| April 2009 |
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Birding in Western Crete We start the month off with a visit to Maronis and Agia Lake Included in this report and hopefully others to follow we will have reports from Nikos Samaritakis of his sightings. Weather is taken at 08.00 unless otherwise stated * = Feldegg, Flava,Dombrowskii,cinereocapilla m = male f = female pm = pale morph dm = dark morph 1st April …Report from Nikos of Penduline Tit and Spotted Crake at Maronis 2nd Hen Harrier at Kaliviani 6th-10th A female Montagu’s Harrier at Kaliviani 7th Common Crane at Kaliviani and our first Audouins Gull another new species. After a few days of storms a large influx of Yellow Wagtails and Blackbirds. Many migrants moving through in the second week 8th Lesser Spotted Eagle plus another new species to our list [209] Eastern Imperial Eagle, three sightings 9th Another new species to add to our Crete list Cretzschmar’s Bunting takes us to 210 species. Around the 9th we started hearing a bird call we could not identify, the calls came from several areas in the olive groves and eventually after a week we identified them to another bird we had not seen on Crete, and, we still have to see! the bird, Quail, we cannot add to our list as we have only heard it, a distinct load “tschuk tut shuck” sort of sound. The calls were heard for around a week. The first Eleonora’s Falcons arrive back on the 9th A Hobby on the 10th Golden Oriole heard on the 12th First Bee-eaters heard and seen on the 13th A trip to Falasarna on the 13th we find two more new species for our Crete list Spotted Crake and Bittern 15th A trip to Agia nets us another first….. Baillon’s Crake 18th Spotted Flycatchers arrive in the area 1st 18.7oC 1014mb sea calm visibility good wind 2-3Bnw cloud HOME Blackcap Sparrowhawk Cetti’s Warbler Chaffinch Great Tit Hooded Crow Common Buzzard Yellow-legged Gull Shag Italian Sparrow Woodlark Blue Rock Thrush Blackbird Hoopoe VIGLIA BEACH Cormorant Shag Common Sandpiper Little Ringed Plover Yellow Wagtail Crested Lark White Wagtail Corn Bunting MARONIS Black-winged Stilt Common Sandpiper Little Ringed Plover Little Egret Kingfisher Meadow Pipit Little Bittern Coot Moorhen Yellow-legged Gull Cormorant Nikos reported from here after we left …… Penduline Tit Spotted Crake Hoopoe Little Stint and snakes
AGIA LAKE Sardinian Warbler Barn Swallow Ferruginous Duck 6 Shoveler Duck 8 Cetti’s Warbler Wryneck Sedge Warbler Mute Swan 1 Coot Moorhen Kingfisher Stonechat Little Crake Purple Heron 1 Little Grebe Yellow-legged Gull Marsh Harrier Hooded Crow Greenfinch Goldfinch Blackbird Blackcap TAVRONITIS Common Sandpiper Wood Sandpiper Cormorant Little Egret Little Ringed Plover 2nd 18.6oC 1014mb sea calm visibility good wind 0 sun/cloud Great Tit Chaffinch Hooded Crow Blue Rock Thrush Italian Sparrow Blackcap Barn Swallow Woodlark Yellow-legged Gull Cetti’s Warbler Sardinian Warbler Crested Lark Raven Sparrowhawk 10.25hrs Hoopoe Yellow Wagtail * Collared Dove Goldfinch Whitethroat Cormorant Hen Harrier 15.00hrs Marsh Harrier15.35hrs Corn Bunting Blackbird Singing at Midnight……..Woodlark 3rd 16.4oC 1015mb sea calm vis. Good wind 0 cloud Blackcap Chaffinch Great Tit Corn Bunting Blue Rock Thrush Raven Hooded Crow Yellow-legged Gull Blue Tit Italian Sparrow Common Buzzard 3 Blackbird Kestrel Woodlark Crested Lark Greenfinch Sardinian Warbler Red-rumped Swallow Griffon Vulture 1 Linnet Goldfinch A distant Aquila BEACH Stonechat Crested Lark Little Egret Little Ringed Plover 4 A report from Bob of a Black-winged Stilt at Kissamos 4th 15.6oC 1015mb sea choppy vis. poor wind 5-6B e sun/cloud Yellow-legged Gull Woodlark Griffon Vulture 1+6+1 Blackbird Chaffinch Great Tit Hooded Crow Common Buzzard Goldfinch Corn Bunting Blackcap Marsh Harrier 1m. Sardinian Warbler At 5pm a Hoopoe rose vertically from the olive grove pursued by a Sparrowhawk the Hoopoe jinked right and the hawk dived away into the olive grove to start its hunt again. From Nikos at Agia lake Booted Eagle Glossy Ibis Mute Swan Little Egret Grey Heron Marsh Harrier Common Buzzard Little Crake 10+ Sedge Warbler Possible Great reed Warbler plus all the usual water birds 5th 12.8oC 1011mb sea choppy visibility poor wind 0 Heavy Rain Thunder/lighting during night Yellow-legged Gull Blackbird Great Tit Chaffinch Italian Sparrow Crested Lark Raven Hooded Crow Cormorant Yellow Wagtail Rock Dove Sardinian Warbler Blue Tit 6th 15.2oC 1011mb sea calm visibility good wind 4B NW cloud HOME Yellow-legged Gull Italian Sparrow Blackbird Kestrel Chaffinch Great Tit Yellow Wagtail* Blackcap Cetti’s Warbler BEACH / KISSAMOS
Woodchat Shrike 3 Black-eared Wheatear Shag 3 Cormorant 1 Little Egret Black-winged Stilt Montagu’s Harrier1 Little Ringed Plover 4 Sandwich tern 2 Common Sandpiper 3 Yellow Wagtail* Goldfinch Meadow Pipit Corn Bunting Crested Lark Stonechat Yellow-legged Gull Raven Swift Alpine Swift Barn Swallow Common Buzzard
From Nikos at Maronis Squacco Heron 3 Little Egret 4 Black-winged Stilt 4 Little Ringed Plover 10 Little Crake 1 Common Sandpiper 5 Greenshank Wood Sandpiper Spotted Crake 1 Whinchat 2 Yellow Wagtail * The usual Coot, Moorhen, gulls and finches 7th 14.8oC 1012mb sea calm visibility fair wind 4/5B NW Rain Sunny intervals late afternoon Yellow-legged Gull Italian Sparrow Chaffinch Blackbird Cetti’s Warbler Hooded Crow Barn Swallow Greenfinch Woodchat Shrike 2 Shag 3 Yellow Wagtail * Meadow Pipit Corn Bunting Crested Lark Marsh Harrier 1m Redstart f Whitethroat Whinchat Northern Wheatear m&f Stonechat Blackcap Sardinian Warbler Little Ringed Plover Common Sandpiper Chiffchaff Collared Flycatcher Nightingale Goldfinch Raven Common Buzzard Peregrine Falcon Audouin’s Gull Late afternoon 6pm a Common Crane flew along the coast [south] landing in the fields near the harbour, an immature we presume it to be the same bird we saw on the 20th March. At 11pm a Scops Owl was heard.
8th 18.8oC 1015mb sea calm visibility poor wind 2B N sun/cloud TODAY GOOD NUMBERS OF LOCAL & MIGRATING RAPTORS
Italian Sparrow Marsh Harrier 9m 1f Lesser Spotted Eagle pm Booted Eagle Sardinian Warbler Blackbird Chaffinch Great Tit Common Buzzard 22 Alpine Swift Barn Swallow Hooded Crow Shag Yellow-legged Gull Woodlark Woodchat Shrike Griffon Vulture 2 House Martin Eastern Imperial Eagle1 Kestrel 1 Bonelli’s Eagle 2 Long-legged Buzzard 2 Sparrowhawk 1 Redstart Yellow Wagtail * Northern Wheatear Crested Lark Stonechat Greenfinch Montagu’s Harrier 1 Wood Warbler Subalpine Warbler Cetti’s Warbler Nightingale Whinchat Chiffchaff Blue Tit Raven Hoopoe Meadow Pipit Collared Flycatcher Audouin’s Gull
KISSAMOS Common Sandpiper 3 Little Ringed Plover 7 Yellow Wagtail * Woodchat Shrike Black-winged Stilt Little Egret Whinchat Collared Dove 9th 16.1oC 1017mb sea calm vis good wind 0 Sun HOME Yellow-legged Gull Blue Rock Thrush Nightingale Blackbird Chaffinch Hooded Crow Kestrel 3 dm Booted Eagle Eastern Imperial Eagle Barn Swallow Montagu’s Harrier f Sardinian Warbler Great Tit Common Buzzard Whitethroat Shag Hoopoe Blue Tit Raven Red-rumped Swallow Corn Bunting Goldfinch Eleonora’s Falcon 1 Marsh Harrier f Wryneck Whinchat Also a Weasel
GRAMVOUSA We headed out after lunch for a couple of hours at a small church approximately 3km along the track to Balos. There is a small area with a spring and some shrubs that is good for migrants.
Little Ringed Plover 1 Common Sandpiper 1 Shag 3 Wryneck 2 Redstart m&f Eleonora’s Falcon 1 Griffon Vulture 3 Crested Lark Marsh Harrier1f Short-toed Lark Sparrowhawk Black-eared Wheatear Collared Flycatcher m Pied Flycatcher Chiffchaff Ortolan 2 Cretzschmar’s Bunting 5 Cetti’s Warbler Nightingale Whitethroat Blackcap 1m Hoopoe 2 Goldfinch Linnet Raven Meadow Pipit Serin Yellow Wagtail Blackbird Italian Sparrow Hooded Crow Chaffinch Barn Swallow Alpine Swift Corn Bunting Woodlark Eastern Imperial Eagle was seen just as we were leaving, high above the mountain top.
10th 16.5oC 1015mb sea calm vis good/fair wind 0 Sun/mist Great Tit Stonechat Blue Rock Thrush Chaffinch Shag 1 Cetti’s Warbler Yellow-legged Gull Whitethroat Barn Swallow Montagu’s Harrier 1f Sardinian Warbler Marsh Harrier 1f Blackbird Woodlark Woodchat Shrike 2 Greenfinch Goldfinch Black-eared Wheatear Chukar Raven Common Buzzard 7 Hobby 1125hrs Kestrel 2 pm Booted Eagle 1 Hooded Crow Northern Wheatear Rock Dove Nightingale 2 Hoopoe 3 Redstart 2m Sparrowhawk 2 Whinchat
11th 17.3oC 1010mb cloud sea choppy vis. Fair HOME House Martin Barn Swallow Woodlark Blue Rock Thrush Chaffinch Great Tit Hooded Crow Yellow-legged Gull Whitethroat Woodchat Shrike Italian Sparrow Blackbird Nightingale Raven Common Buzzard 6 Blue Tit Marsh Harrier 2m 1f Montagu’s Harrier 1f Kestrel Goldfinch Greenfinch Yellow Wagtail Jackdaw 2 Whinchat Hoopoe Cetti’s Warbler On route to Chania Booted Eagle dm 1 Common Buzzard 8 Woodchat Shrike Tavronitis Swift 2 Grey Heron 1 Common Sandpiper 1 Serin 1 Greenfinch Italian Sparrow Barn Swallow Hooded Crow Viglia Beach Shag 3 Little Ringed Plover 1 Yellow Wagtail Meadow Pipit Crested Lark 12th 15.5oC Cloud Sea Choppy vis. Good wind 2/4B N Great Tit Montagu’s Harrier f Hooded Crow Marsh Harrier 3m 1f Italian Sparrow Goldfinch Blackbird Chaffinch Whinchat Black-eared Wheatear Common Buzzard Crested Lark Serin Nightingale Raven Rock Dove Chukar Golden Oriole [heard] Cetti’s Warbler Kestrel Corn Bunting Yellow-legged Gull From Nikos at Maronis CURLEW SANDPIPER GREENSHANK LITTLE STINT COMMON SANDPIPER (4) LITTLE RINGED PLOVER (3) LITTLE EGRET (2) PURPLE HERON SPOTTED CRAKE, etc
13th 18.4oC sun sea calm/slight swell vis. Poor wind 1B variable HOME Nightingale Blue Tit Blackbird Black-eared Wheatear Raven Chaffinch Cetti’s Warbler Great Tit Italian Sparrow Marsh Harrier 1m Hoopoe 2 Redstart Corn Bunting Crested Lark Barn Swallow Collared Dove Yellow-legged Gull Goldfinch Woodlark Woodchat Shrike Common Buzzard 5 Whinchat Bee-eaters [heard] Griffon Vulture 1 Swift Barn Swallow
FALASARNA MARSH After lunch we decided to take a trip to Falasarna to an area of marsh that should, after all the rain, provide some good migrants….. we are so glad we did , forty species and two new birds for our Crete list which to date stands at 212.
The highlight of the afternoon was spotting a Bittern on a small pool that gave us great views for one and a half hours as it fed and stalked through the reeds, coming to within 15 metres of us. We even had time to text Nikos in Chania who arrived in time to see it before darkness came, a trip of nearly an hour away.
Little Egret 5 Squacco Heron 3 Purple Heron 2 Bittern 1 Wood Sandpiper 6 Green Sandpiper 4 Little Stint 30+ Ruff 3 Little Crake 4 Spotted Crake 1 Little Bittern 1 Little Ringed Plover 9 Moorhen 12 Snipe 1 Marsh Harrier 1f Woodchat Shrike 20+ Bee-eater 15 Corn Bunting 2 Greenfinch 5 Northern Wheatear 1 Collared Dove Tawny Pipit Sand Martin Crag Martin Swift Nightingale Goldfinch Chaffinch Sedge Warbler Whitethroat Blackbird Italian Sparrow Sardinian Warbler Yellow Wagtail Yellow-legged Gull Barn Swallow Whinchat 10 Crested Lark Hooded Crow Great Tit
14th 18.7oC Sunny intervals sea choppy vis.good wind 3-5B W [ wind later 7B W] Shag 3 Italian Sparrow Yellow-legged Gull Crested Lark Chukar Blackbird Blue Rock Thrush Cetti’s Warbler Woodchat Shrike Barn Swallow Rock Dove Hooded Crow Whinchat Linnet Crag Martin Ortolan Raven Northern Wheatear Bee-eater Great Tit Goldfinch Sardinian Warbler Kestrel Swift Yellow Wagtail 15th 15.8oC 1010mb sunny intervals vis.good sea calm wind 4-5B NW We arranged to meet up with a group on a bird tour at Agia today. At 11.00am there were about 18 people birding there, a nice change to chat to others and share this lake. AT HOME Barn Swallow Hooded Crow Yellow-legged Gull Italian Sparrow Great Tit Blue Tit Blackbird Corn Bunting Woodchat Shrike Greenfinch Sardinian Warbler Chukar 1 Shag 1 AGIA LAKE
Little Crake Baillon’s Crake Little Egret 2 Squacco Heron 3 Sedge Warbler Yellow Wagtail Black-winged Stilt 1 Blackcap Swift Barn Swallow Alpine Swift House Martin Sand Martin Crag Martin Little Grebe Coot Moorhen Marsh Harrier Common Buzzard Hooded Crow Italian Sparrow Yellow-legged Gull Greenfinch Wryneck 2 Stonechat Whinchat Cetti’s Warbler Collared Dove Great Tit Shoveler Duck 1 Ferruginous Duck 1 Little Stint 1 Wood Sandpiper 2 Chaffinch Reed Warbler Dice Snake Balkan Green Lizard Terrapins …plus one tiny baby rescued from the path.
16th 16.5oC 1015mb Sun/some cloud Sea calm vis. Good wind light NNE Hooded Crow Italian Sparrow Chaffinch Great Tit Common Buzzard 7 Bee-eater 50+ / 50+ Barn Swallow Hose Martin Black-eared Wheatear Bonelli’s Eagle 2 Swift Goldfinch Woodlark Blue Tit Alpine Swift Red-rumped Swallow Raven Blackbird Whinchat Kestrel Shag 3 Yellow-legged Gull Blackcap Greenfinch Marsh Harrier 1m 1f Woodchat Shrike Cetti’s Warbler Barn Owl A report from Nikos of a Long-eared Owl was near his home in Chania 17th 18.9oC 1015mb Sun vis. Good sea calm wind light Italian Sparrow Woodchat Shrike 8 Chaffinch Whinchat Kestrel Barn Swallow Marsh Harrier f Yellow-legged Gull Goldfinch Great Tit Corn Bunting Hooded Crow Sardinian Warbler Linnet Crested Lark Woodlark Whitethroat Cetti’s Warbler Blackbird Bee-eater 30+ Greenfinch Blue Tit Rock Dove Blue Rock Thrush Alpine Swift Swift Common Buzzard 4 House Martin Red-rumped Swallow Raven Corn Bunting Stonechat Black-eared Wheatear [pale and dark throated] BEACH ROAD Red-throated Pipit Meadow Pipit Shag 1 Crested Lark Little Ringed Plover Yellow Wagtail Corn Bunting Whinchat Stonechat Common Buzzard Blackbird Goldfinch Greenfinch Ocellated Skink
18th 19.2oC 1014mb Sunny vis. Good sea calm wind light Barn Swallow Golden Oriole Yellow-legged Gull Italian Sparrow Chaffinch Blackbird Great Tit Hooded Crow Sardinian Warbler Spotted Flycatcher Blue Rock Thrush Shag 3 Tree Pipit Cetti’s Warbler Blackcap Sparrowhawk Swift Corn Bunting Ortolan House Martin Crested Lark Goldfinch Alpine Swift Stonechat Blue Tit Common Buzzard 5 Greenfinch Red-throated Pipit Woodlark Bee-eater Kestrel Scops Owl Bob reported a Greenshank at Viglia beach
19th 16.5oC cloud then sun vis. Good Sea mirror calm wind sw light Italian sparrow Rock Dove Blackbird Collared Dove Chaffinch Great Tit Black-eared Wheatear Hooded Crow Yellow-legged Gull Corn Bunting Greenfinch Sardinian Warbler Blue Tit Goldfinch Raven Barn Swallow Hoopoe Common Buzzard Tree Pipit Swift House Martin Shag 1 Little Egret 1 Golden Oriole 1 Cetti’s Warbler Whinchat Kestrel Linnet Alpine Swift Marsh Harrier f Stonechat Scops Owl Barn Owl 20th 17.6oC sea calm vis.good sun/cloud wind 0 Great Tit Chaffinch Italian Sparrow Blackbird Yellow-legged Gull Hooded Crow Corn Bunting Woodchat Shrike Greenfinch Woodlark Barn Swallow Cetti’s Warbler Common Buzzard Rock Dove Raven Sardinian Warbler Spotted Flycatcher Shag 6 White Wagtail Whinchat Marsh Harrier 1f 1m Alpine Swift Black-eared Wheatear, pale and dark throated Golden Oriole Stonechat Sparrowhawk 1 Griffon Vulture 1+5+4+2 Swift Bee-eater 15 Red-rumped Swallow 2 Meadow Pipit Tree Pipit Kestrel 2 Blue Tit At 11pm a pair of Barn Owls were heard hunting near the house Beach road……… 1 Little Ringed Plover. 21st 18.5oC 1012mb Sun vis.good sea calm wind 0 We were woken at 04.30 by a Barn Owl that decided to call noisily from a perch on our roof ! We had several appointments today and the following list is before breakfast at 08.00. Cetti’s Warbler Chaffinch Blackbird Blue Rock Thrush Yellow-legged Gull Hooded Crow Goldfinch Rock Dove Sardinian Warbler Great Tit Woodlark Whinchat Barn Swallow Red-rumped Swallow Linnet Crested Lark Bee-eater 3 Shag 1 Little Ringed Plover 2 Common Buzzard Raven Marsh Harrier 1m 22nd 19.4.oC vis. Good Sea choppy wind W4-6 B Woodlark 4 Yellow-legged Gull 9 Hooded Crow 3 Barn Swallow 5 Goldfinch 15 Chaffinch 20+ Blackbird 4 Black-eared Wheatear [pair] Great Tit 1 Crested Lark 3 Corn Bunting 3 Whinchat 10+ Italian Sparrow 10+ Shag 1 Raven 1 Blue Rock Thrush 1 m Golden Oriole 1m Alpine Swift 2 Common Buzzard 3 Blue Tit Barn Owl 23rd 15.3oC Overcast rain, heavy during the early hours vis good sea choppy wind sw-w 1/2B Chaffinch Black-eared Wheatear 4 Barn Swallow Hooded Crow Golden Oriole 1m Blue Rock Thrush Great Tit Goldfinch Crested Lark Woodlark Linnet House Martin Alpine Swift Greenfinch Cetti’s Warbler Yellow-legged Gull Shag 2 Corn Bunting Whinchat Collared Dove Common Buzzard 6 Italian Sparrow Sardinian Warbler Swift Blue Tit Bee-eater 30+ Griffon Vulture 12 A flock of 30+ with a flock of 50+ Alpine Swift descended and flew low over the garden for some minutes a wonderful sight and sound few minutes as the two species called and hunted together. Whilst above them soured 12 Griffon Vulture and 4 Buzzard
Summary We noticed a reduction in numbers of both Hoopoe and Northern Wheatear this year, but with nice weather from mid month and some bad weather looming from the 22/23rd we think there may be a late fall of these. Yellow Wagtails appeared for a week or so and then disappeared only to return in numbers on the 21st. Birds to look out for in the coming weeks ….The beautiful Red-footed Falcon should be with us very soon as they stop to refuel before their journey north. More Golden Oriole are arriving daily and their lovely fluty song can be heard both in the towns and countryside, wherever there are tall trees. Turtle Dove can be found fairly easily, listen for their calls in any tree lined gullies. Bee-eater numbers increase daily their calls can be heard high and distant, the trick is locating them as their calls carry, but when spotted as they swirl their way along in their flocks provide an unforgettable sight that we await eagerly for each year, listening from mid month for any hint of that unmistakable call in the distance that will tell of their arrival Out to sea keep eyes peeled for Terns and late Osprey. Whilst over Agia the Eleonora’s Falcon could soon be seen hunting as they re-colonise their local nest sites With more rain forecast towards the end of the month any of those dwindling pools will be replenished and could provide some surprises and more water species. Our highlights this month…..In number one spot, well that has to be the Bittern providing excellent views for an hour and a half, followed by the brilliant views from our balcony of the female Montagu’s Harrier that stayed with us for several days hunting nearby, then came the Baillons Crake, Cretzschmars Bunting, the Spotted Crake and Audouins Gull. Due to commitments this April we have had to end our diary early this month but hopefully the many images selected will make up for this. Good birding, watch for our May special report Colin and Sue |
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