I woke up to the sound of a strong breeze outside and so I was in no rush to rise. When I did a short while later, I went to check the very local Penduline Tits that Ellen & Phil (from Ringmer!!) had kindly told be about last night. Although the light was too poor for the camera, the charismatic pair showed off their incredible nest at close range. Wishing not to disturb them I left them to it.
Plan for the day was to head to the Bulgarian border (by road this time) to some riverine forest. Along the way I pulled over to check where I was, and a Roller was on some wires near the car, and further looks produced seven Turtle Doves on the same wire. I wasn't too sure what to expect at the forest, but I parked up in a very isolated location and managed to find a disused track into the dense strip of Poplars and Beech. Bird activity was thankfully very high and it wasn't too long before I found a nest hole belonging to a pair of Middle Spotted Woodpeckers. They didn't like me so again I left them to it. I was getting a tad bored with the track and wanted to get back on the road, so I took the (unwise) decision to head back to the road via what turned out to be a swamp. Despite much traversing across streams and getting my shoes covered in swamp, I returned to the original path. This may appear to have been a waste of time, however during the pointless exercise I found a stunning male Semi-collared Flycatcher in full song.
Now out of the forest my next plan was to walk some tracks on the adjacent hillsides, not just for the birds but also for the Orchids and Butterflies in the area. The weather was suitable for the latter, and just up the road I found a suitable track. I spent a few hours here mainly because it was very good. At long last there was an abundance of Eastern Subalpine Warblers, an Eastern Orphean Warbler showed nicely as it sang on top of a dead tree, whilst overhead a couple of Short-toed Eagles cruised over. I also managed to find some giant Lady Orchids, but most impressive for me was a perfect Knapweed Fritillary, this being a new species for me. There was also a Glanville Fritillary and many Queen of Spain Fritillaries that had surely just emerged as all were very fresh, as well as some interesting Blue butterflies.
After a lengthy time here I drove back to Lake Kerkini to once again bird the NE section, and it was excellent. Whilst parked up overlooking some grassy islands I noticed a superb Spur-winged Plover. Around it were no less than 18 Wood Sandpipers, and once some rain had passed, three immaculate summer-plumaged Curlew Sandpipers joined the party. A couple of Coypus were also in some reedy areas. A male Lesser Grey Shrike performed nicely before I called it a day. I still had to dry my shoes and so I tied them to each wing mirror, and were partially dry after the half hour drive back to my hotel. With them still wet, I walked bare foot to the Penduline Tits with ease before retreating quickly as a huge thunderstorm was approaching.
Highlights for today:
Dalmatian Pelican - 50
Pygmy Cormorant - 20
Spoonbill - 42
Great White Egret - 10
Scuacco Heron - 15
Night Heron - 3
Short-toed Eagle - 3
Spur-winged Plover - 1
Curlew Sandpiper - 3
Wood Sandpiper - 18
Whiskered Tern - 4
Turtle Dove - 10
'Black-headed' Yellow Wagtail - 3
Roller - 1
Middle Spotted Woodpecker - 2
Eastern Subalpine Warbler - 5
Eastern Orphean Warbler - 1
Semi-collared Flycatcher - 1
Penduline Tit - 4
Masked Shrike - 1
Lesser Grey Shrike - 1
Hawfinch - 10
Coypu - 2
Brown Hare - 1
Brown Squirrel (yesterday) - 1
Plan for the day was to head to the Bulgarian border (by road this time) to some riverine forest. Along the way I pulled over to check where I was, and a Roller was on some wires near the car, and further looks produced seven Turtle Doves on the same wire. I wasn't too sure what to expect at the forest, but I parked up in a very isolated location and managed to find a disused track into the dense strip of Poplars and Beech. Bird activity was thankfully very high and it wasn't too long before I found a nest hole belonging to a pair of Middle Spotted Woodpeckers. They didn't like me so again I left them to it. I was getting a tad bored with the track and wanted to get back on the road, so I took the (unwise) decision to head back to the road via what turned out to be a swamp. Despite much traversing across streams and getting my shoes covered in swamp, I returned to the original path. This may appear to have been a waste of time, however during the pointless exercise I found a stunning male Semi-collared Flycatcher in full song.
Now out of the forest my next plan was to walk some tracks on the adjacent hillsides, not just for the birds but also for the Orchids and Butterflies in the area. The weather was suitable for the latter, and just up the road I found a suitable track. I spent a few hours here mainly because it was very good. At long last there was an abundance of Eastern Subalpine Warblers, an Eastern Orphean Warbler showed nicely as it sang on top of a dead tree, whilst overhead a couple of Short-toed Eagles cruised over. I also managed to find some giant Lady Orchids, but most impressive for me was a perfect Knapweed Fritillary, this being a new species for me. There was also a Glanville Fritillary and many Queen of Spain Fritillaries that had surely just emerged as all were very fresh, as well as some interesting Blue butterflies.
After a lengthy time here I drove back to Lake Kerkini to once again bird the NE section, and it was excellent. Whilst parked up overlooking some grassy islands I noticed a superb Spur-winged Plover. Around it were no less than 18 Wood Sandpipers, and once some rain had passed, three immaculate summer-plumaged Curlew Sandpipers joined the party. A couple of Coypus were also in some reedy areas. A male Lesser Grey Shrike performed nicely before I called it a day. I still had to dry my shoes and so I tied them to each wing mirror, and were partially dry after the half hour drive back to my hotel. With them still wet, I walked bare foot to the Penduline Tits with ease before retreating quickly as a huge thunderstorm was approaching.
Highlights for today:
Dalmatian Pelican - 50
Pygmy Cormorant - 20
Spoonbill - 42
Great White Egret - 10
Scuacco Heron - 15
Night Heron - 3
Short-toed Eagle - 3
Spur-winged Plover - 1
Curlew Sandpiper - 3
Wood Sandpiper - 18
Whiskered Tern - 4
Turtle Dove - 10
'Black-headed' Yellow Wagtail - 3
Roller - 1
Middle Spotted Woodpecker - 2
Eastern Subalpine Warbler - 5
Eastern Orphean Warbler - 1
Semi-collared Flycatcher - 1
Penduline Tit - 4
Masked Shrike - 1
Lesser Grey Shrike - 1
Hawfinch - 10
Coypu - 2
Brown Hare - 1
Brown Squirrel (yesterday) - 1
 |
| Roller |
 |
| Middle Spotted Woodpecker |
 |
| Fire Salamander |
 |
| Eastern Subalpine Warbler |
 |
| Masked Shrike |
 |
| Spur-winged Plover |
 |
| Wood Sandpiper |
 |
| Penduline Tit |
 |
| Penduline Tit nest |
 |
mating Chapman's Blues
Lacks any underside forewing cell spot.
|
 |
Common Blue
Cell spot on underside forewing
clearly visible
|
 |
Knapweed Fritillary
A very fresh and bright individual
|
 |
Knapweed Fritillary
(lacking any black dots along the central
underside pale segments)
|
 |
| Glanville Fritillary |
 |
| Lady Orchid |
