ANTIKYTHIRA RAPTOR MIGRATION WATCH                     

25th SEPTEMBER - 15^th  OCTOBER 2008

For details of the island of Antikythira please see 2007 report and also the link to Antikythira.

Changes to last years report….. The ferry is now only once a week from Kissamos departing on a Thursday morning at 08.00.

The new guest house for volunteers is now open and can take eleven people. The Observatory has been converted to an information centre and accommodates four staff and a new seismological station.

25^th September, Thursday

Sue and I departed Kissamos on the 08.00 ferry for our two week stay and arrived on Antikythira at 10.00. On route we got our first spots of the day, Crested Lark, Yellow-legged Gull, 2 Kingfisher at the harbour, 6 Cory’s Shearwater and some distant unidentified Terns.

Αρτέμης - Calonectris diomedea - Cory’s Shearwater, photo by and © C&S

On arrival we were met by our old friend Angelos and shown to the new accommodation where we duly unloaded our gear and met Jacob from Austria who would finish his stay doing raptor watch on Sunday 28^th.

For the rest of the morning we assisted Jacob at the guest house observation point.

Birds seen…. Blue Rock Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Bee-eater 6, Eleonoras Falcon, Raven, Hobby, Bonelli’s Eagle, Kestrel, Barn Swallow, White Wagtail, Robin, Booted Eagle [pale morph], Whitethroat, Red-rumped Swallow, Spotted Flycatcher, Pied Flycatcher. Just a taste of things to come.

Later that afternoon we met the others from the ringing team, Kate and Oliver both from the UK and Raimo from Finland.

On the following Tuesday we were joined by Marion from the UK and later by Gayle from the USA and Manuela from Italy who were all joining the ringing group. After Jacobs departure that left Sue and myself doing the raptor migration.

Our two weeks soon came to an end and we decided that as there were no others doing raptor watch that we would stop on an extra week. The weather in that third week however deteriorated and with strong winds the raptor numbers dropped apart from Kestrel, Sparrowhawk and a sudden influx of Common Buzzard. This gave us the chance to explore the island and do a bit more general bird watching.

Over the three weeks we had some fantastic days with the best being the 3^rd October with a total of 18 different species of raptor seen totalling 192 birds…. 85 of which were Marsh Harrier. Numbers started to drop around the 9^th due to strong adverse winds.

The 8^th October proved to be the best for Eleonora’s Falcon with 250+ birds flying at dusk, hawking insects giving excellent close views as they fed on the wing…..awesome.

Plants… Tiny Narcissus with flower heads 3cm dia. Narcissus serotinus

                Large yellow, Common sternbergia resembling a crocus

                Autumn Squill, Scilla autumnalis

                Carpets of Autumn Heather, Erica manipuliflora

                Kermes Oak Quercus coccifera full of acorns

                Prickly Juniper [cedar] Juniperus oxycedrus

                Phoenician Juniper  Juniperus phoenicea

                Asparagus aphyllus

                Very few olive trees

                Fig Trees

                Prickly Pear

Insects, butterflies and moths.

Many of the same species as we find on Crete. We were lucky to find in the girls dormitory a Scolopendra cingulatus,  Europe’s largest centipede which has a dangerous and very painful bite.

Mammals …. Many small rabbits.

                        Some Dolphin or Porpoise were seen a short way off shore but

                        We were unable to get enough views to positively identify them,  

                        the general opinion was that they were Bottle-nosed Dolphin

With only a few locals , there are not too many cars, it was a pleasure to be able to walk most of the island during the three weeks, seeing the bird species change every few days, always with the chance of a rarity coming along. To watch the smaller raptors hunting, one day with 19 Sparrowhawk alongside many Kestrel it looked like the island was one big bird table for the raptors. Walking along the road to suddenly hear a flurry of wings as a hawk dived into a bush only metres away was really something to experience. With so many raptors, numbers and species, so close it was a truly memorable experience.

The hunting though still continues…. as we watched the migrants coming through a few locals were seen shooting, with the neighbour near the ringing station taking a shotgun to a Booted Eagle that was circling above his chickens. Angelos sorted the situation out and we heard no more shots from that direction.

BIRD LIST…… 92 species seen [28 raptors]

Cory’s Shearwater…….. 6 from ferry 25^th. One injured bird at Observatory 14/15^th Oct

Shag …………………… 1 on 25^th & 28^th Sept

Night Heron …………... Heard at night 28^th and 30^th Sept  

Little Egret……………...3 on 27^th -28^th, 4 on 30^th, & 22 on 7^th

Great Egret……………. 1 on 30^th

Grey Heron……………. 5^th Oct 11 seen low over the sea 

Purple Heron…………...16 flying south on the 7^th Oct

White Stork…………….1 on the 7^th

Black Stork……………..1 on 26^th Sept

Black Stork, photo by and © C&S

Osprey…………………..3 …One on 30^thSept  two on 3^rdOct

Eastern Imperial Eagle...1 on 7^thOct

Lesser Spotted Eagle….. 10 on singles 26 /27/30^thSept   7 on 7^thOct

? Steppe Eagle…………. 1 on 3^rdOct awaiting confirmation from photo

Short-toed Eagle………. Singles on 29^thSept/ 4/10/11/12/13

Booted Eagle…………... 81 daily…. apart from 27^thSept 1^st and 9^thOct

Bonelli’s Eagle………… Daily [resident pair] apart from 2^nd and 10^th Oct

Red Kite………………... 2 Singles on 30^th Sept and 2^nd Oct

Black Kite……………… Singles with max 5 on three days

Marsh Harrier………… 26^{th Sept}  -6^th Oct…. with max 85 on 3^rd

Hen Harrier……………Daily apart from 25/26^th Sept 5/6/8/15^th Oct. Max 5 3^rd

Montagu’s Harrier……. Single on 30^th

Pallid Harrier…………. 27^th Sept…  1-4^th and 10^th Oct max 5 on 3rd

Long-legged Buzzard…. 1 on 7^th Oct

Common Buzzard…….. Daily apart from 25^th  with max 26 on 14^th Oct

Steppe Buzzard [Vulpinus] 2 on 2^nd 4 on 7^th Oct

Honey Buzzard………… 50% of days with 38 max on 7^th Oct

Sparrowhawk………….. Daily apart from 6^th Oct max 19 on 13^th Oct

Levant Sparrowhawk…. Single on 2^nd Oct….. 12 on the 7^th Oct

Goshawk……………….. 3 on 7^th Oct… singles 50% of days [one ringed]

Kestrel………………….. Daily max 20 on two days

Lesser Kestrel………….. single bird on three days  with RF Falcons

Red-footed Falcon………28^th Sept -4^th Oct max 4 on two days

Hobby…………………… 4 on 3^rd Oct singles on seven other days

Eleonora’s Falcon……… Daily max 250-300+ on the 8^th Oct

Peregrine Falcon………. Daily apart fro 25^th 27^{th Sept}  and 15^thOct  

Merlin…………………... Single bird 11/12/13^th Oct

Lanner………………….. 1 on 30^th

Chukar………………….  Daily

Quail……………………. .2 flushed whilst walking. Plus 1 dead on road

Helmeted Guinea Fowl... [1 domestic and noisy near ringing station]

Yellow-legged Gull………Daily apart from 28/29^th Sept.

Tern…………………….  [3 Distant from ferry]

Collared Dove …………  Singles on 8^th & 11^th Oct

Turtle Dove……………. Heard on a few days

Barn Owl ……………… 28/30^thSept  & 1^st Oct

Scops Owl……………… most days, 3 ringed on 26^th Sept

Scops Owl, photo by and © C&S

Nightjar…………………3/7/8^th Oct

Swift …………………….30^th Sept 13^th Oct

Alpine Swift……………..Seen by our friend from Finland on the 30^th Sept

Hoopoe…………………. singles

Kingfisher……………… 2 Kissamos Harbour 25^th Singles Sept 6/11/13/14/15^th

Bee-eater……………….. 40+ 2^nd Oct. Smaller numbers 25^th Sept-5^th Oct

Roller   …………………. Single stayed  1 -7 Oct  seen different location 11&13

Sand Martin……………. 27^th -11^th Oct in small numbers

Barn Swallow…………... Daily apart from 11^th-14^th

Red-rumped Swallow….. Daily until the 8^th Oct

House Martin……………27/29/30^th Sept & 2^nd -7^thOct

Tawny Pipit ……………. Single 25/27/30^th Sept

Tree Pipit……………….. Ringed daily until the 11^th Oct

Yellow Wagtail…………. Daily

White Wagtail………….. Daily

Robin……………………. Daily from 27^th

Nightingale………………29^th Sept & 1/2/3/9/15^th Oct

Redstart………………….Daily

Whinchat……………… ..Daily

Stonechat………………...7/9-11/13/15^th Oct

Northern Wheatear……..Daily to 5^th Oct

Blue Rock Thrush……….Daily apart from 11/12/14^th Oct

Blackbird…………………13-15^th Oct

Song Thrush…………….. 8-15^th Oct  

Icterine Warbler ……….. 7^th Oct

Whitethroat………………Daily 25^th Sept-10^th Oct

Garden Warbler…………Daily 25^{th Sept} -10^th Oct  

Blackcap…………………. Daily 25^{th Sept} -10^th Oct

Wood Warbler…………... seen at ringing station

Willow Warbler…………. Daily until the 11^th Oct

Chiffchaff………………….. 6/8/9/11^th Oct

Willow Warbler, photo by and © C&S

Spotted Flycatcher………. Daily until 11^th Oct

Red-breasted Flycatcher…Daily apart from 5/11/13th

Pied Flycatcher………….. 1^st at ringing station

Collared Flycatcher………1^st & 3^rd Oct at ringing station

Golden Oriole …………… 26^th Sept- 3^rd Oct.

Red-backed Shrike…….... 25/28/29/30^th Sept & 2/4/7/9 Oct

Lesser Grey Shrike…….....Single on 29^thSept

Woodchat Shrike…………Single on 28^thSept  

Raven 2…………………… Daily, resident pair

Starling…………………… Daily apart from 3^rd and 12^th

Spanish Sparrow…………small numbers 27-29 Sept larger flocks 6^th -15^th Oct

Chaffinch……………….....7^th-15^th Oct

Greenfinch…………………Single 12^th Oct

Siskin……………………….Single 14^th Oct

Siskin, photo by and © C&S

Corn Bunting……………... 2 on 4^th Oct

Raptor Chart
 

 25

 26

 27

 28

 29

 30 

 1

 2 

 3

 4

 5

6

 7

 8

 9

 10

 11

 12

 13

 14

15

1

1

1

1

1

7

1
?

2

1

1

1

1

1

3

14

2

2

9

2

21

6

2

9

1

2

1

1

1

3

2

1

1

1

2

1

1

1

2

2

1

1

1

2

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

5

2

5

5

1

1

1

1

1

12

27

10

14

84

58

55

85

15

2

1

1

4

1

2

1

2

5

1

1

1

3

1

1

2

2

1

1

1

4

5

2

1

1

25

26

27

28

29

30

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

10

11

12

13

14

2

4

1

3

2

2

2

1

1

1

12

12

2

6

22

20

24

26

2

4

17

5

8

3

5

14

18

10

1

38

3

5

5

3

7

8

5

4

2

10

2

3

15

12

3

4

18

16

19

4

1

12

1

1

1

1

1

3

1

1

1

1

1

7

10

12

12

12

14

20

12

16

20

4

4

10

4

3

6

8

8

8

8

8

1

1

1

4

3

3

4

3

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

4

1

1

70

70

30

40

40

40

30

20

10

8

2

4

15

250

20

6

6

6

8

6

12

1

1

6

2

3

3

4

4

1

4

1

2

1

2

2

2

1

1

1

1

1

Τσίφτης Milvus migrans Black Kite, photo by and © C&S
 

Στεπόκιρκος Circus macrourus Pallid Harrier, photo by and © C&S
 

Σπιζαετός Hieraaetus fasciatus Bonelli’s Eagle - Top photo upperwing, lower photo underwing, photos by and © C&S
 

Σταυραετός Hieraaetus pennatus Booted Eagle, photo by and © C&S
 

Στεπόκιρκος Circus macrourus Pallid Harrier, photo by and © C&S
 

Βαλτόκιρκος Circus cyaneus Hen Harrier, photo by and © C&S
 

Μαυροπετρίτης Falco eleonorae Eleonora’s Falcon, photo by and © C&S
 

Μαυροπετρίτης Falco eleonorae Eleonora’s Falcon, photo by and © C&S
 

Σφηκιάρης Pernis apivorus Honey Buzzard, photo by and © C&S
 

Πετρίτης Falco peregrinus Peregrine Falcon, photo by and © C&S
 

Κιρκινέζι Falco naumanni Lesser Kestrel, photo by and © C&S
 

Κραυγαετός Aquila pomarina Lesser-spotted Eagle, photo by and © C&S
 

Καλαμόκιρκος Circus aeruginosus Marsh Harrier, photo by and © C&S
 

Νανογέρακο Falco columbarius Merlin, photo by and © C&S
 

Ψαραετός Pandion haliaetus Osprey, photo by and © C&S
 

Σφηκιάρης Pernis apivorus Honey Buzzard, photo by and © C&S
 

Φιδαετός Circaetus gallicus Short-toed Eagle, photo by and © C&S
 

2 Τσίφτης Milvus migrans Black Kite, photo by and © C&S
 

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