MY BIRDWATCHING HIGHLIGHTS FOR JULY 2004

bullet2nd July.  At Astratigos.  A single raven.
                   On the National Highway.  A dead barn owl.
                  
bullet4th July.   At Neo Chorio.  A single adult short toed eagle. 
                      
bullet5th July.  At Neo Chorio.  A single adult short toed eagle circling and calling with two buzzards.

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7th July.  At Neo Chorio.  Two adult and juvenile short toed eagles were being mobbed  by a pair of hooded crows.
                  In Chania.  We saw a flock of 100+ pallid swifts.
                 

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10th July.  At Kamisiana.  A fan tailed warbler was calling repeatedly.

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12th July.  At Neo Chorio.  A turtle dove sang for hours.  At dusk a scops owl came into the garden.

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14th July.  At Neo Chorio.  A female kestrel was dashing around but was not seen to catch anything.

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16th July.  At Neo Chorio.   A single alpine swift, an unusual sighting here.

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18th July.  At Neo Chorio.   An adult short toed eagle.

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19th July.  At Neo Chorio.  A juvenile bonellis eagle quartered the valley for about twenty minutes.

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21st July.  At Neradzia.  A dead barn owl lay on the road.
                   At Tavronitis. There was a little stint.

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22nd July.  At Neo Chorio.  A short toed eagle circled for ages with a buzzard.

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23rd July.  At Neradzia.  There was a male kestrel and:-
                   At Neo Chorio.  A turtle dove sang all afternoon.

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24th July.  At Neo Chorio.  The turtledove entertained us again, as did an adult short toed eagle.
                   At Meleme.  We found a little stint and a pair of little ringed plovers. 

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25th July.  At Polymarchi.  We saw one of 'our' pair of short toed eagles circling.
                   At Meleme.  A pair of Linnets.

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27th July.  At Neo Chorio.  Both adult short toed eagles were circling and whistled for ages.
                   On the National Highway.  We saw two dead barn owls.

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30th July.  At Skoutolonas.  There was a fan tailed warbler, ticking away, as my right hand man headed for a swim.

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31st July.  At Neo Chorio.  A single eleonoras falcon at dusk.
               

And a few final words for July.....    What a poor month for birds!  Talk about scraping the barrel - it has been impossible to find them.  We have spent as much time and visited the same spots we always do so it is not for lack of time or effort - the birds just aren't there.

It was depressing to see so many barn owls killed on the roads.  Here, as everywhere, they are attracted to roads and are killed by traffic when headlights dazzle and confuse them.

Those of you who have visited this part of Crete may be familiar with the Tavronitis river.  You might like to know that, as part of a flood defence scheme, lots of gabions (wire cages filled with boulders) have been put in on the west bank by the road bridge and also down at the estuary.  Part  of this work included bulldozing the river bed which is now broad and flat, so when the rains start there will be huge shallow areas for the waders and herons to rest and feed.  No doubt the ferocious winter rains will scour out a new channel, but for this autumn conditions here for the birds could be excellent.

It took until the last day of this month for an eleonoras falcon to turn up.  What has become of them?  We used to have them regularly in flocks  and greatly enjoyed them, but alas no more....

The return migration had best be better than the spring migration - or I will be tempted to hang up my binoculars and take up watching paint dry, or perhaps planks warping.  As if....!

For now, good watching.  Paul Smith.

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