A spring well spent!

As the spring passed on, after many days I'm putting up a post with a lot of pictures. This spring, as usual, I was on the field studying raptor migration. In early spring I went to the Strait of Gibraltar together with Fundacion Migres, and it was great. The most amazing thing was to observe exhausting Short-toed Snake Eagles and Griffon Vultures approaching the coast of Spain from the sea with the open bill!

During the second part of the spring I made observations on the water-crossing behaviour of Honey Buzzards at the island of Panarea (Eolian islands), north of Sicily. During the peak day 3550 individuals passed over this small island, really an impressive sight.

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Strait of Gibraltar - March 2011

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Panarea island - May 2011

Flying over Bosphorus

The spring migration has started and I'm going to begin a new exiting fieldwork in one of the most important bottleneck in Europe: the Strait of Gibraltar. I have still my eyes and mind full of the images of thousands of wonderful raptors I watched migrating through the Bosphorus last autumn. Here below a bunch of pictures of those birds.

The Dardanelles

The Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey is a fascinating place. Very dry landscape in the northern part and more green in the south. Few asphalted roads, traditional agriculture, pasture lands and some nice wetlands where several birds are allowed to live and migrate. The Eastern Imperial Eagle often go aroung hunting European Sousliks while from the beach it's easy to catch the sight of dolphins and, if you are lucky, also the Mediterranean Monk Seal.
A piece of Mediterranean not yet compromise. Hope it will resist.

Big rocks around the bush of Greece

Located just in the center of the greek mainland, Meteora is an impressive and very famouse place. Most of people go there for a one-day trip to visit the old monasteries. But if you go behind the main valley, if you walk along the small dirty roads you can meet a great wildlife. In the oak's forests and in the bush it is possible to meet many different species of animals.
In few hot days of August I observed the following raptors:

1 Egyptian vulture, adult

1 Bonelli's eagle, juvenile
1 Lesser kestrel, adult
1 Peregrine falcon, adult
Many Short-toed Snake Eagles, Sparrowhawks, Kestrels and Common buzzards.