Orioles, Falcons and Flycatchers - 3rd May

Today was our last day on the headland this spring and we were rewarded with a varied arrival that provided plenty of interest until we had to head for Athens and a flight home at lunchtime. Birds were rather oddly distributed with very few to be seen at Beehive Pass, Windy Gap or Koureli but reasonable to good numbers in the valley below Beehive Pass, at Kokinoghia, at Mianes and at Porto Kagio.

There was also another good arrival of falcons with no less than 12 birds gathering above Kokinoghia just before 09.00 however all but one of these had moved on half an hour later. 

Grounded Migrants:  1 Cuckoo, 6 Woodchat Shrike, 16 Golden Oriole, 4 Great Reed Warbler, 11 Garden Warbler, 3 Whitethroat, 1 Sedge Warbler, 2 Olivaceous Warbler, 3 Icterine Warbler, 14 Wood Warbler, 1 Willow Warbler (singing below Paliros), 11 Whinchat, 1 Redstart, 47 Pied Flycatcher and 59 Spotted Flycatcher.

Raptors: 11 Kestrel, 4 Red-footed Falcon

Weather: calm to cyclonic 3, clear skies, visibility no better than moderate.

Red-footed Falcon above Kokinoghia

Red-rumped Swallows at Paliros