Not Another Blogging Birder: June 2015

Tuesday, 30 June 2015

Glossy Ibises

Glossy Ibises, Lesvos, April 2015 ( Copyright T D Wright )

Sticking with the theme of birds which were missing in 2014 but abundant in 2015, Glossy Ibises were about at Skala Kallonis pool, Kalloni saltpans and Alykes wetlands this year. Had to photograph some...

Glossy Ibises, Lesvos, April 2015 ( Copyright T D Wright )

Even along the Tsiknias river I ran into a couple which seemed to have pair-bonded...

Glossy Ibises, Lesvos, April 2015 ( Copyright T D Wright )

The one approaches the other...

Glossy Ibises, Lesvos, April 2015 ( Copyright T D Wright )

They make eye contact...then they mirror each other.

Glossy Ibises, Lesvos, April 2015 ( Copyright T D Wright )

Much better light for these shots. One can see how they got their name. Amazingly, this is another species which I've seen in Devon as we had one at Seaton marshes briefly in 2013. Not as glossy as these ones though!

Monday, 29 June 2015

Great Whites on Lesvos ( And in Devon! )

Great White Egret, Lesvos, April 2015 ( Copyright T D Wright )

We do quite well for these in Britain these days, don't we? Last year we had several visit the Seaton area. Even so, there are some very good photo-opportunities on Lesvos. This bird visited the moat at Kalloni saltpans. Along the road is an area where I saw up to 9 of these together, don't know if it has a name but it's on the way to Kalami marsh...

Great White Egret, Lesvos, April 2015 ( Copyright T D Wright )

Common Tern, Lesvos, April 2015 ( Copyright T D Wright )

Also flying along the moat were Common Terns. In 2014, these were no commoner at Seaton Wetlands than GW Egrets! Wonder why we don't get more of them? Anyway, more photos please I hear you cry...

Common Tern, Lesvos, April 2015 ( Copyright T D Wright )

And just to emphasise my point about GW Egrets in Devon...

GW Egret, Colyford Common, 21/08/2014 ( Copyright T D Wright )

Great White + Little Egret, Colyford Common, 21/08/2014 ( Copyright T D Wright )

Yes it's shaky phonescoped pics. but this video clip aint bad!

Thursday, 25 June 2015

Driving to Eressos...frogs on Lesvos!

View from Apothika to Eressos road, Lesvos ( Copyright T D Wright )

If you drive this road you will pass this lake. I don't know what it's called but I think Steve Dudley may have added it to his list of sites this year. I didn't see too many birds there but got a wonderful surprise when a French lady told me where the frogs hang out...

Tree Frog, Lesvos, April 2015 ( Copyright T D Wright )

She was part of a large group of Naturalists touring the island and seemed to be an amphibian lover. Not sure if they were all French but this was the language their leaders spoke. Thanks for the tip, folks!

Tree Frog, Lesvos, April 2015 ( Copyright T D Wright )

Wednesday, 24 June 2015

Seaton Wetlands 23/06/15

Kingfisher, B.H.M., 23/06/15 ( Copyright T D Wright )

I visited Black Hole and Tower hide last night without my DSLR. Even so, I phonescoped a couple of things. There was a Sparrowhawk perched just 10 metres from this Kingfisher so I hope it got away. I looked through the BHGs and noticed a 1st Summer Mediterranean Gull with them...

Med Gull 1st Summer, Axe Estuary, 23/06/15 ( Copyright T D Wright )

1st Summer Med Gull, Axe Estuary, 23/06/15 ( Copyright T D Wright )

1st Sum Med Gull, Axe Estuary, 23/06/15 ( Copyright T D Wright )

Med Gull 1stS, Axe Estuary, 23/06/15 ( Copyright T D Wright )

Excellent stuff, we usually get juvs or 1st/ 2nd Winters plus adults. A first summer was a real treat! I also noticed we still have a Gadwall among the myriad Mallards on the estuary. Curlew and Redshank numbers are already increasing so Autumn can't be far away now...

Red-veined Darters

Red-veined Darter, Lesvos, April 2015 ( Copyright T D Wright )

The news that a Red-veined Darter has been sighted on Portland this week reminded me of a little pool on Lesvos where I stumbled across them mating. I first noticed this female as her very pale straw-coloured appearance caught my eye...

Red-veined Darter, Lesvos, April 2015 ( Copyright T D Wright )

The yellow pterostigma are visible just about...

Red-veined Darter, Lesvos, April 2015 ( Copyright T D Wright )

I then spotted this fella flying across the pool...

Red-veined Darter, Lesvos, April 2015 ( Copyright T D Wright )

Red-veined Darters, Lesvos, April 2015 ( Copyright T D Wright )

Nature took its course...

And he settled down for a deserved rest...

I'm still a dragonfly novice so I'm quite pleased with these shots just because I'd never even seen a Red-veined Darter before. It wasn't until I got home and checked my Brooks/ Lewington book that I knew what I'd photographed! It's difficult to get the whole dragonfly in focus, isn't it? I have the same problem with the Common Darters at B.H.M. !

Tuesday, 23 June 2015

Marsh Sands

Last year I only saw one definite Marsh Sand in a fortnight. The same fortnight this year produced loads of them at the Alykes Wetlands and on this pool by the Kalloni saltpans. This has been a feature of comparing my 2 trips to Lesvos; the contrast between the 2 being marked. Some species I saw easily in 2014 were absent this year or less abundant, whereas species I struggled or failed to see then were arriving in good numbers in 2015. It was definitely a case of 2 different Lesvoses. The weather played its part, of course. Not such good sunbathing weather as last year, but the winds brought lots of cracking birds. Still more to show you!

Hoping for one of these on Black Hole Marsh soon!

Marsh Sandpiper plus out-of-focus Wood Sands, Lesvos, April 2015 ( Copyright T D Wright )

There were lots of these around too...

I thought I'd got its orangey underwing, but Sun at bad angle. Never mind!

Collaring Flycatchers

Faneromeni's Upper Ford area was flycatcher-tastic in April 2015. A massive fall of Collareds plus the expected Pieds and Spotteds was enough for me. I didn't manage a Red-breasted or a Semi-collared but they were also claimed around the Sigri area. Here's some of my shots of 3 species anyway...