A Waldridge Naturalist in Corfu - the last five days

10th May

Just a 10 minute check from the front this morning as we were going to Corfu town for the day.

Sidari

Yellow-legged Gull (7)

Collared Dove (2)

Common Swift (2)

House Martin (7)

Barn Swallow (6)

Red-rumped Swallow (8)

Golden Oriole (1) heard in its usual poplar clump

Cetti's Warbler (2) heard only

Sardinian Warbler (1) heard

House Sparrow (13)

Had a walk around Corfu town and then south to the Achillean Palace for a bit of culture. Back into town to watch the planes land at the airport and checked out the lagoon adjacent. Lake Halikiopoblos is now a nature reserve which is surprising considering it's that close to the runway with bird strikes being a possibility. Having said that there were very few birds around and nothing in the way of waterfowl. A nice female Marsh Harrier quartering the reeds and a raptor perched up on a small mound eventually revealed itself as a Common Buzzard.

Runway and Lake Halikiopoblos

 
 

Corfu Town & Lake Halikiopoblos

Grey Heron (8) all at Halikiopoblos

Little Egret (10) again all at Halikiopoblos

Marsh Harrier (1) a female quartering the reeds on the east side of  Halikiopoblos

Common Buzzard (1) perched on a mound at Halikiopoblos

Yellow-legged Gull (3)

Feral Pigeon (5)

Collared Dove (4)

Alpine Swift (4)

House Martin (6)

Barn Swallow (5)

Red-rumped Swallow (2)

White Wagtail (1)

Woodchat Shrike (1) on west side of Halikiopoblos

Blackbird (3)

Sardinian Warbler (1) singing male seen on west side of Halikiopoblos

Serin (2) at the Achillean Palace

House Sparrow (10)

Magpie (1)

Jay (2) two separate birds flew over as we walked around the town                    

I did very little research on the butterflies you get in Corfu, partl;ey because I knew I was past their peak period. What I hadn't appreciated was that many of them are the same common  species you see in the UK. I saw for example, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Large White, Painted Lady,  Common Blue and Small Heath.  Also, Corfu butterflies are on the wing early in the day, oftern before breaskfast,  presumably due to the heat, and you are lucky if you see anything on the wing after late morning,

Amongst the few non-british butterflies seen were Southern Small White (Pieris mannii) and Southern White Admiral (Limenitis reducta)

Southern Small White (Pieris mannii)

Southern White Admiral (Limenitis reducta)

 

11th May

Didn't venture away from the apartment and the stream area with the weather changing now. There's was a significant NW breeze, a lot of cloud and a few specks of rain. Looking out of kitchen window first thing a few birds in the distance were perched up on some uppermost dead branches of a couple of cypress trees. Couldn't make them out but had my suspicions confirmed  when I took a photo zoomed up to 200x of one of them. A crappy photo but enough to confirm they were Common Bee-eaters.  A bit of a north movement today of swifts and bee-eaters. Four new birds for the trip today.

Sidari

Honey Buzzard (2) flew over north together

Common Buzzard (3) two soaring over the hillside again and a different bird flew north

Common Kestrel (2) the resident pair seen again

Common Kestrel

 

Eleneora's Falcon (1) while watching the Bee-eaters and swifts by the  stream a dark phase bird flew over my head going  south. It went under the feeding birds but just carried on.

Moorhen (1) despite several visits this is the first bird I have actually seen on the stream. 

Yellow-legged Gull (25)

Wryneck (1) Still singing down track.

Common Swift (93) many feeding by stream and all eventually moved off  north.

Alpine Swift (70) moving north throughout the day.

Common Bee-eater (15) a group of 5 spent most of the day hunting from tops of cypress trees to the east of the apartment. Also 3 flew north overhead calling and a flock of 7 were feeding with Swifts and hirundines by the stream.

A long way off Common Bee-eater

 

Hoopoe (1) while scanning the hillside from the patio I picked a bird  against the trees flying north.

Feral Pigeon (1) 1 flew over

Collared Dove (5)

House Martin (8)

Red-rumped Swallow (6)

Barn Swallow (37) most if not all flying north

Blue-headed Wagtail (1) a single bird flew over

Golden Oriole (3) one singing from the poplars and later a male followed by my first female flew past right in front of me nearby.

Common Cuckoo (1) a silent bird flew low from the north over the stream in front of me

Blackbird (2)

Woodchat Shrike (2) by the stream, probably the same two birds

Woodchat

Cetti's Warbler (5)

Eastern Olivaceous Warbler (4) spent a good while watching these. 3 were  singing males and managed to see them all quite well. Two birds, 1 singing, were in the scrub near the stream, like last time, 1 was singing higher up in a almond tree close to the road and the third male was in north side, in stream-side bushes closer to the bridge.

Sardinian Warbler (7) the usual birds

Fan-tailed Warbler (3)

Great Tit (3)

Greenfinch (2)

Goldfinch (5)

Serin (1) a male on wires on way to the stream

House Sparrow (18)

Magpie (4)

There's a small beach near the apartments which was rarely used as it was in the opposite direction of town. A few coastal plants here included the familiar Sea Holly (Eryngium maritimum) and also non -british species such as Sea Medick (Medicago marina)

Sea Medick (Medicago marina)

12th May

The morning was the environs around the apartment then we ventured out and walked to Canal de Amour again and into the woods beyond. Didn't check the stream area today. Fairly quiet today and overcast all day, with the sun just poking through as we ate.  Two new birds for the trip today,  a Eurasian Sparrow hawk soaring over the apartment early morning and two Tawny Pipits dropping in in the evening.

Dalmatian Wall Lizards (Podarcis melisellensis) are very common and I saw them on most days but especially today.

 

Dalmatian Wall Lizard (Podarcis melisellensis)

Sidari

Common Buzzard (2) 2 soaring over the wooded hill nearby again

Honey Buzzard (1) Another single bird north over the apartment

Eurasian Sparrow-hawk (1) a female over the apartment early morning  drifted off west

Yellow-legged Gull (19)

Alpine Swift (15) all north

Common Swift (93) counted moving north in the morning

Wryneck (1) presumably the same bird but singing 150 metres from its  previous position, now closer to the apartment and count be heard from the front of the apartment.

Collared Dove (8)

Tawny Pipit (2) Two birds flew over calling and dropped into the scrub late evening. Wasn't sure of their identity so walked into the area and saw one of them on the ground before I flushed both of them and they both flew off north calling

House Martin (122) Counted moving north in the morning

Sand Martin (1) a single bird flew over

Red-rumped Swallow (5)

Barn Swallow (6)

Woodchat (1) - one on TV Ariel  on a nearby apartment

Golden Oriole (1) Not heard today singing or even calling, perhaps  because it was overcast. I did see a male however fly out  of the poplars, circle around and fly back in.

Great Tit (1) heard 

Fan-tailed Warbler (3)  including what was probably a pair chasing each other over the area on many occasions today.

Cetti's Warbler (3) 1 seen, all heard. 

Sardinian Warbler (1) 

Sardinian Warbler

Eastern Olivaceous Warbler (1) A singing male in an overgrown garden in same tree as a Cetti's Warbler just inside the apartment complex. Pass this every day and never heard it before

Greenfinch (11) a flock of 8 flew over and 3 on wires and nearby bushes, 2 singing

House Sparrow (22)

Hooded Crow (2)

Magpie (3)

Woods NW of Canal de Amour

Yellow-legged Gull (4)

Alpine Swift (1)

House Martin (1)

Red-rumped Swallow (2)

Barn Swallow (6)

Blackbird (2) singing males

Cetti's Warbler (2) both singing males.

Eastern Olivaceous Warbler (3) all singing in Olive trees in the woods. One seen well but never still long enough to photograph

Sardinian Warbler (3) 2m ; 1f

Blue Tit (1)

Great Tit (1)

Greenfinch (2)

Goldfinch (2)

House Sparrow (20)

Hooded Crow (1)

Amongst the olive groves here were smal arable fields with familiar plants such as the Common Red Poppy (Papaver rhoeas), plants usually associated with gardens like Love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena)  and a good numbers of Loose-flowered Orchid (Orchis laxiflora)

Love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena)

Loose-flowered Orchid (Orchis laxiflora)

 

13th May

Penultimate day and went no further than the sun beds  (well bar actually) apart from a 30 minute walk along the stream and back in the afternoon. It looks like the Golden Orioles have stopped singing.

Sidari

Common Kestrel (2) - both male and female of the resident pair seen  today, the female seen carrying some some bird

Yellow-legged Gull (12)

Common Swift (10)

Common Bee-eater (2+) Heard several birds flying over north but could not see them.

Collared Dove (5)

House Martin (18)

Red-rumped Swallow (8)

Barn Swallow (11)

Golden Oriole (2) again not heard but a pair flew out of the poplars and  headed west.

Blackbird (1) singing male

Great Tit (3)

Cetti's Warbler (3) 1 seen briefly, all 3 heard

Sardinian Warbler (3) All singing males

Eastern Olivaceous Warbler (3) One at yesterday's site and 2 by the stream 

Greenfinch (2)

Goldfinch (5) Five birds together in a pine tree by the stream

Goldfinch This is a different race to both the British and the western  Europeann races. C. c. balcanica looks larger, dirtier and less brightly coloured

Serin (2) A pair on wires near the apartments 

House Sparrow (35)

Hooded Crow (1)

Magpie (3)

14th May

Last day, we leave early tomorrow back to Newcastle. Stayed around the apartment as the weather greatly improved compared to the last few days. For the first time no sight or sound of any Golden Orioles 

Sidari

Common Buzzard (1) soaring over the hillside again

Yellow-legged Gull (10)

Common Swift (10)

Common Bee-eater (2+) Heard several birds flying over north but could not see them.

Collared Dove (5)

Tawny Pipit (2) two birds flew over heading south. Suppose it's the same two birds as those on the 12th.

House Martin (12)

Red-rumped Swallow (9)

Barn Swallow (6)

Blackbird (1) saw my only female of the trip as it flew over the scrub

Blue Tit (1)

Fan-tailed Warbler (2)

Cetti's Warbler (3) heard only

Sardinian Warbler (1)

Eastern Olivaceous Warbler (2)  

Serin (1) The male on the same wires again

House Sparrow (22)

Hooded Crow (6) a flock of 5 birds flew over and joined the virtually  resident one behind the scrub. All 6 spent the day here chasing each other and the Magpies.

Magpie (3)

Well thats a quick run through my hols, back to the 1km square tomorrow