MY BIRDWATCHING HIGHLIGHTS FOR MARCH 2007
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A few final
words for March.
A
really good month with lots to look at. The eastern race of stonechat (Armenica)
appearing again shows this must be a regular occurrence and probably
very under-recorded. A pity the bluethroat did not show for long but
then they never do! It occurs to me on looking back through some old as
well as new records that the spotted eagles seem to only be seen on or
near the coast, I have no records at all for inland sightings. They must
cross the island, perhaps they do so under the cover of darkness. On the
subject of eagles, we have seen very few booted eagles this spring or
even the short toed variety. They must still be to come. It was lovely to see the
imperial eagle, this one away from the now recognized wintering area, so perhaps there were more here this
year than normal. We have just celebrated having been resident on the island for eight years. This prompted the nostalgic, but also upsetting, perusal of the thousands of records I have amassed over this period. Upsetting in that several trends are now apparent (and while it has to be recognized that populations fluctuate widely so each year brings differing numbers and variety of sightings) and some long term changes are now recognizable that appear to be, unfortunately, for the worse . Given some encouragement (please!) from my many friends and readers of these pages, I could be encouraged to sift through my records and fight my way through the irrelevant to garner the all important facts to support my findings. It would take a massive effort to produce such a report and would only be justified if sufficient observers thought it would be worthwhile. It is up to you! I will spend my time doing it if you want me to, otherwise I will be spending my time as you do, out and enjoying seeing some more birds. Good luck this spring! Until
next month, good watching. Paul Smith. |
Paul's Diary highlights commenced at the end of August 2001. The current diary is moved to the diary archive at the end of each month - if you are considering a bird watching trip to NW Crete, the previous highlights may well help you decide the best month for your visit - your link to the diary archive is below. |