Paul Smith's Birdwatching Highlights in September 2001
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1st Sept.   At Neo Chorio.  Large flocks of both alpine swifts and bee-eaters flew south at great altitude.  A single honey buzzard.
                   At Maleme.  a turtle nest hatched of the species Caretta caretta.  Knowing it was due my wife and I went down but arrived too late to see the hatchlings scamper into the safety of the sea.  Birds are not my only interest!

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2nd Sept.  At Tavronitis.  A huge flock of over 380 white storks and one crane flew up and down the coast between Chania and Kolimbari for hours trying to land  but there were too many tourists about until dusk when they probably managed to land and feed.

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3rd Sept.  At Neo Chorio.  A group of 3 honey buzzards, and much later another 3.  I do not have to sit and watch for most raptors migrating as the local resident buzzards act as an alarm system, rising up and calling repeatedly, circling and displaying as if to say 'Go away, this is our patch'.  Interestingly they do not respond to vultures or small raptors in this way, only to buzzard species, harriers and eagles.
                  At Tavronitis.  1 wood sandpiper and 1 green sandpiper.

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4th Sept.  At Neo Chorio.  2 pairs of steppe buzzards.  Easy to identify when they are flying with common buzzards but more difficult when on their own.  1 dark phase booted eagle;  2 pairs of honey buzzards and later a pair of booted eagles.  At dusk a barn owl sat on a pole in my garden.  A fairly common bird here.  Their eerie screams at night can disturb your sleep.

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5th Sept.  At Nembros.  A female kestrel;  1 steppe buzzard; and 1 hoopoe.

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7th Sept.  At Neo Chorio.  A group of 3 honey buzzards.  A strong westerly gale force wind has been blowing for several days holding up migrants.

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8th Sept.  At Neo Chorio.  A pair of steppe buzzards circling with local common buzzards.

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9th Sept.  At Tavronitis.  1 dunlin;  a flock of 6 little ringed plovers and the first of the winter kingfishers.

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10th Sept. At Tavronitis. 2 separate flocks of gargany out to sea totaling 72 birds.

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11th Sept. At Neo Chorio.  A flock of 3 honey buzzards circling with local buzzards.
                   At Tavronitis. A pair of little stints and 1 great white egret.
                   At Maleme. 2 purple herons.

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15th Sept. At Tavronitis.  2 kingfishers and a female marsh harrier;  1 common sandpiper and a flock of 51 purple herons.
                   At Maleme. 2 purple herons.

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16th Sept. At Nembros.  A flock of at least 8 bee-eaters.

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17th Sept. At Tavronitis.  2 rough legged buzzards, an adult and a juvenile, circled only 20 metres the pool bar where my wife and I were relaxing over a well chilled beer.  Also, 2 little ringed plovers;  2 kingfishers and 1 common sandpiper.
                   At Neo Chorio. The first of the wintering robins was singing in my garden.

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20th Sept. At Skoutelanos.  A steppe buzzard.
                   At Astrikas. 2 lanner falcons;  2 adult and 1 juvenile bonellis eagles;  1 female kestrel and 4 griffon vultures.
                    At Deliana. 2 male blue rock thrushes;  5 griffon vultures;  1 spotted fly catcher.
                    At Tavronitis. 2 purple herons.

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21st Sept. At Tavronitis. A marsh Harrier and a hoopoe.
                   On Rodopos peninsula. There is quite a bird bonanza now that a gale has blown itself out.   4 pairs of ravens;  many redstarts and spotted flycatchers;  an eleonoras falcon;  2 griffon vultures;  a group of at least 7 pallid swifts;  a group of 3 isabelline wheatears;  2 adult and 1 juvenile bonellis eagles plus another sub-adult;  numerous crested larks;  several black redstarts;  a flock of 30 plus alpine swifts;  a blue rock thrush;  hundreds of common wheatears;  1 bearded vulture that was quite red and probably in its fourth or fifth year;  and finally a pair of buzzards and an adult red backed shrike.   While every few metres we saw whinchats and stonechats.  There must have been hundreds of them.  
                   Back at Tavronitis. 1 purple heron;  1 little egret;  1 great white egret and some lovely views through the telescope from only a few hundred metres of a rupplles warbler.
                   At Neo chorio. A flock of 1000+ alpine swifts.

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22nd Sept. At Melame. 3 great white egrets;  a pair of resident marsh harriers;  1 moustached warbler again seen very well through the telescope at close range.

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23rd Sept. At Deres.  A third year bonellis eagle;  a pair of buzzards;  a female kestrel; and many wood larks;  wrens;  stonechats and crested larks calling.
                   At Aghia Reservoir. 3 grey herons;  2 great white egrets;  6 little egrets;  2 glossy ibis;  4 kingfishers;  1 booted eagle;  6 black necked grebes and dozens of coots.

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24th Sept. At Neo Chorio. 1 adult light phase booted eagle;  a flock of 4 honey buzzards and a pair of steppe buzzards.
                   At Tavronitis. 1 kingfisher;  A pair of nightjars hawking for insects around the lights of a taverna at dusk.

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25th SeptAt Tavronitis. 1 great white egret;  2 kingfishers;  1 eleonoras falcon;  a pair of migrating marsh harriers flying high and fast.  1 isabelline wheatear.
                   At neo Chorio.  1 adult light phase booted eagle;  circled only 30 metres above us as we sat on our patio.

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26th Sept. At Neo Chorio. Hundreds of house and sand martins flew by in loose flocks.

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27th Sept. At Neo Chorio. 1 adult light phase booted eagle was circling with a pair of local buzzards.  Thousands of house and sand martins, together with several hundred swifts passed through - all heading south.
                    At Tavronitis. A flock of 72 gargany flew along the coast.

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29th Sept. At Neo Chorio. A flock of 20+ bee-eaters.

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30th Sept. At Tavronitis. A mixed flock of 20+ common swifts;  1 isabelline wheatear;  3 great white egrets; a marsh harrier well out to sea and 8 corys shearwaters

All in all, despite the disruption caused by the weather, this has been an enjoyable month.  Who knows what October will bring?  Hopefully plenty more migrants!  Paul Smith.

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