DAY 2
Leaving Agrinio early in the morning, we stopped again at Kleisoura Gorge and saw the Griffons again, at the very same cliff ledge we left them yesterday as well as a couple of Blue Rock Thrushes, lots of House Martins, a pair of Ravens and dozens of Jackdaws. We drove east towards Arachova and made several stops on the way, especially at the hilly area close to the towns of Galaxeidi and Itea.
The hilly country was full of passerines; most notable were the Eastern Orphean, Subalpine and Ruppell's Warbler. the Rock Sparrow, the Sombre Tit and the Black-eared Wheatear. The Rock Nuthatch was very common and it was virtually impossible to miss.
At noon, we reached Mt Parnassos and drove straight to Kelaria Ski center. The Common Rock Thrush was common, we saw at least 5 adult male birds, and the Northern Wheatear was literally everywhere. A small group of ten Alpine Choughs was also seen, along with Tawny Pipits, Woodlarks, Black Redstarts and Rock Buntings.
We wanted to climb higher than the 2.000 m we were but snow cover was very thick, so we headed down to the wooded parts of the mountain.
Leaving Agrinio early in the morning, we stopped again at Kleisoura Gorge and saw the Griffons again, at the very same cliff ledge we left them yesterday as well as a couple of Blue Rock Thrushes, lots of House Martins, a pair of Ravens and dozens of Jackdaws. We drove east towards Arachova and made several stops on the way, especially at the hilly area close to the towns of Galaxeidi and Itea.
The hilly country was full of passerines; most notable were the Eastern Orphean, Subalpine and Ruppell's Warbler. the Rock Sparrow, the Sombre Tit and the Black-eared Wheatear. The Rock Nuthatch was very common and it was virtually impossible to miss.
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| Rock Sparrow |
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| Ruppell's Warbler |
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| Alpine Choughs |
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| Northern Wheatear |
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| Common Rock Thrush |
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| Wade and Karren at Kelaria Ski Center, Mt Parnassos |
The main target was the Mistle Thrush and one male was seen singing at the top of a Greek Fir. Many Coal Tits, Firecrests, Short-toed Treecreepers and Chaffinches were singing and a male Common Cuckoo made a quick pass overhead.
Late in the afternoon, we drove to the picturesque town of Arachova where we spend the night.
DAY CHECKLIST
| Rock Dove - Columba livia |
| Common Cuckoo - Cuculus canorus |
| Common Swift - Apus apus |
| Yellow-legged Gull - Larus michahellis |
| Griffon Vulture - Gyps fulvus |
| Common Buzzard - Buteo buteo |
| Eurasian Hoopoe - Upupa epops |
| Middle Spotted Woodpecker - Dendrocoptes medius |
| Common Kestrel - Falco tinnunculus |
| Woodchat Shrike - Lanius senator |
| Eurasian Jay - Garrulus glandarius |
| Alpine Chough - Pyrrhocorax graculus |
| Eurasian Jackdaw - Corvus monedula |
| Hooded Crow - Corvus cornix |
| Common Raven - Corvus corax |
| Woodlark - Lullula arborea |
| Crested Lark - Galerida cristata |
| Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica |
| Red-rumped Swallow - Cecropis daurica |
| Common House Martin - Delichon urbicum |
| Coal Tit - Periparus ater |
| Sombre Tit - Poecile lugubris |
| Eurasian Blue Tit - Cyanistes caeruleus |
| Western Rock Nuthatch - Sitta neumayer |
| Eurasian Wren - Troglodytes troglodytes |
| Common Firecrest - Regulus ignicapilla |
| Ruppell's Warbler - Sylvia ruppeli |
| Subalpine Warbler - Sylvia cantillans |
| Sardinian Warbler - Sylvia melanocephala Eastern Orphean Warbler - Sylvia crassirostris |
| Spotted Flycatcher - Muscicapa striata |
| European Robin - Erithacus rubecula |
| Black Redstart - Phoenicurus ochruros |
| Common Rock Thrush - Monticola saxatilis |
| Blue Rock Thrush - Monticola solitarius |
| Northern Wheatear - Oenanthe oenanthe |
| Black-eared Wheatear - Oenanthe hispanica |
| Mistle Thrush - Turdus viscivorus |
| Eurasian Blackbird - Turdus merula |
| Pied Wagtail/White Wagtail - Motacilla alba |
| Tawny Pipit - Anthus campestris |
| Common Chaffinch - Fringilla coelebs |
| European Greenfinch - Chloris chloris |
| Common Linnet - Linaria cannabina |
| European Goldfinch - Carduelis carduelis |
| Black-headed Bunting - Emberiza melanocephala |
| Corn Bunting - Emberiza calandra |
| Rock Bunting - Emberiza cia |
| Cirl Bunting - Emberiza cirlus |
| House Sparrow - Passer domesticus |
| Rock Sparrow - Petronia petronia |
