Indrajit and Rachel is a lovely couple from the United States. Their holidays in Greece were organized by Triton Holidays company that contacted us because they wanted to include one day of birdwatching. The couple did not have any particular 'wish list; they were happy enough to see as many birds as possible.
Pick up time was 07.00 from downtown Athens and the first place to visit was Vravrona Wetland. A new wave of African dust created a very misty atmosphere but this didn't prevent us from seeing lots of great species like the Great Spotted Cuckoo!
Lots of passerines (finches, larks, pipits, buntings etc) were foraging in the fields, while a Great Egret was at the estuary, along with Little Egrets.
Swifts, Alpine Swifts, Barn Swallows, Red-rumped Swallows and House Martins were flying low, giving nice views.
There were still lots of winter visitors like the Siskin and the Hawfinch. Cirl Buntings were the last birds to be seen, ending the trip in the best possible way. 54 species was the total count of this great day!
TRIP CHECKLIST
Pick up time was 07.00 from downtown Athens and the first place to visit was Vravrona Wetland. A new wave of African dust created a very misty atmosphere but this didn't prevent us from seeing lots of great species like the Great Spotted Cuckoo!
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| Great Spotted Cuckoo |
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| Great Egret |
After Vravrona, we headed north to the small but precious Artemis Lagoon. Ferruginous Ducks and Black-winged Stilts were the most important species seen while Teals, Coots, Little Grebes and Moorhens were also present, among others.
Very close to Artemis Lagoon is the estuary of one of the very few perennial streams of East Attica at Rafina. This vulnerable and threatened ecosystem is an important stopover site for migrants. Within a few minutes we saw Yellow Wagtails, Little Ringed Plovers and a Kingfisher!
Time was flying and we had to start our way back to Athens. Last stop was Mt Hymettus, more specifically the Aesthetic Forest of Kaisariani. Lots of birds there too, from the ubiquitous resident Blackbird to the Eastern Bonelli's Warbler - a rare passage migrant.
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| Eastern Bonelli's Warbler |
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| Indrajit and Rachel |
| Green-winged Teal - Anas crecca |
| Ferruginous Duck - Aythya nyroca |
| Little Grebe - Tachybaptus ruficollis |
| Great Cormorant - Phalacrocorax carbo |
| Great Egret - Ardea alba |
| Little Egret - Egretta garzetta |
| Hen Harrier - Circus cyaneus |
| Water Rail - Rallus aquaticus |
| Eurasian Moorhen - Gallinula chloropus |
| Eurasian Coot - Fulica atra |
| Black-winged Stilt - Himantopus himantopus |
| Little Ringed Plover - Charadrius dubius |
| Yellow-legged Gull - Larus michahellis |
| Eurasian Collared-Dove - Streptopelia decaocto |
| Great Spotted Cuckoo - Clamator glandarius |
| Alpine Swift - Apus melba |
| Common Swift - Apus apus |
| Common Kingfisher - Alcedo atthis |
| Eurasian Kestrel - Falco tinnunculus |
| Eurasian Jay - Garrulus glandarius |
| Eurasian Magpie - Pica pica |
| Hooded Crow - Corvus cornix |
| Crested Lark - Galerida cristata |
| Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica |
| Red-rumped Swallow - Cecropis daurica |
| Common House-Martin - Delichon urbicum |
| Great Tit - Parus major |
| Long-tailed Tit - Aegithalos caudatus |
| Cetti's Warbler - Cettia cetti |
| Willow Warbler - Phylloscopus trochilus |
| Common Chiffchaff - Phylloscopus collybita |
| Eastern Bonelli's Warbler - Phylloscopus orientalis |
| Zitting Cisticola - Cisticola juncidis |
| Eurasian Blackcap - Sylvia atricapilla |
| Sardinian Warbler - Sylvia melanocephala |
| European Robin - Erithacus rubecula |
| Common Nightingale - Luscinia megarhynchos |
| European Stonechat - Saxicola rubicola |
| Eurasian Blackbird - Turdus merula |
| Song Thrush - Turdus philomelos |
| Western Yellow Wagtail - Motacilla flava |
| White Wagtail - Motacilla alba |
| Meadow Pipit - Anthus pratensis |
| Tree Pipit - Anthus trivialis |
| Cirl Bunting - Emberiza cirlus |
| Corn Bunting - Emberiza calandra |
| Common Chaffinch - Fringilla coelebs |
| Hawfinch - Coccothraustes coccothraustes |
| European Greenfinch - Chloris chloris |
| European Goldfinch - Carduelis carduelis |
| European Serin - Serinus serinus |
| Eurasian Siskin - Spinus spinus |
| House Sparrow - Passer domesticus |
| Eurasian Tree Sparrow - Passer montanus |
