LESVOS!!! Part 7; Let It Go

Saturday 26th April

Our last full day of birding before we headed home. The only slight advantage to taking such an early flight the Sunday before is that you get time for birding on the day you arrive, so there are in effect seven whole days to enjoy the island. For our last day, we chose to go it alone, and to leave our friends in peace for the day rather than in pieces by the end of it. It's a small island though, and we'd no doubt bump into them all somewhere along the way.

At the hotel we listened to the Nightingale song emanating from the garden. As the light emerged it looked like it would be another fine and sunny day. I had hardly paid the Nightingales any attention all week since there was always somewhere else to go, and other birds to see. So I took ten minutes out on the balcony and found one of the singing birds and at last took a photo or two.

Nightingale

We began the day early, going out without taking any breakfast, thinking we'd treat ourselves to a good lunch later. I wanted to get some better photos of Spanish Sparrows so I drove the short distance to the mouth of the Christou River and the marsh outside of the Aegean Hotel where we'd seen lots of the dapper little spadgers a couple of days before. Almost unbelievably considering the bright sunny conditions that we'd experienced all week, and after the reasonable start to the day, it had become foggy and decidedly chilly on the marshes. Luckily though, we were able to bird from the comfort of the warm car. We could actually only bird from the car, because we couldn't see much more than a few metres away anyway.

The limited visibility didn't matter too much because some of the flock of Spanish Sparrows were adorning the fence on the opposite side of the road from the marsh. I passed them and turned the car around so that I'd be on the same side as the birds and drove slowly up to where they were. One male Sparrow was perched  on its own and I was able to get alongside and take a few images. I have a fondness for the small birds that many people hardly notice. In fact give me a tiny warbler or finch any day over the bigger brash birds like raptors. Unless the big brash bird is a Capercaillie of course. Now I had my photos that I wanted of the Sparrows for my portfolio and to stick on the digiframe at home.

Spanish Sparrow (male)

Most of the flock were feeding in the short grass on the marsh side of the road so I swung the car around again and sidled up to get a view of them. Like all Sparrows, the Spanish variety were chatty and very gregarious. The males are striking looking birds with a mix of just about everything brown, black & white that you could fit on a small bird. All put together, the male Spanish Sparrow is very distinctive and as good a looker as any.

Strange then, that the female Spanish Sparrows are typical of the family and comparatively plain brown with few distinguishing features, and thus almost identical to female House Sparrows. There are very subtle variations though. The Spanish female has a chunkier bill, fine streaking to the crown, and some streaking to the underparts. As far as I know the two species only form single species flocks so presumably the females that hang out with male Spanish Sparrows are always also of the Spanish variety. From what I'd seen on Lesvos, Spanish Sparrow flocks are larger than those of House Sparrows and they don't frequent urban areas like their cousins, preferring marsh and fields instead.

Spanish Sparrow (female)

Learning from our friends, I adopted full-on inquisitive mode, and checked tracks out that radiated off the main roads. You are pretty much allowed to drive anywhere on Lesvos, and our four wheel drive motor enabled us to access some pretty rough tracks. We followed one out into the Christou marsh because we could see a harrier quartering as we drove past. The fog was much thicker next to the water and we could barely make out the nearest edge of the lagoon where we'd seen Flamingos two days before. I picked out a Pygmy Cormorant stood on a washed up dead tree branch. The foggy conditions tested my photographic skills somewhat; a test that I failed again but you get the picture.

Pygmy Cormorant

We saw the harrier a few more times and eventually concluded that it was a Marsh Harrier based on the shape and "heavy" flight since making out any detail in the fog was impossible. It appeared as if we'd fail to see either of the hoped for Pallid or Montagu's Harriers during our week. Other birds we could make out in the murk were the usual suspects; Corn Buntings, Crested Larks, and a flock of Greater Flamingos that flew low overhead. Photography as proved by the Pygmy Cormorant shots was pretty pointless, and I didn't bother taking any more.

Once we'd travelled just a few hundred metres away from the river, the fog dissipated and we were thrust into yet another bright and sunny day. We always say how wonderful it must be to live in a hot sunny climate but I guess being from a temperate zone that we'd soon get bored of it. The mix of weather is what makes Northern Europe so amiable to live in. You can never blame the weather; it's natural and necessary for life. I turned off the tarmac road and onto the dirt track that led to Metochi Lake, where we'd visited on our first full day. I couldn't remember exactly which tracks and turns to take but by "following my nose", I got us there anyway. We paused only to look at a fine Black-headed Bunting singing from an overhead cable. I came to Lesvos having only seen one Black-headed Bunting before, on the cold, wet & windy Isle of Skye. Now I'd seen dozens. They were all extremely handsome males as well. I wondered where the females were, and whether they'd even arrived yet.

Black-headed Bunting

There were a few other birders dotted around the lake although not as many as on the Sunday before. I  parked under the shade of the big tree as I had done last time and scanned the lake the best that I could with binoculars. A scope would have been useful here, especially to help pick out any birds in the reeds on the far bank. Luckily there was a Little Crake, another female, reasonably close by. We'd seen over ten Little Crakes through the course of the week but the only male was the first bird seen at Metochi a week ago. 

Little Crake

We could hear a Hoopoe singing. Hoopoes had eluded us all week, with only a heard-only record so far. This time however, I found the songster perched up in a dead tree about a hundred metres away. It sang repetitively, the "oop, oop, oop" song that named the bird, resounding and echoing around the natural amphitheatre created by the lay of the land. Now we'd actually seen one, I wanted a photo so I set off around the lake to see how close I could get. In the event it wasn't very close, but I got my records shots.

Hoopoe

I could hear the soft purring song of a Turtle Dove behind me as I walked back to Mrs Caley. I turned and saw six in a tree not far from where the Hoopoe had been. I couldn't be bothered to walk back a second time so settled for a record shot from distance. The twelve days of Christmas song burst into my head but I couldn't make six turtle doves fit so quickly banished it. It was April.

Turtle Doves

At the small inlet by the bridge that the track passes over to gain access to the lake, there was a Wood Sandpiper. This elegant species of wader had been a mainstay of the birding throughout the week. We'd seen hundreds, probably a thousand or more in total, and I'd photographed a lot of them. I couldn't resist taking another couple.

Wood Sandpiper

Before coming to Lesvos, I'd seen lots of amazing photographs taken by some very expert photographers of the birds of the island. The chance of getting some memorable shots of my own was a big factor in me choosing to take the plunge and take the holiday. Obviously I knew that I wasn't in the same league as the semi-professional toggers but so far during the week I had taken some pretty good photos (if I say so myself). Some of the images that I had seen and been really impressed with were head-on shots of Swifts, dipping into water to take a drink while in flight. I had already worked out after my first visit that those photos had been taken at Metochi Lake. The Swifts swoop in, generally from the west so that they get to fly almost the whole length of the water. That gives photographers, by standing close to the bridge, the chance to get those photos. I decided that I'd have a go and soon learned that it takes a lot of skill to not only lock on to the fast moving birds, but also to achieve optimum focussing of a subject that is flying straight towards the camera. I've spent a lot of time photographing Swifts at Farmoor reservoir, where generally the birds are moving from side to side. It's a lot easier to focus on a bird flying past than it is on one that's flying towards you. Thus my own efforts at capturing the Swifts were pretty hopeless. If I ever come back to Lesvos then I'd like to spend a longer at Metochi photographing the Swifts drinking on the wing. Maybe then practise would make better.

Common Swift

There were Pallid Swifts around too, I could hear their almost Sparrow-like slurred calls, lower in pitch than the Common Swifts. Picking them out was tricky though. I needed my expert friends to help out. The photos below may be Pallids or not. I can't really decide. When I saw the ones in the Meladia Valley at the start of the trip, I had no doubt. I guess that not being able to decide says it all. Using the large pale throat patch and dark eye mask as criteria, then these two birds appeared to fit the bill for Pallid.

Pallid (?) Swift

We wanted to explore other places so didn't stay at Metochi Lake for too long. It was promising to be a very warm day too, and by the lake it was already simmering by mid-morning. More crucial to our decision to move, was the report of a Roller in the Makara Valley, a bird we definitely wanted to see. The finders of the Roller were our friends. I knew that I should have shadowed them. They are definitely better than us at this game.

The beginning of the track to Makara Beach is about twenty minutes or so drive from Metochi. Rollers can be very mobile birds so there was a chance that we'd already be too late to see it, but it was worth the gamble. But hey, in Lesvos it actually pays to be a half-full type of guy, and it would be stupid not to try for it. On the same rocks that we saw our first Rock Nuthatch on a few days before, our immediate quest was temporarily halted by the sighting of two Isabelline Wheatears. They were sparring with a Starred Agama, presumably trying to deflect the lizard away from their nest site. We'd noticed the same interaction between the two species before, when driving through the Meladia Valley earlier in the week, but these were closer so I was able to grab a few hurried photos.

Isabelline Wheatear & Starred Agama

A distant pair of Short-eared Eagles soaring above also attracted our attention for a while. At the start of our holiday, these large raptors were a big "want" bird for me. Now I was expecting to see them every time I went out. I would love to have got closer views but it was a treat to see them doing what eagles do. Back in the UK, seeing any type of eagle requires much effort. On Lesvos, Short-toed Eagles just parade around like Buzzards. Apparently they are fond of sitting atop one of the many large rocks in similar fashion to Buzzards. We just missed on seeing one doing just that on our first drive down Makara. If I ever get back to the island, I'm making the species a priority and will be going out early morning to a place like the Makara track to get them.

Short-toed Eagles

The Roller was easy to find because there were a few birders watching it, signified by the three cars parked up together. One of the cars belonged to Andy & Hannah, and they quickly got us onto the brightly coloured shrike-cum-crow looking bird. We had the good fortune of seeing a Roller in Suffolk a few years ago which showed close to our vantage point, both perched and while hunting in a grassy field. This Roller was now perched on a bush some hundred metres away so was less value and photos weren't really obtainable owing to the heat haze. Everybody else had had their fill and left us standing alone. We continued watching the Roller which didn't move much, despite us willing it to. Andy told us that the bird had been perched on the overhead wires close to the track earlier. If only we'd been there earlier.

Roller

A calling Sombre Tit a little way up the hillside attracted our attention for a while. It wasn't as close as the birds we saw up at Ipsilou the day before but I fired off a few photos anyway. At least I thought I had. What I hadn't realised was that the camera battery died after the first press! I was however, grateful in some way, because when the Roller took off from its perch in the bush way down in the valley and flew towards us, my camera was fully functional again.

The Roller did the decent thing too, and landed on an overhead wire just fifty metres away. I walked slowly towards it, halving the distance between me and the bird, before taking some nice memento photos of it. Again, the ogre of heat shimmer affected the resulting images somewhat, but who gets the chance to observe Rollers in all their glory every day. Even here on Lesvos, they are not common, and this was the first one reported during the week, so well done to our mates for spotting it. Interestingly several more were seen throughout the island later that day. The marvel of bird migration is fascinating, and I'm always impressed how individuals of species all choose to move at the same time. Their inner body clocks are truly something else.

The Roller flew up the adjacent hillside and disappeared so we continued on to the beach at the bottom of the valley. We met our friends coming back the other way at the top of the beach and stopped for a quick catchup. Peter told us that they'd seen some Crag Martins close to the Ipsilou Monastery after we'd left the day before so we earmarked that for later in the day. While we were talking, a small flight of Turtle Doves passed overhead, curiously heading southwards. Rather than migrating, I guessed that they were heading to a place where they could bathe and drink. Apparently a Rook had been seen on the Mesa wetlands so our mates were headed there. Rooks are extremely rare in this part of the world, so for "big" Lesvos listers and stalwarts, it had to be seen.

We parked at the bridge where we'd watched Alpine Swifts and a Little Bittern on our first visit there. Only a few days ago but it seemed like ages since we'd done so much in between. We were treated to more Alpine Swift action although the activity wasn't as fervent as we'd seen before with fewer sorties to the river mouth for drinks on the wing. There was no sign of anything on the river itself apart from the pair of Little Ringed Plover that were clearly intent on breeding somewhere on the pebbly beach nearby.

Alpine Swift

Little Ringed Plover

I wanted to see more of the Roller so we drove back up the valley again. I stopped the car when I noticed a bird perched on a wire over the track. It was much smaller than the Roller but almost as colourful. It was a male Ortolan Bunting and it was singing with much gusto. The bright sunshine made making the subtle plumage differences between Ortolan and Cretzschmar's Bunting tricky but the plainer (non-Beethoven like) song was enough to establish the identification. I hope.

Ortolan Bunting

While we were parked up, a lot of birds either flew past or around us. A small flock of Ruddy Shelduck traversed the valley and afforded some decent flight shots despite the heat shimmer. We had Crested Larks hovering above us, and we watched around a dozen Turtle Doves flying up the valley, possibly the same group we'd seen flying down earlier.

Ruddy Shelduck

Crested Lark

Mrs Caley alerted me to the Roller which was pinging its way towards us, stopping every twenty metres or so to scan the ground below. I took a few photos when the bird had gotten close enough. Naturally, when it came to close to us, the Roller flew right over the hillside and disappeared again. This Roller wasn't quite as showy as it was at first but it had been a real treat to see, and probably the standout bird of the day.

The Ortolan Bunting continued to sing from its perch on the wire. Bird on a wire by Leonard Cohen entered my head and would be on loop for most of the day afterwards. A Starred Agama poked its head up from behind a rock and gazed casually around. The reptile would be enjoying the warmth of the day more than we were, it would be time for us to head somewhere for a nice cool drink soon. We were grateful for the air-conditioning of the hire car. which was ironic considering how we'd enjoyed the heater first thing in the morning while sitting in the fog. Before we left, I took the opportunity to grab another photo of one of the ubiquitous Eastern Black-eared Wheatears.

Eastern Black-eared Wheatear

We headed back to Skala Kalloni for lunch but stopped at the Christou Marsh on the way to look for another bird that we'd failed to find thus far. There were a few birds still that I wanted to get before leaving for home the following day. One of those, the Kentish Plover, I knew could be seen at the marsh opposite the Aegean Hotel where we'd watched Spanish Sparrows in the fog earlier in the day. I found two of the small wading birds readily enough but the heat shimmer thwarted my best efforts to obtain any decent images. At least the birds tried hard to help us out by venturing as close as they dared to the roadside.

Kentish Plover

As we ate at our new favourite taverna (like we had one before?) on the square in the village, we discussed what we'd still like to see. The main obvious target was an attempt to find the Crag Martins that our friends had found the day before. The site for those was round a half hours drive along the Sigri road which I'd grown familiar with. Before heading off there though, with it only being one o'clock in the afternoon, you can pack an awful lot of birding into a few hours on Lesvos, we retreated to another nearby taverna overlooking the harbour and enjoyed a nice ice-cream sundae and refreshing lemonade. We know how to have it large!

I spotted a Crag Martin instantly, once we'd entered the narrow gorge close to the village of Skoutaris. I pulled up at the exact spot that I'd been given and scanned the opposite hillside. It took me half an hour to realise that the Crag Martins weren't flying around at the top of the slopes but were actually flying past much closer to us. However, they were usually behind the closest rock outcrop so would only drift into view occasionally. There was an army of Red-rumped Swallows to sift through as well, not that I'd complain about that. A few years ago, a Crag Martin set up temporary home on the crooked spire of Chesterfield Cathedral. Not travelling to see that has been a big regret of mine ever since, and to date there hasn't been another twitchable one at home for us. So to see at least three flying over the road here was very sweet. Unfortunately I failed miserably in my efforts to capture them on my camera, I think the heat haze had gotten just too bad and my lens resolutely refused to focus on the small brown birds above. Luckily Peter had fared better and kindly provided me with a photo of one collecting mud from a puddle, and of another perched on the rocky outcrop.

Crag Martin (courtesy of Peter Barker)

Just about everywhere on Lesvos is a good place to stop and watch, even by the side of a main road, although with maybe a car passing every fifteen minutes or so this wasn't exactly the A34. One of those cars actually passed us twice, a police car, but they were merely interested in whether we were ok, and looked bemused when they saw the binoculars and camera; just mad birders out sweltering in the mid-afternoon sunshine. It's nice in Lesvos. While we stood watching for more Crag Martin flypasts, we listened to first, a Cirl Bunting singing from a wire above us, and then a competing Tree Pipit just a few metres further along the same wire.

Cirl Bunting

Tree Pipit

Having seen the Crag Martins there was still another bird or two that we'd so far missed out on. One of those,  Stone Curlew, had been reported from the same site as the ultra rare Rook so we decided that we should go there. I chose to turn around in a small hard standing area where it looked like the sandy cliff had been quarried in the past. While preparing for the onward journey, I noticed a few Bee-eaters buzzing around the small valley. I quickly realised that the old sand quarry was a nesting site for the birds so retreated back to the car and watched the birds go to and from the cliff. I'd already taken a zillion photos of Bee-eaters but couldn't resist a few more.

Bee-eater

Before we left though, a WhatsApp message informed that an Olive Tree Warbler was singing in the higher reaches of the Potamia Valley. This was a species that had been high on my list to see but they had only started to arrive on Lesvos that day, with others reported singing at other sites around the island. According to the field guides, Olive Tree Warblers are extreme skulkers and prefer thick cover. The olive groves provide that cover in spades, so it was no surprise that we, and a few others, failed to spot the bird. We didn't really have time to spare either so we'd have to try again if we ever return to Lesvos. We did see a Rock Nuthatch high up on the hillside and there were plenty of other birds around. We'd explore the valley more thoroughly next time.

We reached the Mesa wetlands around tea-time. We found the fabled Rook easily enough although it was a long way out on the marsh. It was keeping company with a couple of Hooded Crows. As rare as a Rook is on Lesvos, it is just a Rook so I didn't linger long on watching it. 

Hooded Crow & Rook

Luckily, about midway between us on the road and the Rook, a Stone Curlew was (presumably) sat on it nest on the sandy part of the marsh. Stone Curlews can also be found on the Christou marsh where we'd been in the morning but we'd not found any there. Stone Curlews don't tend to do much during daylight so after grabbing a few record shots, we moved on again. As we drove back towards Kalloni, a Harrier quartering the salt marsh caught my eye. I'd been hoping for a Montagu's Harrier all week, but yet again this one was a Marsh Harrier. All of the Harriers I'd found during the week had been of the Marsh variety. And we get them on Otmoor!

Stone Curlew

With just a few hours left before dark, we trundled down the main track of the salt pans again. I couldn't resist taking another look at the remarkable Spur-winged Plover. If only birds could show as well back home. A small flock of Curlew Sandpipers had been reported from the same small stretch of water but sadly there was no sign of them. It would have been nice to see them decked out in their brick-red summer plumage. We'd been lucky though and had experienced few disappointments during our week although we'd failed on a couple of decent birds on this day. The other "usual" wading birds were present at the pump house pools but with little time left, I didn't give them much more than a cursory glance.

Spur-winged Plover

We finished up at the Tsiknias ford, which was pretty much where we'd started on the Sunday before. We were hoping for something like another feeding Red-footed Falcon but had to make do with what had become the standard fodder (!) of Black-headed Buntings, Little Crakes and Squacco Herons, birds we've only seen once, or a just a handful of times, in the UK. All things are relative. Rooks are ultra rare here, Crakes are common! 

Little Crake

At the river mouth there was still time however, to add two more birds to our Lesvos trip and year lists, with a couple of Sandwich Terns loafing on the spit with Mediterranean Gulls, and a pair of flyover Rock Doves. It had been another bird filled day and I should be grateful, I was very thankful for all the fabulous birding I'd had, but I headed for the hotel feeling a massive twinge of disappointment that the holiday was all but over.

Our hire car, which was now a pinkish-sandy colour rather than white, after miles of off-road track driving, had been collected later on that final night so for the hour we had before the airport transfer coach collected us on the Sunday morning, we were pedestrians again. For the entire week, we had been serenaded by Nightingales and Olivaceous Warblers in the hotel garden, but I had spent almost zero time trying to photograph them because we'd always been rushing out somewhere else. So after breakfast we took a quick walk around the hotel grounds and were soon watching a very shouty Olivaceous Warbler in one of the few sparsely foliaged trees. Most shrubbery here is very dense.

Olivaceous Warbler

A Black Stork sailed high over the Kalloni Pool and I could have sworn it looked at us as if to bid us farewell. Black Storks had been a big feature of the skies above Lesvos and were seen pretty much everywhere we went from the first day to the last. Later, in August, a juvenile Black Stork set up home on a Suffolk marsh. Who knows, but it could have hatched on Lesvos, and went there to tick an Old Caley. Whimsical musing happens when you get old and drippy.

Black Stork

We found a reasonably photogenic Nightingale which was hunting for food underneath some shrubs near the hotel gates. I had only taken a few photos before I was dragged away from the species that I can't get enough of at home, by another loud singing bird further along the road.

Nightingale

We found the noisy songster, a Great Reed Warbler close to the Kalloni pool. Unusually for birding here, any attempt at close approach sent the oversized Warbler hurtling into cover. Unfortunately we only had a few minutes before we'd have to get ready for the coach transfer so I couldn't stake the bird for any better photos.

Great Reed Warbler

Incredibly, even at this late hour, there was still time for another holiday highlight. Andy & Hannah were returning back to the hotel after their own last walk before heading for the airport. They told us that just fifty metres along the road a tree frog was sitting in an aniseed plant. Up until that moment, I thought tree frogs were only found in exotic places like South American and Asian jungles and not anywhere in Europe (my apologies to Lesvos which is lovely but not what I think of as truly exotic).We found the amphibian, an Eastern Tree Frog, exactly where directed to look for it. It was slouched at the junction of the main stem of the plant and a side "branch" looking totally at ease with where it had gotten to, and completely trusting its camouflage for safety. The two-inch long frog provided a fitting finale to an excellent week.

Eastern Tree Frog

Birds seen 26/27-04-2025; Spanish Sparrow, Marsh Harrier, Pygmy Cormorant, Corn Bunting, Crested Lark, Greater Flamingo, Shelduck, Swallow, Nightingale, Common Swift, House Martin, House Sparrow, Blackbird, Little Crake, Jay, Pallid Swift, Hoopoe, Turtle Dove, Cuckoo, Coot, Wood Sandpiper, Black-headed Bunting, Isabelline Wheatear, 134) Roller, Eastern Black-eared Wheatear, Sombre Tit, Short-eared Eagle, Raven, Hooded Crow, Jackdaw, Little Ringed Plover, Black-winged Stilt, Ruddy Shelduck, Ortolan Bunting, Alpine Swift, Red-rumped Swallow, Stonechat, 135) Kentish Plover, 136) Crag Martin, Common Buzzard, Bee-eater, Cirl Bunting, Tree Pipit, Rock Nuthatch, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Great Tit, 137) Stone Curlew, 138) Rook, Greenshank, Common Snipe, Grey Heron, Yellow-legged Gull, Spur-winged Plover, Squacco Heron, 139) Sandwich Tern, Mediterranean Gull, Sedge Warbler, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, 140) Rock Dove, Black Stork, Great Reed Warbler

Starred Agama, Eastern Tree Frog, Rat

When can I go back? As Jason told me before we even went to Lesvos; everybody wants to go back at some point. It's true. Probably because the birding is varied and pretty easy. The island is small so every bird is within reach. For photographers, it's a dream with perfect conditions and close drivable access to many of the birds. Lesvos is largely unspoiled with few large tourist developments. In April and May Lesvos becomes the domain of the birder.

If I went to Lesvos again then I'd do a few things differently. I would definitely relax more, and go for a fortnight so that we could take things at a slower pace. Trying to cram everything into a week is exhausting at times, and with the early flight times, we really needed to chill out on the first couple of days. But then it was our first trip and I wanted to see as much as possible. We both struggled with the pace at times and found that, outside of the birding times, we were too tired to enjoy the other aspects of what was after all, a holiday. So I offer gratitude to our friends for their expertise and knowledge on the island, and for the impetus to get us to Lesvos, but also some apologies for being damp squibs sometimes.

It was a great trip, one which we mostly enjoyed immensely, and the Lesvos myth has been exploded into reality. We saw 140 different species of bird, of which 31 were lifers, and I felt that there were quite a few that "got away" (eg Olive Tree Warbler, Isabelline Shrike, Lesser Grey Shrike), had migrated through before we arrived (eg Caspian Tern, Marsh Sandpiper), or appeared after we left (eg Eleonora's Falcon, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Griffon Vulture). With even more birds to get, plus the chance of taking loads more photos, the island will see us again one day.