Pbarch0802

MY BIRDWATCHING HIGHLIGHTS FOR AUGUST 2002

	1^stAug. At Neo Chorio. A pair of long legged buzzards circling and calling with a single common buzzard.
	3^rd Aug. At Tavronitis. A black winged stilt and 5 green sandpipers.
	6^thAug. At Neo Chorio. A single long legged buzzard circling and calling with a pair of common buzzards. At Galatas. 1 ringed and 2 eleonoras falcons and a nightjar which had found exhausted were being fed up prior to release back into the wild.
	7^th Aug. At Tavronitis. 2 wood sandpipers; 1 little stint; 1 bar tailed godwit and 1 common redshank.
	9^thAug. At Neo Chorio. 2 eleonoras falcons at dusk.
	10^thAug. At Maleme. A flock of 80+ purple herons flying west along the coast.
	11^thAug. At Tavronitis. 1 little egret and a flock of 8 purple herons - 5 juveniles and 3 adults. Later a flock of 16 purple herons; then another 47; another 40 and even later a flock of 18. Also a flock of over 100 duck duck out to sea but by then it was too dark to identify them.
	12^thAug. At Tavronitis. A flock of 23 purple herons; 1 common sandpiper; 2 little plovers and one little egret.
	13th Aug. At Neo Chorio. A single long legged buzzard.
	15^thAug. At Neo Chorio. A pair of long legged buzzards.
	18^thAug. At Neo Chorio. An eleonoras falcon at dusk.
	19^thAug. At Neo Chorio. A short toed eagle circling and calling, then later circling and calling with a pair of local buzzards. In the early evening, a single eleonoras falcon.
	20^thAug. At Neo Chorio. 3 honey buzzards were circling with a pair of local buzzards. At Tavronitis. 23 white storks flew by - 13 juveniles and 10 adults. At dusk another flock of 200+ were circling and trying to land.
	21^stAug. At Tavronitis. A flock of 61 purple herons, plus a single juvenile white stork; 2 glossy ibis (an adult and a juvenile); then a flock of 135 purple herons - all going into the airfield to feed and roost.
	22^ndAug. At Neo Chorio. A pair of honey buzzards circling and calling with a pair of local buzzards. At Neriana. A woodchat shrike and 2 long legged buzzards. At Maleme. A single dolphin swam while 5 glossy ibis flew over. Later a flock of 150+ gargeney flew westward, followed later by another flock of 23.
	23^rdAug. At Neo Chorio. A pair of long legged buzzards circled with a pair of local buzzards.
	24^thAug.At Tavronitis. A single little egret and a single purple heron.
	27^thAug.At Tavronitis. A flock of 67 purple herons, mostly juveniles. At Neo Chorio. 20+ bee-eaters flew south at dusk.
	28^thAug.At Tavronitis. A flock of 62 purple herons. The same ones as yesterday? Whatever, they landed on the airfield to feed and roost. At Neo Chorio. A single long legged buzzard.
	29^th/Aug. At Neo Chorio. Single long legged buzzards were seen. 30th
	31^st Aug. At Tavronitis. A squacco heron and a male marsh harrier.

And a few final words for August..... Migration is now well under way with lots of birds on the move. A problem I have had this month is that the mouth of the Tavronitis river is not the usual dried-up string of brackish pools where observation is easy. Rather we have had so much summer rain that a lot of vegetation has sprung up, so even though there are lots of waders there I cannot see them.

The coastal strip between Kolimbari and Chania is becoming so built up with hotels; tavernas; houses; shops and so on that migrating birds are finding it very difficult to find somewhere to rest and feed in peace. In this 30 Km strip there is possibly only one sanctuary for them and that is the military airfield at Maleme. Developers cannot build even more hotels there and with the public denied access the site is perfect for birds to find that safe haven they need. While military training does goe on there - including rifle range practice and a regular use as a fighter/bomber rocket range, much of the land is unused and overgrown, so there is plenty of cover for the birds, which make the best use of it. Even marsh harriers manage to nest there. Long may the airfield remain!

The birds are probably better protected there than in any Greek nature reserve.......

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