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The Greek Island of Lesvos

For a real taste of Greek country life and the chance to lose your self in a rustic atmosphere that still retains the slow pace of a bygone age, the island of Lesvos is second to none. Situated in the Northeast Aegean Sea it is the second largest of the Greek islands after Crete and until recently was virtually unknown as a tourist destination to all but the Greeks themselves. By the way, the correct spelling is Lesvos and not Lesbos although you will constantly come across both versions even on the island itself.

The landscape is, to say the least, dramatic and varies from vast tracts of pine forest to mountain ranges rising to over 3500 ft that, in places, resembles a lunar terrain. Tucked below the hills lie hidden villages, lush green fields and sunken valleys dotted with oak and sweet chestnut. However the dominating feature has to be the acres and acres of olive groves containing an estimated 11 million trees that, in a good year, will yield 20.000 tons of olives. Not surprisingly the production of olive oil is the island's main industry and represents a quarter of the total produced in the whole of Greece.

Throughout the island hot springs and spas occur which are reputed to cure any ailment from athletes foot to rheumatism! However there is no doubt that by far the most incredible natural feature has to be the island's Petrified Forest, one of only two such forests in the world. This is a 'must visit' site. In this fantastic location over 200 varieties of plants and trees have been turned to stone as a result of some catastrophic volcanic eruptions that took place two million years earlier.

For the naturalist spring is unquestionably the best time of the year to visit. From early March many of the woods and olive groves fill with anemones of every hue and are often accompanied by spectacular fritillaries and orchids including the rare and exotic Komper's Orchid (Comperia comperiana). The actual number of different orchids that can be seen on Lesvos is almost 70, far more than any other Aegean island.

With the profusion of wild flowers and the increasing sunshine come the butterflies and Lesvos boasts in excess of 50 species including 2 varieties of Swallowtails, the Balkan Marbled White and at higher altitudes the delightful Small Apollo. Basking on the walls and rocks are various lizards and the invading Turkish Gecko that is nocturnal and only seen at night. In fact there is a formidable list of herps including the European Tree Frog, Green Toad, two species of Terrapins and the ubiquitous Spur-thighed Tortoise.

However, for the birder, all of this is eclipsed by the massive influx of migrant birds that, together with the wintering and resident populations, make Lesvos undoubtedly one of the best sites in Europe for bird watching and bird photography. One of the big bonuses for me as a wildlife photographer is the fact that not only am I able to photograph exotic species such as Purple and Squacco Herons but I can also get fantastic shots of European Bittern (see Summer issue Birds front cover), Cirl and Corn Buntings and Stone Curlew. In other words species that are, to say the least, difficult to photograph in Britain. To see even more bird and wildlife images from Lesvos visit my website at www.georgemccarthy.com.