Back in Crete, Fulltime September 2005!
Reports from A&M: 1st September: Mathes: Hoopoe Geogioupolis area: 13 Purple Herons, 7 Little Egrets and Red-backed Shrike 8th & 9th September: Geogioupolis area: Bee-eaters
Returned on the 6th September. Looking forward to the autumn migration.
6th In the evening a gathering of 100+ Hooded Crows, seen in the distance from our balcony. 8th a Golden Oriole and Blue Rock Thrush were seen from the balcony.
	The Blue Rock Thrush
12th In the evening the balcony light attracted a selection of moths. This was the best photograph (right).
Also first sighting of a Gecko in the house, a young Turkish Gecko Hemidactylus turcicus (right) (great for eating unwanted house guests such as mosquitoes)
15th at 7.35am (yes am.) c.80 small herons flew in from the north, disappearing in the tall trees which line the river. I was itching to investigate but decided not to risk disturbing them. I spent much of the afternoon birdwatching from the balcony and was rewarded with sightings of a female Golden Oriole and at 3.30pm a Booted Eagle (pale phase at some distance) Then at 4.30pm, perhaps disturbed by some shots, a flock of approx 30 herons (which I was now able to identify as Night Herons) appeared from around where I had seen the herons disappear hours earlier. Other parties appeared and the flock grew to c.150 birds (later views were more distant, but they all seemed similar, so probably all Night Herons) They seemed unsure of what to do, or where to go and flew first this way then that way, separating and rejoining. Fascinated I watched them for over thirty minutes. I lost sight of them as I tried to get a photograph of the whole flock as they gained height. (right the first birds to reappear)
16th During the day a Red-backed Shrike and Woodpigeon were the highlights, but later from 4pm to 5pm many hirundines and some swifts were in our area (Provarma). Then during the next hour, hundreds of Alpine Swifts appeared, feeding, stall diving and at times forming circling groups making their trilling calls. (right part of a circling flock). At 6.30pm a flock of 6 Purple Herons flew south. A&M: Geogioupolis area: c.8 Whitethroats, Spotted Flycatcher, Red-backed Shrike.
17th Fourth Meeting of the group - Lake Kournas. The third meeting was held at Petres Gorge when I was in the UK. The forth meeting at Lake Kournas, attended by fourteen people agreed to call the group Crete Western Wildlife Watch. Bird highlights of the walk by the lake were Red-backed Shrike, Little Egret and Kingfisher. Emperor, Lesser Emperor and Crimson Dragonflies were also recorded. A&M: Geogioupolis area: c.9 then c.16 Bee-eaters.
19th The day started well, with a new Butterfly for me a Cardinal Argynnis pandora, obligingly settling on our garden fence. Visible raptor migration later in the day with a group of eight buzzards sp. moving steadily south at 1.30pm. At 3pm a group of six birds flew south over our abode, 3 buzzards sp., 2 male Marsh Harriers and a smaller bird perhaps a smaller harrier, impression was an all grey bird!  I now had to go to the front terrace and the six had been joined by other raptors and now ten birds disappeared in a southerly direction.
20th 2.30pm Eleonora's Falcon seen from house. Later at 7.20pm a flock of 83 large herons, accompanied by little egrets flew high overhead in roughly a southerly direction. (see below)
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