3 Feb 25 - ORCA Saga Eastern Med Cruise Day 15 - Going Back In Time On Crete

Another day, another landing. Today's location was the city of Heraklion, on the North coast of Crete. It was another day when I didn't expect to see anything worthwhile on the Bird front and I decided not to take the proper camera with me, so all the photos are taken with the phone camera. First light saw us making our final approaches into the harbour and therefore there wasn't any opportunity for surveying. However, we were on deck as usual looking, just in case we could see anything of interest.

We were making our final approach to the harbour at first light

Looking across to the city centre and the old harbour: The old harbour is guarded by the Koules Fortress

Our plan for the day was to borrow electric bikes from the ship and to explore the city with them. As members of the entertainment team, we were allowed to request them. However, there is always the risk of a late request from some of the passengers, in which case, we would lose out. We went down at nine and fortunately, they were still available. First, I needed to complete my electric bike cycling training, which took a few minutes on the quayside to master how they worked. A bit fiddly starting out cycling the very heavy & study bike, before the power kicked in, but they were straight-forward to use. We were soon cycling the couple of miles to the city centre. The bike had a top speed of fifteen mph. We weren't going flat out, as we started cycling on the pavements, before being forced onto the road. But it didn't take us long to get to the Natural History Museum, which was our first destination.

A map of Crete in the Museum: I've added a red dot showing the location of Heraklion. The island is about one hundred and sixty miles in length and thirty-seven miles at its widest point

The Natural History Museum was well laid out in a restored industrial building that used to house an electricity power plan. Its stated aim is to highlight the Natural History and Geology of Crete and the Eastern Mediterranean. However, some of the exhibits were surprising, given they had no connection to this region. I can't help thinking that these could have been replaced with more appropriate exhibits.

Short-toed Eagle: Doing what they do best, feeding on Snakes

Eagle Owl: I saw my first Eagle Owls in the Avas Gorge in mainland Greece on my first foreign trip back in July 1983. It's a species that doesn't seem to occur on Crete

Hazelhen: A species that occurs in mainland Greece

Capercaillie: A species that only occurs in mainland Greece

Wild Boar: They occur on Crete, as well as, mainland Greece

Red-necked Terrapin: One of the most invasive species of Reptiles in the world

One floor was dedicated to Dinosaurs, but it was a pity that most of the main exhibits had little or no relationship to Greece or the Eastern Mediterranean.

Ankylosaurus magniventris: This was an impressive animated model of species that dated to about sixty-eight to sixty–six million years ago. However, fossils have only been found in the West of American and Canada

Karen reading about Torosaurus latus: This is another species which has only been found in the West of American and Canada and they were around in a similar period to Ankylosaurus magniventris. There seems to be an ongoing debate as to how closely related the Torosaurus genus is related to the better known Triceratops genus

Stegosaurus armatus: The various Stegosaurus species were around in North America, Europe and Asia between one hundred and fifty-five million years and one hundred and forty-five million years ago. It is now considered that Stegosaurus armatus is probably not a valid species, but it probably one of the other Stegosaurus species

Megaraptor namunhuaiquii: This is another species that has only been found in the New World, but this time it's Argentina. They occurred from ninety-four million years to eighty-three million years ago

Having had a good look around the Natural History Museum, the others were keen to look around the town area. I was keen to go back in time and headed off to Knossos. I can remember seeing programs on the TV about the extensive ruins of the Palace of Minos, which date back to 1900 BC. It was a major Minoan Palace until its destruction in 1350 BC. The Minoan civilisation developed from the local Neolithic culture around 3100 BC on Crete and started to build larger urban settlements from 2000 BC. They were the first major civilization in Europe, until the mainland Mycenaean Greeks civilisation developed around 1450 BC. The Mycenaeans went on to dominate the Eastern Mediterranean.

The Palace of Minos site is a large site: The main building is roughly square with sides of about one hundred and fifty metres. There are plenty of other archaeological remains over the neighbouring area

There are three large circular pits near the entrance dating from 1900 - 1700 BC: They are known as the Kouloures. Their use is uncertain, but suggestions include they were grain storage pits or rubbish pits for sacred offerings

Arthur Evans: Oxford archaeologist Arthur Evans bought the site in 1900. He and his team began long-term evacuations from 1900 to 1913. Evans resumed the excavations between 1922 to 1930. He was responsible for much of the excavations at the site, which had been partially excavated in the previous twenty-seven years, albeit the Ottoman authorities had not allowed much digging during that period. He is credited for discovering the Minoan Civilization, but his work was also controversial due to the inaccurate and irreversible reconstructions he authorised on the site

There are extensive walls all around the site: There are over one thousand rooms within the Palace complex

Another area of rooms

A multi-floor reconstruction: One of the signs indicated some of these reconstructions used concrete. The authorities are looking at renovating some of these areas, using a more realistic mortar that would have been used in the original construction

Another area of reconstruction: These are good in they try to bring areas of low walls back to life. However, it would be good to know how accurate the authorities believe these to be

Another reconstruction: These areas at least help to give an idea of how the buildings might have looked

Modern archaeologists have also queried how realistic some of these paintings are: The feeling is a number were made up by the artists a century ago

These storage vessels were four or five feet high: They would have held oil, wine and grain

Another area of reconstruction

The painting in the last photo

More rooms on the hillside: Around 1350 BC, the palace was destroyed. The building was ravaged by a fire which triggered the collapse of the upper stories. It is not known whether this final destruction was intentional or the result of a natural disaster

Another area that has been renovated

The Dolphin mural: Both the ancient Greeks and Romans held Dolphins in high regard and Knossos had one of the earliest known murals of Dolphins. This is a modern copy of a reconstructed mural by the artist Piet de Jong who painted it between 1922 and 1930. The original reconstructed mural is on display at the Heraklion Archaeological Museum

Evans believed this was the Throne Room within the Palace: Is was named based upon the stone throne that he discovered during the excavation. He thought this chamber was used for religious and ceremonial purposes during the 15th century BC. Some archaeologists believe this room and the wall paintings date to the time of the Mycenaean takeover from 1450 BC

The room next to the Throne Room

Another reconstructed part of the site: It may appear from this Blog Post that much of the site has been reconstruction. That isn't the case, it's more a case I took more photos of the reconstructed parts, than of the low walls within the site

Another reconstructed part of the site

More reconstructions

One final photo from the Palace of Minos

After a good look around the Palace of Minos, I decided to head back to Heraklion and have a look around the old harbour.

A Dolphin statue by the Venetian harbour

Venetian Shipyards: In 1204, the Republic of Venice bought the city of Heraklion and they administered it until 1669. In 1669, it was finally captured by the Ottomans after a twenty-one year siege. These are some of the old Venetian Shipyards that were used to build and maintain their ships

The old Venetian harbour is now only used by small pleasure craft: The main port is a couple of miles to the East

The Koules Fortress: This is one the Venetian defences for the old harbour

The Koules Fortress: It was built between 1523 and 1540 and enhanced in 1630. However, it was outgunned by the Ottomans during the siege of the city

The Koules Fortress looking from the seaward side of the breakwater

I timed my return to the ship well, so that I could get a late lunch in the top deck buffet. This allowed a bit of time to catch up with a few things before I headed up to the top deck to watch our departure. There wasn't any time for surveying by the time we were leaving the port.

Heading out to sea at last light: We had a day at sea before our next destination of Palermo in Sicily

29 Aug 14 - Crucial Imminent Vote For Scottish Birders

In under 3 weeks, there will be a crucial vote for all Scottish Birders. Scottish Birders will be asked to decide "Do You Wish Your List To Become Independent From The UK". This post can now reveal for the first time some of the real facts behind the Yes campaign.

The date for this crucial referendum has been chosen with great care by the Yes campaign. They have gone back & scoured history & selected the key date of 18 Sept for it's historical significance. There has been a lot of speculation in the press, about it being on the anniversary of some big battle. That is just coincidence. This blog can now reveal the true significance of the 18 Sept. It is only 5 days after the only UK Hawk Owl in living memory was found on 12 Sept 83 near Lerwick (and 4 days after it disappeared). The Referendum was chosen to celebrate the day the Bressay finders planned to go birding a couple of days later & were lucky to relocated it on Bressay. The historical significance of this date is therefore obvious. Some of the key people behind the Yes campaign managed to twitch this bird on Bressay & grip it back on those who got to see it near Lerwick. The subliminal message is also clear: it was there on the 18 Sept, but it was not actually seen on that date. So if you live South of the border, you will be denied to get this on your UK list, when the next one turns up in Shetlands. Also if you did see it, you will have it removed as it will no longer be in the UK.

Hawk Owl: Will we ever get another chance to tick in the UK: if there is a Yes vote it seems unlikely. Zwolle, Holland (29 Nov 13) 

The timing of the vote has a second significance. The date is also just before the start of the main Shetlands & Fair Isle Birding season. In recent years, Birders have headed to the Shetlands & Fair Isle from mid September onwards from all over the UK. A Yes vote might seem appealing. After all, if Scotland becomes independent, then the UK birders won't be allowed to tick Birds in Scotland. So most will stop going & be forced to return to the traditional old haunts of the Scillies & West Cornwall.  Perhaps Lundy (the site of a number of Firsts for the UK) will again become popular. So it would seem appealing to a Scottish voter to vote Yes. After all, it will be easier to make a booking on Fair Isle or get a seat on a plane there, if there are only Scottish twitchers trying to get there. Also, a Yes vote will appear to provide a greater chance of a self found Scottish mega. But with the loss of all those English Birder's eyes covering the Shetlands & Fair Isle, maybe less rarities will be found. It would bring a premature end to the Shetlands tourist season & maybe the Fair Isle Bird Obs will have trouble filling its accommodation with purely Scottish Birders through the year & would run the risk of eventual closure. So some big potential home goals by voting Yes, but the Yes campaign have stayed silent on these risks.

Cape May Warbler: Would as many birds of this calibre be found with a reduced coverage of Birders in the field following a Yes vote? Baltasound, Unst (29 Oct 13)

But again the Yes campaigners are not telling the Scottish Birders the full picture. They talk about the positives of keeping the Scottish Birds for Scottish Birders. Of how only the Scottish Birders will be able to tick species like Capercaillie, Ptarmigan, genuine Rock Dove & Crested Tit.

Rock Dove: It would be no longer possible for UK Birders to tick Rock Doves looking like this. The Yes campaign want this kept only for Scottish Birders. Instead, UK Birders will be left desperately trying to find a pure looking individual in Trafalgar Square (having had to take the whole family there as a cover story) or perhaps hoping for a lone, clean-looking Racing Pigeon to flyby at a coastal site (& hoping no questions are asked). Sollas, South Uist (4 June 12)

But what the Yes campaigners are not being honest about is the Yes campaign plan to strike off all those birds Scottish Birders have seen in England or Wales. This is their secret plan, which they managed to avoid being mentioned so far. Amazingly, it was not discussed in the recent TV debates. Today, a Scottish based Birder could book a week's holiday & head South for some easy English specialities ticks: such as Yellow-legged Gulls, Melodious Warblers & Ortolans. All of which could be fairly easily seen with a week's stay about this time of year at Portland Bird Observatory and all of which are currently tickable. If we hear a sudden appearance increase in the numbers of Scottish accents around Portland in the coming weeks, we will know that Birders living North of the border are getting these easy ticks in while they can (as they fear a Yes vote). But it will all be in vain, a Yes vote will mean all of your lists will be purged of these species. This blog has it on good authority, that Lee "Good" Heavens has already been provisionally booked to police the purges of the Scottish Birders lists. This blog understands that controversially, part of the payment for this work, is the agreement that he will be allowed to join (& remain) in the top 10 Scottish listers following the completion of these purges.

Short-toed Eagle: In the event of a Yes vote, this will be struck off your list if you saw the Scillies bird or this year's bird in Dorset or Sussex. If you saw it in Hampshire, then prehaps you should be honest & quietly change it to a Buzzard in your notebook. The Yes campaigners are hoping to attract the votes of those people that appear on Birdforum to add useful quotes to the thread of the latest UK mega to say "they would never go beyond the end of their road to see the bird". Morden Bog (31 May 14)

Yellow-legged Gull: This rare English breeding bird only breeds at a handful of sites in Southern England, but is fairly easily seen in Poole Harbour at this time of year. There have only been a handful of Scottish records this year. Scottish Birders will be forced to work hard to add this to their lists in the event of a Yes vote purging them of one seen South of the border. Brands Bay (21 April 14)

Melodious Warbler: Portland is one of the best locations for this species. With an average of only one or two a year in Scotland, this is a species you might end having to twitch an outer island to see after a Yes vote. Winspit (8 Dec 13)

Cirl Bunting: A bird most Scottish Birders will lose off their lists. With only 3 island records this millennium, this is very likely to be purged from Scottish Lists by Lee "Good" Heavens. It is likely to the first lost in a series as the Policeman, as he likes to be know, removes all the birds ticked on those old Scillies trips. Velji Do, Croatia (5 May 14)

Ortolan: Again Portland is one of the best UK locations for this species & the Yes campaign will purge this off your list if you have seen it there. It is likely to be a costly Fair Isle twitch to tick this one if the Yes campaign get their way. Yotvata, Israel (11 April 14)

So now the truth is being revealed about the real risks to your lists in the event of a Yes vote, then it is clear there are only 2 real options: Vote No or in the event of a Yes vote, move to Fair Isle.

31 May 14 - A First For Poole Harbour Out-trumped By A First For Dorset

I decided to head out to Old Harry this morning. The forecast was for sunny at times conditions & light winds. The forecast was similar to the previous few days, which had produced several Bee-eater sightings at Portland & closer to home at Durlston, as well as Red-breasted Flycatcher (Portland), Serin (Portland & Durlston) & Greenish Warbler (Durlston). Therefore, if I had any sense I should be walking around Durlston or going further afield to Portland. But being loyal to my patch, I decided on Old Harry. At least I should get the chance to photograph some Fulmars, which would be a Family photo tick as they breed in small numbers of the cliff here. As expected it was a quiet walk out: the path goes through a few Whitethroat, Blackcap & Chiffchaff territories, but that was about all. Getting to the end there is a small spur of the chalk cliffs which I really enjoy visiting. Most of the grockles (local name for holidaymakers & tourists) miss the small path so it's always worth a look for a bit of peace & quiet. I've never know the name of this small spur, but it's always been Seat Point to me (as there is a stone seat there).

The view of the Old Harry outcrop from Seat Point 

It was still quiet when I got to Old Harry & the Rock Pipits had a family of youngsters feeding on the grassy cliff tops.

Rock Pipit: Adult. This is the nominate petrosus subspecies which occurs throughout the UK, except for the Faeroes, Shelands & Orkneys where it is replaced by kleinschmidti

Rock Pipit: Adult 

Rock Pipit: Juvenile

The chalky outcrops next to Old Harry have always has a few pairs of Great Black-backed Gulls & Herring Gulls breeding on them.

Great Black-backed Gull: Adult

Herring Gull: This is the nominate argenteus subspecies

Rabbit: There are normally some feeding on the grass before the grockles arrive

So far all very much as expected. But looking down at the sea below there were a couple of immature Eiders: this is usually a winter & passage species & they are the first Eiders I've seen in the Summer. Steve Morrison who has birded the Studland area for many years, but now lives in France, has commented that Eiders used to Summer regularly in the 70's & 80's, with up to about 20 birds involved. But the last birds which he is aware of in the Summer were in 1996. They look pretty settled at the moment & are clearly in advanced wing moult, so I'm hoping they will hang around.

Eider: Immature male

Eider: Female

Eider: I can't see them going anywhere quickly with this wing moult

Eider: Here are the wings of the male

While I was photographing the Eider, I was surprised to hear a Yellow Wagtail call. This wouldn't be that unusual in April when the majority of Spring birds move through Dorset, but it was the end of May. Turning round to look at it I realised it wasn't the normal British subspecies of Yellow Wagtail (flavissima) & assumed it was a Blue-headed Wagtail (flava) or perhaps a 'Channel Wagtail' which is an intermediate population between the flavissima & flava. I am still trying to learn all the features of Yellow Wagtail races, but couldn't remember the Blue-headed features off the top of my head (but I will be able to do so in the future now). So I grabbed a few quick photos in case it flew off. Photos taken, it then flew another 20 metres away, before landing to feed again. At this point, I pulled out the phone to ring local birder, Paul Morton. I wanted to check he had seen Eider this year as he is doing a Poole Harbour Year List & while it's unlikely to miss Eider during the year in the harbour, it's better to see one early on to avoid any stress about dipping towards the end of the year. He had, but then the conversation went in a more interesting way. He said he was out on Morden Bog, leading a Birds of Poole Harbour guided walk & was watching an interesting Raptor perched up & couldn't see why this pale bird wasn't a Short-toed Eagle. He had photos & was going to send me some to look at given this would be the third UK record before the news was released. Obviously before putting the news out he wanted a second opinion as this would likely to start a major twitch. At this point, I lost all interest in the Wagtail & decided that I had better start heading back to the car as it was only 20 minutes drive away (but over 30 minutes walk to the car). If it was a Short-toed Eagle it would be one of the birds of the year for the UK. Whilst not a UK tick, it would be a First for Dorset. But first it needed confirming, but I felt confident in Paul's thoughts on the bird, to call a few locals & provisionally warn them.

Looking back to Studland from Seat Point: It was 5 minutes back to Seat Point, but another 30 minutes walk to my car parked by the church, in the village just visible above the right end end of the chalk promontory. I tend to park here, not for religious or free parking, but because it's always worth checking the churchyard for migrants

Anyway, back to the Wagtail story. I didn't get the chance to look at the photos till about 22:00 that evening. A quick check revealed it wasn't a Blue-headed Wagtail as the head colouration would have been paler ashy grey & it would have also had a stronger white supercilium. Channel Wagtails have a paler, more lavender-coloured head still with a strong white supercilium, broadening behind the eye. So this is a lot more interesting & rarer race. Frustratingly, it's also a female bird as indicated by the extend of white on the throat & breast & these Yellow Wagtail races are tricky enough as Summer plumage males. I circulated one of the photos to some of the local birders & had responses back from Shaun Robson & Marcus Lawson, who also backing my private thoughts (at that stage) of Grey-headed Wagtail (thanks guys) & an email was posted that evening to the Dorset birders. Note, all photos have been cropped & sharpened, but no other changes have been made to the photos.

Grey-headed Wagtail: Female. Note the dark crown & darker ear coverts

Grey-headed Wagtail: Female

Grey-headed Wagtail: Female. A thin supercilium is visible in this photo

Grey-headed Wagtail: Female. A better view of the broken gorget, Unfortunately, it never turned its body towards me

Grey-headed Wagtail: Female. A clearer view of the white throat and the gorget 

Grey-headed Wagtail: Female

Grey-headed Wagtail: Male. This is what a male looks like & I would have worked this out immediately, having seen a couple of birds in a Yellow Wagtail flock in India at Desert Coursers, Gujurat, India (18 Jan 14). Males have a medium grey upper head, darker ear coverts, generally little or no pale supercilium behind the eye, a white moustachial & a yellow throat

Looking at photos on the internet, the biggest problem for females seems to be ruling out an Ashy-headed Wagtails from a Grey-headed Wagtail. So here goes with why I think it's a Grey-headed Wagtail. Being a female it's more tricky than for males. Starting with the call. I wasn't listening to it in a very analytical way, but it sounded like a normal Yellow Wagtail to my ears. But I don't think the call is going to help, except to rule out Black-headed Wagtail race of Yellow Wagtail (which it isn't anyway). The best information I've managed to find on the identification of Yellow Wagtail races so far is the Handbook of Bird Identification for Europe and the Western Palearctic by Madge & Beaman. The main problem seems to be ruling out a vagrant Ashy-headed Wagtail, cinereocapilla, as the other potential problem subspecies (Blue-headed Wagtail flava) has already been eliminated by the darkness of the face and ear-coverts & the lack of an obvious supercilium:-
Grey-headed Wagtail (thunbergi)
Typical adult females in Summer resembles those of flava, but the supercilium is weaker or absent, the head is darker & it has a dusky partial breast band. Grey-headed Wagtails breed from Scandinavia to Western Siberia & Winter in Sub-Saharan Africa & South & SE Asia.
Ashy-headed Wagtail (cinereocapilla) 
Typical adult females in Summer have dark crown and ear-coverts, sometimes a weak supercilium behind the eye resembling thunbergi, but the throat whiter and breast band less defined or absent. Ashy-headed Wagtails breed in italy, Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia and Slovenia & Winter in West Central Africa.

Grey-headed Wagtail: Female. A final photo of the First for Poole Harbour

It looks like Grey-headed Wagtail, thunbergi, is the best fit for this bird based upon the darker grey on the face, the weak supercilium & the partial breast band. If accepted, it will be the 7th record for Dorset & the first for Poole Harbour. I'm now circulating the pictures more widely & if anybody has any useful comments, please add them to the blog. The previous records are:-
Portland Bill: 24 September 1977
Lodmoor: 28 August 1978
Lodmoor: 25 May - 16 August 1990
Stanpit: 8 - 11 September 1996
Stanpit: 23 May 2001
Reap Lane, Portland: 20 May 2011

I really wish I had worked out it's significance of the Wagtail when I saw it. However, the only consolation was few birders were going to worry about a rare Yellow Wagtail subspecies, with a potential Short-toed Eagle about 12 miles away. But the news from Paul wasn't sounding good: the bird had flown off & been lost from sight. Given it had gone I carried on walking back to the car fairly fast, but was now stopping for interesting things again, while I was awaiting some photos to be sent. It turns out Paul was on his way with the photos to Shaun's house (as he was unable to send the photos out by phone).

Blackbird: Female

Blackbird: Successful local breeding confirmed

Green-veined White: Easily overlooked in flight for one of the commoner Whites, but distinctive when seen feeding

Now back at the car, I received an update from Paul & a perched photo of a Short-toed Eagle. Bloody hell. A great find for a good mate & a hard local Poole Harbour watcher. Paul's write up of the day & his better photos are on the Birds of Poole Harbour website. Congrats again Paul. The update to the news when it flew East it appeared to be going in the direction of Poole Harbour. But this was an hour old news. Still there was a very slim chance it won't be entering New Forest airspace by this stage. So I quickly headed to a prominent viewpoint on Hartland Heath & started looking. But after 2 hours & with no news from any of the other locals, then it was clear it had left the area. Back home for some very late lunch. I had just finished when the pager mega alerted again to say it had been seen flying East over Morden Bog again, but again an hour old news. There was no indication of who the observer was, as nothing on the local email or grape vine, but time to head out again. Luckily for my mate Peter Moore, he had been looking at Puffins at Dancing Ledge near my village with family & friends, & had just returned to the cars when the mega alert went. He checked with the boss if it was OK to go with me, but I suspect he was long out of ear-shot by the time Claire has answered. Soon we were racing North again to Morden Bog & decided on a viewpoint along with my mate Andy Mears from Bristol & Nick Hopper & his Claire, at the Southern end, so the light would be behind us. No joy in the 20 minutes we were there, until my phone rang from George Green at the Northern end of Morden Bog to say he was watching the bird. We were the first to arrive being so close & fortunately it was still sitting in the tree a couple of hundred metres away.

Short-toed Eagle: There are better photos on Peter Moore's blog when he returned the following day on the excuse of going out for some exercise on his bicycle

The crowd shot about 90 minutes after we arrived

Whilst getting some crap record shots, I started ringing everybody I knew to get the news out & get people to our viewpoint. The last thing anybody wanted was people going all over the heath as that might flush the bird. In the end about 200 or so birders got to see it by the time I left about 21:00 & all were well behaved & kept well back: except for one selfish rogue local photographer who felt it necessary to get really close. It's clearly more important for him to get good photos (despite a good flight shot from the morning), than it is to behave & consider other birders, so everybody coming for the bird can see it. In the end, the bird didn't flush, despite what must have been a very close approach, but it's only possible for him to be cocky in hindsight. This isn't the first time he has got too close to Raptors, as can clearly be seen from photos he has posted in the past. Note, I've removed the links to his blog as I'm not prepared to give him any passing traffic from my blog. I hope other local birders will do the same on their blogs.