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Bird Watching at Lesvos

The most important area for bird watching throughout the year is undoubtedly the Salt Lake of Agia Paraskevi, where even special observatory has been placed by the Municipality of Agia Paraskevi. This is something that shows automatically crowds of bird watchers gathered there. The area is flooded every year by wild geese, wild ducks, wild swans, herons, kingfisher, glossy ibis, avocets, pelicans, gulls, terns, Grebe, Gallinela Chloropus, Phalacrocoracidae, but also by pink flamingos, which stand out and are the prettiest and most majestic “visitors” of the wetland.

The entire sea area is enclosed by the Bay with inland wetlands identified in almost the entire perimeter, forming an ecosystem that is particularly important for birds which occur there in an impressive variety of species. Many rare and protected bird species are found here. Sixty-six species of migratory birds have been recorded and 68 species of wetland birds remain on a permanent basis including Flamingoes (Phoenicopterus ruber), Alkions (Alcedo attlis) and storks (Ciconia ciconia), (Ciconia nigra). Rare waterfowls are nesting in the Gulf of Kalloni, such as: Himantopus himantopus, Recurvirostra avosetta, Burhinus oedicnemus, Ixobrychus minutus, Alcedo atthis, Glareola pratincola, Marsh Harrier, Sterna hirundo, Sterna albifrons etc.

The most important area for bird watching throughout the year is undoubtedly the Salt Lake of Agia Paraskevi, where even special observatory has been placed by the Municipality of Agia Paraskevi. This is something that shows automatically crowds of bird watchers gathered there. The area is flooded every year by wild geese, wild ducks, wild swans, herons, kingfisher, glossy ibis, avocets, pelicans, gulls, terns, Grebe, Gallinela Chloropus, Phalacrocoracidae, but also by pink flamingos, which stand out and are the prettiest and most majestic “visitors” of the wetland.

It is located 9 kilometers away from Mytilene. This is the largest reed of Lesvos. Moreover, this area holds a massive nest of feldegg wagtails and hirundines and is the main breeding area on the island for the small Bittern and Reed Warbler. If the weather is too wet you can see wader birds, seabirds and falcons of the State. In this area you may see cormorants in winter or early spring, while the whole area is ideal for Hawks (Goshawk, Sparrow hawk), birds of prey and falconry Peregrine, and more particularly and rarely, we meet Cercotrichas galactotes and Sylvia in winter.