| This month, second
half has been memorable, though
mostly for the wild flowers.
Orchids, in particular, seem to
have been brought on early by
the fantastic weather we've had
since the snow in February, we
guess they're about 10 - 14 days
earlier than last year. Best
sighting was on 16th March, when
we found more than 250 tulips (tulipa
bakeri) on the "mound" behind
the high meadows above Spili.
See photo. Yesterday we passed
by the same area, and found just
3 tulips left, but the orchids
were coming into their own, as
they were at the Late Minoan
Cemetery.
Photo by and
© A&M
As far as birding is
concerned, there has been very
little to report from Agia
Reservoir, which has remained
high, and our trips to more
mountainous areas have been
quite disappointing. More
locally, we have kept a frequent
eye on the Georgioupolis water -
view point, where common snipe
are present - up to four at
times can be seen. A recent
arrival was the black-winged
stilt, which spends most of its
time on the far side. When it
ventured nearer the road, it was
almost impossible to see - see
photo .
Photo by and
© A&M
The usual summer visitors
have been arriving - swift,
swallow, house martin, northern
and black-eared wheatears. Two
hoopoes spotted; one from our
house today but not much else
for us so far. Yesterday 26th,
was the exception. We had a day
out with John and Patti Bayley,
and I suggested we take the
service road to Kavros before
joining the National Highway,
just in case..... we were
lucky. Nine cattle egret were
roaming a field of sheep, taking
rides on some of them!
Photo by and
© A&M
I've attached two photos -
you might spot an unlucky lizard
that has been taken by the egret
that has its wings open. Today,
these birds appear to have moved
on, and a quick look at the view
point presented our first
squacco of the year.
Photo by and
© A&M
Photo by and
© A&M |