During the week we made two visits to the western side of the island, birding at a number of sites around the town of Sigri. This part of the island is a great birding destination as it is well-known as a migrant hotspot, so attracts many of the birders on the island. On 8 May we started by taking the road north from Sigri towards Faneromeni and soon saw a Pied Flycatcher in a tree by the road. Once in Faneromeni we explored the fields around the lower ford, soon seeing Black-headed Bunting, Rufous-tailed Bush Robin, Red-backed Shrike, Cirl Bunting and Woodchat Shrike.
It’s only a short walk from the lower ford down to the sea and on the beach we saw Ruddy Shelduck, while overhead there were Common and Alpine Swift. Nearby there were yet more Spotted Flycatchers.
On the way back to Skala Kallonis we stopped at a couple of well-known birding sites. We had good view of a Chukar and its young while driving along the road to the petrified forest. While on the road up to some wind turbines we had a Short-toed Eagle flying over. On the road we found a Balkan Whipsnake enjoying the heat.
We made our second visit to the Sigri area on 10 May, again starting by birding around Faneromeni. As on the previous visit, there were lots of Spotted Flycatchers, but we also had our first sighting for the trip of a Collared Flycatcher, with both the male and female being seen close to the Sigri lower ford.
We saw quite a few Eastern Black-eared Wheatear around collecting food and feeding their young.
Other birds we saw on this second visit included Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Red-backed Shrike, Great Tit, Blue Rock Thrush, Common Raven and Cirl Bunting. On the way back to Skala Kallonis we stopped at Perivoli Monastery and had good views of the Middle-spotted Woodpecker. We’ve found Perivoli to be one of the most reliable sites for this species on the island.
