Showing posts with label Greece. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Greece. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 9, 2022

Catastrophe

We may have been prevented from ringing for over two months but there are still Linnets in circulation from earlier catches, birds that at later dates might deliver all manner of information. We received notification of one such individual. 

It was 12 September 2021 along the Pilling/Cockerham coast that I ringed Linnet number AKN3729 as a juvenile/first autumn male. This was one of 7 Linnets caught that morning before I signed off for a two week holiday to Sunny Greece.  

A few months later Linnet AKN3729 was recaptured on 30 January 2022, inland and almost due south at Fogg's Farm, Antrobus, Cheshire by members of Merseyside Ring Group; they were able to work their Fogg’s Farm site as normal while our own ringing was stalled because of avian flu. 

Linnet - Cockerham, Lancashire - Antrobus, Cheshire

Linnet

Juvenile Linnets are known to disperse in a south and south westerly direction during the autumn period, some as far as France and Spain. We have no further sighting of AKN3792 so both its origins and eventual destination are unknown but the bird remains in circulation to provide more clues should it be found again.  

Another recovery was more predictable – that of one of our ringed birds taken by a domestic cat. 

A young female Greenfinch Ring number NF87535 ringed at Cockerham on 15 October 2021 was found freshly dead, taken by a cat, just 18 kms away, at Staining, Blackpool on 4 February 2022. 

Greenfinch
 
Wonderly’s photo, “Caught by Cats,” recently won first place in the 2020 Big Picture Natural World Photography Competition’s Human/Nature category. His image highlights a grim picture. 


The photo would need to be multiplied 10 million times to come close to showing the billions of animals killed by cats each year. 

A 2013 study estimated free-ranging domestic cats kill between 1.3 and 4 billion birds - on top of between 6.2 and 22.3 billion mammals every year in the United States alone, the majority by feral or unowned cats. 

Figures released by the Mammal Society show the UK's estimates for domestic cat kills to be equally shocking: around 100 million prey items between Spring and Summer, of which 27 million were birds - and that’s not counting the creatures the cats didn't bring home. 

But, according to the UK Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), there is no scientific evidence to link cats to bird population decline in the UK. I for one do not believe that, perhaps because RSPB members are also likely to be cat lovers? 

The message is simple. Cat Lovers should not let their cat roam in the countryside, even in their own or neighbours’ garden where birds may feed. 


And do not feed feral cats. Such kindness may be doing more harm than good. 

Linking today to Eileen's Blogspot and Anni in Texas.

 

Saturday, September 18, 2021

Happy Holidays

Wednesday 15 September. Sue and I had jumped through hoops and clambered over obstacles to reach this point. There was no stopping us now as the jet finally climbed into the sky over Manchester Airport to leave England behind. We were on bang on time in our Boeing 737/800, along with 137 other hopeful holidaymakers on the way to Destination Skiathos.  

Three and a half hours later we arrived on the magical isle at 1355 local time to clear blue skies and 26 degrees. We trotted down the passenger staircase to waiting buses as the air crew wished us "Happy Holidays". We were set for 2 weeks in the sun, the crew to turn the plane around in an hour, fill it with fuel and more passengers, and then head back to Manchester. It's a hard life for some. 

We negotiated a few minor Greek hoops, (or maybe it seemed that way), grabbed our cases and quickly located Magda waiting at Arrivals with a Suzuki Jeep.  In high spirits if a little cramped by suitcases and photo gear, plus Sue's suntan creams & mossie sprays, we set off for Agia Paraskevi and Hotel Ostria, a 20 minute drive via Skiathos' Ring Road and the winding coastal route. 
 
Ostria Hotel
 
Agia Paraskevi is a tiny hamlet and tourist resort on the south coast of Skiathos at the start of the Platanias Valley, an unspoilt landscape that meanders inland through dusty unkempt tracks and scented pine clad hills to eventually reach the wild rocky north of Skiathos Island. That's for another day. 

The weather is hot, dry and sunny so not too good for birding or dropping migrants. The usual species crossed our path in small numbers – Red-backed Shrike, Yellow Wagtail, Whinchat, Little Owl, Chiffchaff and Red-rumped Swallow, Spotted Flycatcher.

Whinchat

Spotted Flycatcher

Red-backed Shrike

Aselinos

The highlight of Thursday was a a road runner, an Isabelline Wheatear at Aselinos beach. I call them road runners because of the characteristic way they run over the landscape in pursuit of prey rather than the wait and see feeding of Northern Wheatears. Unfortunately this one ran so fast that I couldn’t get a photo. 

Shopping and Skiathos Town today. Wish me luck.

 

Sunday, September 12, 2021

Signed Off

That’s it for a while. When I finished at Cockerham today I packed the ringing gear away for a couple of weeks because Sue and I are off to Greece. There will be no ringing in Skiathos but for sure there will be a spot or two of birdwatching. 

Sunday was to be the last go at the Linnets so I started early in the half-light with zero wind and visibility across to the Lake District some 45 miles away. There was lots of noise when about 300/400 Pink-footed Geese lifted off the salt marsh and flew just half a mile away to land on farmland. We set our year calendars by the arrival of the Pink-footed Geese, always within a day or two of mid September. 

The “pinks” probably arrived from Iceland during the clear night after their 800 mile journey and then roosted out on Pilling Sands until breakfast time. I heard them later in the morning from a distance away so they found a spot safe from the guns for now until the shooters realise their wintering “sport” is back. 

Pink-footed Geese
 
I caught a couple of Linnets early doors but it soon became obvious that the numbers of up to 200 individuals didn’t equate to those of two days ago when the count was closer to 250 or maybe 300. 

In fact I finished today with seven new Linnets plus a single Robin. That makes 74 new Linnets (zero recaptures) caught here in this latter part of summer entering autumn, and 66 of those were juveniles/birds of the year. Such a high percentage of juveniles points to a highly productive year for this, a Red Listed species. 

I’m also sure that a number of those 74 Linnets have arrived from further afield, if not from Iceland, then certainly Scotland. 

Robin

Linnet

Birding was pretty quiet too although there was the now regular Sparrowhawk targeting Linnets. Flyovers came from a single Black-tailed Godwit and two Golden Plover. Also 14 Lapwing, 8 Curlew, 4 Swallow, 1 Buzzard, 1 Kestrel and 1 Grey Heron. 

The next post from Another Bird blog will be from Greece. Watch me fly!! 

Landing - Skiathos

Skiathos

No promises for bird pictures amongst the sunny Greek landscapes but I will try. 


Thursday, January 14, 2021

Rain Day

With the UK under severe lockdown there is no bird ringing allowed unless in one's own garden.  With vehicle travel limited to “essential” and “local journeys” only, it's unlikely I will be able to do much birding or even to get out with a camera.  Add to that 24 hours of rain with more to come today and I'm indoors for a while.

But, keep logging in for news and views. I'll do my best to find news and views to share. 

Meanwhile here's a post to link up with my friend Rain Frances over in New Brunswick and her Thursday Art theme of  Birds and the Sky -  http://www.rainfrances.com/2021/01/thursday-art-date-birds-and-sky.html  

I thought this might prove a difficult one because although the sky is there in many of my bird photos, it is there mostly as a backdrop to the bird or birds. 

So I looked through my photo archive for photos to find some that would satisfy the criteria of Birds and the Sky. Here we go Rain and readers - hope you like my selection of Birds and the Sky, sometimes combined.  I didn't realise there were so many until searching the hard drive. 

Blue, grey, white, cloudy, dark, light, red, and black from all around the world. Some with birds some not.  In no particular order. For best results click on the picture.

Swallows against the morning Sky - Glasson, Lancashire

Sepia Sky - Pilling,Lancashire

Rain on the way Sky - Fleetwood, Lancashire

Goose Sky - Pilling, Lancashire

Morning Sky trails - Rawcliffe, Lancashire

Bee Eater Sky - Menorca, Spain

Black Sky at night - Lanzarote, Spain

Cattle Egret - White on Blue Sky

Blue Sky over Sand - Fuerteventura, Spain 

Pintail ducks - Action Sky

Red Sky - Menorca, Spain

Grey Sky, Grey Day- Menorca, Spain

Tourists in the Sky - Greece

Cloudy Sky - Lanzarote

Rainbow Sky - Pilling, Lancashire

Lapwing Sky

Coloured Sky - Pilling, Lancashire

Big Sky - Lanzarote, Spain

Orange Sky - Knott End, Lancashire

Moody Sky - Rawcliffe, Lancashire

Hitchcock Sky - Pilling, Lancashire

Egyptian Sky - Makadi Bay, Egypt

Another Big Sky,  Lanzarote, Spain

Northern Shovelers Sky

Photos via Canon, Sigma and Sony. 

Now if I just had £17,000 I could update my gear to the latest Sony A7R 1V camera with a Sony FE 600mm F/4 Lens and a Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 Lens

How did I do with the post Rain?

Linking on Saturday 16 January to Viewing Nature With Eileen and also birding in Texas with Anni I'd Rather Be Birding.

 


Sunday, September 20, 2020

Yassou

Sue and I missed our Greek holiday in Spring 2020. It was to be our first time to Skiathos in May. During the long months of 2020 we followed world events on a sickening roller-coaster ride hoping that the situation would improve enough here in England and in Europe for our Greek friends to allow a return to Skiathos in September. 

We booked the holiday in September 2019, the year of the Thomas Cook debacle that left many islanders out of pocket and saw us flying home via a series of rescue flights that cost the British taxpayer £150 million. 

October 2019
 
These were double blows for the large number of Skiathans dependent on tourism for a living, either directly or indirectly. Hotels and apartments together with the folk who work for and supply them, taxi and bus drivers, shops, cafes, restaurants, Skiathos airport, boat & ferry operators, fishermen, and not forgetting the Skiathos Dog Shelter. 

In 2020 Skiathos stayed safe by doing the right things, limiting entry to the island to those with residential status while keeping a tight rein on those without residence until tourists could return. Recently Skiathos was not included in the seven Greek Islands, Lesvos, Tinos, Serifos, Mykonos, Crete, Santorini and Zakynthos, that recently received the news they would be added to a British quarantine list. 

But now, we are fresh from Skiathos airport following an interesting landing. Thunderstorms on the Greek mainland with Skiathos in the firing line left the plane wobbling on the approach to the runway. The  pilot went around again for a second attempt and all was well.

Magda from Mustang Cars met us with a hard top Jimny, and now we’re back for a couple of weeks at our adopted second home, Family Mathinos. Or as some call this piece of heaven, Hotel Ostria, Agia Paraskevi, Skiathos 37002. 

Tui landing - Skiathos

The Ostria

Agia Paraskevi

Skiathos

Here at The Ostria and everywhere we go on the island we experience the epitome of Xenia - 'guest-friendship', the ancient Greek sacred rule of hospitality, the generosity and courtesy shown to those who are far from home. In return, we as guests are expected to be courteous to our hosts and not become a threat or a burden. Such conviviality usually involves sharing a glass or two of Ouzo or Metaxa. 

Ostria Hotel - Skiathos, Greece

Sue with Momma Litsa

Dad Makis
 
Anna Mathinou

Ostria Hotel - Skiathos, Greece

Ouzo

This might be a holiday but there is birding to be found, even in late September when most migrant birds from Northern Europe have left for Africa. There’s only so much shopping a man can do. 

One of our favourite routes takes us along the main road towards Troulos where we take a smooth right and drive towards the Stray Dog Shelter. The dog shelter allows residents and tourists alike to take a dog for a walk and if they are so inclined, donate money or even take their new friendly dog back to their own country. 

Not for us, even Sue would “Rather be birding” as long as there's a coffee stop. Half-a-mile from Troulos we fork left and then head north through rural Greece along the road to Aselinos beach. Behind the beach is superb bird habitat. If there’s been a thunderstorm there are puddles for Wheatears, Whinchats, Yellow Wagtails & warblers and where track-side posts provide perfect perches for flycatchers, pipits, and shrikes. 

Aselinos

Aselinos

Aselinos

Aselinos, Skiathos
 
Yellow Wagtail

Red-backed Shrike
 
Richard's Pipit
 
Red-rumped Swallow
 
Whinchat

We take a couple of chairs and sit on the beach away from the hordes but there aren’t too many people in this year of minimal tourists. September is winding down time for Skiathos where by October the crowds have gone and the island is left in peace and quiet - more so in 2020.  The scenery is dramatic here in the north of the island, rain or shine, with views over to the Greek mainland and the direction from which most of the autumn weather arrives.

Aselinos- Skiathos

Aselinos - Skiathos

We rather hope that our already depleted pile of Euros has contributed to the island’s economy in these troubled times. 

Loukoumi - Greek Delight
 
Below are links to the two small friendly hotels owned by Family Mathinos, The Ostria in Agia Paraskevi and a mile away, the recently acquired and now refurbished Almira in Troulos. 

Sunday was the last day of the season at the Almira and Anna invited us along to their party for staff and friends. Yours truly with George, Anna's husband.

At the Almira

Almira Hotel

The Almira Hotel

For those who like a peaceful relaxing holiday in beautiful surroundings I suggest to book direct with Anna or Sophia below or via Facebook Messenger for each hotel.  For those who prefer a package tour Anna has told us that for 2021 The Almira is included in the programme of Jet2 Holidays. 



For the independent minded, there are direct flights to Skiathos from major UK airports or flights to Athens followed by a 40 minute shuttle aircraft to Skiathos airport.

I’m hoping to post a few more pictures while we are here.  Keep looking for a glimpse of Skiathos. 


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