Our now famous, spring tour to the magical island of Lesvos, Greece was once again a wonderful insight into the northward spring migration of birds from Africa heading up to their breeding ground in northern Europe. Our week in May was a little later than we normally do, but having witnessed the slight change in migration patterns and timing over the last few years, it seemed a good bet. And we were spot on, with the first half of our tour seeing many migrants and the second half seeing all the breeding birds in and either singing or displaying on territories. The nearby Alykes wetlands were a magnet for many birds with their wet seasonal pools attracting all the species of heron, egrets, ibis and storks. Even Dalmatian Pelican, Collared Pratincole and 5 species of tern. The star bird of the island, the Kruper’s Nuthatch may have proved more difficult as the birds we knew were nesting had all fledged, but we found one and got superb views. A real highlight was seeing over 20 Eleanora’s Falcons in one area around Ipsolu Monastery, this was single biggest number we had ever seen together. Another highlight was our encounter with three Hawfinches including a mating pair. This is a hard species to connect with on the island. Then a very rare (4th record for Greece) Lesser Flamingo was seen on our first day among the many Greater Flamingos. We were lucky that more species of butterfly and dragonflies started to appear, and we also found a few special flowers and orchids. Several sightings of Stone Marten, a mustelid that is seen dead on the road far more than alive, was a surprise, and a new taxon was added to our tour as Leslie introduced us to the world of Tree Galls. With fantastic company, a lovely taverna lunch and dinner, beautiful scenery, and the wonderful friendliness of the locals, the island delivered its magic as always.