The third day started with birding on Mt Parnassos, first at the woodland tracts where we looked for the Green Woodpecker. To our surprise, none was seen or heard; we managed to see, however, lots of tits, crests, finches and thrushes. An immature Golden Eagle being 'mobbed' by a Honey Buzzard was the highlight of forest birding.
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| Golden Eagle |
We moved higher to the alpine zone and found several Alpine Choughs, Rock Thrushes, Tawny Pipits and Northern Wheatears.
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| Alpine Chough |
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| Luis on Mt Parnassos |
Luis had a plane to catch in the afternoon, so we left Mt Parnassos and headed back to Athens. Our last stop was the flooded plain close to the airport; Ferruginous Ducks, a wandering Squacco Heron and lots of Zitting Cisticolas were the most important species seen.
The day count was 42 species, while the whole trip count reached 112 species! Luis was ready to go to China for his business trip with a pack full of nice birding memories.
DAY CHECKLIST
| Ferruginous Duck - Aythya nyroca |
| Common Swift - Apus apus |
| Pallid Swift - Apus pallidus |
| Eurasian Coot - Fulica atra |
| Yellow-legged Gull - Larus michahellis |
| Squacco Heron - Ardeola ralloides |
| European Honey-buzzard - Pernis apivorus |
| Golden Eagle - Aquila chrysaetos |
| Common Buzzard - Buteo buteo |
| Eurasian Hoopoe - Upupa epops |
| European Bee-eater - Merops apiaster |
| Common Kestrel - Falco tinnunculus |
| Red-backed Shrike - Lanius collurio |
| Common Magpie - Pica pica |
| Alpine Chough - Pyrrhocorax graculus |
| Woodlark - Lullula arborea |
| Crested Lark - Galerida cristata |
| Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica |
| Red-rumped Swallow - Cecropis daurica |
| Coal Tit - Periparus ater |
| Eurasian Nuthatch - Sitta europaea |
| Short-toed Treecreeper - Certhia brachydactyla |
| Eurasian Wren - Troglodytes troglodytes |
| Goldcrest - Regulus regulus |
| Common Firecrest - Regulus ignicapilla |
| Great Reed Warbler - Acrocephalus arundinaceus |
| Zitting Cisticola - Cisticola juncidis |
| Eurasian Blackcap - Sylvia atricapilla |
| Lesser Whitethroat - Sylvia curruca |
| Spotted Flycatcher - Muscicapa striata |
| European Robin - Erithacus rubecula |
| Black Redstart - Phoenicurus ochruros |
| Common Rock Thrush - Monticola saxatilis |
| Northern Wheatear - Oenanthe oenanthe |
| Mistle Thrush - Turdus viscivorus |
| Eurasian Blackbird - Turdus merula |
| Tawny Pipit - Anthus campestris |
| Common Chaffinch - Fringilla coelebs |
| Common Linnet - Linaria cannabina |
| European Serin - Serinus serinus |
| Cirl Bunting - Emberiza cirlus |
| House Sparrow - Passer domesticus |
