DAY 4
We had a very early start on the fourth day of the trip as the first target bird was the Scops Owl and we had to be at Lycabettus Hill before dawn. So, at 05.30 we reached the hill and in just a few minutes we managed to find one Scops Owl and start our drive towards Agia Marina Port, close to Schinias National Park, as our main birding hotspot would be Lake Dystos in the island of Evvoia.
We made a stop at Schinias and saw Ferruginous Ducks, Glossy Ibis, Zitting Cisticolas among others. Reaching the port of Agia Marina, the first great sighting came from the port: three Mediterranean Monk Seals!
On our way to Nea Styra port, we managed to see Scopoli's and Yelkouan shearwaters, shags and rock doves.
We reached Nea Styra and drove to Lake Dystos; when we reached the lake, the first surprise came from the surrounding fields where a flock of Rosy Starlings were feeding on a mulberry tree stand.
The fields also held large numbers of Black-headed Buntings, Crested and Short-toed Larks, finches and warblers, while Lesser Kestrels, Eleonora's and Red-footed Falcons were foraging overhead.
In the lake, Mute Swans and Mallards, Grey Herons and Marsh Harriers were the most common birds seen. We left the lake and drove uphill to Mt Koskina in the west. We looked for Cretzschmar's Buntings and found several birds, along with lots of Black-eared Wheatears, Rock Nuthatches, Linnets, Sombre Tits and Subalpine, Sardinian and Eastern Orphean Warblers.
Early in the afternoon, we drove back to Nea Styra and took the ferry to Agia Marina. We visited Schinias National Park again, this time to find the secretive Water Rail. Even though we heard a lot, none was "bold" enoigh to come out of the dense vegetation. At least we saw Ferruginoud Ducks, Little Bitterns, Little Grebes and heard a couple of Scops Owls at dusk. That was the end of the fourth day of birding and most of the target birds were found!
We had a very early start on the fourth day of the trip as the first target bird was the Scops Owl and we had to be at Lycabettus Hill before dawn. So, at 05.30 we reached the hill and in just a few minutes we managed to find one Scops Owl and start our drive towards Agia Marina Port, close to Schinias National Park, as our main birding hotspot would be Lake Dystos in the island of Evvoia.
We made a stop at Schinias and saw Ferruginous Ducks, Glossy Ibis, Zitting Cisticolas among others. Reaching the port of Agia Marina, the first great sighting came from the port: three Mediterranean Monk Seals!
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| Mediterranean Monk Seals |
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| Scopoli's Shearwater |
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| Rosy Starling |
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| Red-footed Falcon |
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| Short-toed Lark |
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| Cretschmar's Bunting |
TRIP CHECKLIST
| Mute Swan - Cygnus olor |
| Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos |
| Ferruginous Duck - Aythya nyroca |
| Little Grebe - Tachybaptus ruficollis |
| Great Crested Grebe - Podiceps cristatus |
| Rock Dove - Columba livia |
| European Turtle Dove - Streptopelia turtur |
| Collared Dove - Streptopelia decaocto |
| Common Moorhen - Gallinula chloropus Water Rail - Rallus aquaticus |
| Eurasian Coot - Fulica atra |
| Black-winged Stilt - Himantopus himantopus |
| Yellow-legged Gull - Larus michahellis |
| Scopoli's Shearwater - Calonectris diomedea |
| Yelkouan Shearwater - Puffinus yelkouan |
| European Shag - Phalacrocorax aristotelis |
| Little Bittern - Ixobrychus minutus |
| Grey Heron - Ardea cinerea |
| Little Egret - Egretta garzetta |
| Squacco Heron - Ardeola ralloides |
| Glossy Ibis - Plegadis falcinellus |
| Western Marsh Harrier - Circus aeruginosus |
| Common Buzzard - Buteo buteo |
| Eurasian Scops Owl - Otus scops |
| Little Owl - Athene noctua |
| European Bee-eater - Merops apiaster |
| Lesser Kestrel - Falco naumanni |
| Common Kestrel - Falco tinnunculus |
| Red-footed Falcon - Falco vespertinus |
| Eleonora's Falcon - Falco eleonorae |
| Woodchat Shrike - Lanius senator |
| Eurasian Golden Oriole - Oriolus oriolus |
| Common Magpie - Pica pica |
| Hooded Crow - Corvus cornix |
| Common Raven - Corvus corax |
| Greater Short-toed Lark - Calandrella brachydactyla |
| Crested Lark - Galerida cristata |
| Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica |
| Sombre Tit - Poecile lugubris |
| Great Tit - Parus major |
| Eurasian Penduline Tit - Remiz pendulinus |
| Cetti's Warbler - Cettia cetti |
| Eastern Olivaceous Warbler - Iduna pallida |
| Eurasian Reed Warbler - Acrocephalus scirpaceus |
| Great Reed Warbler - Acrocephalus arundinaceus |
| Zitting Cisticola - Cisticola juncidis |
| Eastern Orphean Warbler - Sylvia crassirostris |
| Subalpine Warbler - Sylvia cantillans |
| Sardinian Warbler - Sylvia melanocephala |
| European Stonechat - Saxicola rubicola |
| Black-eared Wheatear - Oenanthe hispanica |
| Eurasian Blackbird - Turdus merula |
| Rose-coloured Starling - Pastor roseus |
| European Greenfinch - Chloris chloris |
| Common Linnet - Linaria cannabina |
| European Goldfinch - Carduelis carduelis |
| Black-headed Bunting - Emberiza melanocephala |
| Corn Bunting - Emberiza calandra |
| Cirl Bunting - Emberiza cirlus |
| Cretzschmar's Bunting - Emberiza caesia |
| House Sparrow - Passer domesticus |
