We chose Kos as a birding holiday destination not because it would provide many new birds for us (in the event there were none), but to get away from the 'zoo' that places such as Lesvos have become. There was rather scant information about the islands' avifauna on the internet, but enough to know what to expect, that is, rather similar to Lesvos in fact.
We based ourselves in Tigaki which is convenient for the saltpan (alikes) but which now is a nature reserve, and is one of only four areas of water we knew about (one of which we never did find !). A car was hired for the week (the salesperson was an Englishman from St. Neots !) which allowed exploration of the island.
The weather was, in the main, perfect for our needs. Daytime temperature maxima were mid-twenties, humidity was low, but the wind was generally from the north and on one day, at least, was very windy indeed gusting to 60 kph.
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Greater Flamingo
Tigaki Saltpan |
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Greater Flamingo
Tigaki Saltpan |
The lake is a few hundred metres in from the beach, and the turnover of migrants here became obvious as the week wore on. A Tree Pipit was flushed in the scrub on the seaward side of the lake.
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Tree Pipit
Tigaki Saltpan |
Driving in to the foothills of the Dikaios mountain range we stopped and soon heard a singing Cretzschmar's Bunting - a common enough bird in the appropriate habitat.
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Cretzschmar's Bunting |
Below, a rather dark
Long-legged Buzzard was chased away by a Hooded Crow - the latter being very common. These dark forms usually show a dark terminal band on the tail. This individual shows moult in progress and the tarsi are unfeathered.