Spring is all around and Southern Greece welcomes the first migrants from early March already. That's why a day trip east of Athens can yield many interesting species.
Our first stop was at Mt Hymettus (or Ymittos), close to the Monastery of St John Kareas. We went there before dawn to have a chance for the
Scops Owl; we found three birds but, unfortunately, they gave us very few chances of seeing them. Very close to the Scops Owls,
Firecrests, Jays, Great Tits were the most common birds seen. A
Chukar was calling from the rocks above the monastery, but we didn't have to look for it as many more birds would be seen more closely on our way to
Sarina Ravine, uphill.
This small ravine is the best site to check for
Rock Nuthatches and
Blue Rock Thrushes; both species were present, and especially the latter were very easy to see. The surprise of the day was the male
Ruppell's Warbler (a week earlier than usual) that was singing at the top of the Kermes Oaks. Winter visitors, like
Robin, Wren and
Dunnock were still common while the
Chukars gave us very close views as they were foraging the track, right in front of us!
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| Ruppell's Warbler Sylvia rueppelli is common in dense maquis scrub |
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| The Chukar Alectoris chukar was introduced more than 30 years ago |
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| Blue Rock Thrush prefers rocky otucrops, both coastal and inland |
Next stop was Vravrona Wetland; a small but very important coastal wetland. Before that, a visit to a local bakery where we had some delicious pies that kept us full of energy for the rest of the day! The highlights of the day for Vravrona were the
Cirl, Rock Buntings and the
Penduline Tits found close to the archaeological site of the Temple of Artemis. An overwintering
Yellow-browed Warbler didn't show up, unfortunately, though it was heard twice...
Before reaching the last stop of the day (Schinias National Park), we had to visit the
Great-Spotted Cuckoo that had arrived close to the town of Loutsa. We were more than happy to see it, as it offered great views while perching on a bare tree for a few minutes.
Schinias National Park offered good views of the
Zitting Cisticola (aka Fan-tailed Warbler), and a good number of early migrant waders:
Black-winged Stilts,
Little Ringed Plovers,
Wood, Marsh and Green Sandpipers, along with
Spotted Redshanks and
Ruffs. A
Great Egret was also seen, among several
Grey Herons.
Marsh Harriers were common while a single
Hen Harrier was seen just before the end of the trip.
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Penduline Tit is common in Schinias National Park and Vravrona Wetland
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The day ended with a delicious dinner at Neos Voutzas, close to the city of Rafina!
The full checklist of the day:
| Mallard |
Anas platyrhynchos |
| Chukar |
Alectoris chukar |
| Little Grebe |
Tachybaptus ruficollis |
| Little Egret |
Egretta garzetta |
| Great Egret |
Ardea alba |
| Grey Heron |
Ardea cinerea |
| Marsh Harrier |
Circus aeruginosus |
| Hen Harrier |
Circus cyaneus |
| Sparrowhawk |
Accipiter nisus |
| Common Buzzard |
Buteo buteo |
| Kestrel |
Falco tinnunculus |
| Water Rail |
Rallus aquaticus |
| Moorhen |
Gallinula chloropus |
| Coot |
Fulica atra |
| Black-winged Stilt |
Himantopus himantopus |
| Little Ringed Plover |
Charadrius dubius |
| Dunlin |
Calidris alpina |
| Ruff |
Philomachus pugnax |
| Snipe |
Gallinago gallinago |
| Spotted Redshank |
Tringa erythropus |
| Redshank |
Tringa totanus |
| Marsh Sandpiper |
Tringa stagnatilis |
| Green Sandpiper |
Tringa ochropus |
| Wood Sandpiper |
Tringa glareola |
| Great Spotted Cuckoo |
Clamator glandarius |
| Scops Owl |
Otus scops |
| Little Owl |
Athene noctua |
| Kingfisher |
Alcedo atthis |
| Barn Swallow |
Hirundo rustica |
| Tree Pipit |
Anthus trivialis |
| Wren |
Troglodytes troglodytes |
| Dunnock |
Prunella modularis |
| Robin |
Erithacus rubecula |
| Whinchat |
Saxicola rubetra |
| Blue Rock Thrush |
Monticola solitarius |
| Blackbird |
Turdus merula |
| Cetti's Warbler |
Cettia cetti |
| Zitting Cisticola |
Cisticola juncidis |
| Sedge Warbler |
Acrocephalus schoenobaenus |
| Blackcap |
Sylvia atricapilla |
| Sardinian Warbler |
Sylvia melanocephala |
| Ruppell's Warbler |
Sylvia rueppelli |
| Chiffchaff |
Phylloscopus collybita |
| Firecrest |
Regulus ignicapilla |
| Great Tit |
Parus major |
| Rock Nuthatch |
Sitta neumayer |
| Short-toed Treecreeper |
Certhia brachydactyla |
| Penduline Tit |
Remiz pendulinus |
| Jay |
Garrulus glandarius |
| Magpie |
Pica pica |
| Hooded Crow |
Corvus cornix |
| Chaffinch |
Fringilla coelebs |
| Serin |
Serinus serinus |
| Greenfinch |
Carduelis chloris |
| Goldfinch |
Carduelis carduelis |
| Cirl Bunting |
Emberiza cirlus |
| Rock Bunting |
Emberiza cia |
| Reed Bunting |
Emberiza schoeniclus |
| Corn Bunting |
Miliaria calandra |
