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Sue has started one for wild flowers and we have one for Birds etc Please join us
" WILD FLOWERS OF CRETE "
www.facebook.com/groups/wildflowersofcrete
"CRETE-BIRDING"
28th February
Weather....0900....12.9oC....Sea, calm....Vis 20 miles....Cloud 80%....Wind, NNE 3.... 1016mb Sunny interval
Again nothing particularly exciting 20 + common and steppe buzzards moving through.
Species Kaliviani....Hooded Crow....Chaffinch...Goldfinch...Common Buzzard 4+20...Raven 11 Sparrowhawk 1....Griffon Vulture 2....Yellow-legged Gull....Great Tit....Cetti's Warbler.... Kestrel 1....Blackcap....Sardinian Warbler....Chiffchaff....Peregrine Falcon 1.
27th February
Weather....0815....16.7oC...Sea, calm....Vis 20 Miles....Cloud 50%....Wind W 4m/s....1014mb Sunny intervals, later more cloud and showers am
We took a trip onto Rhodapou Peninsular this morning, a nice sighting of two hen harrier a female near to Ravdoucha and a male just past the Agyias Ioanis monastery turn and a Long-legged Buzzard. 23 species. Earlier at home a distant Bonelli's eagle heading towards Falasarna.
Species Kaliviani ....Cetti's Warbler....Yellow-legged Gull....Italian Sparrow....Blackbird.... Blackcap.... Song Thrush....Sardinian Warbler....Bonelli's Eagle 1....White Wagtail.... Linnet.... Great Tit.... Chaffinch.... Crag Martin....
Italian Sparrow....Passer italiae
These have been casing the house the last few days, looking for somewhere to nest, they took advantage of our seat at one of the drinking/bathing stations
Rhodapou Peninsula....Raven...Hooded Crow...Hen Harrier 2...Stonechat....Cetti's Warbler.. Blue Rock Thrush....Blackbird....Song Thrush....Linnet....Serin....Great Tit.. Blue Tit.... Chaffinch ... Common Buzzard....Long-legged Buzzard.... Kestrel....Sardinian Warbler.... Italian Sparrow.... Blackcap....Yellow-legged Gull....Corn Bunting.... Crested Lark....Woodlark.. Greenfinch
Hen Harrier....Circus cyaneus
Crested Lark.....Galerida cristata
Woodlark....Lullula arborea
Linnet....Carduelis cannabina
Blue Rock Thrush....Monticola solitarius
Meadow Pipit....Anthus pratensis
26th February
Weather....0900....18.4oC....Sea, rippled....Vis, 20 miles....Cloud 80%....Wind WNW 3 m/s 1014mb.... Cloud cleared , sunny
Highlights 80+ Common Buzzard passed through in the morning, it took us a while to find their flight path, they were very high and hard to see at first so we may have missed some earlier. Another Aquila, possibly Eastern Imperial again, we get our first spring wheatears arriving with sightings of Northern and Isabelline
Species Kaliviani.... Chaffinch....Great Tit....Woodlark....Cetti's Warbler....Blackcap....Linnet.... Hooded Crow....Crag Martin 2.... Common Buzzard 83 +4 local....Aquila ? sp....Raven 4 Sardinian Warbler.... Booted Eagle 1 pale morph ....Italian Sparrow....Collared Dove.... Crested Lark.... House Martin....Blackbird....Yellow-legged Gull....Stonechat.... Corn Bunting Kentish Plover 1....Northern Wheatear 1....Isabelline Wheatear 1....Goldfinch
Northern Wheatear ....Oenanthe oenanthe
Isabelline Wheatear....Oenanthe isabellina
Italian Sparrow....Passer italiae
Some of the Common Buzzard ....Buteo buteo on spring migration
25th February
Weather...0900...21.6oC...Sea.choppy....Vis 20 miles...Cloud, 20% high...Wind, S 0-11 m/s... 1013mb... Mostly sunny
A distant aqulia could have been an Eastern imperial Eagle, an aquila for sure but it disappeared before we could positively ID it.
Species list....Yellow-legged Gull, 153 rafted just offshore...Griffon Vulture 7..Sparrowhawk 2 Sardinian Warbler.... Chaffinch 50+....Raven 8....Woodlark.... Crested Lark 15.... Kestrel 2... Black Restart 2.... Common Buzzard 10.... Hooded Crow 13.... House Martin 1.... Blackbird 4 Blackcap ....Cetti's Warbler....Kentish Plover 2 (beach)....Italian Sparrow....Corn Bunting 1.... Linnet....Rock Dove....Barn Swallow 1....Great Tit 4.
24th February
Weather....0900....19.1oC....Sea, choppy....vis 20 miles, cloud, 100% thin and high....Wind S, 0-11m/s....1013mb hazy sunshine.
Niko's news and images added to yesterday's blog
We headed to Falasarna for a few hours in the late morning, mainly to see what flowers are about . We headed for the ridge, we found four ochidae species in flower, snakes head iris and several other nice plants. A common buzzard was found eating an egyptian grasshopper not many other species to be seen. A nice peregrine falcon did a flyby. At home before the winds increased at 10am, we saw... 16 common buzzard, a sparrowhawk and 7 griffon vultures heading out onto Gramvousa
Species list....Crested Lark.... Common Buzzard 16+2....Blackbird....Blackcap....Chaffinch.... Hooded Crow....Raven....Griffon Vulture 7.... Crag Martin....House Martin....Great Tit....Cetti's Warbler....Sparrowhawk....Yellow-legged Gull Rock Dove....Black Redstart....Kestrel.... Sardinian Warbler
Falasarna.... White Wagtail....Common Buzzard 2....Stonechat 2....Peregrine Falcon 1.... Raven 2.... Griffon Vulture 1....Linnet....Great Tit....Chiffchaff....Italian Sparrow
Griffon Vulture....Gyps fulvus
Common Buzzard....Buteo buteo
Peregrine Falcon....Falco peregrinus
Swallowtail....Papilio machaon
Barbary Nuts....Gynandriris sisyrinchium
Robert's Giant Orchid....Varlia robertiana
Butterfly Orchid.....Orchis papilionacea ssp heroica
Bumblebee Ophrys....Ophrys bombyliflora
Phrygana Ophrys.....Ophrys phryganae
Snake's-head or Widow Iris....Hermodactylus tuberosus
23rd February
Weather....0900....17.0oC....Sea, choppy....vis 20 miles....Wind W 6m/s....Cloud 95%....1010mb mostly sunny
Not much from us, although there are reports of yellow wagtails and eastern imperial eagles along the south coast.
Our species list is tiny.... Yellow-legged Gull....Hooded Crow....Chaffinch....Great Tit.... Common Buzzard....Linnet....Crested Lark....Scops Owl.
From Alan.... We had a trip down to the south coast today, visiting a favourite hillside on the way. Here we found our first yellow bee orchids of this year - several in bud, but just one or two in flower. Margaret's camera came into its own for these. Later, at Kokkinos Pirgos lagoon, we found the greater flamingo, a few water pipit, and a single little stint. In the middle of the lagoon, a single gull was feeding for the entire time we were there. We never saw it in flight, but from what I could make out, this was a little gull?
Little Gull....Hydrocoloeus minutus.... Νανόγλαρος
Greater Flamingo....Phoenicopterus roseus..... Φοινικόπτερο
Water Pipit....Anthus spinoletta....Νεροκελάδα
Ophrys phryganae....Phtygana ophrys
From Nikos..... Took the route Chania-Sfakia-Aradaina-Frangokastello-Plakias-Kourtaliotiko-Rethymno-Chania ... A lot of driving, thick clouds on the mountains, burning sun on the coasts but... Bearded vulture, Bonnelli's eagle, Peregrine, 10 Buzzards, 10 Kestrels, 100 Griffons, 2 Eastern imperial eagles 2 , 2 kentish plovers and Golder plover...
Eastern Imperial Eagle....Aquila heliaca....
Bonelli's Eagle....Aquila fasciata....
Lammergeier....Gypaetus barbatus....
Kentish Plover....Charadrius alexandrinus and Golden Plover....Pluvialis apricaria
Kestrel....Falco tinnunculus
Griffon Vulture....Gyps fulvus
22nd February
Weather....0900....21oC....Sea, calm....Vis 5 miles ....cloud 0%....Wind N 1....980mb.... The wind veered to the S mid morning, picking up to 14m/s and bringing a sandstorm, visibility 400mtrs
The Griffon Vulture mating video has now been put onto our Facebook birding group page.
We spotted 10 Common Buzzard plus our local ones early this morning but the sandstorm has put paid to being outside and few birds are to be seen or heard in the wind.
20th February
Weather....0900...16.1oC....Sea, calm....Vis 20 miles....cloud 30%....Wind W 1.... 1012mb Mostly sunny
We took a trip up to Topolia area mainly on the hunt for flowers. We found out the tunnel is closed at Topolia due to rock falls so a lengthy detour is required from Topolia village on a westerly route over the mountains via the Milia road. If planning a trip to Elefonisi add at least 30 minutes to your trip this is a narrow road, buses and trucks are using it so take care.
Our highlights are griffons mating at the gorge of Topolia, two male sardinian warblers trying to impress a single female and finding several Robert's Giant Orchid, a nice single Kentish plover at Kaliviani beach and loads of Blackcap, Blackbird and Song Thrush singing everywhere
When we can find a programme to edit and reduce a video of the griffons mating we will add it to facebook.
Species seen on our trip...Yellow-legged Gull.... Chaffinch....Hooded Crow.... Kentish Plover 1. Crested Lark....Sardinian Warbler....Italian Sparrow....Blackcap....Blackbird....Song Thrush... Griffon Vulture 10....Sparrowhawk 1....Common Buzzard 8....Stonechat.... Linnet....Serin.... Kestrel 1....Goldfinch....Greenfinch.
Sardinian Warbler....Sylvia melanocephala....Μαυροτσιροβάκος
Italian Sparrow.....Passer italiae....ιταλοσπουργίτες
With a female Sardinian Warbler on right
Yellow-legged Gull....Larus michahellis.....Ασημόγλαρος της Μεσογείου
tail less Griffon Vulture....Gyps fulvus....Όρνιο
At nest site, female on nest at left of picture
Prior to mating they circled with heads low
mating.................
The female totally hidden beneath the male
After, they spent some time preening before starting all over again
Smilax aspera.... Common smilax
Some of the flowers seen yesterday, for more images, better images see facebook
Other images taken of new species seen today will be added to the flower album page in a few days
Anemone coronaria....Crown or Poppy Anemone
Anemone coronaria....Crown or Poppy Anemone
Varlia robertiana.....Robert's Giant Orchid
Cistus creticus
Ranunculus creticus
Gagea penduncularis
19th February
Weather....0900....15.2oC....sea, calm....Vis 20 miles....Cloud 60%....Wind SW 2.... 1012mb.... By 1100 cloud increased and wind changed to S 14m/s
With the weather change mid morning there was little in the way of birds Our very small list .... Yellow-legged gull....Chaffinch....Common Buzzard....Hooded Crow.... Sparrowhawk 1.... Cetti's Warbler.... Blackbird.... Song Thrush
18th February
Weather....0900....15.2oC ....Sea, calm....Vis 20 miles....Cloud 60%....Wind, SW 2m/s.... 1012mb... Mostly sunny
A good day for migrant raptors we spot a good number of common buzzard along with 2 Red Kite's and later two sightings of the male Hen Harrier hunting the hills west of us.
Blackbird 3....Song Thrush 2....Great Tit.... Chaffinch....Sardinian Warbler....Crested Lark... Hooded Crow.... Sparrowhawk 1....Common Buzzard 56+our 2 local ....Red kite 2....Kestrel 1 Crag Martin 6....Peregrine Falcon 1....Griffon Vulture 1....Yellow-legged Gull 6.... Raven 4.. Hen Harrier 1m....Cetti's warbler.... Stonechat.... Scops owl
Red Kite....Milvus milvus....Ψαλιδιάρης
Hen Harrier....Circus cyaneus....Χειμωνόκιρκος
Our local pair of Common Buzzard....Buteo buteo....Γερακίνα
Freshwater Crab....potamon potamius
Romulea bulbocodium
Mandrake....Mandragora autumnalis
17th February
Weather....0900....12.2oC ....Sea, calm....Vis 20 miles....Cloud 20%....Wind, NW 2m/s.... 1012mb
We spot our first spring Barn Swallows, 3 seen heading north and a group of 9 Common Buzzard are sighted circling over the ridges to the south of us.
Yellow-legged Gull 102....Sparrowhawk 1....Crag Martin 1....Barn Swallow 3.... Great Tit.... Chaffinch....Sardinian Warbler ...Blackcap....Robin....Common Buzzard 5+9....Crested Lark.. Cetti's Warbler....Greenfinch....Blackbird....Raven....Hooded Crow....Crag Martin.
16th February
Weather....0900....14.5oC....Sea, calm....Vis 20 miles....Cloud 50%....Wind NW-SW 2-3m/s... 1013mb Mostly sunny with one heavy shower around 1pm
A nice 30 species today seen around the house.... Many Chaffinch appear to be moving through , we also had singles of Crag Martin and Barn Swallow, whilst south of us 8 Common Buzzard were seen circling in a group and north of us a group of 10 Raven's doing the same. As darkness set in we heard at least 3 Scops Owls and a Barn Owl hunting through the olive grove.
Species seen .... Chaffinch 70+....Great Tit....Blackbird....Song Thrush....Yellow-legged Gull.. Hooded Crow 14....Common Buzzard 11....Raven 12....Sardinian Warbler 4.... Crag Martin 1 Meadow Pipit 1.... Linnet 7....Stonechat 2....Greenfinch 5....Crested Lark 2...Black Redstart 4. Goldfinch 20+ ....Griffon Vulture 1....Sparrowhawk 1... Rock Dove 2.... Blackcap 3.... Shag 1 Cetti's Warbler 1.... Barn Swallow 1.... Italian Sparrow 1....House Sparrow 5.... Chiffchaff 1.... White Wagtail 1....Barn Owl 1....Scops Owl 3.
Chiffchaff....Phylloscopus collybitta.... Δεντροφυλλοσκόπος
Star of Bethlehem.... Ornithogalum ? Not sure which sp
Tadpoles, many pools are full of these on the road onto Gramvousa
Rhodapou Peninsula from Gramvousa Peninsula at 6pm
From Alan....Had a look at Kourtaliotis Gorge today and many griffons as usual, but one found in cave, possibly on nest? Large flock of jackdaws just north of gorge - well over 100 birds.
Griffon Vulture.... Gyps fulvus....Όρνιο
Jackdaw....Corvus monedula....Κάργια
15th February
Weather....0900....12.7oC....Sea, choppy....Vis 20 miles....Cloud 99%....Wind NW 3-6m/s.... 1008 mb mostly cloudy with heavy rain showers .
A nice close fly by of a Sparrowhawk enabled a quick picture as it perched momentarily on a nearby fence.
Many more Barbary Nuts in flower today.
Species....Sparrowhawk....Yellow-legged Gull....Hooded Crow....Chaffinch.... Crested Lark.... Little Egret....Song Thrush.... Blackbird.... Blackcap.... Common Buzzard....Goldfinch.... Crested Lark.
Sparrowhawk....Accipiter nisus .... Ξεφτέρι
14th February
Weather....0900....10.1oC...Sea, calm....Vis 6 miles....Cloud 100%....Wind SSW 3-6m/s ... 1008 mb... Thunderstorms 5am-9am thereafter showers and sunny intervals
From Alan....Took ourselves off to Akrotiri. Some success in escaping the rain. At the Gouvernetou Monastery we had glimpse of goldcrest by the "new" parking area. It never presented itself for a photo
Ourselves, well we unlike Alan and others did not brave the rain and all we could manage from the inside was ....Hooded Crow....Yellow-legged Gull....Chaffinch.... Great Tit... Crested Lark....Song Thrush....Blackbird....Cetti's Warbler !!
A nice find just outside and in between the showers ....Barbary Nuts are now in flower ! look for them as they bloom at around 1pm
Barbary Nut....Gyandriris sisyrinchium
13th February
Weather....0900....16.5oC....Sea, choppy....Vis 20 miles....Cloud 50%....Wind, SW 5-8m/s....1011mb Wind and cloud increased, mostly cloudy.
Species ....Yellow-legged Gull....Hooded Crow....Common Buzzard....Blackbird....Robin.... Song Thrush.... Sardinian Warbler.... Crested Lark....Kestrel 2.... Raven....Chaffinch.... Great Tit.... Blackcap.....Greenfinch....Goldfinch....Italian Sparrow.... Hen Harrier m.
First Barn Swallow's... Hirundo rustica seen today over Heraklion
From Alan.... We have just had an incredible sighting of greater spotted eagle - can't say if it's the same individual we have seen recently, as this one was "hovering" just above the road and I couldn't see its fingers well. The road from Georgioupoli to Vamos is a scenic one, and the bird was just off the road a little above eye level, maybe 25 metres away! We stopped the car to watch and it remained in place, holding up against the wind, untroubled by us, unfortunately no camera to hand today !!.
Currently at the Georgioupoli Viewpoint - small numbers of ferruginous duck, shoveller, pintail and the pygmy cormorant.
female FerruginousDuck....Aythya nyroca....Βαλτόπαπια
12th February
Weather....0900....15.6oC....Sea, calm....Vis 20 miles....Cloud 5%....Wind W 3m/s ....1015mb Mostly sunny
A beautiful spring day, Lots of flowers are now showing signs of blooming with many buds on the Barbary Nuts....Gynandriris sisyrinchium, Almond trees are now full of blossom. Large numbers of Chaffinch about and can be heard singing all around..
Tonight we heard our first Scops Owl for some time...is it a migrant Otus scops or one of the resident Otus Scops sp cycladum ?
Species for Kaliviani..... Yellow-legged Gull....Hooded Crow....Crested Lark....Chaffinch.... Great Tit....Blackbird....Song Thrush.... Common Buzzard 6....Greenfinch....Goldfinch.... White Wagtail.... Sparrowhawk....House Sparrow....Italian Sparrow.... Scops Owl
Crested Lark....Galerida cristata ....Κατσουλιέρης
Stick Insect....? Leptynia hispanica
Lygaeus equestris
Will name shortly, flower no bigger than a finger nail
From Nikos at Agyia...... Good numbers of Teal... a Ferruginus Duck... 3 Little Egret.... 1 Greater Spotted Eagle....1 Booted Eagle....1 Sparrowhawk....2 Common Buzzard.... 2 Marsh Harrier. Plus all the other species we saw on the 8th..... Cormorant numbers decreasing daily .
11th February
Weather...0900....12.7oC....Sea, choppy....Vis, 20 miles.... Cloud, 70%....Wind, NW 6-11m/s 1010 mb sunny intervals
The first House Martins... Delchon urbicum ....Σπιτοχελίδονο of the spring passed overhead today at 0930 heading north.
At 5pm like clockwork the male Hen Harrier swept past the house and took its usual route around the Kaliviani area
Other birding was low in species but finch numbers were well up over the weekend and today the only other bird of note was a Little Egret on the beach area yesterday.
WE ARE NOW ON FACEBOOK
SUE HAS STARTED A PAGE FOR "WILD FLOWERS OF CRETE" ALSO A "CRETE-BIRDING" PAGE.
We will continue to post blog news and images onto here, but due to the increased emails we decided to open a Facebook page, so that all those questions could be put onto there with a more wider input from yourselves on places you have seen species, your and our up to the minute sightings, hotel recommendations etc. Also our images look better on there as we do not have to reduce size due to the website restrictions !!
8th February
Weather....0900....14.0C....Sea, Calm....Vis 20 miles....Cloud 99%....Wind SSW 9m/s.... 1002mb Heavy rain showers through the night continued through through the day
Kaliviani....Yellow-legged Gull 12....Hooded crow....Chaffinch....Raven 2....Linnet.... Sardinian Warbler....Blackbird....Sparrowhawk....Italian and House Sparrow.... Crested Lark.... Common Buzzard
No work today with the bad weather so dodging the showers we took a trip towards Chania. We looked into...
Moronis reserve and Souda Bay....Black-headed Gull 40+.... Yellow-legged Gull.... Coot 20+ Sandwich Tern 1....Cetti's Warbler....Italian Sparrow....House Sparrow.... Kingfisher 1.... Cormorant 4....Moorhen 1....Redshank 1....Common Sandpiper 1.
Kingfisher....Alcedo atthis Αλκυόνη
House Sparrow....Passer domesticus Σπιτοσπουργίτης and Italian Sparrow....Passer Italiae Iταλοσπουργίτες
Agias Lake.......Cormorant 8....Yellow-legged Gull 21....Chiffchaff....Serin.... Goldfinch.... Goldfinch....Chaffinch....Blackbird....Stonechat....Tree Sparrow 9....Black Redstart.... Robin.. Great Tit....Sardinian Warbler....Blackcap....Cetti's Warbler...Meadow Pipit 6....White Wagtail 1 Crag Martin 40+....Linnet....Greenfinch....Coot 400+....Moorhen....Little Grebe 30+.... Gadwall 42...Marsh Harrier 2...Hooded Crow...Shoveler 20+....Mallard 4.... Teal 9....Wigeon 7 Tufted Duck 6....Grey Heron 1
Tree Sparrow....Passer montanus Δεντροσπουργίτης
Little Grebe....Tachybaptus ruficollis Νανοβουτηχτάρι
Pochard....Aythya ferina Γκισάρι
Cormorant....Phalacrocorax carbo Κορμοράνος
Chiffchaff....Phylloscopus collybita Δεντροφυλλοσκόπος
Marsh Harrier....Circus aeruginosus Καλαμόκιρκος
Mallard ....Anas platyrhynchos Πρασινοκέφαλη πάπια
7th February
Weather....0900....18.5oC....Sea, calm....Vis 20 miles....Cloud 20%.... Wind, WSW 6-8m/s 1008mb Sunny , rain late PM, thunderstorms into the night.
Yellow-legged Gull....Shag 1....Griffon Vulture 2....Chaffinch....Common Buzzard 6.... Song Thrush....Goldfinch....Greenfinch....Hooded Crow
6th February
Weather....0900....16.7oC....Sea, calm....Vis, 20 miles.... Cloud 90%.... Wind NW 1m/s.... 1009mb Rain late PM and through the night.
Linnet....Chaffinch....Greenfinch....Goldfinch....Robin....Great Tit....Blackcap....Blackbird.... Song Thrush....Italian Sparrow...Hoodeed Crow....Sardinian Warbler.... Crested lark.... Black Redstart....Yellow-legged Gull....Stonechat ....Raven....Common Buzzard
5th February
Weather....0900....16.3oC....Sea, calm....Vis20 miles....Cloud 0....Wind E 4m/s....1010mb Sun in the morning cloud increasing PM.
Chaffinch....Sardinian Warbler...Common Buzzard....Cetti's Warbler....Greenfinch....Chaffinch Linnet....Hooded Crow....Common Buzzard 6....Blackbird....Woodlark....Chiffchaff....Raven ... Crag Martin.... Peregrine Falcon 1.
4th February
Weather....0900.... 18.7oC....Sea, choppy....Visibility 10 miles.... Cloud , light high.... Wind S 8m/s.... 1011mb.... Sandstorm AM
This week we will be doing a lot of work in the olive grove. We will list what we see and hear, no photos though !!
Woodlark....Cetti's Warbler....Yellow-legged Gull 30+....Hooded crow 13.... Chaffinch.... Common Buzzard 3.... Blackbird....Raven....Greenfinch....Woodlark....Sparrowhawk 1.... Sardinian warbler ....Crag Martin
3rd February
Weather....0900....20.2oC....Sea, choppy....Vis 20 miles....cloud, 0....Wind S6-8m/s 1011mb A very nice warm and sunny day, reaching 23oC in the shade.
Nikos joined us in the afternoon after a short visit to Agyia. We have no input for the weekend as we were busy with the olive trees. Whilst here Nikos got a brief sighting of the male hen harrier as it passed by to the rear of the house. The balcony continues to conjure something up !!
Some images from Nikos day....
Gadwall....Anas strepera Καπακλής At Agyia
Cormorant.... Phalacrocorax carbo sp sinensis Κορμοράνος At Agyia
Marsh Harrier.... Circus aeruginosus Καλαμόκιρκος At Agyia
Hen Harrier....Circus cyaneus Χειμωνόκιρκος At Kaliviani
2nd February
Weather....0900....17.1oC....Sea, choppy....Vis 20 miles....Cloud 90%....Wind W, 8m/s....1011mb the day turned out mostly sunny
From Alan.....Yesterday we made the trip to Aradena, and apart from distant views of chough and a single Bonelli's eagle, little else to mention.
Today, I had an unexpected sighting of our wintering (greater) spotted eagle at Kalivaki. I was only able to view it from the main road, where I saw it land on a small tree after being harrassed by the mob (crows!). Whilst I drove towards Kalivaki Studios in hope of a better view, it flew away. Not great images, but a record - and this was the same individual more usually seen in the Kournas Lake area.
Spotted Eagle....Aquila clanga Στικταετός
1st February
Weather....0900....15.3oC....Sea, light swell....Vis 20 miles....Cloud 0....Wind N,3-6m/s.... 1013mb ...sunny until late afternoon.
The male Hen Harrier continues to elude the camera. This afternoon whilst out for our walk through the area it flew ten metres from us when we had entered some cover. A nice brief encounter, tomorrow we will wait in the open !! We watched as a gull attacked a buzzard over the sea, the first time we have witnessed these two species interacting and later we saw the long-legged buzzard being mobbed in the distance by ravens.
Kaliviani species.....Common Buzzard 6....Sparrowhawk 1....Chaffinch....Blackbird....Raven.... Hooded Crow....Great Tit....Kestrel 2.... White Wagtail....Crested Lark....Goldfinch....Serin.... Greenfinch.... Linnet....Stonechat.... Yellow-legged Gull....Italian Sparrow....Hewn Harrier 1m. Blackcap....Black Redstart....Long-legged Buzzard 1.
Common Buzzard v Yellow-legged Gull
Goldfinch....Carduelis carduelis Καρδερίνα
Oleander.....Nerium oleander waiting for the wind to spread the seed
