Little Owl

On July 3 of this year we were just finishing our Viking Cruise which started in Istanbul and ended in Athens. Our last day, before flying home, I had a half-day bird watching tour with Spyros Skareas of Greece Bird Tours. Judy decided to come along. We took a taxi from our hotel near the Acropolis to the Katehaki Metro Station where we were picked up by Spyros in his vehicle. We drove to the Spata Fields, a seasonal agricultural wetland located north of Athens International Airport in the Attica region, situated between the towns of Spata and Artemis, about 43 kms from Athens. One of the best finds was a little owl. It was standing on a portion of a metal frame that looked like it was for a large barn. Spyros saw it from some distance and we gradually got closer, taking photos as we moved along, before it finally flew away. I'd never heard of a little owl before. In fact, when Spyros identified it, I thought he was referring to its size, not its name. It is also known as the owl of Athena and the owl of Minerva, as the owl was a symbol of wisdom, which was sacred to the Greek Athena and to her Roman counterpart, Minerva. 

I think the most distinctive thing about it is the yellow iris. It looks like a combination of a saw whet owl and burrowing owl. There are 14 subspecies and I saw ssp. indigena. 

Illustration of ssp. lilith from Birds of the World. 

Range from Birds of the World. 

Yellow-Legged Gull

I first saw a yellow-legged gull in the Sado Estuary near Lisbon, Portugal on July 2, 2022 (post on March 30, 2026) while taking a ferry from the Troia Peninsula across the Sado River/Atlantic Ocean to Setubal. It was an immature bird, resting on the water (so that I could not see the legs) and had a black mark on its bill instead of the red mark of a mature bird. 

On our recent trip to Turkey and Greece I saw lots and lots of yellow-legged gulls as we were on a Viking Cruise and spent lots of time on the boat and near the ocean. It may have been the most common bird we saw, except perhaps for the house sparrow. Following are some of my photos from the trip. 

The first one I saw on our trip, near the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. I thought it was a lifer as I'd forgotten about the one I saw in Portugal. 

On the waterfront in Cannakale, Turkey, on the Dardanelles Strait across from the Gallipoli Peninsula. 

On Pamucak Beach near Kusadasi, Turkey. A mature bird and a number of immature birds. 

This immature gull and the next four photos that follow were all taken at Aposelemis Lake on the island of Crete in Greece. 

On the Gulf of Corinth near the old harbor to ancient Corinth. 

Common Chaffinch

After visiting Buyukcekmeca Lake my guide, Dogan Bilge, took me to the 25 acre Yildiz Park in Istanbul. It used to be part of the imperial garden of Yildiz Palace during the reign of Sultan Abdulhamid II and is right off the Bosporus on a hill. It was late morning, getting warm, and the bird activity was reduced. However, Dogan did point out a new lifer for me, a common chaffinch, a male, standing on the branch of a tree covered in shade. It is also known as the Eurasian chaffinch, or just chaffinch. The male, which I saw, has a blue-gray cap and rust-red underparts. The English name comes from the Old English ceaffinc, where ceaf is "chaff" and finc" finch". Farmers used to thresh their crops and these birds used to spend weeks picking through heaps of discarded chaff for grain.  There are a number of subspecies and I saw the ssp. schiebeli which is found in southern Greece, Crete and western Turkey. 

Illustration of a female from Birds of the World. 

Illustration of a male from Birds of the World. 

Range from Birds of the World.

Pygmy Cormorant

Another new bird I saw near Buyukcekmeca Lake near Istanbul was a pygmy cormorant. It was near the stream with other cormorants, likely great cormorants. We were facing the sun so my photo is not good, but it provides the basic idea. 

This illustration from Birds of the World helps fill in some of the details. 

By comparison, a great cormorant from the same area, with better light, is below. It is a much larger bird and the bill is substantially longer. 

Range from Birds of the World.

Collared Pratincole

While near a stream which flows into Lake Buyukcekmeca near Istanbul I was with my birding guide, Dogan Bilge, as we watched some birds flying over quite fast. They circled and went back and forth several times. They had scissor tails and Dogan said they were rare birds for this area - he only sees them about once a year. 

I didn't really see them well until working on my photos when I got home. They are seriously cool looking birds. They usually feed on aerial insects while flying, like swallows, but can also feed on the ground. They usually feed near or over water, especially larger rivers and estuaries.  

Illustration from Birds of the World.

Illustration from Birds of the World. 

Range from Birds of the World. 

Black-Headed Bunting

My favorite bird from our recent trip to Turkey and Greece was the black-headed bunting, a lifer for me. I was at an inlet stream to Lake Buyukcekmece, near Istanbul, Turkey, with my guide, Dogan Bilge. Birds of the World notes that Turkey is the black-headed bunting's "stronghold". 

Illustration of a female from Birds of the World.

Illustration of a male from Birds of the World. 

Range from Birds of the World. Note the weird wintering range, all in India, compared to the summer range spread out over parts of Europe and Asia. 

Cetti's Warbler

Unlike the great reed warbler, my last post, which I got pretty good at spotting, I had a very difficult time seeing Cetti's warbler, and when I did see it I had an even harder time getting a photo of it. I saw them near Lake Buyukcekmece near Istanbul, Turkey. I just spent several minutes scanning four photos I took of a sage brushy type plant looking for the warbler which is in there somewhere - but can't find it. We heard lots of them, saw a lot fewer, and my photos are non-existent. 

Illustration from Birds of the World. 

Range from Birds of the World.