Pbirdarc1006

MY BIRDWATCHING HIGHLIGHTS FOR OCTOBER 2006

	5^th Oct. At Neo Chorio. A steppe buzzard drifted south undisturbed by the local buzzards
	7^th Oct. At Neo Chorio. A rough legged buzzard also drifted south, again undisturbed. Are the local Buzzards on strike? Later an eleonoras falcon circled. At Agia reservoir. Some early birdwatchers saw a lesser spotted eagle and we saw a little crake; a marsh harrier; 4+ grey heron; 30+ pochard; 20+ shoveler; 10+ little grebe; 3 snipe; 5 starling; 1 hobby; 4+ kingfishers; 4 little egret; 200+ coot; 50+ moorhen, a singing cetis warbler; 1 eleonoras falcon; 1 sardinian warbler; 3+ ferruginous ducks; 5 teal; 2 long legged buzzards circling with a rough legged buzzard - and all the while 30+ terrapins were sunning themselves on the mud banks. At Tavronitis. A brief stop on the way back for a well earned beer, we were amazed to watch a lovely saker falcon at close quarters while it hunted along the beach. At Vlachoneritsa. Was a late flock of 20+ house martins.
	8^th Oct. On the Coast. We saw 2 whinchats; a sedge warbler; a spotted flycatcher; a pied flycatcher; 3 great white egrets; flocks of 55; 68 and 8+ grey herons; flocks of 12+ and 93 purple herons; a flock of 8+ bar tailed godwits; and a single garganey. Later a flock of 6 eleonoras falcons moved down off one of the peninsulas to feed inland. .
	9^th Oct. On one of the peninsulas. We took out a pair of visiting birdwatching friends out to one of the peninsulas and saw a flock of 50+ purple herons; 2 wheatears; 100+ garganey; 1 whinchat; a flock of 31+ little egrets; 3 crested larks, then another 5; an adult lanner falcon circling with a juvenile; 4 calandra larks; 2 ravens; and a fourth or fifth year bearded vulture. Several woodlarks were seen and singing; a stonechat; 8+ yellow wagtails; 5 griffon vultures; a juvenile golden eagle in first or second year plumage; a blue rock thrush; lovely close views of a long legged buzzard; and a skylark. On the national highway. A dead barn owl underlined their vulnerability to bright lights at night, and finally, At Kolymbari. Over lunch, a lovely flock of 14 little egrets flew by.
	11^th Oct. On the Coast. A flock of 4 linnets reminded me of how infrequently we see these delightful birds.
	13^th Oct. At Chania Hospital. My wait for treatment was brightened by a passing greater spotted eagle - an adult and obviously not in need of any treatment!
	15^th Oct. On the Coast. Were a male kestrel; a flock of 30+ meadow pipits; a flock of 10+ short toed larks; a pair of ortolan buntings; 3+ tree sparrows; a marsh harrier; and a sedge warbler was both seen and heard in full song.
	16^th Oct. At Nembros. We saw an adult bonellis eagle, a very unusual sight this far inland and so low down. We later saw a flock of 50+ house sparrows, with which were at least 20 tree sparrows and further on were 3 juvenile red backed shrikes.
	19^th Oct. At Neo Chorio. A single steppe buzzard.
	20^th Oct. At Neo Chorio. A flock of 4 honey buzzards, and then, Along the coast. 2 more honey buzzards plus a pair of black redstarts; a stonechat; a whinchat and a white wagtail.
	22^nd Oct. At Neo Chorio. A flock of 5 honey buzzards was followed later by 4 more, whilst a pair of ravens entertained us with their displaying, plus lots of ‘kronking’ circling and barrel rolling.
	24^th Oct. At Tavronitis. A visiting male goshawk flashed along the coast at great speed.
	25^th Oct. On the Coast. Was a flock of 4 great white egrets flying by, while another rested in a flooded field. A flock of 4 honey buzzards headed inland and another lovely flock - this time 10 linnets. But the day was spoiled a little by the appearance of 3 of those dreaded starlings - until it brightened up again with lovely views of a late osprey.

A few final words for October.

On the whole a good month with lots of birds to see, as migration is still well underway. Most of the swallows have gone now - apart from the few that spend the winter on the south of the island. The warblers have slipped by largely unnoticed, as their passage in autumn is rapid and secretive, streaming south as fast as possible with only a very few stopping when bad weather prevents them going any further.

Talking of weather, we had a ferocious storm over the middle of the month with two people killed by flash floods and three areas were declared disaster zones. Unpleasant to say the least, this brought home the power of moving water to be a very destructive force, one to be more than reckoned with.

My reference to starlings as being 'dreaded' is there because before we left England we had a small orchard which was annually devastated by hordes after screaming hordes that arrived as the crop ripened. So we never had any to sell and very few to give to friends – apples, pears, plums, it did not matter a jot, they destroyed the lot. Hence we hate to see any on Crete !

The great white and little egrets are always a delight to see and are almost always seen as being snowy white against a bright blue sky, a photographers dream. I am no photographer unfortunately, but do have an eye for what would make a good picture.

Some kind souls have enquired after my health. I can report that my treatment goes on and I am doing well. There is a slight chance that I will be able to come off therapy soon, so fingers are well and truly crossed for a brighter Christmas this year – yes, the festive season will soon be upon us!

Happy birding wherever you are, this is a truly international hobby and can be enjoyed by all ages, with no bars to any disability or even ability as we are all on a very long learning curve so help each other along, each adding to the others enjoyment and fulfillment. Keep at it!

Until next month, good watching. Paul Smith.