Trystan's 2015 world list (1 Viewer)

[Trystan]

4/5/15

No birding opportunities the last couple of weekends but managed to catch up with a few summer visitors this evening.

Fairburn ings

489. Whitethroat
490. Willow warbler
491. Cuckoo
492. Common tern
493. House martin

I decided to make the effort for the reported Lesser scaup at Wintersett, need to be getting a few more difficult species if I'm going to make it to 600.

Wintersett

494. Lesser scaup

Cettis warbler calling but not showing unfortunately. Still need to see this species in Yorkshire.

 

[Trystan]

7/5/15

10 days break to Greece with 2 nights in Athens and the remainder on Lesvos. The focus was on Kruper's Nuthatch and Cinereous bunting, both being lifers then just seeing how things panned out.

Athens

More of a cultural trip than a birding one, however, I did pick up a few species here which I didn't see on Lesvos.

495. Alpine swift - Numerous at the Acropolis
496. Lesser grey shrike
497. Sardinian warbler
498. Olivaceous warbler
499. Yellow legged gull
500. Rose-ringed parakeet - Feral population noted around the parks
501. Serin
502. Hoopoe

 

[Trystan]

8/5/15

Mytilini

Arrived at the airport around noon and headed to the north of the island to our accomodation in Molyvos. No stopping along the way so species were noted while driving.

503. Red rumped swallow
ssp Hooded crow - I haven't split this on my personal lists but maybe I will if I need it for my 600 target later in the year!

Kalloni area (En route to Molyvos)

504. Flamingo
505. White stork

Molyvos

A quick walk up to the castle and around the back of town

506. Black eared wheatear
507. Red backed shrike
508. Woodchat shrike
509. Black headed bunting

 

[Trystan]

9/5/15

Achladeri forest

510. Nightingale
511. Cirl bunting
512. Subalpine warbler - the default Sylvia spp on the island
513. KRUPER'S NUTHATCH - I arrived very early to maximise my chances but has to wait nearly two hours then the bird gave itself away calling from the top of a tree. Another bird answered further away but I was delighted with this one which showed really well.
514. Woodlark
515. Short toed treecreeper
ssp Jay - atricapillus
516. Masked shrike

Kalloni salt pans

517. Little tern

Kalloni 'Scops copse'

518. Scops owl

Kalloni raptor watch point

519. Black stork
520. Short toed eagle
521. Cretzchmar's bunting

Christou river

No sign of the crane this evening, just added ssp - Black headed yellow wagtail.

 

[Trystan]

10/5/15

Main target today was the Cinereous bunting but with my wife coming along to see the monastery and petrified forest, not as early start as I would have liked and limited time for birding.

Ipsilou Monastery

522. CINEREOUS BUNTING - Good start in windy conditions, singing in the first tree on the hillside, no new year ticks around though, heard Golden oriole.

Sigri

523. White winged black tern

Lardia valley

524. Middle spotted woodpecker - flight views only but seen better later in the trip

Kavaki

525. Yelkouan shearwater - seen in the bay often with yellow legged gulls and Short beaked common dolphin following shoals of fish.

 

[Trystan]

11/5/15

Metochi lake

Early start to cover a few areas around Kalloni again.

526. Reed warbler
527. Night heron
528. Little bittern
529. Great reed warbler
530. Cetti's warbler
531. Sedge warbler
532. Little crake - I felt very old when I realised it was 20 years since I last saw this species!

Christou river

Another look for the Demoiselle crane, not looking promising at this point.

533. Long legged buzzard
534. Whiskered tern
535. Ruddy shelduck

Kalloni raptor watchpoint

536. Rock nuthatch

Tsiknias river

537. Penduline tit - Very brief views of one bird entering and exiting the nest site here.

Christou river

Back again in the evening not optimistic but I found the crane right out in the open north of the river where it had been seen several evenings previously.

538. DEMOISELLE CRANE

 

[Trystan]

12/5/15

Didn't stray too far today and did some walking between Molyvos and the next village Petra adding a couple of species in the olive groves around here.

Petra

539. Turtle dove
540. Sombre tit - Not a lifer but I'd only had very brief views previously in Bulgaria so was very happy with this.

Kavaki

541. Ruppell's warbler - Apparently usually easier to find than this year. I had to work quite hard for this species and apart from the ubiquitous Subalpine, didn't catch up with any other Sylvia warblers this trip.

 

[Trystan]

13/5/15

Kalloni salt pans

Very quiet day, connected with Spur winged plover which I had seen earlier in the year in Ghana.

542. Spanish sparrow

 

[Trystan]

14/5/15

Alykes wetlands

Nice stop on the way round the rear of the salt pans where a birding group had found a couple of red throated pipits.

ssp - White wagtail
543. Red throated pipit
544. Gull billed tern
545. Citrine wagtail
546. Montagu's harrier

Moving further along to the edge of the bay, a group of Bottle nosed dolphins were leaping right out of the water.

547. Short toed lark
548. Rufous bush robin - syriacus ssp was new for me

Tsiknias river

549. Temminck's stint - 2 birds

Petra

550. Nightjar - I met a birder earlier in the day who had been told that Nightjars could be seen around the rear of the Monastery here so I decided to give it a go. Also saw Barn owl and Scops owl here.

 

[Trystan]

15/5/15

I decided to repeat my trip out west but starting an hour earlier and stopping more frequently.

Lardia valley

551. Blue rock thrush
552. Crag martin

Faneromeni

553. Lesser kestrel

Petrified forest

554. Isabelline wheatear

Lardia valley

555. Rock sparrow

 

[Trystan]

16/5/15

The last day should just have been an airport run but we had our schedule changed at the last minute and wouldn't be departing until 8.40pm. After a bit of wrangling over continued use of the car, I managed to eek a couple more species out of the trip.

Alykes wetlands

556. Red footed falcon

Molyvos

557. Little owl

I won't be creating a report for this one, Lesvos reports have been done to death. Suffice to say that Steve Dudley's Birdwatching Guide to Lesvos along with communicating with other birders on the island meant that there was plenty of information on how to get the most out of birding here even staying in Molyvos which is a little far from the majority of good sites around Kalloni.

 

[Trystan]

17/5/15

Feeling the worse for wear after the late flights I decided to grab a few year ticks around Bolton abbey before resigning myself back to the routine. Had the flights been on time I would have connected with the Yorkshire birdforum meeting here but then I would have missed Red footed falcon so I'm not complaining.

Bolton abbey

558. Garden warbler
559. Redstart
560. Mandarin duck

So only 40 to go to hit my end of year target, actually 39 because I will be sticking my Ruddy duck on at the end as always.

 

[Trystan]

30/5/15

Annual North Wales run today.

Holyhead

561. Black Guillemot

South Stack

562. Chough

Cemlyn bay

563. Arctic tern
564. Manx shearwater

Glaslyn

565. Osprey

 

[Trystan]

31/5/15

Up the A1 and down the A19 today.

Bothal

566. BLACK WINGED PRATINCOLE - my 300th UK species!

Port Clarence

567. Spoonbill

Seaton Carew

568. Lesser whitethroat - the consolation prize for failing to find any sign of the reported Glaucous gull.

 

[Trystan]

03/6/15

This evening with the improved weather, I went to see if the Grasshopper warblers were in the same place I found them last year and was pleased with close views in the evening sun.

Meltham

569. Grasshopper warbler

 

[Trystan]

06/6/15

Hale, Cheshire

570. Corncrake - 1st UK

Spent just over an hour this morning shivering in the cold wind before the bird broke cover and gave good but brief views.

 

[Trystan]

07/6/15

Spurn

Clearly picked the wrong half of the day to spend here but two year ticks anyway including belated Brent goose.

571. Little gull
572. Brent goose

 

[Trystan]

20/6/15

Blacktoft

573. Ring necked duck

As well as enjoying the Montagu's harriers.

 

[Trystan]

11/7/15

Annual pilgrimage to visit family and pick up a few opportunistic species.

Avon Heath

574. Dartford warbler

Monkey world

575. Siskin

 

[Trystan]

12/7/15

Titchfield haven

576. Greater yellowlegs (1st UK)