Lesvos: A Birdwatcher’s Paradise Full of Rare Species

The hunt for a Krüper’s Nuthatch is what stirs all the thrill. From early morning, we’ve been wandering by the pine forest at Mikri Limni, treading on a carpet of pine needles – however there’s no signal of the hen. We’ve chosen to return late within the season as a result of summer season is a troublesome season for birdwatching. Solely the flamingos within the Kalloni Salt Pans and Mesot Lagoon stay detached to the altering seasons. These magnificent birds spend their total day wading within the water, even underneath the scorching noon solar, with temperatures exceeding 30°C, perambulating serenely as if nothing might disturb them.

Elena Galinou, an environmental scientist on the Administration Unit for Protected Areas within the Northeastern Aegean (a part of the Group for Pure Atmosphere and Local weather Change, or OFYPEKA), tells us that these flamingos are remarkably resilient to excessive temperatures. Whether or not it’s 0°C or 40°C, you’ll nonetheless discover them out within the water fishing. It is a blessing for late-season birdwatchers like us and for these summer season guests who could not have come particularly for birdwatching however will nonetheless get to come across varied species.

Nonetheless, it’s in spring that Lesvos actually shines as a birdwatching hotspot, with round 200 migratory species passing by its ecosystems; 35 of those species nest on the island, too. Together with the birds come 1000’s of birdwatchers. This yr alone, an estimated 12,000 guests arrived on constitution flights, primarily from the UK and the Netherlands, solely to witness the avian wonders of Lesvos. It is a privilege distinctive to this island, as no different in Greece can boast such biodiversity. Most Greek islands, as a result of they’re smaller and have fewer distinct ecosystems, can’t host such quite a lot of wildlife or such massive populations.

Lesvos has been well-known amongst birdwatchers because the Nineties. The primary e-book detailing the island’s birds and their habitats was printed in 1992 by an Englishwoman named Marjory Williams. The island’s wealthy birdlife is primarily resulting from its distinctive geographical place. Located on the border between Europe and Asia and alongside hen migration routes, Lesvos is the one place in Europe the place sure uncommon Asian species could be noticed. One in every of these is the elusive Krüper’s nuthatch, which, apart from Turkey, can solely be present in Lesvos and sporadically in Georgia. Equally, the vary of the ferruginous duck, which extends from China to the islands of the Northeastern Aegean, contains Lesvos, as does that of the globally “near-threatened” cinereous bunting (Emberiza cineracea), discovered solely on Lesvos (and sporadically on Chios), and in Turkey, Iran and Iraq.

The island’s distinctive wildlife isn’t restricted to birds. Lesvos can also be house to the Persian squirrel, recognized domestically because the “galia,” which exists nowhere else in Europe or Greece. The Asian tree frog and the Ottoman viper can be discovered right here, though they do seem in different components of Japanese Greece as properly.

“In case you’re European and wish to see these species, you both take an extended journey or come to Lesvos – it’s that easy,” explains Galinou. “However the island’s location doesn’t simply favor the presence of Asian species; it additionally attracts migratory birds, as we sit straight on the Africa-Europe migration hall. Massive birds, particularly these coming down from the Bosporus, want to keep away from flying over open seas and subsequently follow the coasts. Turkey’s shores are closely developed, so they like us.”

Nonetheless, it’s not simply the island’s low inhabitants density that attracts the birds. Lesvos, Greece’s third-largest island, gives all kinds of habitats, every distinct from the opposite. When you think about the stark distinction between the forested japanese area and the barren, volcanic western panorama, the vary of ecosystems turns into clear. This range is what has led to the recording of round 330 hen species on Lesvos, out of the roughly 450 species present in Greece.

A Number of Habitats

From olive groves, pine forests and chestnut woods within the east to the rugged cliffs, rocky terrains, shrublands, sparse oak forests and surprising ravines within the west, and from the pastures and maquis vegetation within the north to the island’s coastal wetlands fashioned by seasonal streams, Lesvos boasts a formidable array of habitats for wildlife. It’s house to 84 wetlands (greater than every other Aegean island besides Crete), with 25 of those positioned within the Gulf of Kalloni. This space is, not coincidentally, additionally the place 5 birdwatching observatories have been arrange, three of that are within the Kalloni Salt Pans, the island’s most vital wetland. The Environmental Info Heart at Skala Kallonis, which operates underneath the path of the Pure Historical past Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest, gives guests birdwatching excursions and equips them with binoculars and telescopes. The Northeastern Aegean Administration Unit, based mostly in Mytilene, organizes related actions.

“Past attracting guests, we’re notably centered on elevating consciousness among the many local people, particularly residents and faculties. Solely on this method can the wetlands be preserved, which is why we additionally arrange public actions through the winter,” says Dr. Nikos Zouros, director of the Pure Historical past Museum. 

Along with organized teams, many birdwatchers roam the island on their very own. We encounter two Swedish birdwatchers who’ve arrange their watch on the base of the hill close to Ypsilou Monastery, peering by their binoculars for a sight of the uncommon cinereous bunting. As they watch, birds of prey soar above us. Within the volcanic, barren western a part of Lesvos, migratory birds are drawn to inexperienced pastures and different verdant patches, welcoming corridors fed by streams. Warblers, flycatchers, yellow wagtails, and birds of prey make this space the island’s second most vital gathering level for birdlife.

International birdwatchers recognize the simple accessibility of all of the birdwatching websites. Because the Swedes, who go to almost yearly, inform us, whenever you add within the tranquil conventional villages and the nice healthful meals, the island turns into a really perfect vacation spot for nature lovers. It’s additionally notable for its reptiles and butterflies, and for its distinctive flora, together with wild orchids and the uncommon yellow rhododendron. “The British particularly are impressed even by the frequent species that seem right here in massive numbers,” notes Galinou. “For instance, the final two pairs of Montagu’s harriers in England bred there three years in the past, whereas right here, throughout migration, you’ll be able to see dozens in a single day. Our nature stays untouched.”

The masked shrike, which lives largely within the Center East and is simply sparsely current in northern Greece; the Cretzschmar’s bunting, discovered solely in Greece and Turkey; and the Isabelline wheatear, a species native to japanese Greece and Asia: all these nest in Lesvos every spring, contributing to the island’s biodiversity. That range is additional enhanced by the breeding birds of prey, such because the long-legged buzzard, the lesser kestrel, the Eleonora’s falcon, and the short-toed snake eagle. We spot considered one of these eagles diving to catch its prey above the petrified forest of Sigri. Although we don’t see any Asian hen species, maybe because of the season, one night close to the desolate areas across the Gulf of Kalloni, a Persian squirrel makes a spectacular look in entrance of our automotive. It provides us a fast look earlier than darting off, little doubt to search out that elusive Krüper’s nuthatch someplace alongside the border between the pine forest and the olive groves.