Tuesday 8 May 2018

Camera Trap Surprises

For the last four days of our visit we set up a camera trap in the bottom of one of the gullies on the headland. There was a vague hope that it might produce a sighting of a skulking species such as a crake. It ended up recording 3 species of birds Whitethroat, Pied Flycatcher and Wryneck, however the biggest surprise was the image of the back half of a large mammal, on close examination this proved to be a Golden Jackal (Canis aureus). We’ve seen these north of the headland around Gerolimenas and Kita but not this far south. 


Wryneck caught by the camera trap


Golden Jackal  (Canis aureus) - Cape Tenaro Headland - 22nd April 2018

Monday 7 May 2018

More Flycatchers - Our Last Day - 25th April 2018

Today was our last full day on the headland and only partial coverage was achieved due to the need to take down the mistnets and then head off to Athens for flights home. All of the team had departed the headland by 13.00.
There was another good arrival of flycatchers with 32 Collared, 52 Pied and 25 Spotted, given some areas of the headland (Mianes and Marmari) were not covered at all totals are likely to have been even higher. 
There was a decent movement of House Martin, most of which flew north at Paliros in a single loose flock of 50 birds. 

Grounded Migrants: Other grounded migrants included 2 Hoopoe, 3 Golden Oriole,16 Woodchat Shrike, 20 Wood Warbler, 2 Willow Warbler, 11 Whitethroat, 5 Garden Warbler, a late Blackcap, 5 Great Reed Warbler, 2 Icterine Warbler, 11 Whinchat, 2 Redstart and 2 Nightingale.

Visible Passage: 32 Turtle Dove, 54 Bee-eater, 64 House Martin and 3 Sand Martin.

Raptors: an adult male Montagu's Harrier, 1Marsh Harrier, 6 Kestrel and 4 Kestrel Sp.

Bird Ringing: Golden Oriole, 1 Woodchat Shrike, 1 Wood Warbler, 1 Blackcap, 3 Garden Warbler, 1 Whitethroat, 1 Sedge Warbler, 1 Great Reed Warbler, 12 Pied Flycatcher, 5 Collared Flycatcher.
Overall Total: 27 birds ringed from 93m of nets.

Weather: NNW 5/6, clear skies and good visibility.


Collared Flycatcher near Koureli

Female Redstart at Koureli

The beach at the head of Vathi Bay below Koureli

Large Wall Brown (Lasiommata maera) near Koureli