Bird Trip: Lake Dystos, Sept 12 2021

Ricardo from Spain is our latest birder who wanted to see some of Greece's specialties that cannot be found in the Iberian Peninsula. Due to the season, we focused on resident species like the Chukar, the Sombre Tit and the Western Rock Nuthatch, as well as the Yelkouan and Scopoli's Shearwaters. That's why Lake Dystos was chosen as it combines a ferry ride and ideal habitats for all the target birds of Ricardo. 
We picked the first ferry to Evvoia and we had our first Scopoli's, along with Shags, hundreds of Yellow-legged Gulls and a migrant Ringed Plover(!). 
Reaching Lake Dystos, we focused our birdwatching trip on the surrounding farmland and the adjacent mountains. Raptors seen include the Lesser Kestrel, the Levant Sparrowhawks and the Short-toed Eagle. Non-passerine migrants found include the Turtle Dove. the Hoopoe and the Bee-eater. 
Many passerines were also present: Rock Nuthatches, Sombre Tits, migrant wheatears (including Black-eared) and warblers (including Eastern Subalpine), Yellow Wagtails, Tawny Pipits and three different species of shrikes (Red-backed, Woodchat and Lesser Grey) were easily seen. 

Rock Nuthatch   

Lesser Kestrel

Ricardo on Lake Dystos

We also tried to find Rock Partridges but that is always a difficult task and we didn't get any. 

Returning to the port of Nea Styra, our seabirding highlight was an adult Audouin's; the trip back to Athens yielded more Scopoli's Shearwaters. 

The last stop was Mt Hymettus, where we succeeded in finding the Chukar; a whole family group was seen, in fact, from a close distance! 

Audouin's Gull

Scopoli's Shearwater

Chukar

BIRD TRIP CHECKLIST

Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos

Chukar - Alectoris chukar

Rock Pigeon - Columba livia

European Turtle-Dove - Streptopelia turtur

Eurasian Collared-Dove - Streptopelia decaocto

Common Ringed Plover - Charadrius hiaticula

Green Sandpiper - Tringa ochropus

Common Greenshank - Tringa nebularia

Audouin's Gull - Ichthyaetus audouinii

Yellow-legged Gull - Larus michahellis

Cory's Shearwater - Calonectris diomedea

European Shag - Gulosus aristotelis

Gray Heron - Ardea cinerea

Little Egret - Egretta garzetta

Squacco Heron - Ardeola ralloides

Short-toed Snake-Eagle - Circaetus gallicus

Eurasian Marsh-Harrier - Circus aeruginosus

Levant Sparrowhawk - Accipiter brevipes

Eurasian Sparrowhawk - Accipiter nisus

Common Buzzard - Buteo buteo

Eurasian Hoopoe - Upupa epops

European Bee-eater - Merops apiaster

Lesser Kestrel - Falco naumanni

Eurasian Kestrel - Falco tinnunculus

Red-backed Shrike - Lanius collurio

Lesser Gray Shrike - Lanius minor

Woodchat Shrike - Lanius senator

Eurasian Magpie - Pica pica

Eurasian Jackdaw - Corvus monedula

Hooded Crow - Corvus cornix

Sombre Tit - Poecile lugubris

Great Tit - Parus major

Crested Lark - Galerida cristata

Zitting Cisticola - Cisticola juncidis

Sedge Warbler - Acrocephalus schoenobaenus

Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica

Red-rumped Swallow - Cecropis daurica

Common House-Martin - Delichon urbicum

Willow Warbler - Phylloscopus trochilus

Cetti's Warbler - Cettia cetti

Eurasian Blackcap - Sylvia atricapilla

Sardinian Warbler - Curruca melanocephala

Eastern Subalpine Warbler - Curruca cantillans

Greater Whitethroat - Curruca communis

Western Rock Nuthatch - Sitta neumayer

Eurasian Blackbird - Turdus merula

Spotted Flycatcher - Muscicapa striata

Blue Rock-Thrush - Monticola solitarius

Whinchat - Saxicola rubetra

European Stonechat - Saxicola rubicola

Northern Wheatear - Oenanthe oenanthe

Eastern Black-eared Wheatear - Oenanthe melanoleuca

House Sparrow - Passer domesticus

Western Yellow Wagtail - Motacilla flava

Tawny Pipit - Anthus campestris

Tree Pipit - Anthus trivialis

European Greenfinch - Chloris chloris

Eurasian Linnet - Linaria cannabina

European Goldfinch - Carduelis carduelis

Corn Bunting - Emberiza calandra

Cirl Bunting - Emberiza cirlus