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Message: <blockquote data-quote="deborah4" data-source="post: 1520260" data-attributes="member: 29880">RaptorsMemories of thunderstorms, mist and frustratingly distant specks in the northern Greek skies... well that was a major part of my raptor experience but it could have been a lot worse, it was just hard work.  Especially as I was left alone to do the raptor surveys and had no transport to get to the decent raptor spots on my afternoons off.  The whole area though was generally good just thin on the ground with each species.   There was no sign of visible migration - why would they migrate through here anyway I found myself asking on more than one occasion ... whatever ...A pair of Booted Eagle appeared to be sharing one particular transcepted territory with several pairs of Black Kite and I spotted several of each species in different areas over the course of the fortnight.  Lesser Spots were by far the most dominant aquila species and they'd turn up just about anywhere.  Short-Toed Eagles were easier in the higher areas although I saw a few in the lower delta region.  I managed all the usual stuff also: Peregrines, Common Buzzard, Honey Buzzard, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Hobby, Osprey (actually that one may have been on the way through since no others were spotted over the fortnight I was there). Also one Levant Sparrowhawk made a brief exit from the trees on my last transcept of the fortnight.  Most of the distant raptors were easy enough to ID on gizz although I struggled for a while with a dark phase Booted and a very possible Bonelli's that I gave up on.   The raptor action of the trip goes to the 10 minute battle between a White-tailed Eagle, a Black Kite and a Carrion Crow - the latter two trying and finally succeeding in flushing the WTE from it's hiding place in a row of trees bordering the lake where I'd spotted it fishing earlier.   My favorite for sheer entertainment value and brazen cutiness, were the many Red-Footed Falcons and there was ample time to observe them displaying and hunting - they were generally in small groups of four to six - and the easiest way to find them is just scan the many telegraph wires lining the roads and crossing the fields.From the sketchbook, some Red-Footed Falcon and a BE Wheatear that nearly had me shouting Finsch's til I saw the side of it's neck.   Hope you like ...</blockquote>

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