A half day birdwatching trip in the outskirts of Attica, can be very productive, if different habitats are combined.
We organized a birding tour for Jan, a birder from Holland who was staying in Athens for a few days. His target species were very variable, so we had to set up the right itinerary.
We started from Erythres Plains, at the north part of Attica. Despite the scattered showers, we were lucky to see several Black-headed Buntings, singing in the grape yards. Lots of Cirl Buntings, Corn Buntings, and Woodchat Shrikes were present too. A few Eastern Olivaceous Warblers and several Black-eared Wheatears, some of them breeding chicks already!
Black-headed Bunting singing loud at Erythres Plains
We stopped at a neary quarry, where we have superb views of breeding Rock Nuthatches. A Honey Buzzard passed over our heads, while Subalpine Warblers and Common Whitethroats were singing. A pair of Lesser Grey Shrikes was on a rusty fence, at the village of Dafni.
A succesful birding day in central Greece, despite the rain
In order to get some wetland species, we moved east, towards Oropos Lagoon. There we had very close views of breeding Black-winged Stilts, as well as Black-headed (Balkan) Wagtails. Little Terns were all over the lagoon, while Flamingo, Shag, Common Terns were some other highlight birds.
Bird list for June 11th 2022 around Athens and Attica region
Lesser Grey Shrike
Eastern Black-eared Wheatear
