On a two week holiday based in the Lambi district of Kos Town at the Atlantis Hotel from 9th to 23rd October. 49 species seen in total. I used the Collins guide as an aid to identification and thanks to a few trip reports for information of areas to look. I visited the Alikis salt pan at Tigkaki a couple of times and it is highly recommended. The salt pan at Psalidi was totally dry and had very few birds at all so was not visited again. Enjoyable bird watching although the migration was over and there were fewer birds around. I will outline areas seen of some birds in brackets.

Lanner Falcon (seen while lounging in hot pools at Thermae Beach, Agios Fokas, south of Psalidi. Got out of pool and checked it out with my binoculars as it sat on the cliff face looking down on all the tourists)
Blue Rock Thrush (also seen from hot pools)
House Sparrow
Barn Swallow
Collared Dove
Feral Pigeon
Hooded Crow
Greater Flamingo (1 on salt pan at Tigkaki)
Little Ringed Plover (4 on salt pan at Tigkaki)
Kentish Plover (20 on salt pan at Tigkaki)
Little Stint (2 on salt pan at Tigkaki)
Golden Plover (1 on salt pan at Tigkaki)
Northern Lapwing
Common Kingfisher
Scopoli's Shearwater (3 seen off shore from boat trip to Kalymnos and 1 seen on boat trip to Nisiros)
Audoin's Gull (1 seen on boat trip to Nisiros)
Yellow Legged Gull (300+ on salt pan at Tigkaki and also sporadically elsewhere around coast)
Common Gull
Zitting Cisticola (5+ around salt pan at Tigkaki)
Willow Warbler
Grey Heron
Purple Heron (10 on salt pan at Tigkaki)
Eurasian Sparrowhawk
Great Tit
Chaffinch
Raven
Jackdaw
Magpie
Eastern Olivacious Warbler (1 heard around area of the Roman Odion in Kos Town)
Sardinian Warbler
Cetti's Warbler
Grey Wagtail
White Wagtail
Elenorara's Falcon (1 at Zia up in the hills)
Little owl (heard a number of nights from my balcony early morning)
European Scops Owl (heard one night from my balcony early morning 6am)
Crested Lark
European Stonechat
Corn Bunting
Common Pheasant
Great Cormorant
Bittern (one heard booming briefly at Psalidi)
Tree Pipit
Blackcap
Kestrel
Buzzard (1 Nisiros 2 Antimachia unsure from poor views whether they were Long Legged or Common)
Shag
European Robin
Black Redstart (1 near hotel near abandoned building)


The Lanner and Elenora's Falcons were highlights along with the Scops owl and it was great to see a Greater Flamingo again.

Below is a list of Butterflies seen around the Hotel and at the salt pans at Psalidi. 20 in total.
Mallow Skipper
Millet Skipper (a small number of these compared against the more numerous Pigmy Skipper below)
Pigmy Skipper
Holly Blue
Common Blue
Chapman's Blue
Lang's Short Tailed Blue
Brown Argus
Lesser Fiery Copper
Swallowtail
Plain Tiger
Red Admiral
Painted lady
Large White
Southern Small White
Clouded Yellow
Meadow Brown
Southern Grayling
Large Wall Brown
Wall Brown

Two weeks in Kos having got back today.
Stayed at Tingaki on the North coast about 1.5 miles out of Centre towards Kos Town. I did not go on any specific birding outings and all the birds seen were around the appts or on the boat trip to the volcanic island of Nissyros. Birds seen in order of when I saw them were;
House Sparrow, Collared Dove, Swallow, Sardinian Warbler, Crested Lark, Bee-eater, Hooded Crow, Swift, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Magpie, Yellow Legged gull, Zitting Cisticola, Kentish Plover, Grey Heron, Wood Sandpiper, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Olivaceous Warbler, Red-Rumped Swallow, House Martin, Eleonora's Falcon, White Wagtail, Jackdaw, Blackbird, Red-Backed Shrike, Lesser Grey Shrike. 26 sp. in total, not great I know but I did not really go looking for birds apart from around appts.
Highlights
1.Seeing 5 Bee-eaters whilst drinking


a beer by the pool on day 2.
2.Above repeated every day of the stay with a maximum flock of 46 circling and calling, now that was GOOD
3.Seeing OLIVACEOUS WARBLERS on 3 occasions, a new bird for me.
4.Daily visits to the pool of many Red-Rumped and Barn Swallows for drinks.
5.On 18 Aug had 11 Bee-eaters and a male Red-Backed Shrike on the same wire outside appts.
6.On 20 Aug male LESSER GREY SHRIKE, another first for me(and it disserves a better name) in same bush as male Red- Backed Shrike. Cheers Ian

Just a quick note from Kos, just been sat by the pool, drinking a Mythos when I heard a Bee-eater call, looked up to see 46 circling in the sky (very blue) above, it,s a tough life !!
Cheers Ian
.............................
Just realised in the excitement that this should definately be in out of County birding, sorry

-- Edited by Ian Campbell at 12:17, 2008-08-15