Return to trip reports.In my notebook I have a report from a trip to the area of Island Lefkas - Pindos Mountains in the north-west of Greece 12th - 19th of May in 1997. It has not been reported earlier. But I put it out now. Maybe it will be of interest for somebody.
97.05.12 Jan Peterson and I leave Sweden from the airport of Arlanda, Stockholm, arrive at Préveza in a chartered airplane. Bus-transport to Nidri on the island of Léfkas.
97.05.13 Spend the day in the nearby surroundings. Visit a recreation area at a brook ravine with a waterfall with cold and clear water.
97.05.14 Rent a car and go north along coastal marshlands near Parga. Turn inland to the east. Visit the area of an old aqueduct (Nikolas -something?). Then towards Fillipiàs - Ioannina - Mètsovon to Melia. We put the tent up at a small lovely brook under an old stone arch bridge. Stroll around all afternoon in ravines, along streams, up on hillsides and meadows and in the forests near Melia.
97.05.15 In the morning we go from Melia to Kranià and then further to Grèvena. But there are mostly farmland areas near Grèvena so we turn back to near Kranià where we stay the night at a big river. During the day we walk around in the vast pine forests in the area between Kranià and Melia and we visit the beech forests on high altitudes where snow is still around and breathe the cold air on high alpine meadows.
97.05.16 Stay in the area and do further investigations. Having lovely swims in the cold-clear mountain rivers. A lot of things remind us of the North of Sweden with a, for us, peculiar mix of southern things.
97.05.17 Leave the wonderful mountains under thunder and rain and go back towards the coast in the west. We meet the heat again. Stroll around near Neochórion looking at lovely orchids (Ophrys sp. among others) and butterflies. Have a swim in the sea in Igoumenitsa and go along the coastal road to Artá round the Bay of Amvrakikós Kólpos to Amfilochia and come back to the hotel in Nidri late in the night.
97.05.18 Relax in the area.
97.05.19 Go back to Sweden.
I give you the complete list of the observations of birds we made, in systematical order:
English name: Scie.name Number Place of obs.
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- 1. Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruf. 1 at Parga
- 2. Little Egret Egretta garzetta fairly com. along coast
- 3. Grey Heron Ardea cinerea 2 lake near Igoumenitsa
- 4. Purple Heron Ardea purpurea 1 coastal marsh near Nidri
- 5. White Stork Ciconia ciconia sev. pairs Fillipias, Artá and Igoumenitsa
- 6. Garganey Anas querquedula 1 male lake at Igoumenitsa
- 9. Eur. Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus 2 near Melia
- 8. Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus 1 2y south of Grévena
- 9. Sparrowhawk, Levant or European?
Accipiter nis./brev. 1 Nidri (long distance)
-10. Common Buzzard Buteo buteo fairly com not on highest alt.
-11. Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus abun. esp. in lower mountains
-12. Eurasian Hobby Falco subbuteo 1 pair forest near Kraniá
-13. Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus 1 a pond near Grévena
-14. Eurasian Coot Fulica atra >20 lake near Igoumenitsa
-15. Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius 1 saltmarsh near Lefkas town
-16. Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea 1 at alpine brook alt. 2000 m Kraniá
-17. Mediterr. Gull Larus melanocephalus >50 Bay at Préveza, from ferry
-18. Herring Gull Larus arg. cachinnans common at sea level
-19. Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis >10 sea level Lefkas
-20. Common Tern Sterna hirundo 2 Bay at Préveza, from ferry
-21. Common Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus >10 forest at high alt.
-22. Euras. Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto abun in towns at low alt.
-23. Eur. Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur abun in forests and yards
-24. Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus abun in forests at rel. high alt.
-25. Eur. Scops Owl Otus scops 3 heard in Nidri
-26. Tawny Owl Strix aluco common in forest at rel. high alt.
-27. Eur. Nightjar Caprimulgus eur. fairly com. in forests rel. high alt.
-28. Common Swift Apus apus common in Mesovón / few Nidri
-29. Alpine Swift Apus melba >5 over Nidri never in mountains
-30. Eur. Bee-eater Merops apiaster fairly com. seemed to just arrive
-31. Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops 1 pair at river near Kraniá
-32. Eur. Gr. Woodpecker Picus viridis 1 heard forest near Melia
-33. Great Spotted W. Dendrocopos major 1? heard once forest Melia
-34. Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis >20 singing on alpine meadows
-35. Wood Lark Lullula arborea >10 singing on high meadows
-36. Crested Lark Galerida cristata fairly com. rel high up/ fewer sea
-37. Great. Short-t. Lark Calandrella Brach. 1 marsh at Lekas Town
-38. Sand Martin Riparia riparia few in mountains not too high up
-39. Euras. Crag Martin Hirundo rupestris few in mountains not too high up
-40. Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica abun. all alt. exc. for highest level
-41. Red-rumped Swallow Hirundo daurica abun. esp. in mountain valleys
-42. Com. House Martin Delichon urbica abun. near houses
-43. Water Pipit Anthus spinoletta 1 alpine meadow at 2000 m alt.
-44. White Wagtail Motacilla alba alba fairly com. near rivers and house
-45. Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea fairly com. at rivers not too high up
-46. White-thr. Dipper Cinclus cinclus fairly com. at rivers not too high up
-47. European Robin Erithacus rubecula fairly com. in forests not too high up
-48. Common Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos abun. in scrub areas not too high
-49. Whinchat Saxicola rubetra 1 male Kraniá, alpine meadow 2000 m
-50. Common Stonechat Saxicola torquata 1 pair meadow near Melia
-51. Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe abun. on highest alpine meadows
-52. Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius 1 male coastal cliff near Pargá
-53. Common Blackbird Turdus merula common not nearest sea level.
-54. Mistle Thrush Turdus visc. common forests high level
-55. Cetti's Warbler Cettia cettia fairly com. wet scrub and reed
-56. Zitting Cisticola Cisticola juncidis few at sea level
-57. Great Reed Warbler Acroceph. arund. fairly com. coastal marshes
-58. Olivaceus Warbler Hippolais pallida >5 Aqu. Nikolas and Igoumenitsa
-59. Subalpine Warbler Sylvia cantillans fairly com. in mountain valleys
-60. Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla fairly com. in forests not at sea level.
-61. Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collyb. fairly com. forests high altitude.
-62. Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata few forests high level
-63. Sombre Tit Parus lugubris 1? heard near Nidri
-64. Marsh Tit Parus palustris 1 heard near Melia
-65. Crested Tit Parus cristatus fairly com. in pine forests near Melia
-66. Blue Tit Parus caeruleus common not at highest levels
-67. Great Tit Parus major common all sorts of habitat
-68. Coal Tit Parus ater few high alt. forest near Kraniá
-69. Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus >10 river valley NW Melia
-70. West. Rock Nuthatch Sitta neumayer 1 pair at nest in ravine Nidri
-71. Short-toe. Treecreeper Certhia brachyd. 1? heard once Nidri
-72. Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio common in scrub at rel. high alt.
-73. Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor 1 pair breeding? near Grévena
-74. Woodchat Shrike Lanius senator 1 scrub near Grévena
-75. Euras. Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus 1 male just arrived singing Melia
-76. Eurasian Jay Garrulus glandarius fairly com. in forests not at sea level
-77. Common Magpie Pica pica fairly com. at lower levels
-78. Western Jackdaw Corvus monedula common nesting all bridges
-79. Common Raven Corvus corax 1 pair alpine forest near Melia
-80. Hooded Crow Corvus c. cornix common not highest levels
-81. House Sparrow Passer domesticus common not at highest alt.
-82. Spanish Sparrow Passer hispaniolensis several in mountain villages
-83. Common Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs common in forests not sea level
-84. European Serin Serinus serinus sev. few in forests/ big flock alpine mead.
-85. Eur. Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis abun. spread everywhere
-86. Common Linnet Carduelis cannabina fairly com. meadows high alt.
-87. Common Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrina 1 male heard near Kraniá
-88. Eurasian Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula 1 heard in forest near Melia
-89. Cirl Bunting Emberiza cirlus fairly com. yards farm areas not sea
-90. Ortolan Bunting Emberiza hortulana few on meadows fairly high alt.
-91. Black-headed Bunting Emb. melanocephala common near sea level
-92. Corn Bunting Miliaria calandra fairly com. at all altitudes
Triturus alpestris >15 one loc. in pine for. high alt. near Melia Bombina variegata common in small waterholes and ditches in forest near Melia Bufo bufo several in mountains Bufo viridis 1 hiding under a stone near a brook alpine meadow Hyla arborea 1? heard near Nidri Rana dalmatina abundant not at sea level Rana graeca common not at sea level Rana ridibunda abundant all levels Testudo hermanni >100 seen during the week not at sea level Mauremys caspica >100 in a stream in Nidri Lacerta agilis 1 male Nidri Lacerta viridis fairly common not at highest levels Lacerta graeca several forests along rivers Podarcis erhardii abundant forests along rivers Coluber gemonensis 1 on road in Nidri killed by car Coluber najadum 1 in ravine of Nidri Natrix natrix several along rivers in forests Vipera ammodytes 1 on road near Nidri killed by car
Hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus common many killed on roads
Bats? Chiroptera ?? everywhere
Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus 1 pres. domestic
Euras. Squirrel Sciurus vulgaris 1 very black near Ioaninna
Water Vole? Arvicola terrestris? common on alpine meadows
Mustela putoris/Mustela eversmanni 1 killed and flattened on road
near Melia in mountains