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LESVOS
....the Island of Sappho
....the tenth muse
Birdwatching - Birding Report 2002
Dirk Demey & Karen Op de Beek of Belgium
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Birdwatching Report at Vatera – Lesvos
From
29.04.02 – 13.05.02
By Demey & Karen Op de Beek of Belgium
(Click
Here to Download Dirk Demey & Karen's Bird List) (99kb)
 We
visited Vatera – Lesvos for the first time with our young
family and a friend and stayed at comfortable and homely
apartments . We were pleasantly surprised of what we found and
are happy to provide our observations and experiences in
Vatera and the surrounding area.
We have sectioned our observations in this report, hoping that
they will contribute to the better appreciation of Vatera by
potential seekers of eco-tourism and at the same time give the
local people the facts and arguments necessary for its
conservation as a nature sanctuary.
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General description of the “Key points” of the area
(Polychnitos, Vrissa, Vatera and surroundings.
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Comprehensive bird list and to the extend of possibility
also on mammals, butterflies and flowers
General description of the “Key points” of the area
(Polychnitos, Vrissa, Vatera and surroundings).
VATERA
The southern tip of Vatera on the island of Lesvos benefits
from some unique advantages, which favour an interesting
nature life:
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It is ideally situated for bird migration coming in from
Africa and Turkey due to its southern location on the
island.
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Having a protruding point into the sea, the cape of Agios
Focas, which naturally attracts a lot of migratory birds.
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Having a gentle bay with calm water and a long fairly
unspoiled beach.
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The presence of a river with reed swamps and a little marsh
at its mouth.
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Attractive and wild hillside at the back, inland side
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Fairly limited construction along the beach
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Great diversity of landscapes due to still maintained “
extensive farming” practises
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Large areas of “extensively maintained” olive groves.
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Good walking trails through the hills and olive groves.
POLYCHNITOS
The strongest points of Polychnitos are:
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The presence of The Polychnitos Salt Pans, attracting a lot
of shore birds during migration period.
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The unspoiled south point of the peninsula at the mouth of
the Kalloni Bay
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The presence of an inhabited stork’s nest at the centre of
town, and this at the top of the chimney of the old olive
press
Comprehensive
bird list (also mammals, butterflies and flowers)
This
list mentions all the bird species observed during our stay at
Vatera. It can be stated without any exaggeration, that this
list is very impressive and underlines the inherent potential
of Vatera and surrounding area as a site for eco-tourism.
During our 14 days stay, we have recorded over 80 different
species of birds in Vatera. Add to this list the birds seen at
Polychnitos Salt Pans and the complete list gets close to 100
different bird species.
This unambiguously demonstrates that the so far prevailing
assumptions on the rather poor wildlife of the area are
manifestly wrong. The list indicated birds observed at Vatera
and Polychnitos and the indication that some of them may be
breeding species. Rare birds are recorded in italics with date
of sight.
By Dirk Demey & Karen Op de Beek of Belgium
Birding Report 2002 -
Mike &
Celia Quinn
Aberystwith, Wales
- Bird Watching Report at
Vatera -
Lesvos
09.05.02 - 23.05.02
By Mike
& Celia Quinn
Aberystwith, Wales
4Bird
List recorded during our stay in Vatera – Lesvos
By
Mike
& Celia Quinn
Aberystwith, Wales
(Click Here to Download Mike & Celia's Bird List)(113kb)
 This
was our second stay in Vatera – Lesvos at Madonna Studios,
which we booked directly with the owners through their web
site
www.vatera-lesvos.co.uk (Our first birdwatching trip to
Vatera was booked in 1997 with Manos Holidays, who no longer
do packages to Lesvos). Both our stays were enjoyable and very
rewarding as we were treated with respect, had a relaxing time
doing something we enjoy and the weather was kind to us.
This time around we found the area little changed, very
relaxing and the local people most welcoming. The bird
migration period is quite short and we feel it is really all
over for the most part by the middle of May. We feel that the
peak time is the last week in April and the first week in May.
The area is very suitable for the future development of Eco –
Tourism, (Spring & Autumn) promotion of “Birding Holidays” and
Environmental Preservation as at the moment is virtually
unspoiled. The two most valuable assets of the area are the
two rivers: Almyropotamos to the West and Vourkos to the East
of Vatera. For the full preservation and development of these
two rivers, advice from the British R.S.P.B. would be helpful,
as well as how best to improve the habitat for the birds at
migration time.
We felt very strongly that a leaflet/map of the area
indicating the location of the main birdwatching sites, (and
countryside walks), should help greatly the independent
visiting birdwatchers, especially since sadly for some
inexplicable reason the area seems to be largely unknown to
the birders who visit Lesvos each year. We advised the very
accommodating owners of Madonna Studios to make sure this is
available, as well as a reasonably sized blackboard or a book
for the birdwatchers to list latest sightings and other
relevant information as it occurs.
Our birdwatching report classifies the species we observed
into three groups:
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Observed from the Madonna Studios balconies
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Observed in Vatera and surrounding area
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Observed elsewhere on the Island
It should be noted that “Vatera & surrounding area “ includes
Polychnitos, Skala Polychnitos & Salt Pans, Vrissa and Stavros.
By Mike & Celia Quinn
Aberystwyth, Wales
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