Albania in Spring
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Albania in Spring Naturetrek Tour Report 29 May - 5 June 2019 Dalmatian Pelican Elder-flowered Orchid Hermann Tortoise Spring Gentian Report and photos compiled by Neil Anderson Naturetrek Mingledown Barn Wolf's Lane Chawton Alton Hampshire GU34 3HJ UK T: +44 (0)1962 733051 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk Tour Report Albania in Spring Tour participants: Neil Anderson (leader) & Mirjan Topi (local guide) with 16 Naturetrek clients Day 1 Wednesday 29th May Arrive Tirana We had a mid-afternoon flight departing Gatwick which left about 15 minutes late but arrived in Albania’s capital, Tirana, on time just before 21.00 local time. We were staying just a few minutes away at the comfortable Ark Hotel, where we checked in and were soon in our rooms settling down for a night’s sleep before the start of the tour. Day 2 Thursday 30th May Fllake-Sektori Rinia Lagoon, Karavasta, Berat We had a full programme after our breakfast in Tirana before heading for the scenic UNESCO city of Berat, our base for the next couple of days. We first visited the Rinia lagoon close to the capital and we were blessed with some pleasantly warm sunshine. This area is a popular beach location, but being a weekday there was little disturbance. Our first stop before the main lagoon was the unprotected site of a large Bee-eater breeding colony. Over 200 pairs breed here in total and we watched over 40 pairs. We also saw several Red-rumped Swallows here, had good views of a vocal Cuckoo and a Great Reed Warbler sang in the dyke. Peter found an Ant Lion which we examined. We also saw several Clouded Yellows, Small Copper and Small Heath butterflies. Flowers included abundant Purple Viper’s-bugloss, reddish Trifolium resupinatum and the pretty pink Convolvulus elegantissima. Moving on to the dunes we saw an interesting array of plants with Sea Holly, Sea Rocket, the unusual umbellifer, Echinophora spinosa and a North American introduction, Amorpha fruticosa, a legume with very dark flowers that proved attractive to a range of insects including a couple of Egyptian Grasshoppers. The birdlife was also good with a range of waders including an unexpected solitary Golden Plover, a small flock of non-breeding plumaged Grey Plover with a couple of Bar-tailed Godwits and some Curlew in the shallows. A mixed group of terns were loafing with two giant Caspian Terns, a couple of Gull-billed, six Sandwich Terns and some Common Terns. We had a substantial lunch at Karavasta which was much enjoyed. Around the restaurant we heard Golden Oriole singing and saw Spotted Flycatcher and Woodchat Shrike. Walking off our lunch around the lagoon we saw our main targets: c20 Pygmy Cormorants, c60 Dalmatian Pelicans at a breeding colony and some distant Greater Flamingos. Some of us saw an elusive Eastern Olivaceous Warbler that was singing in a Tamarisk. © Naturetrek July 19 1 Albania in Spring Tour Report Back at our bus we found a Mediterranean Skipper and a female Southern Darter. Before continuing our journey to Berat we called in at the visitor centre where we met Johnnie the tame pelican who now had a mate. Amongst some herbage we had good views of a Balkan Wall Lizard. As we arrived at Berat we could see renovation work was underway but that didn’t spoil our comfortable stay at the hotel. Day 3 Friday 31st May Vjose-Narte After breakfast we had a two-hour drive to Narte but we had a comfort stop where we could observe White Storks on a nest and we could see the head of at least one chick. Arriving at Narte we explored a saltmarsh area where we hoped to find some larks. Crested Larks were immediately obvious by the road but with some patience we were rewarded with some excellent views of both Short-toed and Calandra Larks. Our presence caused a couple of Stone Curlews to fly up and these were “lifers” for at least a couple of the group. Excitement was caused by some harriers. Identification was difficult at first as they were distant and there was a shimmering heat haze, but fortunately, they came much closer and we had both male and female Montagu’s Harriers as well as Marsh Harrier. A White-winged Tern was seen by a couple of us. We were looking at a small daisy when Vanessa spotted a green movement. It was a small European Tree Frog and as we looked there were quite a few- about 15 in total. In a nearby dyke were many Common Toad youngsters. Back by the bus a couple of Eastern Bath Whites gave a good photo opportunity. After our picnic we explored the Salinas where there were over 400 Greater Flamingos, a few Dalmatian Pelicans, good numbers of breeding Avocets, Kentish Plovers and some rather distant Collared Pratincoles. Dan found a pair of Black Terns on one of the ridges which Mirjan was happy about as they hadn’t bred here for a couple of years. As we drove along the road we stopped for a Hermann’s Tortoise on the tarmac; a species we often see at the Karavasta Visitor Centre, but not on this trip. Our final stop before returning to Berat was at a roadside Bee-eater colony where people photographed or just enjoyed these charismatic birds. A few flowers here included Anchusa azurea, Echium italicum and Stachys germanica. In the evening most of the group had a walk around the castle in Berat- an impressive monument. A Black-eared Wheatear sang from the castle, a Glanville Fritillary was fairly torpid in the grass and we found some attractive flowers in the form of Orlaya grandiflora, Campanula ramosissima and Arum italicum. 2 © Naturetrek July 19 Albania in Spring Tour Report Day 4 Saturday 1st June Patoku Lagoon, Prizren, Valbona. We departed Berat in the sunshine, but as we headed north through Kosovo we did encounter our first showers. Before that we stopped at the Patoku Lagoon. There weren’t huge numbers of birds apart from several Little Egrets and a couple of Black-winged Stilts but did have excellent views of a Zitting Cisticola on the roadside wires along with Corn Bunting. The group was captivated by the behaviour of Violet Carpenter Bees around some upright dead logs. A Lesser Emperor initially spotted by Vanessa obligingly settled on some reeds, enabling Neil to scope it for the group. We were also delighted to find a couple of fresh Lesser Sotted Fritillaries. We then headed for a veritable banquet of a lunch at a lakeside venue where most of the group had a local sea bream dish. During our long journey today Mirjan kept us all informed and entertained with all things Albanian - culture, politics and history - but it was his anecdotes about cement exports that gave the group much merriment! Reaching the Kosovan passport control we had a lengthy wait as unbelievably all our details had to be processed manually. We then headed for the town of Prizren where there were many student groups. Some of us looked for Dippers which we didn’t find, although there were several Grey Wagtails, while others had coffee. Before reaching our base at Valbona the group were dropped off at the restaurant for dinner before retiring for the night. Day 5 Sunday 2nd June Valbona: Snake Head Today we set off in 4 x 4s up the mountain in initially cloudy conditions, but sunny spells developed, as did some heavy downpours later. Red-backed Shrikes were pretty common up here and we did see a couple of family parties. We also had good views of a pair of Rock Buntings. Another avian highlight were some prolonged views of a pair of Hawfinches in some bushes. The meadows were dominated by Yellow Rattle and one field below us had an extensive colony of Green- winged Orchids, which Peter had spotted. On the butterfly front we had good views of a couple of Chequered Blues while both Wood White and Grizzled Skipper were imbibing salts and moisture from some dung. A very enjoyable traditional lunch was taken outside a local shepherd’s house, starting with some nettle soup. After our substantial banquet we opted to walk down slowly enjoying the local fauna and flora. © Naturetrek July 19 3 Albania in Spring Tour Report Several new orchid species were noted: a small group of showy Toothed Orchids, three Burnt Orchids, White Helleborine, several Bird’s-nest Orchids in the leaf litter of the woods and Leonie discovered the only Bug Orchid we saw. The birding highlight was when Mirjan discovered a Lesser-spotted Woodpecker in an orchard area. With most of the group watching we were thrilled to realise it wasn’t just the one bird but a family party of three! They favoured a couple of particular trees and we observed the juvenile being fed. We also saw Marsh Tits amongst the mixed tit family groups, while a lucky few saw a Black Woodpecker. Due to the now cool conditions a Mazarine Blue gave good views as it settled in some vegetation. Soon the rain set in so we returned to base in our vehicles. Day 6 Monday 3rd June Valbona Weather wise this was the worst day of the trip with heavy rain for most of the morning. From the dining area we had good views of a pair of Redstarts that were breeding around here and also a Rock Bunting. Leaving later than normal we drove along the river and stopped when a Dipper was spotted.