CHRISTOU RIVER AND MUDFLATS – LARDIA VALLEY – IPSILOU MONASTERY – PRETRIFIED FOREST – ANDISSA TOWN SQUARE
WEATHER; ditto for yesterday, perfect weather, sunshine all day and a nice breeze.
Our pre-breakfast birding was a short drive from the hotel to the Bridge over the Christou River. We were hoping for a sighting of a Stone Curlew and after searching for 30 minutes we decided that we were not going to see one today.
We made a brief stop at the mudflats adjacent to the river and found a few nice species there. At least 20 Gull-billed Terns were dashing about with the usual Greater Flamingos feeding in the pools. We also logged Kentish Plover, Grey Plover, Common Shelduck, Great egret, Little Egret and a few other species.
Greater Flamingo with a few Gull-billed Terns
A brief watch over the Kalloni Marsh added a male Little Crake, a Little Bittern, Purple and Squacco Herons, Coot and moorhen to the day list.
After breakfast and before we hit the road for the Monastery, we stopped just up the road from our hotel to look at a pool where Night Herons were reported to be roosting. We found 10 of them, they gave good views (apparently an incredible 49 Night Herons left the roost at 8:30pm tonight).
We saw 10 Night Herons in a local pond area this morning
We stopped a couple times as we made our way through the centre of the island, but to be honest, we never saw much. Red-backed Shrikes, Long-legged buzzard, ravens, a Jay and Red-rumped Swallows.
In the rugged, steep-sided Lardia Valley, we made an effort to find a few montane species. We saw crag Martins, Black-eared Wheatears, Blue Rock Thrush, Cirl Bunting and a few common species. We failed to find Rock Sparrows and we never saw a single raptor!
one of many Black-eared Wheaters seen today
Just above the Eresos/Sigri Junction we made another stop to look for Isabelline Wheatears! We saw none! We did a few raptors, 3 Eleanora’s Falcon and 2 Red-footed Falcons and another Long-legged Buzzard and a few more Ravens.
Parking at the base of the Ipsilou Monastery we spent a good hour enjoying some great birding. Standing on the grass verge we looked down into a rock-strewn valley with scattered oak trees. Isabelline Wheatears were in good numbers as were Black-eared and Northern Wheatears. We found Cinereous Bunting and Cretzschmar’s Buntings quite easily and we tracked down a Woodlark that had been singing above our heads, another Blue Rock Thrush appeared and we added Linnet to our list.
Isabelline Wheatear
We drove up to the top of the monastery road and parked just below the monastery where we ate our lunch. We saw nothing new there, but a Short-toed Eagle came over and the sky was full of martins, swallows and swifts. (Incidentally, we saw a Pallid Swift flying over the hotel during breakfast).
a distant record shot of Cinereous Bunting
After lunch we walked down to the base taking a different track, it was sheltered from the breeze and we saw many birds. Three species of Flycatchers went into the notebook. Plenty of Spotted Flycatchers, also a few Pied and at least 3 Collared Flycatchers were seen. We also added Wood Warbler and Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler and we saw more wheatears and buntings.
Pied Flycatcher the Collared Flycatchers were too quick for my camera
From Ipsilou we drove round to the Petrified Forest track, it is a 5km narrow road overlooking a huge valley. Along the way we stopped by a roadside pool and watched and waited for birds to arrive. Four species of Bunting came along: the inevitable Corn Bunting but also Cinereous, Cretzschmar’s and Cirl. Linnets were the only other species to drink or wash. Red-backed Shrike was the only other species recorded there.
the roadside pool along the Petrified Forest road.
a view from the top at Ipsilou Monastery with Giant Fennel in the foreground
We drove to the Petrified Forest car park but got thrown out as the centre was closing at 4pm! We managed a short walk and saw two Turtle Doves and plenty of Black-eared Wheatears.
On the way back to kalloni we drove into the picturesque little square in Andissa where we sat and drank a nice coffee/tea/beer. We then joined other birders watching a Scops Owl a few meters from our table!
Scops Owl taken in the square at Andissa
Back at the hotel for 6pm the group dispersed to get ready for dinner.