Report on Visit to Crete 1/6-8/6/2008

updates: 12/7/2008: video of Eleonora's Falcon at Petres Gorge on 6/7/2008;

Off to Crete, flying from Manchester on 1st at 08:00 so stayed overnight in Altrincham at Cresta Court. Would have rather gone from Newcastle but not possible as could not get away by the Thursday departure time. Picked up hire car, a Fiat Panda, and drove 80km from Heraklion to Rethymno (Ρέθυμνο), where staying at the Brascos Hotel. The Greek spelling is not just of academic interest: some signs are only in Greek! Mathematicians use Greek letters routinely in their work but that doesn't mean we understand the language, except for words that have come almost without change into English such as pharmacy φάρμακεία. Traffic in Rethymno is chaotic, almost as bad as Naples! Rights of way depend on who blinks first! Favourite indicator is hazard lights, for parking anywhere and driving the wrong way up one-way streets!

No raptors seen first day (1st) in the afternoon. First day out in the field was morning of 2nd, when drove to Malaki and Valsamonero in the mountains south of Rethymno (area Nikiforos Fokas). Mountain driving was a pleasure: perhaps natural selection works here! Interesting tactics are seen on the main road intersections such as those for the E75, some enterprising souls feeling it's a long way to the formal joining point just build their own access point with a few loads of rubble and a bit of tarmac! Saw from 09:50-13:50 38 raptors of 5 species: 19 Common Buzzard (1 2 3), 10 Griffon Vulture, 7 Kestrel and single Bonelli's Eagle and Long-legged Buzzard. Common Buzzard were very widespread as were Kestrel but the Griffon Vulture were localised around gorges high-up in the pass and the Bonelli's Eagle was in the hills closer to the coast. This last bird was a ruddy first-year, which looked rather like a large Honey Buzzard as said by Benny Génsbøl (p.350) with long neck, tail and wings and wings pinched in near body. However, Bonelli's is larger, has no carpal patches and shows 6 primary fingers on the spread wing (5 in Honey Buzzard). Efficient Internet café near hotel: very good for keeping an eye on things! Went to Rethymno harbour late afternoon where had a first-summer Mediterranean Gull.

Family caught up with me on 3rd and in between meals at Aquila Rithymna Beach Hotel, where they were staying, went out in afternoon to Valsamonero area again from 15:30-18:00 when had 9 raptors of 3 species: 7 Common Buzzard and one Kestrel and Griffon Vulture, the last named being quite close to the coast. This area has a lot of trees as it's an old quarrying area, long abandoned, with oak and olive trees and scrub predominating. Yes you've probably guessed it -- it was selected for its potential for Honey Buzzard -- but none were seen today or yesterday. This was not too surprising as Honey Buzzard is not a recognised breeder on Crete but it does breed on the Greek mainland to some extent and the species has a habit of being overlooked! Group photo taken at the Rithymna!

Trip to the headland to the north of Georgioupoli (Cape Drapanon) on 4th with spectacular mountain near its tip. Saw 15 raptors of 4 species: 9 Kestrel, 4 Common Buzzard and single Lanner and Eleonora's Falcon. The Lanner was mobbing a Common Buzzard and the Eleonora's was flying at speed along the coast looking like a dark long-tailed Hobby. The area was quite barren and ideal for falcons. Indeed it was rather like the Canary Islands both in appearance and in the abundance of Kestrel. The commonest gull was the Mediterranean Yellow-legged Gull but not in any numbers. Dinner at fish restaurant Taverna Helona in evening in old harbour of Rethymno was very enjoyable: celebrating David my brother-in-law's birthday.

Went to the northern edge of the White Mountains on 5th to Tzitzifes, walking up a mountain track from Pemonia. Visit was slightly curtailed. When went to get car first thing (08:45!) found it had a flat tyre so in the next hour changed the wheel twice, putting on and off the restricted spare, and getting the puncture repaired by nail-removal at a garage (Eko, east Rethymno) who were very quick and cheap. There was a queue of people clutching tyres so it's presumably a hazard of driving here! Glad made the effort though as got bird of the trip, a Lammergeier, gliding rapidly along a ridge high up in the range. Altogether saw 12 raptors of three species: 8 Common Buzzard, 3 Kestrel and the Lammergeier. The area around Nipos had some good woodland including tall cypress trees but did not apparently hold anything special. Elder sister came with me on last 2 trips -- good to have a navigator!

On 6th went to the Petres Gorge in the morning from 09:20-10:50 and soon got a pair of Peregrine Falcon in territory. Also here were 3 Kestrel and a very elegant Eleonora's Falcon which was captured on video. To complete the trip went onto Georgioupoli where had 5 Common Buzzard by lunchtime. We were going on a boat trip in the afternoon but it was cancelled because it was too rough! So had another trip out in the car early evening to the Armeni area in the mountains south of Rethymno. Here had 10 Common Buzzard, 4 Kestrel and a female Sparrowhawk. This last was very welcome as there seems to be some differences of opinion as to whether they are found on Crete. Met family for dinner at Rithymna, followed by Greek dancing!!

On last full day (7th) did longer trip to Imbros Gorge with elder sister. The weather has been fine and hot all week but today the sunshine seemed particularly strong. Walked up part of the gorge and had very close views of 2 Griffon Vulture in a video with a female Lesser Kestrel flying hard east near the coast. Altogether here and on the mountainous road over from Vrisses (eastern White Mountains) had 6 Griffon Vulture, 4 Common Buzzard and single Kestrel, Lesser Kestrel, Long-legged Buzzard and Golden Eagle (hanging, then stooping over mountain to west). The Lesser Kestrel should perhaps be recorded as probable as it was a female which are particularly difficult to tell from Kestrel. However, it really looked very different in jizz with shorter tail and wings and rapid wingbeats. They are improving the road through the mountains with minimum inconvenience to motorists: you just drive through, dodging the trucks and are encouraged to pass right on the edge with big drops below! Temperatures rising in last two days to 30-32^oC from 25-27^oC earlier in the week. Hardly a cloud in the sky all week but a few spots of rain yesterday morning.

Finally on 8th drifted back to Heraklion in morning to get the flight back to Manchester. Stopped for some quick look arounds. On the edge of the mountains near Exantis had a group of 8 Griffon Vulture soaring at 10:15 in the rapidly warming air. Also seen on the journey as a whole were another Griffon Vulture, a Kestrel and 3 Common Buzzard, including one soaring on the edge of Heraklion. Handed car back to Pop's Car Hire with no problems and plane to Manchester was just an hour late. By the end I’d gone native in driving: when in Crete drive like the Cretans and then nobody notices you! My family’s names are all Greek: Νικόλαος, Αλέξανδρος, Αἰκατερίνη. Then you can think of other names such as θερος.

A summary of raptor sightings is given in the table below by area. By far the commonest raptors are Common Buzzard, Kestrel and Griffon Vulture. However, there is a wide range of other species if you're prepared to work through carefully everything seen. Overall impression is it's a marvellous island for raptors!! Further you don’t have to drive miles to see the raptors. They are everywhere, at least around Rethymno.

Nick Rossiter 20th June 2008

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