Wildlife report from Kissamos Bay /Kaliviani area

Incorporating other wildlife, from Colin and Sue Turvey

Daily around the house there are…. Spanish Sparrow, Goldfinch , Sardinian Warbler, Great Tit, Raven, Common Buzzard, Hooded Crow, Blackbird, Sky/Crested Lark and Collared Dove to be seen. They may not be listed everyday but are invariably about and easily spotted.

We try to photograph everything so that at least we have evidence and later can ID wildlife we are unsure about and those rarities.

1^st September………………. local and trip to Sirikari

Hooded Crow, Isabelline Wheatear, Crested lark, Black Kite x1, Common Buzzard x 3, Glossy Ibis x 1, 50+ Little Egret, Blue Tit, Chaffinch, Whinchat, Grass snake, Weasel.

2 September

Montague Harrier x 1, Buzzard, Griffon Vultures 12, Little Egrets, Great Tit, Crested & Sky Lark.

3 September

Buzzard 4, Griffon Vultures 25, kestrel, Crested Lark, Golden Oriole x 1, Little Egret 30+, Red Backed Shrike x 1.

4^th September

Blue Rock Thrush, Greenfinch, Buzzard x 4, Goldfinch.Raven .

5thSeptember

Buzzard x 4 , Goldfinch, Sardinian Warbler. Griffin Vulture x 25, Raven 10. Turnstone x 1, Little Ringed plover x 1, Lark ?.

6^th September

Griffon Vultures x20+ feeding on hillside at two carcass sites. Buzzards x 3, Raven, Blue Rock Thrush.

7^th September

 Buzzard x 3, Griffon Vultures 150 +, Egyptian Vulture x 6 [ These were flying over all day 0830-1700hrs,from West to East, largest group seen at one time was 33 G.Vul. and 3 Egyptian,Raven 20 +, plus unidentified Birds of Prey shadowing Vultures at a distance, Little Egrets x 7, Eleonora’s Falcon, Kestrel, Grey Heron 60 +mixed flock with Squacco and Purple Heron, Sardinian Warbler, Great Tit. A Hare on our olive grove track.

8^th September  ……local followed by trip to Lake Agia

Woodchat Shrike, Buzzard x 4, Griffon Vultures x 12, Kestrel x 2, Isabelline Wheatear, Goldfinch, Sardinian Warbler, Spanish Sparrow, Collared dove.

Lake trip report….Water levels very low now.

Little Grebe 50 + Grey heron 3, Little Egret 5, Lapwing x 1, Squacco Heron x 1, Night Heron x 1, Glossy Ibis x 2, Mallard , Teal, Shoveller, Pochard, Coot, Moorhen, Water Rail x 2, Eleonora’s Falcon x 4, Ruff, Little ringed Plover, Little Stint, Sanderling, Redshank, Common Sandpiper, Wood sandpiper, Imm. Whiskered Tern, Sardinian Warbler, Kingfisher x 3 [pairs] at least flying around the lake seen altogether. Swallow, Hooded Crow, Raven, Gargany.

9^th September

Isabelline Wheatear, Hoopoe x 1, Buzzard x 3, Kestrel, Griffon Vultures 20+ Raven 12, Skylark, Blue Rock Thrush, Eleonora’s Falcon, Hooded Crow , Goldfinch, Sardinian Warbler.

10^th September

Single Imm. Egyptian Vulture, Griffon Vulture x 7, Raven x 16, Hooded Crow  which we have 20-30 resident now, Little Egret 120+, with single Glossy Ibis, Buzzard x 3 , Skylark and Great Tit, numerous Sardinian warbler feeding on berries in garden .

12^th September ………………..Local and Moronis river

Griffon Vultures 7, Raven 6………..at the River… Willow Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, Kingfisher 1, Grey heron 1, Little Egret 1, Wimbrel 1, Temmink Stint. Green or Wood Sandpiper x 3, Common Sandpiper 1.

13^th September

Red backed Shrike, Buzzard, Sardinian Warbler, Crested lark,

15^th September

Isabelline Wheatear, Yellow Wagtails, Little Egret, Ravens, Whinchat, Buzzard, Hooded Crows.

16^th September

Mewwing Buzzards woke us once again, Crested Lark, Griffon Vultures 6, Raven 30+ H/Crows, Sardinian Warblers.

17^th September

Blue rock Thrush, Sardinian Warbler[s], Buzzard 4 , Raven 12, H/C’s and

Single Blue Tit.

18^th September

Grey Heron 79, Buzzard, Sardinian Warblers, crested lark.

19^th September

Glossy Ibis 2

20^th September

Griffon Vulture 2

21^st September

Blue Rock Thrush, Buzzards, Raven 60+, Spotted Flycatcher 1, Sardinian Warblers, Skylark.

22^nd September

Buzzard 2, little Egret 60+, Isabelline Wheatear, Crested Lark, Raven.

23^rd September

Little Egret 40, Buzzard 4, Sardinian warbler, Woodchat Shrike 1.

24^th September

Great Tit 3, Sardinian Warblers, Buzzard 4, Cormorant 1, Blackbird, Stonechat, Egrets, Crested Larks, Red Underwing Moth [catocala elocata].

25^th September

Blackbird,  Sardinian warbler, Skylark, Buzzard 6, Little Egret 7, Crested Lark.

26^th September

Apart from the usual birds listed at the top ,we spent the day watching 80+ Grey Heron, 3 Purple Heron, 1 Glossy Ibis, 1 Great White Egret as they continued to move around the bay between the port of Kissamos and Gramvousa Peninsula. Little Ringed Plover 1, Sardinian Warblers, unknown distant Tern, Kestrel 2, buzzard 4, Swallows, Griffon Vultures 4 Ravens, Hooded Crow, Spanish Sparrow, single Chaffinch and 2 Crested Lark, Whinchat 2. Late afternoon we saw a single…. either Marsh Harrier or Long Legged Buzzard. A large flock of sand and Crag martins passed through.

27^th September….             Local and trip to Agia Lake

Sparrowhawk which landed on rocks above the house and was joined by a single Chaffinch which realised its mistake and was soon off , I did manage to get a photo of them sat together though…..Whinchat, swallows, Sand Martin, Grey heron 31, Purple Heron 1, Isabelline Wheatear, Great Tits, Buzzards our now local 4, Spanish Sparrows, Sardinian Warblers. On the way to the lake  …..our first autumn beautiful male Red Footed Falcon spotted by Sue as we sped along the National road, being harassed by 3 Hooded Crows  also near the same spot 1km outside Kastelli Kissamos, 3 Turtle Doves, and 2 Collared Doves. At the lake with water levels now somewhat higher after the first rains since May, we saw Kingfisher 6+, Little Egret 3, Sparrowhawk 1, Grey Heron 3, Shoveller, Gargany, Teal, Pintail 1 [Coot, Moorhen, Little Grebe in usual numbers] Ruff 2, Dunlin 6, Cetti’s Warbler [heard several managed to spot one], Stonechat pair, Martins, Swallows, Hooded Crow 20+, Buzzard 2 distant.

28^th September

Buzzard 4, Griffon Vultures 15, Sardinian Warblers, Great Tit 2, Raven a sweep of the sky all round produced 20+. Isabelline wheatear, Collared Dove, Skylark.

29^th September

30^th September

Blackbird, Chaffinch, Spotted Flycatcher all moving through in increased numbers. Crested Lark, Goldfinch, Sardinian Warbler, Cormorant, Griffon Vultures 15  then 3 followed by a single throughout the morning. Kestrel 2, Buzzard 4, Raven 6, Little Egret 48 Hooded Crow, Stonechat, Whinchat.