Trip Report: Athens and Central Greece, April 4-10th 2025

7 Days, 128 Species | Private tailor made bird tour in Greece

Tour Dates: April 4th-10th

Participants: Two avid birders from New York, USA
Tour Style: Private, Tailor-Made Birding and Photography Tour
Distance Covered: ~1,700 km
Total Species Recorded: 128
Focus: Birding Holiday and Bird Photography

Rueppell's Warbler, one of the trip's target species

This private tailor-made birding tour across Athens and Central Greece delivered an unforgettable birding holiday with a total of 128 species observed and photographed. From alpine forests and mythic ruins to pristine lagoons, each day offered spectacular bird photography opportunities.

Day 1–3: Athens Region – Wetlands, Hills, and Coastal Birding

Our tailor-made birding tour in Greece began around Athens, combining urban birding gems with coastal wetlands and Mediterranean scrub habitats.

• Tritsis Metropolitan Park: Here we had the first encounters with Alpine Swifts and Hoopoes, always a highlight species

• Spata fields: Great Spotted Cuckoo displayed nicely, great views of Woodchat Shrikes and large flocks of Western Yellow Wagtails and Black-headed Yellow Wagtails.

• Artemis Lagoon: Spotted Crake and Little Crake were the highlights here, two very cryptic species that we were lucky to spot.

• Schinias National Park Wetlands: We enjoyed great views of Ferruginous Ducks, Little Owl and Tree Pipits 

• Erythres Plains: Birding got even more exciting, since he had stunning views of Short-toed Snake Eagle, Eastern Subalpine Warbler, Western Rock Nuthatch, Blue Rock Thrush, Eastern Black-eared Wheatear.

Eastern Subalpine Warbler

---

📍 Day 4: Kopaida Plains, Mount Parnassos, and Delphi

Heading north, this day of our birding holiday in Greece combined open plains, alpine forests, and historical landscapes.

• Atalandi Bay: This small wetland beside the sea provided excellent views of Mediterannean Gull, Black-headed Gull and rare Slender billed Gull, together with Kentish Plovers

• Kopaida Plains: Outstanding views of  White Stork, Short-toed Eagles, Greater Whitethroat and Spanich Sparrows

• Mount Parnassos: In the high mountain forests, we located Firecrests, Mistle Thrush, Black Kite and Woodlark

• Delphi and Itea hills: This was one of the most exciting days. First we had plenty of photographic opportunities with several Ruppell's Warblers, Sombre Tits, Eastern Black-eared Wheatears and Lesser Kestrels, 3 of the top target species for most birders visiting Greece. Then, we saw Rock Sparrows, a female Montagu's Harrier, Eastern Orphean Warblers (that we very vocal but rather shy to expose).

Singing Rueppell's Warbler at Delphi

📍 Day 5–7: Messolongi and Etoliko Lagoons – Birding the Wetlands, the Gorge, the Oak Forest

The final days of this tailor-made bird photography tour focused on the spectacular wetlands of Messolongi and Etoliko Lagoons, among Greece's finest birding sites.

Slender-billed Gull at Messolongi Lagoon

Traditional fishing boats

• Messolongi Lagoons: Dalmatian Pelicans provided exceptional photography moments. Slender-billed Gull, Greater Flamingo, and Black-winged Stilts were abundant. Among hundreds of waders and passerines, we saw Common Cuckoo, Long-legged Buzzard, Scopoli's Shearwaters, Bee-eaters, Spanish Sparrows. At the main square of the city of Mesolongi, we saw 3 Scops Owl, when birding around sunset.

• Etoliko Lagoon: Ideal for capturing Penduline Tits, Pygmy Cormorant, Marsh Sandpipers, Marsh Harriers, Lesser Kestrel

• Kleisoura Gorge and Lesini Oak Forest: Griffon Vultures were another highlight of our trip. 6 birds were seen at their breeding sites, together with hundreds of loud Jackdows. At the nearby Oak forest we encountered Great Spotted and Middle Spotter Woodpeckers, Wood Warblers and Blue Tits

Typical house at Tourlida village

Black-winged Stilt

Species Highlights:

• Dalmatian Pelican

• Pygmy Cormorant

• Scopoli’s Shearwater

• Great Spotted Cuckoo

• Montagu’s Harrier

• Lesser Kestrel

• Short-toed Snake Eagle

• Griffon Vulture

• Slender-billed Gull

• Eastern Black-eared Wheatear

• Blue Rock Thursh

• Western Rock Nuthatch

• Sombre Tit

• Eastern Subalpine Warbler

• Rüppell’s Warbler
  

• Eastern Orphean Warbler

• Rock Sparrow

Here is the full bird list and trip report  of 128 species seen during this 7 days trip, as posted in eBird