Lesbos
Roughly half the size of Luxembourg, Lesbos (or Lesvos) is the third biggest island of Greece. It is a part of the Eastern Aegean Island complex and just 15 kilometers away from Turkey. Lesbos’ main economy: extensive farming (mainly olives), fishing and increasing tourism. The airport is situated near the main city Mitilini.
This island has a great variety of landscapes. The north-west is volcanic and rocky mountainous with low vegetation cover. The northeast and southeast are mainly covered with pine forest and mountains up to 1000 m a.s.l. There are some nice rivers and small lakes, mainly in the eastern part of the island.
Lesbos is very popular with bird watchers. Every spring many Dutch and English twitchers come to see the bird migration; 180 species in a week is common here. Everywhere on the island you can see birders; binoculars on their belly and telescope on their shoulder. Especially near the many rivers, irrigation channels, lakes and salt beds around the village of Skala Kallonis there is much bird-watching activity. Here, bearded men are slowly driving around in their little rented cars with big lenses on their photo cameras out of the window, sometimes blocking one of the numerous unpaved roads near hotspots. Their wives are sitting in the back with the leftover twitching gear of their husbands. Sometimes one of the stone-turning klooiplek-members accidentally found himself between a big lens and a special bird, provoking the irritation of a bearded person. Sorry for that…
We visited Lesbos three times, in 2002, 2004 and 2005. Herp species are numerous here, partly due to the overlap of the Turkish and Greek herpetofauna. We were especially interested in the Ottoman viper, dwarf snake, leopard snake and sand boa. We also found a new species for this island, the cat snake. Lesbos is also very good for starred agama and snake-eyed lizard. The literature also mentions one observation of the Anatolian worm lizard. Unfortunaltely we didn’t find another one.
Scala Kallonis
Reptiles & amphibians |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
|||
Levant water frog Green toad Eastern spade foot Common tree frog |
Rana bedriagae Bufo viridis Pelobates syriacus Hyla Arborea |
>10 >10 >10 3 |
>100 >10 1 + larv. >10 |
>10 1 1 >10 |
>10 >10 - >10 |
||
Balkan terrapin European pond terrapin Spur-thighed tortoise |
Mauremys rivulata Emys orbicularis Testudo graeca |
>10 >10 6 |
>100 1 - |
>10 1 4 |
>10 - - |
||
Starred agama |
Laudakia stellio |
>10 |
- |
3 |
<10 |
||
Snake-eyed lizard |
Ophisops elegans |
>10 |
5 |
>10 |
<10 |
||
Turkish gecko |
Hemidactylus turcicus |
>10 |
>20 |
1 |
<10 |
||
Balkan green lizard |
Lacerta trilineata |
>10 |
>10 |
>10 |
- |
||
European glass lizard |
Ophisaurus apodus |
- |
5 |
3 |
- |
||
Snake-eyed skink |
Ablepharus kitaibellii |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
||
Sand boa |
Eryx jaculus |
3 |
1 |
7 |
- |
||
Worm snake |
Typhlops vermicularis |
4 |
5 |
>10 |
2 |
||
Dwarf snake Gras snake Dice snake Montpellier snake |
Eirenis modestus Natrix natrix Natrix tessellata Malpolon monspessulanus |
- >10 - - |
- >20 - - |
5 >10 2 1 |
- 5 2 - |
||
Dahl’s whip snake |
Coluber najadum |
- |
1 |
2 |
1 |
||
Large whip snake Cat snake Ottoman viper |
Dolichophis caspius Telescopus fallax Montivipera xanthina |
3 1 dead - |
- 1 1 |
3 - 4 |
1 juv. 1 2 |
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Other highlights |
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Whiskered Tern |
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x |
X |
x |
x |
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White-winged Black Tern |
|
x |
X |
x |
x |
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Black Stork |
|
|
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|
x |
||
Little Bittern |
|
x |
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Molivos and surroundings
Reptiles & amphibians |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
|
Levant water frog Common tree frog |
Rana bedriagae Hyla Arborea |
- - |
>100 - |
>10 - |
>10 >10 |
Balkan terrapin European pond terrapin Spur-thighed tortoise |
Mauremys rivulata Emys orbicularis Testudo graeca |
- - - |
>10 - 1 |
>10 1 1 |
3 - - |
Starred agama |
Laudakia stellio |
- |
- |
4 |
- |
Snake-eyed lizard |
Ophisops elegans |
- |
>10 |
- |
1 |
Turkish gecko |
Hemidactylus turcicus |
- |
>10 |
- |
>10 |
Balkan green lizard |
Lacerta trilineata |
- |
>10 |
>10 |
- |
European glass lizard |
Ophisaurus apodus |
1 |
1 |
1 |
- |
Snake-eyed skink |
Ablepharus kitaibellii |
- |
- |
- |
1 |
Worm snake |
Typhlops vermicularis |
- |
2 |
3 |
1 |
Dwarf snake Montpellier snake |
Eirenis modestus Malpolon monspessulanus |
2 - |
- 3 dead |
- - |
- - |
Dahl’s whip snake |
Coluber najadum |
- |
- |
- |
1 |
Coast at Sigri
Reptiles & amphibians
2002 |
2004 |
2005 |
||
Levant water frog Green toad |
Rana bedriagae Bufo viridis |
- - |
- 1 |
>10 >10 |
Starred agama |
Laudakia stellio |
1 |
1 |
>10 |
Snake-eyed lizard |
Ophisops elegans |
>10 |
1 |
>10 |
Balkan green lizard |
Lacerta trilineata |
>10 |
- |
- |
European glass lizard |
Ophisaurus apodus |
1 |
- |
1 |
Sand boa |
Eryx jaculus |
- |
- |
2 |
Worm snake |
Typhlops vermicularis |
- |
- |
>10 |
Montpellier snake |
Malpolon monspessulanus |
- |
1 |
- |
Other highlights |
|
|
|
|
Little Bittern |
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
|
Agiasos
Reptiles & amphibians |
2002 |
2004 |
|
Balkan terrapin Spur-thighed tortoise |
Mauremys rivulata Testudo graeca |
- - |
3 1 |
Starred agama |
Laudakia stellio |
>10 |
- |
Balkan green lizard |
Lacerta trilineata |
1 |
>10 |
Snake-eyed skink |
Ablepharus kitaibellii |
- |
1 |
Sand boa |
Eryx jaculus |
- |
1 |
Worm snake |
Typhlops vermicularis |
2 |
1 |
Dwarf snake Gras snake Dice snake |
Eirenis modestus Natrix natrix Natrix tessellata |
1 - 1 |
- >10 3 |
Dahl’s whip snake |
Coluber najadum |
1 |
- |
Large whip snake Leopard snake |
Dolichophis caspius Zamenis situla |
|
2 1 |
Others |
|
|
|
Epalage fatime |
|
x |
|
Black Stork |
|
|
x |
Anemone pavonia Paeonia pontica |
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x x |
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Vatera
Reptiles & amphibians |
2004 |
2005 |
|
Levant water frog Common tree frog |
Rana bedriagae Hyla Arborea |
>10 |
>10 1 |
Balkan terrapin Spur-thighed tortoise |
Mauremys rivulata Testudo graeca |
3 1 |
|
Balkan green lizard |
Lacerta trilineata |
>10 |
>10 |
Snake-eyed skink |
Ablepharus kitaibellii |
1 |
|
Worm snake |
Typhlops vermicularis |
1 |
|
Dice snake |
Natrix tessellata |
3 |
|
Large whip snake Ottoman viper |
Dolichophis caspius Montivipera xanthina |
2 3 |
1 |
Others |
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Lesser Grey Shrike |
|
x |
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GR_Kaartje lesbos
http://www.klooiplek.eu/images/trips/preview/263.jpgLesbos is just a few kilometers away from the Turkey's coast.
1 Scala Kallonis, 2 Molivos and surroundings, 3 The coast at Sigri, 4 Agiasos and 5 Vatera -
Vogelaars Lesbos
http://www.klooiplek.eu/images/trips/preview/280.jpgEvery spring many Dutch and English twitchers come to see the bird migration; 180 species in a week is common here.
-
Vogelaarss-05-03 163018
http://www.klooiplek.eu/images/trips/preview/279.jpgTheir wives are sitting in the back with the leftover twitching gear of their husbands.
-
GR_BartmetKosta_GL
http://www.klooiplek.eu/images/trips/preview/268.jpgTypical situation of klooiplek; Sheilla and Tiffany are never there when you need them. Probably gone after the birds.