Wednesday 7 May 2014

Last Day - migration still a bit thin ........

Today was our last day for this year, we were out looking for migrants until 12 noon and then had to head off to Athens for a flight home. This wil be the last blog with daily news however I will also do a couple of summary blogs over the next week.

Winds were very light all morning (unlike Antikythira) with clear skies, as a result migration was again slow. Counts for the more numerous species were 11 Golden Oriole, 25 Garden Warbler, 7 Icterine Warbler and 10 Spotted Flycathcher. There also appeared to be a few extra Black-headed Buntings, a total of 13 were seen, including two on a walk out to the lighthouse. The only other bird of note was Cuckoo at Paliros.

Raptors were limited to a single Marsh Harrier that went north at 10.40.

Cape Tenaro Lighthouse

 

 

Tuesday 6 May 2014

Small arrival but good variety

There was only a small arrival today, with Garden Warbler and Spotted Flycatcher the most numerous species, however a few odds and ends brightened the day. Totals for the main migrant species were 13 Golden Oriole, 4 Wood Warbler, 26 Garden Warbler, 11 Whitethroat, 7 Icterine Warbler, 9 Great Reed Warbler, 23 Spotted Flycatcher, 5 Pied Flycatcher and 17 Whinchat.

Visible migrants included 3 Grey Heron that almost landed east of Porto Sternes but then headed off due east and at least 36 Bee-eater. Raptors offered variety if not numbers with a Hobby watched coming in off the sea at the lighthouse at 9.00am, a Honey Buzzard that flew north an hour later, a Marsh Harrier north over the mountain soon after midday and 2 Kestrels.

In addition there also 2 Wryneck and a very late Chiffchaff singing briefly at Paliros.

Wryneck at Koureli (trying to look like a dead stick)

 

Monday 5 May 2014

Whoops - forgot to mention the Bee-eaters

There was also a further good movement of Bee-eaters today (5 May), probably fewer than yesterday but we actually managed to see more today. There were at least 69 in 10 parties heading north.

 

More Bee-eaters and Spotted Flycatchers

While expectations for today weren't great the forecast suggested moderate winds however this was clearly wrong as the wind picked up steadily during the morning making it gradually harder to find small birds. That said there had clearly been a small arrival with a few birds moving north early on. The most conspicuous species was Spotted Flycather with 55 recorded; there were also 12 Redstart and interestingly these were all females, presumably their migration period is now close to completion. Totals for the other species involved in today's fall were: 1 Hoopoe, 5 Golden Oriole, 6 Woodchat Shrike, 3 Garden Warbler, 13 Whitethroat, 7 Icterine Warbler, 4 Olivaceous Warbler, 8 Great Reed Warbler, 3 Nightingale, 7 Pied Flycatcher, 16 Whinchat and 15 Spanish Sparrow.

Raptor passage: None

The only bird oddity was a solitary Squacco Heron that was seen to to come in off the sea at the lighthouse at 9.40am.

Squacco Heron at the lighthouse 5 May 2014
Spanish Sparrow above Porto Kaghio 5 May 2014
Mianes - abandoned olive grove

We also came across a couple of the headlands other inhabitants today

Horned Viper at Koureli
Scorpion at Marmari

 

Sunday 4 May 2014

Bee-eaters and Butterflies

It was obvious from early on that there had been a huge clear out of migrants over night and few new arrivals, to replace them; indeed some areas of the headland proved to be bird free! A lot of hard work for little reward and not helped by a strong WSW force 6 wind from mid-morning.

The only exceptions was a sustained passage of northbound Bee-eaters, at least 13 parties were heard, but the number recorded, 43, is probably a gross underestimate as only a few groups were actually seen and counted accurately. There were also 10 Great Reed Warblers and given 4 of these were in Kokinoghia this was about the only other species that clearly appeared to have arrived overnight.

Most other species failed to make it in to double figures and some, notably Wood Warbler, were not seen at all. Totals for the day for a selection of grounded migrants were: 2 Hoopoe, 2 Golden Oriole, 9 Woodchat Shrike, 1 Garden Warbler, 12 Whitethroat, 3 Icterine Warbler, 1 Sedge Warbler, 14 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Pied Flycatcher, 7 Redstart and 8 Whinchat.

Migrant butterflies by contrast had a great day. There was a large influx of Painted Ladies, with over 30 present on the final approach to the lighthouse alone. Other migrant species present in smaller numbers were Clouded Yellow, Bath White, Red Admiral and Hummingbird Hawk Moth (ok so the last one is not actually a butterfly).

Raptor passage on the headland was limited to 2 Kestrel. Elsewhere a single Honey Buzzard was seen flying north at Gerolimenas soon after first light.


Paliros - normally one of the migrant 'hotspots' was almost bird free today
Red Admiral at Achilo

 

Saturday 3 May 2014

Whitethroats, Woodchats and Spotted Flycatchers

Another arrival today (Saturday 3rd May) but less spectacular than yesterday's. Early on there were plenty of birds showing in the central valley and again many of these were clearly moving north, either in short bush to bush movements or via longer flights. In Koginoghia (at the end of the road) and on the way out to the lighthouse there were far less birds than yesterday. Later in the day some other areas (Paliros, Koureli, Porto Kaghio and Marmari) were almost devoid of migrants or had only small concentrations.

Totals for the day for grounded migrants were: 3 Golden Oriole, 39 Woodchat Shrike, 10 Wood Warbler, a female Blackcap, 17 Garden Warbler, 57 Whitethroat, 1 Subalpine Warbler, 12 Icterine Warbler, 5 Sedge Warbler, 12 Great Reed Warbler, 35 Spotted Flycatcher, 5 Nightingale, 6 Pied Flycatcher, 12 Redstart and 17 Whinchat.

Raptor passage was limited to singles of Lesser Kestrel and Hobby. Also on the move were 22 Common Swift (the largest count since we arrived), while at least 13 Bee-eater flew north. A Quail was flushed from the path to the lighthouse. The only oddity was a lone Rock Dove at Marmari (scarce here in spring).

Away from the headland a solitary Red-footed Falcon was seen on the plateau above Gerolimenas at the end of the afternoon.

Golden Oriole at Paliros 3 May 2014
Porto Kaghio at the north end of the headland

 

Red-footed Falcon near Gerolimenas 3 May 2014

Friday 2 May 2014

A Woodchat Shrike day (and other birds as well)

A really cracking arrival today with plenty of birds in most areas of the headland; Woodchat Shrike was the most abundant species with 118 logged (the previous best count was 48 on 29th April 2012). Woodchats were conspicuous from sunrise and there were even 15 on a walk out to the lighthouse.

Totals for the other species involved in the arrival were 7 Hoopoe, 1 Wryneck, 8 Golden Oriole, 15 Wood Warbler, 19 Garden Warbler, 71 Whitethroat, 4 Subalpine Warbler, 20 Icterine Warbler, 13 Sedge Warbler, 13 Great Reed Warbler, 86 Spotted Flycatcher, 5 Nightingale, 2 Collared Flycatcher, 32 Pied Flycatcher, 30 Redstart, 51 Whinchat, 5 Northern Wheatear, 16 Spanish Sparrow, 28 flava Wagtail, 2 Tawny Pipit and 4 Red-throated Pipit.

Raptor passage today involved a single Marsh Harrier, 3 Montagu's Harrier and 2 Kestrel, all heading north. There were also at least 38 Bee-eater, including a party of 25 that headed south from the lighthouse out to sea.

Woodchat Shrike
Wood Warbler at Paliros
Wheatear at Aghirokambi

 

Thursday 1 May 2014

Woodchats and Whitethroats

Another reasonable arrival again today. Early on (7.00 to 8.00am) there was a clear northward movement and steady flow of warblers and flycatchers up the central valley of the headland with individual birds flying northwards considerable distances.

The wind, initially north-westerly then westerly, steadily increased making observations of the bushes during the afternoon very challenging. Totals for the most prominent migrants today were: 38 Woodchat Shrike (peak counts in earlier years were in late April), 41 Whitethroat, 22 Whinchat, 46 Spotted Flycatcher and 22 Black-headed Bunting. Other migrants showing an increase in numbers were: 4 Willow Warbler, 4 Nightingale, 2 Subalpine Warbler, 2 Collared Flycatcher and 6 Icterine Warbler.

A number of other species showed a decline in numbers these were (with totals for today) 23 Pied Flycatcher, 18 Redstart, 11 Garden Warbler and 9 Wood Warbler.

Raptor passage was limited with just 2 Marsh Harriers ans a single Kestrel.

Oddities included a Scops Owl in the cave at Porto Sternes and more surprisingly a Collared Dove on rocks at the lighthouse (presumably an exhausted migrant).

Weather: Initially north-west force 5 increasing westerly 6 later. Limited broken cloud and largely sunny for much of the day.

Collared Flycatcher at Paliros
G
Collared Dove at the lighthouse 1 May 2014
Bug Orchid at Koureli

 

Wednesday 30 April 2014

Golden Orioles and Flycatchers

Well today proved to the best one yet, with a good variety of species on the move and lots of activity throughout the day. Given there was little change in the weather, the wind remained stuck in the west all day, the size and diversity of the arrival was surprising. It would be interesting to know where these birds had crossed the African coast.

Early on there was a mini raptor movement with 2 Marsh Harriers, 4 Kestrels and a Lesser Kestrel; in addition single Hobby and Eleonara's Falcon were seen later in the morning.

A number of species clearly arrived after midday, for example only 1 Northern Wheatear was seen in the morning but a further 10 were found during the afternoon, mostly on roads that had been checked in the morning. Totals for the day were 20 Whinchat, 18 Redstart, 18 Woodchat Shrikes, 25 Golden Orioles, 28 Pied Flycatcher, 52 Spotted Flycatcher, 4 Quail, 26 Garden Warbler, a single Icterine Warbler and 2 Cuckoo.

Visible passage included at least 63 Bee-eaters and 73 Turtle Doves.

Woodchat Shrike at Koureli
Swallowtail near Porto Kaghio

 

West wind but a small arrival - Tuesday 29 April

The wind was still stuck in the west, however it had slackened. An early walk to the lighthouse was remarkably unproductive but walks around Koureli, Porto Kaghio and Paliros showed clear evidence of a small fall of migrants. The most abundant species was a Garden Warblar (42), other migrant totals for the day (all increased since yesterday) were 13 Wood Warbler, 10 Whitethroat, 36 Spotted Flycatcher, 13 Pied Flycatcher, 2 Icterine Warbler and 6 Golden Oriole.

There was also a small movement of 36 Turtle Doves mostly seeming to arrive late morning - and some hunting activity especially around Paliros.

The surprise sighting of the day was a mammal rather than a bird, on the way back to the hotel we had two brief, but good, separate sightings of Golden Jackals crossing the road in front of us.

Black-headed Bunting at Koureli
Ladybird Spider on the road to Kokinoghia

 

Monday 28 April 2014

Windy weather - slim pickings

Today started with a brisk westerly wind that got steadily stronger as the day went on. There was no evidence of any new birds arriving and in most areas the bushes were being whipped about so strongly that there was little hope of seeing any small birds. The best birding of the day proved to be at Porto Kaghio where there was a good mix of migrants presumably driven out of the hillside scrub to seek shelter where they could find it. Totals for the day of the more abundant migrants were 6 Redstart, 20 Spotted Flycatcher, 10 Pied Flycatcher, 8 Wood Warbler, 11 Garden Warbler, 12 Whinchat, 2 Wryneck, 1 Hoopoe, 21 Red-rumped Swallows and 2 Golden Oriole.

In the absence of any decent bird pics here are a couple of shots of the headland:

Koureli and the path to 'Secret Beach'

 

 

Abandoned terraced fields above Marmari

 

Weather: Wind west force 5 to 6, increasing 7 in afternoon. Mostly overcast with isolated showers until mid-afternoon, clearing later.

 

Yesterday's best bird

In my haste to write up Sunday's observations I forgot to mention the bird of the day. A rather unseasonal adult Mediterranean Gull flew strongly west past the lighthouse. We've not seen one at Cape Tenaro before and by now they should all, in theory at least, be further north.

There were also at least two rather distant dolphins but seen so briefly that they couldn't be identified.

Rain at first light but no large fall - Sunday 27th April

Despite an impressively loud thunderstorm and a short lived but heavy downpour just before dawn there was no large fall of migrants. That said there was a good mix of species and totals for Sunday included 29 Spotted Flycatcher, 15 Pied Flycacher, a single Collared Flycacher, 6 Woodchat Shrikes, 3 Wryneck, 11 Whinchat, 8 Great Reed Warbler, 6 Garden Warbler, 2 Icterine Warbler and 7 Golden Oriole. There was also a reasonable movement of 49 Turtle Doves - and a number of hunters out shooting at them.

Single Squacco and Night Herons came in off the sea and an Eleonara's Falcon was seen over the mountain.

At the end of the afternoon a visit to the plateau above Gerolimenas, north of the headland, gave stunning views of two Montagu's Harriers and distant views of a third unidentified harrier.

Montagu's Harrier near Gerolimenas 27 April 2014
Whinchat 27 April 2014

 

Sunday 27 April 2014

First afternoon on the headland

We spent about three hours on the headland on Saturday afternoon. A scattering of migrants were present including 10 Spotted Flycatcher, 7 Redstart and 4 Wood Warbler; there was also a large (but unseen) party of Bee-eaters. At Porto Kaghio there were single singing Olivaceous and Olive-tree Warblers and also a small group of flava wagtails feeding in a recently strimmed garden.

 

The Evrota Delta

Species of interest from yesterday's visit to the delta included 25+ Little Egtret, 9 Squacco Herons, 9 Garganey, a Ferruginous Duck, 10+ Wood Sandpiper, a Turnstone, 3 Water Rail (calling), 4 Red-footed Falcons, 4 Marsh Harriers and a single Montagu's Harrier. The Garganey were very wary however I did manage to get a couple of shots.

Garganey in the Evrota delta 26/4/2014

The delta is protected under EU legislation as a Natura 2000 site based on the importance of its sand dune systems and the role it plays as a migratory stop over for Glossy Ibis. It was therefor disapointing to see this solar panel farm, built in the last 2 years it occupies an area of the delta where we have regularly seen Gloosy Ibis feeding in previous years.

 

On our way to Cape Tenaro

Having reached Sparta late on Friday night on Saturday we initially headed off to the Evrota delta. This river delta has been largely reclaimed for agriculture however there are still some small fragments of this (presumably once great) wetland left. On the way we had great views of the Tagyetos mountains.


There were no big numbers of birds on show however we saw a few interesting migrants, the best of which was a Baillon's Crake feeding along the edge of a drainage channel.

More on the other birds in the next post.

 

Thursday 17 April 2014