Butterflies Of Southern Greece Naturetrek Tour Report 25th June - 2nd July 2005 Naturetrek Cheriton Mill Cheriton Alresford Hampshire SO24 0NG England T: +44 (0)1962 733051 F: +44 (0)1962 736426 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk Butterflies Of Southern Greece Tour Report Tour Leaders Toby Abrehart Dave Green Participants Richard Pooley Mike Harford Philip Delve Lucy Delve John Houghton Helen Houghton Shirley King Lawrie King David Howat Dave Crawley Jill Crawley Ken Knowles Barbara Knowles Keith Harris Day 1 After an eventful time in Heathrow the group eventually arrived at Athens in the late evening. Quickly dispatched to get some food and drink, we then set off for the three hour drive up to the mountain resort of Kalavrita, in the northern Pelopennese. Once there everyone quickly went off to bed at about 12.30am. Day 2 Kalavrita After our breakfast we set off at around 9.30am after finding our first few butterflies near the buses. Namely a Large Tortoiseshell and a Lattice Brown - a nice start to the trip. Once in the buses our half hour drive to the plateau below Mount Chelmos gave us all a chance to see the area for the first time, daylight helping a lot! Our first stop at the pond and its meadows was very productive with many Black-veined Whites, the occasional Greek Clouded Yellow, many Blues to get to grips with and a good scattering of Skippers including a couple of Hungarian Skippers. With a cloudless sky and the rich diversity of butterflies it was a great way to start. Another of our stops found us with more Eschers , Greek Mazarine and many Silver-studded Blues. After this walk we set off to our lunch spot, a leaking water trough. With a lovely Greek lunch laid out, the group set off finding what they could. Dozens of Silver-studded Blues with the odd Osiris and a brief Chelmos Blue. This being one of the endemics of the mountain, unfortunately only a few saw it as it flew off. Also gracing us were the odd Camberwell Beauty, numerous Clouded Apollos and an Eastern Dappled White. Above the lunch spot a juvenile Rock Thrush was seen together with a brief glimpse of a Tawny Pipit and plenty of Red-backed Shrikes - a bird we were all going to become very familiar with during the week. Before returning to our hotel, we stopped at the ski slopes where we saw a Lesser-spotted Fritillary and an Adonis Blue. Our last stop was back at the pond with © Naturetrek July 05 1 Butterflies Of Southern Greece Tour Report a brief Nettle-tree Butterfly and a Mountain Small White. Then back to the Hotel for a refreshing beer and then supper. Day 3 Kalavrita An early morning walk to the river to look for birds, Nightingales were seen, Cetti’s Warblers calling, a Penduline Tit hiding in the willows, and a Great Reed Warbler singing in the reeds towards the bridge where we saw Red-rumped Swallows - a nice morning’s start. A gathering of Beautiful Demoiselles near the river were sunning themselves and the butterflies were slow to move. After a check of the moth trap with various Catacalids etc…….we set off for our morning’s amble to head south into Epano Kambos. Walking from a puddle up the slope, the butterflies were hard to find as the wind was increasing but the birds provided a good alternative. Family parties of Spanish Sparrows, a few Red-backed, Woodchat and Lesser Grey Shrikes binkering about in the scattered trees. A brief view of a Sombre Tit, then a fabulous view of a male Black-headed Bunting, followed by a displaying pair of Long-legged Buzzards. Not a bad start for day of wildlife watching. Eyes down for a few minutes gave us a Saga pedo large green grasshopper. With the wind continuing we headed off to our lunch spot. In the shelter of the valley there were at last good numbers of butterflies for us to get our teeth into. We set off to the river and a very productive lick site which included dozens of Small Whites, Common Blues, the odd Persian Skipper, Eastern Wood Whites, Silver-washed Fritillaries, Great- banded Grayling, Nettle-tree Butterflies, a Grecian Copper, a couple of Anomalous Blues and much more. Once all the butterflies had been scared off by the photographers, the group assembled for another special Greek lunch! All around the site treasures were being found - many Silver-washed Fritilleries at the bridge, Purple and Ilex Hairstreaks and a few Southern White Admirals. A little after lunch we had a last wander upstream but, not for long, as we all were affected by the wind-borne fur off the Oriental Plane trees. A soothing cool drink was needed, so off to Planitero, the source of the Aroanios River. Welcome shade and a drink was aided by the gentle rushing of the river below us. More to see with Lattice Browns, a few Large Tortoiseshells and a female Golden-ringed Dragonfly - Cordulegaster picta - ovipositing in the first gushings of the river. As time was getting on it was off to the plateaux. A track took us into a very productive area of meadows and fields with a wide range of species of all insects with a stunning large female grasshopper that fitted nicely in the hand (as yet no name sorry). Back to the hotel late afternoon for a refreshing drink and supper. Day 4 Kalavrita An early morning walk by the river mainly to see what birds were around. They didn’t disappoint - Red-rumped Swallows, a calling Wryneck and a singing Great Reed Warbler. The best sight was the thousands of red winged grasshoppers Calliptamus italicus and a fine Long-tailed Blue. Back for breakfast and then after the excitement of the previous evening’s moth trapping, we headed out for our morning along the river, after plenty of moth photography © Naturetrek July 05 2 Butterflies Of Southern Greece Tour Report we set off slowly. There were many Eschers Blues and a lot of Ilex Hairstreaks around the Quercus coccifera, further on we had a pair of Anomalous Blues and some Balkan Marbled Whites. As time was cracking on we set off for our lunch spot out on the plateau. As lunch was being prepared everyone disappeared into different directions coming back with various finds like a colony of Blue-spot Hairstreaks. Later as we walked along the track we saw a wide selection of species already seen plus a couple of Sloe Hairstreaks, Eastern Bath Whites and some very obliging Great Banded Graylings. With our water running out, the spring beckoned, so once there filling our water bottles, a Ripart’s Anomalous Blue showed very well giving us all great views. Then off to our final part of the day back to the pond up the mountain. With the sun moving off, we got to grips with the few skippers and blues around. A Rock Bunting was drinking from a leaking spring and a Southern Swallowtail flew by quickly. Back to the hotel for our last meal and with time to pack for the next day. Day 5 Kalavrita - Arachova Change over day so our last look at the Brimstones and Cleopatras on the Jasmine. Once loaded, we set off at 8.30am to the coast at Egio and our ferry. Having arrived in plenty of time for a relaxing coffee, we then settled on our ferry for the 45 minute journey across the Gulf of Corinth. A short drive took us to a beach to have a chance to refresh ourselves in the sea. Over half of us took great pleasure in this as it was about 37ºC at the time. The rest of the party wandered off unfortunately finding little, except a few Sardinian Warblers and the odd Rock Nuthatch. After this, lunch was had in a taverna in Galaxidi, very nice with the accompanying Lesser Kestrels and view over the harbour. After lunch a short walk into the woods, the heat was draining and we found little except for a very nice Freyer’s Grayling. The cool of the mountain was beckoning so off to Arachova we went. Dropping everyone off at the comfortable Santa Marina Hotel, some of us then set off for an evening walk behind the town. This proved very productive with us finding 30 species in 1 ½ hours, including Grecian Grayling, Oriental Meadow Brown and the odd Black Sooty Satyr. A good end to a long day, supper was very welcome and we all retired to our rooms. Day 6 Arachova Moths were the start of the day after a good nights trapping, then off for our day up Mount Parnassos. Our first scheduled stop was a small thistle patch which, to everyone’s surprise, produced a continual flow of good species, starting off with some fine Cardinals and Silver-washed Fritillaries. Many blues including a fine female Meleager’s Blue, a good scattering of other species including a Southern Grayling. After a while we set off to the ephemeral pond higher up the mountain, which unfortunately was nearly dry, this so, we managed to find Twin-spot, High Brown, Heath, Queen of Spain and Dark Green Fritillaries. Lower down the slope were some seven species of Helleborines, including two endemics to Greece. It was lovely to look through the valley to see the whole group off discovering there own special little finds. Then as time progressed lunch was in our minds.