of Aliki, the main lake. Instead of dozens of waders, ducks, gulls etc there was just a handful. Despite all this I built up a good list during the 3 week stay and added several species to my Greek list.
15th August – a quick walk around Aliki in the late afternoon on our first day. 2 Common Buzzards flapped low around the airport, calling occasionally. In one corner of Aliki I found a small pool that had retained some water and accidentally flushed 8 Green Sandpipers and a single Black-winged Stilt. This last had a badly damaged leg and was a regular around Aliki throughout my stay. On the far side of the saltpan I counted 13 Stone Curlews, a number that was to rise to 19 by the end of my stay – an island record count.. Apart from these the only birds present on the dried-up lake were a handful of Kentish Plovers. They were to become the most common wader of the trip with a highest count of 96 on Aliki , with many more birds too distant to positively identify. This is also a record total for Naxos.
16th – I met up with Nikos at the ‘Three Lake’ in Aghios Prokopios. These lie just behind the main beach and are an amazing sight – the sea water has evaporated leaving a crust of salt around the edges looking for all the world like ice. Several waders favoured these lakes but only early in the morning before the first sunbathers and swimmers arrived. Little Stint, Ringed and Little Ringed Plover and Dunlin were added to the list here. Birders should be warned that the beach hereabouts seems to be nudist and I had to be careful where I pointed my binoculars!
A short trip on the back of Nikos’s motorbike and we were on the far side of Aliki at the end of the airport runway. Here a few pools remained and on one we found my first Greek tick of the trip – 2 Ferruginous Duck , one a handsome drake . A Cetti’s Warbler skulked in the reeds and a very tatty Marsh Harrier flew low over the runway.
17th – the normal early morning trip around Aliki yielded a Whimbrel which flew off calling as soon as I appeared. This is an uncommon bird on Naxos so it is surprising that I also recorded it on my first trip to the island.
18th – the first shrikes of the trip appeared with at least 3 Red-backed and 2 Lesser Greys in bushes around Aliki
19th – the first true rarity of the trip with a juvenile Audouin’s Gull with a group of Yellow-legged. Sadly it became apparent when it flew that all was not well with this bird. A 6ft length of what appeared to be fishing line hung from its bill weighted down with something attached to the other end. Nikos and I attempted to catch the bird but it flew off towards the sea and we didn’t see it again.
20th – the first of only two Hoopoes for the trip flew out of trees as I approached the airport on this morning . Unbelievably, despite the lack of rain or any other apparent source, Aliki had more water in it than on previous days. I was to learn later that a local sewage plant had accidentally expelled clean water on the other side of the airport and this had flowed out into Aliki. After a few days it covered about a quarter of the lake's bed, but had all gone again by the end of my trip. A few Turnstone had appeared to take advantage of the situation and 5 Black-winged Stilts was my highest count so far.
21st – pleasing numbers of waders this morning with a fine Grey Plover, 3 Curlew Sandpiper, 3 Ruff, 12 Green Sandpipers and 13 Turnstone.
22nd – 2 Wood Sandpiper amongst the growing number of waders and the first Wheatear of the trip – but just a Northern.
23rd – as I was counting waders they were flushed by an approaching raptor. Instead of the expected Common Buzzard it was immediately clear that this was something quite different. Very orangey in colour with a distinct pale ‘collar’ – a juvenile Pallid Harrier. It flew lazily past me and headed inland. Nikos turned up a few minutes too late ; apparently autumn sightings of Pallid Harrier are very uncommon although they are a regular sight in spring.
A juvenile Sanderling with the flock of waders was another Greek tick for me. After I left Nikos recorded a flock of 23 Squacco Herons in flight - a species that eluded me for the entire trip.
24th – Red-rumped Swallow and Shoveller were added to the trip list
25th – A Purple Heron in the centre of Aliki as I arrived in the morning flew off when the local stray dog ran towards it. The first Icterine warbler is in the bushes with several Willow Warblers, 3 Lesser Grey Shrikes and a Spotted Flycatcher . A count of 16 Garganey on the airport pools is the highest of the trip. A Shag flies past as I try to avoid getting sunburn on the beach later in the morning.
26th – a long planned day-trip to Santorini is disrupted when the ferry arrives 3 hours late. We have time for a wander around the main town but my hoped for trip to the caldera’s centre has to be abandoned. Birds are at a premium on the island but a Peregrine chasing Rock Doves off the cliffs and a Lesser Kestrel help cheer me up.
27th – Nikos had been predicting the arrival of Tawny Pipits and Isabelline Wheatears for days. Finally I flush a small bird which flies over my head making a distinct ‘chup’ call as it goes. It lands only a couple of hundred yards away and I’m able to confirm it as Tawny Pipit. A few minutes later a Wheatear does much the same thing but flies off towards the airport so I can’t identify it for certain – but probably just a Northern!
28th – another of Nikos’s predictions comes true with a Short-toed Lark appearing in much the same place as yesterday’s pipit. I haven’t travelled into the interior of the island so a flyby Eleanora’s Falcon at Aliki is my first of the trip.
29th – Willow Warbler numbers have built overnight with at least 10 along the approach track. As he joined me Nikos spotted a Wood Warbler but we can’t relocate it.
30th – Black-eared Wheatear and Whinchat are new this morning together with another Short-toed Lark. A late afternoon walk along the road around Aliki produces Blue Rock Thrush and my first Long-legged Buzzard of the trip. Walking back along the saltpan the Wood Warbler finally shows itself.
31st – a high count of 13 Red-backed Shrikes
1st September – unexpectedly my 14 year old son announces that he wants to go birdwatching with me, even if it means getting up a good 2 hours earlier than his usual time . We head towards Aliki and he tells me he’s going to be lucky for me and find some good birds. We’re taken by surprise by a loud croaking noise from behind a bush, I realise why it sounded familiar when a Raven flies low over our heads calling. I’ve given up on Jonathan being a good-luck charm when we flush something from a tree by the entrance track. The size of a small crow the only feature I can make out as it disappears is the wing colour – blue with black tips and trailing edge – it can only be a Roller. I slowly approach the field that it flew into but only succeed in flushing it again, but this time out over the airport and I don't see it again.
I meet up later with Nikos and a birding friend of his, Giannis , and they take me to several other birding spots in Naxos. Glyfada is just along the coast and is a large salt-water pool with several ducks and waders including Shoveller, Teal and Redshank . Further along the coast is Pyrgaki where I get distant views of Cory’s Shearwater out at sea. Along the road at Agiassos Cirl Bunting are common, yet I’ve seen them nowhere else on the island. A walk inland yields Cretzschmar’s Bunting , Blue Rock Thrush and Eleanora’s Falcon and a Great Tit of the race Aphrodite . High above us 6 Griffon Vultures hang in the sky. As light begins to fail we drive further inland to Kampos Baouzi and the highlight of the holiday as we watch the Griffons come in to their roost on the cliffs just a few hundred yards away. We count 24 birds and I even manage to get some shaky video footage of them. On the drive back we stop for a brief view of Nightjars and in the distance a Little Owl calls.
2nd – A flock of 11 white birds over the sea to the south of Aliki where Giannis reported seeing a group of Squacco Herons here recently. I get closer but these are Little Egrets. Nikos later tells me that he saw 29 Squaccos here later in the day. Another, or the same, Short-toed Lark is at Aliki.
3rd – the final day and I only have time for a quick dash around Aliki before we go. The second Tawny Pipit appears but I never did get the Isabelline Wheatear!
Bird List (at Aliki unless stated otherwise):
Little Grebe – 2 at the airport pools
Cory’s Shearwater – 1 off Pyrgaki
Shag – 1 off Ag.Prokopios; 1 in the harbour at Hora
Little Egret
Grey Heron
Purple Heron
Mallard
Shoveller
Teal – 1 at Glyfada
Garganey
Ferruginous Duck
Griffon Vulture – at Agiassos and Kampos Baouzi
Marsh Harrier
Pallid Harrier
Long-legged Buzzard
Common Buzzard
Kestrel
Lesser Kestrel – Santorini
Peregrine – Santorini
Eleanora’s Falcon
Black-winged Stilt
Stone Curlew
Little Ringed Plover
Ringed Plover – 1 at Agios Prokopios
Kentish Plover
Grey Plover
Sanderling
Turnstone
Dunlin
Curlew Sandpiper
Little Stint
Wood Sandpiper
Green Sandpiper
Redshank
Greenshank
Whimbrel
Snipe
Ruff
Black-headed Gull – 1 at Pyrgaki
Yellow-legged Gull
Audouin’s Gull
Rock Dove – Santorini
Collared Dove
Turtle Dove – 2 at Kampos Baouzi
Little Owl – 1 calling at Kampos Baouzi
Nightjar – c4 at Kampos Baouzi
Common Swift
Hoopoe
Roller
Crested Lark
Short-toed Lark
Sand Martin
Swallow
Red-rumped Swallow
Tawny Pipit
Tree Pipit
White Wagtail
Yellow Wagtail (feldegg)
Northern Wheatear
Black-eared Wheatear
Whinchat
Stonechat
Blue Rock Thrush
Blackbird
Sardinian Warbler
Cetti’s Warbler
Icterine Warbler
Olivaceous Warbler
Willow Warbler
Wood Warbler
Spotted Flycatcher
Great Tit – 1 at Agiassos
Red-backed Shrike
Lesser Grey Shrike
Hooded Crow
Raven
House Sparrow
Linnet
Goldfinch
Cretzschmar’s Bunting – 1 at Agiassos
Cirl Bunting – common at Agiassos
The following were recorded by Nikos elsewhere on the island over this period:
night heron
montagu's harrier
sparrowhawk
bonelli's eagle
chukar
moorhen
alpine swift
pallid swift
bee-eater
kingfisher
rock dove
house martin
wren
whitethroat
garden warbler
reed warbler
great reed warbler
golden oriole
woodchat shrike
chaffinch
greenfinch
corn bunting
