Showing posts with label news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label news. Show all posts

2012 bird news, web updates, logs and more


As in recent years I will post daily updates of what is seen across the island each evening here on the Lesvos Birding website. I know many staying on the island, and those due to come out, find these updates both interesting and very useful. My own daily web updates from the island will commence on 21 Apr through to 18 May. See Lesvos Birding website below. As ever I rely heavily on people passing on their own sightings to produce the daily summaries. I aim to have the website updated between 11-12pm each evening (local time). If you are on the island earlier or later than me, then I need your records all the more! I and other birders are often around the Hotel Pasiphae bar most evenings from around 10-10.30pm to c.11.30pm for a drink and chat. Failing that I can usually be found at the Dionysos taverna in Skala Kallonis between 8-10pm. Last year quite a lot of folk contributed to these updates. If you're on the island then you can provide your own records of more interesting sightings as follows - 

LESVOS BIRDING LOGS 

Hotel Pasiphae, Skala Kallonis
This remains the main birding log on the island and anyone can call into the hotel to read/record their sightings and maybe enjoy a drink too! Please inc. your name and email address or mobile number on at least one of your entries in order for me to contact you if I need to.

Taverna Dionysos, Skala Kallonis
This year there will be a new Lesvos Birding log in at the Taverna Dionysos on the harbour front in Skala.   

Other logs
There are other logs at other hotels but I don’t get to see those so I don’t know what is in them! If you see anything of note you think is known about, then please share it in the main logs or by informing me direct (see below).  

SMS/TEXT 
Text me your daily summary on +44 (0) 7 767 787 287. Please inc. your name at the end of the message. Species, numbers, location is really all that is needed. Times for really rare species (e.g. time of a flyover rare raptor helps to track birds across the island) might be useful (please no calls unless absolutely necessary - this just costs me a fortune!).

Cost prevents me from sending out daily SMS updates to everyone, but if you do send me any news I will add you to the Lesvos Mega Bird Alert SMS service in the event of anything really major being found and twitchable.  

TWEETS
Despite setting up @lesvosbirding on Twitter last year, Greece remains one of the countries which does not support all Twitter functions. We won’t be able to exchange two-way tweets between one another in real time during the day.   

If you still want to send @lesvosbirding a tweet you can. Please read this Twitter article and set up your mobile phone for one-way tweeting to pass on your news.   I'll be updating late evening, so anything arriving in my inbox by 9pm local time will be used.   
  
FACEBOOK 
I'll do a daily sightings post to the Lesvos Birders page each evening when I do the website update and send out the daily tweet.

EMAIL
You can email me your sightings. I'll be updating late evening, so anything arriving in my inbox by 9pm local time will be used. 
WHAT INFO SHOULD YOU INCLUDE?
Records of all the scarcer and rare species (see checklist), movements of any raptors or herons, large numbers of crakes, large falls of commoner species, etc. are all wanted. Updates on breeding activity of Krupers Nuthatch are also helpful.

Submitting your records for the annual bird report when you've returned home
I know many people keep their own database of records. If you are able to export to an Excel file, then I'm happy to receive any records you want to pass on for inclusion in the Lesvos annual bird report. For further details see here.
LESVOS BIRDING WEB UPDATES 
I will be posting daily daily web updates from 21 Apr through to 18 May. I aim to have the website updated between 11-12pm each evening (local time). Any SMS/TXT messages, tweets or emails received by 10pm will be added to the web update and the Hotel Pasiphae log book.

If you have web access in your hotel/apartment then you will be able to access the Lesvos Birding site as normal.

Lesvos Birding - your morning paper!
Why not ask your hotelier to print off each evenings update for you to read over breakfast each morning. And don’t forget to leave it at the hotel reception for others to enjoy.

Some hoteliers started doing this last year, so don’t be afraid to ask, especially if there are other birders in the hotel.

I run the website and updates for those on the island so I like to know the info is being used and exchanged.

Back to homepage.

January 2011 - bird news

Resident birders Eleni Galinou and Terry Robinson continue to be out and about their respective local areas of Kalloni (EG) and Skala Polichnitou (TR) areas (the more interesting records in CAPS).

Updated 31/01/11

Ruddy Shelduck - max. 143 Kalloni Saltpans 03/01: also seen at Mesa Wetlands, Polichnitos Saltpans and Alikoudi Pool
Pintail - 1 Polichnitos Saltpans 13/01
Wigeon - 220 Kalloni Saltpans 03/01
Mallard - Vouvaris River 01/01
Shoveler - Kalloni Saltpans 03/01 and Vouvaris River 01/01
Red-breasted Merganser - up to 3 Gulf of Kalloni off Vouvaris River mouth, Tsiknias River mouth and Skala Vasilikon to 21/01
Black-throated Diver - 1 Gulf of Kalloni off Vouvaris River mouth 01/01
Yelkouan Shearwater - 1 Gulf of Kalloni off Polichnitos Saltpans 10/01
Great Crested Grebe - Gulf of Kalloni up to 203 off Polichnitos Saltpans 21/01
Black-necked Grebe - Gulf of Kalloni off Tsiknias River mouth, Vouvaris River mouth, Polichntiso Saltpans. Max. 9 off Tsinias River mouth 08/01
Greater Flamingo - upto 1765 at Kalloni Saltpans (03/01) and 287 at Polichnitos Saltpans (03/01)
Black Stork - 2-3 Tsiknias River and Kalloni Saltpans area and one Polichnitos Saltpans
GREAT BITTERN - 1 Parakila Marsh 17/01
Great White Egret - Kalloni Saltpans max. 32 (03/01) and Polichnitos Saltpans max. 24 (30/01)
DALMATIAN PELICAN - 3 present at Kalloni Saltpans to 03/01
PYGMY CORMORANT - 1 Mesa Wetlands 01/01
Long-legged Buzzard - 1 Polichnitos Saltpans area
Marsh Harrier - 1 Kalloni Saltpans 03/01 and 1 Polichnitos Saltpans 05/01
Hen Harrier - up to 3 Polichnitos Saltpans and 1 Kalloni Saltpans
Peregrine - 1 Polichnitos Saltpans 06/01
Water Rail - 1 Tsiknias River 02/01
Avocet - up to 450 Kalloni Saltpans and 2 Polichnitos Saltpans
Grey Plover - 1-2 at Kalloni Saltpans Polichnitos Saltpans
Green Sandpiper - 1 Tsiknias River
Little Stint - Polichnitos Saltpans max. 39 (11/01) and also seen at Kalloni Saltpans, Tsiknias River and Mesa Wetlands
Dunlin - up to 109 Polichnitos Saltpans and also present at Kalloni Saltpans and Tsiknias River
SLENDER-BILLED GULL - 1 (presumed same) Mesa Wetlands, Tsiknias River, Polichnitos Saltpans throughout the month
Mediterranean Gull - 1 Tsiknias River mouth 25/01
Sandwich Tern - present at Tsiknias River mouth - Kalloni Saltpans area, Polichnitos Saltpans
Blackcap - up to 5 Skala Polichnitou throughout month
Sardinian Warbler - present at Polichnitos Saltpans, Kalloni Saltpans, Tsiknias River and Metochi Lake
Black Redstart - present at Polichnitos Saltpans, Skala Kalloni, Kallonis Saltpans and Tsiknias River