Bird tour in Mt Parnassos, October 3rd 2021

Helen Skuodas from Scotland came to Greece for holidays and had one day for birding; she did not have a 'wish list' but would really like to see birds not found in the UK, so the destination for the day was Mt Parnassos, a superb birding hotspot with woodpeckers like the Black and the White-backed Woodpecker and alpine species like the Alpine Chough. 

On our way to Parnassos, we stopped at Kopaida Plain, to look for another woodpecker not found in the UK, the Syrian. We managed to find a couple of them and had good views as one of them was on a wooden pole. We also managed to see Sardinian Warblers, Spotted Flycatchers and Crested Larks, among others. 

Reaching Mt Parnassos, we first looked the scrubby slopes above Arachova village, where we found more Sardinian Warblers and Rock Nuthatcher. We then moved to the dense Greek Fir forest, looking for woodpeckers. We managed to see four different species (Green, Middle Spotted, White-backed and Black)! Other birds seen were the Short-toed Treecreeper, Firecrest, the European Nuthatch. 

White-backed Woodpecker

Black Woodpecker

Leaving the forest, we moved higher up in the alpine zone, where we saw some Rock Buntings in the tree line and then we started walking in the slopes around Kelaria ski center. We heard several Rock Partridges but couldn't see them, unfortunately. We did see several Black Redstarts, Serins, Wood Larks and a couple of Alpine Choughs. 

Helen in the alpine zone of Mt Parnassos

The day was over and we managed to see 50 species, a great number for the date and place. 

TRIP CHECKLIST

Rock Partridge

Eurasian Collared-Dove

Pallid Swift

Eurasian Sparrowhawk

Common Buzzard

Buteo buteo

Middle Spotted Woodpecker

White-backed Woodpecker

Syrian Woodpecker

Eurasian Green Woodpecker

Black Woodpecker

Eurasian Kestrel

Eurasian Jay

Eurasian Magpie

Yellow-billed Chough

Eurasian Jackdaw

Hooded Crow

Common Raven

Coal Tit

Eurasian Blue Tit

Great Tit

Wood Lark

Crested Lark

Bank Swallow

Barn Swallow

Common House-Martin

Willow Warbler

Common Chiffchaff

Cetti's Warbler

Eurasian Blackcap

Sardinian Warbler

Common Firecrest

Eurasian Nuthatch

Western Rock Nuthatch

Short-toed Treecreeper

Eurasian Wren

Mistle Thrush

Spotted Flycatcher

European Robin

Black Redstart

House Sparrow

Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Gray Wagtail

White Wagtail

Tree Pipit

Common Chaffinch

Eurasian Linnet

European Goldfinch

European Serin

Rock Bunting

Cirl Bunting