A trip to the Greek capital Athens and the island of Kythira yielded some good times, lovely views, lots of laughs with new(ish) friends, and sightings of quite a few species of bird, invertebrates and plantlife we’d not all “ticked” before. Here are a few snaps of the various species:
Scarce SwallowtailMarginated TortoiseDark Bush Cricket, Pholidoptera griseoapteraStriped Shieldbug, Graphosoma lineatumEgyptian Grasshopper, Anacridium aegyptium with its striped eyes on mulleinLesser Kestrel, Falco naumanniGrayling on Sea SquillBlue-winged-Grasshopper, Oedipoda caerulescensEuropean Skipper, Thymelicus lineolaOriental Hornet, Vespa orientalisEuropean “Preying” Mantis, Mantis religiosa (juvenile)
Common Raven, Corvus corax
Western Marsh Harrier, Circus aeruginosus
Long-tailed Blue, or Pea Blue, Lampides boeticusEuropean Bee eater, Merops apiaster, on a feeding break during migratory passageFemale Sardinian warbler, Sylvia melanocephalaMale Sardinian warbler, Sylvia melanocephalaBlue Rock Thrush, Monticola solitarius (an old-world flycatcher, not Turdidae)Grayling, Hipparchia semeleSea daffodil, Pancratium maritimum, Aghios Nikolaos bay, below Moudari LighthouseTamarisk, or Salt Cedar, over The Aegean Sea, KythiraHummingbird hawk-moth, Macroglossum stellatarumSouthern Meadow Brown, Maniola jurtina janiraPristine Swallowtail on Bourgainvillea in MylopotamosMediterranean Speckled Wood, Pararge aegeria sp., MylopotamosLarge White, Pieris brassicae, along the river in MylopotamosMastikha, Pistacia lentiscus, plant on which Sardinian Warbler thrivesFemale Praying Mantis joins our yoga class on KytheraYellow-legged Gull, Larus michahellis, one of only a couple of gulls we sawAfrican Monarch, Plain Tiger, African Queen, Danaus chrysippusToxic Drimia maritima, Sea Squill, Sea Onion, Maritime SquillCommon Buzzard, Buteo buteo, on the goat track between Karavas and Platia AmmosEleonora’s Falcon, Falco eleonorae, along the goat track, we had seen them beforeRed-rumped Swallow, Cecropis daurica, one of several flocks, of up to 20, migrating southSouthern Skimmer, Orthetrum brunneumDistant Black Stork, Ciconia nigraFemale Violet Carpenter Bee, Xylocopa violaceaMale Violet Carpenter Bee, Xylocopa violaceaTwo-tailed Pasha, aka the Foxy Emperor, Charaxes jasiusYellow Grecian flower of unknown IDBlackcap, Sylvia atricapilla, feeding in a fig tree, Green Chafer aboveSpotted flycatcher, Muscicapa striata, happy to be photographed by end of week.
Birds
Alpine Swift
Barn Swallow
Bee Eater
Black Stork
Blackbird
Blackcap
Blue Rock Thrush
Blue tit
Booted Eagle
Cetti’s Warbler
Collared Dove
Common Buzzard
Common sparrowhawk
Eleanora’s Falcon
Great tit
Grey
Western Marsh Harrier, Circus aeruginosus
