Gadwall, Avocets and winter snow

Gadwall, Polichntios Saltpans, 25 January 2010 © Terry Robinson

Worsening winter weather, with snow on the hills and night-time temps down to -9C, has delivered some wildfowl to Polichnitos Saltpans including these four Gadwall on 25 Jan, only the fourth record for the island!

Snow on the hills of Petoni (between Parakila and Agra) viewed from across the Gulf of Kalloni at Skala Polichnitou © Terry Robinson

Avocets feeding in the middle of the Gulf of Kalloni viewed from Polichnitos Saltpans © Terry Robinson

Terry also reports lots of Skylarks around, this flock of Avocets (above) off Skala Polichnitou and regular Hen Harrier sightings the last few days around Polichnitos Saltpans. On 27 Jan counts of 2 Wigeon, 13 Teal, 81 Shelduck (record site count), 4 Black Storks, 1 Common Snipe, 300+ Skylarks and 7 Reed Buntings.

Lesvos on the BBC

In the 4th century BC the Greek philosopher Aristotle travelled to Lesvos and witnessed how it was teeming, then as now, with wildlife. His fascination with what he found there, and his painstaking study of it, led to the birth of a new science - biology. Professor Armand Leroi follows in Aristotle's footsteps to discover the creatures, places and ideas that inspired the philosopher in his pioneering work.

The programme is largely filmed on Lesvos and provides some great landscape images and some good wildlife footage.

Available on the BBC iPlayer here until 9.59pm, Sunday 24 Jan 2010.

Happy New Year - with a bang!

1 January 2010

Terry Robinson celebrated his birthday and the new year with not only an island tick, but only the second, and first wholly confirmed, record of Common Goldeneye (above) for Lesvos! This male was present in the Gulf of Kalloni off Kofinas. The only other record is of three reported off Achladeri in April 1986 (Brooks 1998) but their are unconfirmed reports of up t0 100 birds seen in the Gulf in winter.