Day 2
On Saturday, August 10th, we started just before dawn so that we could find the Scops Owl. We visited Mt Hymettus and saw one very well. Just when we started driving to Messolonghi Lagoons, Brett felt sick and we had to postpone the trip till the next day, Sunday 11th.
Day 3
We started very early in the morning of August 11th and headed to Messolonghi, c.250 km west of Athens. By 08.30, we had reached Kleisoura Gorge, the first destination and found at least one Griffon Vulture, perched on a cliff ledge. We also saw several Rock Nuthatches, lots of Jackdaws, one Blue Rock Thrush and a few tits.
Next stop was the saltpans of Messolonghi, where we found many Slender-billed Gulls Avocets and Flamingos, among others. At Neochori village, we saw some juvenile White Storks, still at their nests.
The main lagoons (Louros area and Kleisova) were full of waders; stints, shanks and sandpipers, along with Spoonbills, egrets and herons, Dalmatian Pelicans and Pygmy Cormorants. Terns were also still numerous, especially Little and Common. The most interesting passerines were the Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin, the Lesser Grey Shrike, the Penduline-tit and the Spanish Sparrow.
We had a full day of birding and it was time to get back to Athens. We saw a total of 69 species (+4 on Saturday) and a totel of 112 species for the two days!
TRIP CHECKLIST
On Saturday, August 10th, we started just before dawn so that we could find the Scops Owl. We visited Mt Hymettus and saw one very well. Just when we started driving to Messolonghi Lagoons, Brett felt sick and we had to postpone the trip till the next day, Sunday 11th.
Day 3
We started very early in the morning of August 11th and headed to Messolonghi, c.250 km west of Athens. By 08.30, we had reached Kleisoura Gorge, the first destination and found at least one Griffon Vulture, perched on a cliff ledge. We also saw several Rock Nuthatches, lots of Jackdaws, one Blue Rock Thrush and a few tits.
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| Griffon Vulture |
 |
| Rock Nuthatch. |
Next stop was the saltpans of Messolonghi, where we found many Slender-billed Gulls Avocets and Flamingos, among others. At Neochori village, we saw some juvenile White Storks, still at their nests.
 |
| White Storks |
 |
| Slender-billed Gull |
The main lagoons (Louros area and Kleisova) were full of waders; stints, shanks and sandpipers, along with Spoonbills, egrets and herons, Dalmatian Pelicans and Pygmy Cormorants. Terns were also still numerous, especially Little and Common. The most interesting passerines were the Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin, the Lesser Grey Shrike, the Penduline-tit and the Spanish Sparrow.
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| Spoonbill |
 |
| Brett and Marilyn |
TRIP CHECKLIST
| Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos |
| Greater Flamingo - Phoenicopterus roseus |
| Little Grebe - Tachybaptus ruficollis |
| Collared Dove - Streptopelia decaocto |
| Common Moorhen - Gallinula chloropus |
| Black-winged Stilt - Himantopus himantopus |
| Pied Avocet - Recurvirostra avosetta |
| Grey Plover - Pluvialis squatarola |
| Kentish Plover - Charadrius alexandrinus |
| Common Ringed Plover - Charadrius hiaticula |
| Little Ringed Plover - Charadrius dubius |
| Eurasian Curlew - Numenius arquata |
| Dunlin - Calidris alpina |
| Little Stint - Calidris minuta |
| Common Sandpiper - Actitis hypoleucos |
| Spotted Redshank - Tringa erythropus |
| Common Greenshank - Tringa nebularia |
| Wood Sandpiper - Tringa glareola |
| Common Redshank - Tringa totanus |
| Collared Pratincole - Glareola pratincola |
| Slender-billed Gull - Chroicocephalus genei |
| Black-headed Gull - Chroicocephalus ridibundus |
| Yellow-legged Gull - Larus michahellis |
| Little Tern - Sternula albifrons |
| Gull-billed Tern - Gelochelidon nilotica |
| Black Tern - Chlidonias niger |
| White-winged Black Tern - Chlidonias leucopterus |
| Whiskered Tern - Chlidonias hybrida |
| Common Tern - Sterna hirundo |
| Sandwich Tern - Thalasseus sandvicensis |
| White Stork - Ciconia ciconia |
| Pygmy Cormorant - Microcarbo pygmaeus |
| Great Cormorant - Phalacrocorax carbo |
| Dalmatian Pelican - Pelecanus crispus |
| Little Bittern - Ixobrychus minutus |
| Grey Heron - Ardea cinerea |
| Great White Egret - Ardea alba |
| Little Egret - Egretta garzetta |
| Cattle Egret - Bubulcus ibis |
| Squacco Heron - Ardeola ralloides |
| Glossy Ibis - Plegadis falcinellus |
| Eurasian Spoonbill - Platalea leucorodia |
| Griffon Vulture - Gyps fulvus |
| Western Marsh Harrier - Circus aeruginosus |
| Common Buzzard - Buteo buteo |
| Eurasian Scops Owl - Otus scops |
| Eurasian Hoopoe - Upupa epops |
| Common Kingfisher - Alcedo atthis |
| Common Kestrel - Falco tinnunculus |
| Eleonora's Falcon - Falco eleonorae |
| Lesser Grey Shrike - Lanius minor |
| Woodchat Shrike - Lanius senator |
| Eurasian Jay - Garrulus glandarius |
| Common Magpie - Pica pica |
| Eurasian Jackdaw - Corvus monedula |
| Hooded Crow - Corvus cornix |
| Eurasian Blue Tit - Cyanistes caeruleus |
| Great Tit - Parus major |
| Eurasian Penduline Tit - Remiz pendulinus |
| Crested Lark - Galerida cristata |
| Sand Martin - Riparia riparia |
| Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica |
| Red-rumped Swallow - Cecropis daurica |
| Willow Warbler - Phylloscopus trochilus |
| Cetti's Warbler - Cettia cetti |
| Western Rock Nuthatch - Sitta neumayer |
| Spotted Flycatcher - Muscicapa striata |
| Rufous-tailed Scrub-Robin - Cercotrichas galactotes |
| Blue Rock Thrush - Monticola solitarius |
| House Sparrow - Passer domesticus |
| Spanish Sparrow - Passer hispaniolensis |
| Eurasian Tree Sparrow - Passer montanus |
