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The Rufous Scrub Robin, at least this is the current iteration, is a small chat which favours hot and dry habitats with dense scrubby bushes. Originally known as a Rufous Bush Chat, then Rufous Bush Robin and now known as the above. They usually arrive on Lesvos in May and immediately take up territory.
This one particular bird took am obvious fancy, for whatever reasons, to an old derelict building and if you waited in your vehicle it would come and perch in various positions and sing for a mate. One of its favourite perches was a rusty old chain link fence - don't try to think why, it defies logic.
I waited one morning in my vehicle, it was quiet and sure enough here it comes to its favoured perch. It wasn't the most photogenic situation but it gave very good views in a nice light.







Sometimes birds do strange things.

Another bird that can be found across the island of Lesvos. They can be difficult to see or alternatively they will stand out in the open. They are undoubtably less difficult to see than the Purple Heron. Nevertheless they can also blend in with the foliage, and this bird was in roughly the same area as the Purple Heron. They are a great deal smaller of course, which is an advantage, and so they can be easily missed.

In Lesvos if you have the time and sit quietly by a water course, sooner or later something will appear, and that's just what happened when this juvenile Night Heron came out of the undergrowth looking for food, particularly froglets, which were in abundance in this small stream.



These birds are quite spooky - but with patience...

These birds are very arboreal, they can be heard infrequently but they are usually difficult to see well and this proved to be the case.
We had one occasion when we could see six birds flying into a tree and sometimes perching out. They were always distant but just seeing them is a bonus.

A secretive and very wary bird, the Purple Heron hides in undergrowth near water feeding unobtrusively. If caught out in the open they will fly away immediately if that is their best option, however, if they are found in a situation that they think compromises their safety by flying, their next course of action is to freeze and remain motionless relying on their natural camouflage.
Early one morning we were driving past a local lake and we saw a bird standing on a steep banking alongside a water filled ditch. I slowed the car right down and as described above it froze solid because we were only twenty feet away, it was too close to us for it to fly up and away - it was just too big.
It stood there intently staring at us as I poked my little zoon lens out of the car window, but it remained perfectly still. I took a few shots and drove on - the closest encounter with a Purple Heron by far.
As we were parking up we met a man who was staying at our hotel and he was trying to take images of wildlife and by his own admission he was a beginner. Nothing wrong with that we all had to start somewhere. I don't mind helping people out so I gave him details exactly where the Purple Heron was located.
He left his car and walked along the track. later on I asked him if he had any luck, he hadn't. He told me he must have walked right past the bird because when he looked back after walking along said track he could now see the bird, but after turning around and trying to walk back nearer, it flew away.



A combination of not looking closely enough and the bird's natural camouflage.

These charismatic birds don't dive into water for food like the 'White Terns' instead they not only skim over water for their food but fly over fields hunting for insets etc. They can appear seemingly out of nowhere sometimes in quite large flocks, and then disappear just as quickly.



They are hauntingly beautiful in appearance and so delicate in flight.

In a previous blog I outlined my purchase of a Canon R6 Mk2 as a backup camera to my Canon R5. I don’t spend money unless I do the research and I’m very pleased to say it performed beyond expectations, especially for birds in flight. I never thought it would be able to track extremely fast moving birds. However, that theory was dispelled when one afternoon while we were standing on an old stone bridge looking out over a small river outlet, something literally ‘Zoomed’ very low over our heads from behind and then another and another etc. All we heard was the faint whistle of their wings and then it became apparent – Alpine Swifts, these are proper speed merchants and would be the ultimate test for birds in flight photography.



I was really taken aback when the Canon R6 Mk2 that I had coupled with the Canon RF 100-500 zoom lens started to lock onto these aerial acrobats, it was amazing to witness.



Once focus was acquired if I could keep up with the flight of these birds then shots could be achieved!! If anyone is in doubt about buying this small lightweight camera (for birds in flight in particular) then don’t be - it is superb.


Alpine Swift.

Susan and I have just arrived back from a three week birding trip to the northern Aegean island of Lesvos. Spectacular falls of birds occurred during our time there, in particular Red-footed Falcons, European Rollers and Purple Herons.
Things will take a bit longer this time because I have had to finally admit that my current PC cannot cope with the sheer volume and size of the files that modern 'Mirrorless' cameras produce, so as I type a new high powered machine dedicated to processing photographs is being built for me and should be ready sometime next week.


European Bee Eater.

Every image from the trip was shot 'Handheld' with a Canon Rf 100-500 lens.

After posting the reasons for purchasing this camera and what I intended to use it for, mainly a back-up camera, to say I'm pleased is an understatement. It's always a nervous time when you get to finally put a camera through its paces, but it has passed with flying colours. Prior to visiting Lesvos this year I wondered about the camera's tracking capabilities but I needn't have done. I have posted some images of difficult birds I have photographed to support this, it's no good just theorizing about these things you have to have images to back these theories up.
The other main concern was about whether or not the media cards and the camera's buffer memory would be able to cope with fast shooting e.g. sustained twenty frames per second bursts. I can now confirm that I never hit the Camera's buffer limit and also the cards read and wrote the data without any hiatus in my shooting.
For everyday wildlife photography I can't see any problems in the above mentioned areas and everyday photography is what the majority of people, me included, do.
Bee Eaters are fast moving and erratic birds in flight and one afternoon I just sat in my vehicle near to where these lovely birds were hunting insects. They were flying from all directions and angles but I was still able to get them in flight a number of times. If I was precise I tracked them for three or four seconds at twenty fps before they went out of view and this was no problem for this camera. The media cards also read and wrote the data in a few seconds.


European Bee Eater.

Spotted Redshanks are one of my favourite waders and unfortunately I rarely get to see them in summer plumage because they don't breed in the UK. In Lesvos you do get opportunities to see certain waders in summer plumage Curlew Sandpiper and Little Stint etc.
Photographic opportunities for Spotted Redshanks are a great deal more infrequent so when two dropped in for a couple of days I had to try and photograph them, they really are rather lovely.

One of my favourite birds on the island of Lesvos, where they inhabit areas containing water. These lovely gentle birds spend their time there wading around looking for frogs etc. They are very shy and we surprised this bird near the confluence of two streams in a beautiful and remote setting near an old monastery, and like the people who previously lived there, they like peace and quiet, and fortunately for us as it wheeled up and flew away it came quite close. Their beautiful colouration isn't perceived at distance, they just look black, but up close........



Shot with a Canon R6 mk2 and a Canon EF 70-200 f4 lens.

You don't always need a big lens to get a shot!

The Lesser Grey Shrike is one of the four shrikes that can be seen on the island of Lesvos. They are the least numerous of the four and without doubt the most difficult to photograph. They are very easily spooked and are highly unapproachable.
My second statement was exemplified with no birds seen in the first week. I was beginning to think we would miss seeing them altogether which would have been disappointing to say the least. I try and photograph all four shrikes went I’m on the island.
However, one early morning we had travelled over to the west and having stopped the car with the intention of walking along the road checking the trees and bushes for migrants, which can be very rewarding there, there was a Lesser Grey Shrike perched right out in the open, sometimes you can’t make it up. I stayed at the car, it’s no good trying to approach these birds they will fly off immediately. I fired off a few shots and I could see I had some reasonable images. We started to walk and off it flew and disappeared as usual but at least I had something.

One bird that is difficult to get close to is the Great Spotted Cuckoo. This applies to any country they inhabit, they exhibit typical Cuckoo behaviour, and they are intelligent, street-wise and crafty. You have to watch their behaviour and be patient in the extreme.
Susan and I were at a location known for small numbers of these birds but nothing was showing or calling and after an hour we were going to leave, but I said ‘Let’s have a cup of coffee before we go’ We always carry a little travel flask of coffee it’s so convenient. As we were sat there suddenly I saw something out of the the corner of my eye flying from a small bush. Remarkably it was a Great Spotted Cuckoo – the crafty so and so had been there all the time we were there!!
It flew into the bottom of another small bush and just stayed there for ten minutes, but we now knew it was there. However, it started to move and then dropped to the ground no doubt to catch a caterpillar or some sort of insect. Then it started to make its way up to the top of the bush and we could now see it in plain view, what a chance to shoot it. These are elusive birds and opportunities like this don’t come around too often.

I knew they did it but I have never seen it because I have never been able to freeze the action before.



A Common Swift asleep on the wing.

Canon R6 Mk2 / Canon Rf 100/500 - 3200/sec.

Bird watching and photographic opportunities on Lesvos are many and varied and I can understand why people go there every year. I try when possible not to do that because anywhere can become stale irrespective of its wildlife. Lesvos has become more popular than ever in the last few years, especially with tour companies, and I personally think it's diluting the allure of the island as big groups of people are inevitably noisy and intrusive.
I remember well one day on the Kalloni Saltpans road where a few people were watching and photographing a very nice selection of waders up close from the confines of their vehicle when this white minibus screeched to a halt as the driver could see the birds we were watching. The sliding door was noisily slung open and this 'Oaf' jumped out brandishing a large 'White Lens' and immediately entirely spooked the waders, he might have had a large lens but he had no fieldcraft or regard for other people whatsoever and I suppose looking back this was a sign of things to come.
However, if you know the geography of the island it's still quite easy to have a very quiet day away from people. This may seem selfish but in reality if you want to see and photograph wildlife 'anywhere' it's best to be on your own. I accept everybody has a right to look at wildlife but unequivocally twenty people e.g. are far more intrusive than one or two.
At the airport you can see these buses dropping off one group and then immediately loading the next group on, it's almost like a shuttle service.
The logistics of this tour company bird watching is horrible as well, you may be stuck in the back of a mini bus with no outlook for an hour or so as you are ferried from one 'Hotspot' to another. We witnessed a convoy of five of these buses in a line driving to the latest birding location and it's really off-putting. There's no freedom of choice for the individual and these companies also charge the earth, up to £2300 for a week's guided birding!!
For the last few years now a 'WhatsApp' group has been operating during the main birding weeks and you can see these 'tour leaders' with their bus loads of people lurching from one location to another based on these WhatsApp posts. This group then has the obvious number of opinionated people who criticise other members, and the groups moderators are also telling members what or where they cannot do or go.
We have been members previously for a short time, just perusing the App and not really reacting to any info and it is quite amusing to see the antics of some members. In addition, as with other social media groups you get the inevitable arguing, back biting, sarcasm and veiled insults etc.
Alternatively we have been enjoying driving around the island on and off for over twenty years, just finding our own birds and we much prefer that. If we find something worthwhile we will always tell people e.g. when I found a White Throated Robin in the Meladia Valley in 2023 I told as many people as I could, but highlighting birds that are in good numbers, like Bee Eaters is pointless, these Apps discourage people from finding their own birds.
When Richard Brooks pioneered birding in Lesvos after first visiting the island in 1991 it must have been so quiet, and he basically must have had the island's birds to himself.
Richard is a rather blunt character and he has undoubtedly upset many people, personally I don't mind him, once you understand that he has difficulty suppressing his feelings (It's called, 'saying it like it is') which has become unacceptable these days, bordering on being illegal even, and you then speak the same way to him then everything is fine. Undoubtably though, without his insight and forethought birding on Lesvos wouldn't be what it is today - good or bad.

Long-eared Owls are difficult birds to find in the UK, which is pretty much accepted. They are crepuscular and nocturnal and during the day they roost in thickets and other dense cover. As a result of this I’m sure they are under - recorded thus making accurate population estimations difficult.
Their call is a single or double deep foghorn-like hoot and the young birds just make a single squeaky call like a gate hinge that needs oiling.
On Lesvos these owls favour Eucalyptus stands and Corsican Pine trees, they can also be found in Olive groves. However, all of these habitats are not easy when it comes to tracking them down in their day roosts.
Patience and careful examination of these trees is needed to find birds in exposed situations where a photograph is possible and having said that close approach is not acceptable because they are easily disturbed.
We were at a roosting site early one morning with no one else around thankfully, because there has been a big increase in bird tour companies on the island and if they are present then you are wasting your time. They are so noisy and intrusive – talking loudly, wearing light coloured clothes and pointing etc. which is not very good field craft. A fundamental principle of successful wildlife photography – KEEP QUIET!!

In about ten minutes we could see two chicks.



One chick is more advanced with many more flight feathers prominent.



After a bit more scrutiny we could see the adult female, she was never going to be far away keeping a watchful eye on the youngsters.



These are lovely birds, slighter in build than a Tawny Owl and with two prominent ear tufts (Not used for hearing) but from which they get their name.

Notice the birds orange eyes, this indicates they are crepuscular and nocturnal.

Owls with yellow eyes, such as the Short-eared Owl are diurnal.

The Hoopoe is an awkward bird to photograph well, yes you can sometimes see one probing soft earth and sand for grubs etc. but usually it’s a case of seeing one flying across a field usually away from you and then they frustratingly disappear. For such a distinctive bird they can be very difficult to locate even when hearing their obvious call.
In an olive grove nearby to where we were staying we kept seeing a bird flying back and fore from the grove across our line of view. Hoopoes love olive groves because they are generally quiet, there is space between the trees for them to dig around in the earth and the trees are perfect for nesting in because of the way they grow leaving gaps and crevices in their trunks.
I watched this particular bird for some time and finally I could see where it was going. It was flying into a newly threshed field where obviously various small insects and grubs etc. had been exposed by the threshing and were therefore easily foraged.
I waited in a convenient gap in the hedge hoping it would continue its behaviour, however, these birds are wary and suspicious so I wasn’t confident. I needn’t have worried though because it flew straight past me and down into the threshings finding food and then flying back to the grove.
I made myself ready for the next visit because there was very little time to catch it in flight - full stop. This was a small field and as the bird flew over the hedge into the field there was no time to react because you couldn’t tell when it was going to appear, one thing I was sure of was that it would return.
In it came again but once it landed in amongst the grass I couldn’t see it, but I knew roughly where it was, so this gave me a little time to react to get a flight shot. After it took off I had roughly three seconds before it flew over the hedge again, but the R6 MK2 locked onto it immediately. Using ‘Back button focus’ is perfect for a situation like this, you focus using a pre-selected button on the back of the camera and once the camera acquires focus on the subject you depress the shutter button conventionally. Three seconds is not much so I still had to be on the mark. Impressively it didn’t matter if the bird was above or below the skyline, the camera still achieved focus, my previous cameras struggled with subjects against cluttered backgrounds because the auto focus could become confused.





Satisfying to catch an awkward bird in flight.

Another bird that is painfully shy is the European Roller – they just won’t tolerate any form of approach. Driving through the remote and rough Meladia valley we could see a bird perched on overhead wires – this is typical behaviour for them, but it doesn’t make a good shot, you are always looking up and who wants a wire through your shot? – I don’t!
As the car approached the bird inevitably moved further on down the wires, it’s just the way it is with them. This time, however, there was a change of behaviour it landed in a small bush – maybe there was a chance of a shot!
We inched close until we were opposite and there was still no movement, I switched the engine off, this usually spooks them, but not this time. I opened the door as quietly as possible and skulked out of the car, keeping low. I knew I had to put my head over the parapet so to speak to get a shot and I thought that would be the final straw, but it wasn’t, it was tolerating me – very unusual indeed. I fired off a couple of shots and I got it before it did indeed fly off, never to be seen again.
The most tolerant Roller I've encountered.

As I mentioned previously a big fall of these magnificent birds occurred across the island and when they come in numbers it is a sight to behold – in one location 105 birds were reported, just amazing.
Travelling across a very rocky landscape in the west of the island we could see about twenty birds in the distance flying around. We though they were Barn Swallows, until we got closer and could see they were falcons. These birds are just so beautiful, we quickly stopped the car and jumped out before they decided to move on – what a bird they are.
Once again the Canon R6 Mk2 locked onto them and allowed me to get some action shots as they ‘Hawked’ for flying insects.


Males.






Female.


Male

Migrant birds are now starting to come into the Brecon Beacons. Early visitors like Chiffchaffs and Sand Martins have been here for a couple of weeks, Blackcaps and now Willow Warblers are singing. Barn Swallows are also here in small numbers and a Cuckoo was reported singing this week- nice and early.
After an unusual spell of glorious spring weather which has lasted for a couple of weeks I decided to walk up onto the high ‘Beacons’ to see if any Ring Ouzels had arrived, the weather has been perfect for birds to migrate on light winds and warm air. As I made my way up the mountain very early, with no one around, (just as I like it), the usual Stonechats appeared and a couple of Barn Swallows flew overhead, a Peregrine Falcon called from on high but I didn’t see it, but reliably Ravens played on the light breeze.
After reaching the valley top and walking along the ridge to where I usually see Ring Ouzels, (although never guaranteed), I could hear nothing, which was disappointing. I carried on for a hundred yards and I could see a single male Northern Wheatear which sadly disappeared quickly. A little further on I saw a bird in a very small pool in amongst the rough grass and amazingly I could see it was a Ring Ouzel bathing. How this very small and shallow pool had retained water during this exceptionally dry spell intrigued me somewhat, but nevertheless there it was. Unfortunately after seeing me the Ouzel flew off and quickly disappeared, but at least I knew there was one bird around.
I settled down on my favourite spot in the heather overlooking a large gulley and poured a cup of coffee and opened up my pack of sandwiches, which were very welcome because I hadn’t eaten anything since the previous day. The only sound was a pair of Skylarks singing as they hovered above me on the warm air currents, and as I sat there, in repose, on the soft springy heather on a glorious spring morning with all sound from the outside world removed, I began to realise how lucky I was to be able to do this. Normally I have to put on another layer at this point but the weather was so warm it really was quite remarkable.
A minute or so later I could hear a soft ‘Chuck Chuck’ the contact call of a Ring Ouzel. I put my coffee down and got my camera ready and yes there it was in a small Whitebeam tree which hung precariously to the steep cliffs on the side of the gulley. It wasn’t close but I could see through my binoculars that it was the same bird I had seen bathing because it was still wet.



I took a few shots before it flew off again and disappeared. I spent a very pleasant hour at this location, however, the Ouzel didn’t return, and I neither saw nor heard any other Ouzels which was puzzling given the perfect weather on the day and over the previous two weeks. I hope more will arrive and this is not a sign of a bad summer for these lovely but fragile birds.