Michael Ashley is a teenager with a real passion for birds. He came to Greece with his family for Spring Break vacations.
Being a bird maniac, Michael contacted us to arrange a half-day birding trip around Athens. Even though his family wasn't really crazy about seeing birds, they joined us because they wanted to see the Athenian nature, away from the busy capital.
Next stop was Artemis Lagoon. Apart from the typical Coots and Moorhens, Teals were still present, while the first Yellow Wagtails were seen flying over or stopping for a quick snack at the shore.
We left Artemis and headed towards Spata fields. There were a few water pools that held Black-winged Stiltt and Ruffs, while a Marsh Harrier flew low over the ground, flushing large flocks of passerines (Skylarks, finches etc).
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| The Ashleys |
Our first stop was the wetland of Vravrona. We managed to see quite many species there, both winter visitors and spring migrants; Mediterranean and Slender-billed Gulls shared the coast with Little Ringed Plovers, while small groups of swallows were flying low, looking for insects. A Great Spotted Cuckoo was seen in the fields and we also saw Sparrowhawks, Common Buzzards and a Hen Harrier Michael's family enjoyed the scenery, the large variety of flowers and the very interesting Archaeological Site and Museum.
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| Great Spotted Cuckoo |
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| Birding@Artemis Lagoon |
Our last stop was the Aesthetic Forest of Kaisariani. Apart from the abundant Great Tits and Jays, we managed to see Coal Tits, Goldcrests and Short-toed Treecreepers.
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| Short-toed Treecreeper |
At the end, we managed to see or hear some 65 species! A very good record for a half-day trip.
TRIP CHECKLIST
| Species Name |
| Mute Swan - Cygnus olor |
| Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos |
| Garganey - Anas querquedula |
| Green-winged Teal - Anas crecca |
| Little Grebe - Tachybaptus ruficollis |
| Great Cormorant - Phalacrocorax carbo |
| Gray Heron - Ardea cinerea |
| Great Egret - Ardea alba |
| Little Egret - Egretta garzetta |
| Eurasian Marsh-Harrier - Circus aeruginosus |
| Northern Harrier - Circus cyaneus |
| Eurasian Sparrowhawk - Accipiter nisus |
| Common Buzzard - Buteo buteo |
| Water Rail - Rallus aquaticus |
| Eurasian Moorhen - Gallinula chloropus |
| Eurasian Coot - Fulica atra |
| Black-winged Stilt - Himantopus himantopus |
| Little Ringed Plover - Charadrius dubius |
| Ruff - Calidris pugnax |
| Common Snipe - Gallinago gallinago |
| Green Sandpiper - Tringa ochropus |
| Black-headed Gull - Chroicocephalus ridibundus |
| Mediterranean Gull - Ichthyaetus melanocephalus |
| Yellow-legged Gull - Larus michahellis |
| Eurasian Collared-Dove - Streptopelia decaocto |
| Great Spotted Cuckoo - Clamator glandarius |
| Common Kingfisher - Alcedo atthis |
| Eurasian Kestrel - Falco tinnunculus |
| Eurasian Jay - Garrulus glandarius |
| Eurasian Magpie - Pica pica |
| Hooded Crow - Corvus cornix |
| Eurasian Skylark - Alauda arvensis |
| Crested Lark - Galerida cristata |
| Bank Swallow - Riparia riparia |
| Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica |
| Red-rumped Swallow - Cecropis daurica |
| Common House-Martin - Delichon urbicum |
| Coal Tit - Periparus ater |
| Great Tit - Parus major |
| Eurasian Penduline-Tit - Remiz pendulinus |
| Short-toed Treecreeper - Certhia brachydactyla |
| Eurasian Wren - Troglodytes troglodytes |
| Goldcrest - Regulus regulus |
| Firecrest - Regulus ignicapilla |
| Cetti's Warbler - Cettia cetti |
| Common Chiffchaff - Phylloscopus collybita |
| Eurasian Blackcap - Sylvia atricapilla |
| Sardinian Warbler - Sylvia melanocephala |
| European Robin - Erithacus rubecula |
| Black Redstart - Phoenicurus ochruros |
| European Stonechat - Saxicola rubicola |
| Eurasian Blackbird - Turdus merula |
| Song Thrush - Turdus philomelos |
| European Starling - Sturnus vulgaris |
| Western Yellow Wagtail - Motacilla flava |
| Gray Wagtail - Motacilla cinerea |
| White Wagtail - Motacilla alba |
| Meadow Pipit - Anthus pratensis |
| Cirl Bunting - Emberiza cirlus |
| Corn Bunting - Emberiza calandra |
| Common Chaffinch - Fringilla coelebs |
| European Greenfinch - Chloris chloris |
| Eurasian Siskin - Spinus spinus |
| European Goldfinch - Carduelis carduelis |
| European Serin - Serinus serinus |
| House Sparrow - Passer domesticus |
