walking & clicking

Σχοινιάς

2011-04-03T12:15:00.000-07:00

Τουρλιδα - Curlew

2011-03-27T02:20:00.000-07:00

The Eurasian Curlew, Numenius arquata, is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae. It is the one of the most widespread of the curlews, breeding across temperate Europe and Asia. In Europe, this species is often referred to just as "the Curlew", and in Scotland a colloquial name is "whaup".

The largest wader in its range, at 50–57 cm length, and a 1 m wingspan. It is mainly greyish brown, with a white back, and a very long curved bill. Males and females look identical, but the bill is longest in the adult female. It is generally not possible to recognize the sex of a single Eurasian Curlew, or even several ones as there is much variation; telling male and female of a mated pair apart is usually possible however.

The familiar call, from which this bird gets it name, is a loud curloo-oo.

The only similar species over most of the Curlew's range is the Whimbrel (N. phaeopus). This is smaller, and has a shorter bill with a kink rather than a smooth curve. Flying birds may resemble a Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica) in winter plumage, but that species is smaller, has a slightly upturned bill, and its feet are barely longer than the tail tip; in the Eurasian Curlew the feet are longer, forming a conspicuous "point".

This is a migratory species over most of its range, wintering in Africa, southern Europe and south Asia. Occasionally, a vagrant individual reaches places far away from its normal range, such as Nova Scotia^[1] or the Marianas.^[2] It is present all year in the milder climate of Ireland, Great Britain and the adjacent European coasts.

It is generally wary. Highly gregarious outside the breeding season, the Eurasian Curlew feeds by probing soft mud for small invertebrates, but will also pick small crabs and earthworms off the surface if the opportunity arises.

This is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.The nest is a bare scrape on taiga, meadow or similar habitat. 3-6 eggs are laid in April/May, and incubated for about a month to hatching.

Formerly classified as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN, it was suspected to be rarer than generally assumed. Following the evaluation of its population size, this was found to be incorrect, and it is consequently uplisted to Near Threatened status in 2008; though it is still a rather common bird, its numbers are noticeably declining.^[3] In Ireland, for example, the breeding population is estimated to have declined by 80% in the last 30 years.

Photos by Walking and Clicking

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_Curlew

Νεροκοτσέλα-Water Rail

2011-02-06T08:42:00.000-08:00

The Water Rail or European Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus) is a small wetland bird of the rail family.

Its breeding habitat is marshes and reedbeds across Europe and Asia. It nests in a dry location in marsh vegetation, laying up to a dozen eggs. Northernmost and eastern populations aremigratory, but Water Rails are permanent residents in western and southern Europe, with numbers augmented by migrants in winter.

Immature birds are similar to the adults, but the blue-grey is replaced by buff. The downy chicks are black, as with all rails.Adults are 23–26 cm long, and have mainly brown upperparts and blue-grey underparts, with black barring on the flanks. The body is flattened laterally to allow easier passage through the reeds. They have long toes, a short tail and a long (3-4.5 cm) slim reddish bill. Legs are yellowish.

These birds probe with their bill in mud or shallow water, also picking up food by sight. They eat insects, seeds, berries, rodents and smaller birds.

Water Rails are very secretive in the breeding season, and are then mostly heard rather than seen. They are noisy birds, with a rich variety of sounds including a distinctive pig-like squeal, known as "sharming". They are easier to see in winter, especially if freezing conditions push them to the edge of the reedbeds.

The South Asian race indicus differs slightly in morphology and strongly in vocalisations; Rasmussen and Anderton (2005) propose that this taxon be treated as a separate species, Eastern Water Rail.

Photos by Walking and Clicking

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_Rail

->Καλαμοτσίχλονο-C. Reed Bunting

2011-01-09T04:06:00.000-08:00

The Reed Bunting, Emberiza schoeniclus, is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae.

It breeds across Europe and much of temperate and northern Asia. Most birds migrate south in winter, but those in the milder south and west of the range are resident. It is common in reedbeds and also breeds in drier open areas such as moorland and cultivation.

The familiar, if somewhat monotonous, song of the cock is a repetitive zrip.

Photos by Walking and Clicking

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reed_Bunting

->Σχοινοποταμίδα-Sedge Warbler

2010-11-07T04:44:00.000-08:00

The Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus) is an Old World warbler in the genus Acrocephalus. It is a medium-sized warbler with a brown, streaked back and wings and a distinct palesupercilium. Sedge Warblers are migratory, crossing the Sahara to get from their European and Asian breeding grounds to spend winter in Africa. The male's song is composed of random chattering phrases and can include mimicry of other species. The Sedge Warbler is mostly insectivorous.This is a medium-sized warbler, 11.5-13 cm long and weighing around 12 g. It has a streaked brown back and wings, and pale underparts. The rump is warm brown and unstreaked, contrasting with the duller wings. The forehead is flattened, there is a prominent whitish supercilium, the crown is streaked with black, and the bill is strong and pointed. The legs are greyish.

Photos by Walking and Clicking

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedge_Warbler

->Κοκκινοκεφαλάς-Woodchat Shrike

2010-11-07T04:24:00.000-08:00

The Woodchat Shrike (Lanius senator) is a member of the shrike family Laniidae.

The Woodchat breeds in southern Europe, the Middle East and northwest Africa, and winters in tropical Africa. It breeds in open cultivated country, preferably with orchard trees and some bare or sandy ground.

This migratory medium-sized passerine eats large insects, small birds and frogs. Like other shrikes it hunts from prominent perches, and impales corpses on thorns or barbed wire as a "larder".

The male is a striking bird with black and white plumage and a chestnut crown. The race L. s. badius of the western Mediterranean lacks the large white wing patches.

In the female and young birds the upperparts are brown and vermiculated. Underparts are buff and also vermiculated.

This species often overshoots its breeding range on spring migration, and is a rare, but annual, visitor to Great Britain. The Balearic race badius has occurred in Britain around four times as a vagrant, and has also been recorded once in Ireland.

Photos by Walking and Clicking

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodchat_Shrike

->Λιβαδόκιρκος-Montagu's Harrier

2010-11-06T15:06:00.000-07:00

This species can be found in a middle-latitude band of predominantly temperate climates, but also in Mediterranean, and boreal zones. Although it has been found nesting up to 1500 m, it is essentially a lowland species, and nests mostly in broad river valleys, plains, and levels bordering lakes and the sea. It can breed in wetlands, though these are often smaller and dryer than those used by the Marsh Harrier. It also utilizes heaths, dunes, moors, and can be found in the steppe. It adapts to shrublands in gorse or heather and to areas planted with young conifers.

When no other suitable habitat is available this harrier will nest in agricultural farmlands where it is vulnerable to early harvesting. Amongst these it chooses especially grasslands and cereal crops such as wheat, barley, oats and colza. In western Europe, up to 70 percent of the population breeds in artificial habitats.

In short, for breeding the Montagu's Harrier requires a large open area, with sufficiently tall ground vegetation to afford cover without being overgrown. It favours posts on which both male and female can rest and survey the breeding area: these can be fenceposts, small trees, or rocky outcrops. When hunting, in any season, it prefers areas of low or sparse vegetation where prey is more visible. Densely settled areas are generally avoided and it is highly susceptible to disturbance.

Food and foraging methods

The diet consists mainly of small ground-living animals in areas of low or sparse vegetation. An important part is taken by small rodents, small birds and large insects.

As this bird has a wide distribution, it will take whatever prey is available in the area where it nests; in the steppe it will take many sousliks, whereas in southern Europe, more lizards and large insects will be caught. In areas where the food supply is composed almost exclusively of rodents, the breeding success depends greatly on the cyclic fluctuations of vole populations.^[1]

Prey is caught while flying along fixed routes at low heights and constant low speeds (c. 30 km/h), as is typical of harriers. The flight is considered lighter and more dexterous than other harriers enabling it to take more agile prey. When possible it often follows the edges of various vegetation to catch its prey by surprise. This is taken after a short stoop, though fast running animals and flying birds can be chased over a short distance.

During the breeding season, the male will provision the female and later the young with food. The rate of provisioning increases from 5 to 6 times per day during incubation to 7 to 10 times per day when young have hatched, though the male can be handicapped by wet, foggy or windy weather. In a manner typical of harriers, prey is passed between partners in the air: The female flies underneath the male, who drops the prey for her to catch. The male hunts over a large area up to 12 km away from the nest. The female hunts closer to the nest, up to 1 km away, and only after the young have hatched.

Photos by Walking and Clicking

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montagu's_Harrier

->Πορφυροτσικνιάς-Purple Heron

2010-10-17T08:35:00.000-07:00

The Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea) is a wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, breeding in Africa, central and southern Europe, and southern and eastern Asia. The European populations are migratory, wintering in tropical Africa; the more northerly Asian populations also migrate further south within Asia. It is a rare but regular wanderer north of its breeding range.

The Purple Heron is a large bird, 80-90 cm tall, with a 120-150 cm wingspan, but slender for its size, weighing only 0.5-1.3 kg. It is somewhat smaller than the Grey Heron, from which it can be distinguished by its darker reddish-brown plumage, and, in adults, darker grey back. It has a narrower yellow bill, which is brighter in breeding adults.There are three or four subspecies:

Ardea purpurea purpurea Linnaeus, 1766. Africa, Europe north to the Netherlands, and southwestern Asia east to Kazakhstan.

Ardea purpurea bournei (de Naurois, 1966), Bourne's Heron. Cape Verde Islands (included in purpurea by some authors, but treated as a distinct species Ardea bournei by some others).

Ardea purpurea madagascariensis Oort, 1910. Madagascar.

Ardea purpurea manilensis Meyen, 1834. Asia from Pakistan east to the Philippines and north to Primorsky Krai, Russia.

The Purple Heron breeds in colonies in reed beds or trees close to large lakes or other extensive wetlands. It builds a bulky stick nest.

It feeds in shallow water, spearing fish, frogs, insects, small mammals, reptiles and small birds. It will often wait motionless for prey, or slowly stalk its victim. It tends to keep within reedbeds more than the Grey Heron, and is often inconspicuous, despite its size.

In flight in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.It has a slow flight, with its neck retracted. This is characteristic of herons and bitterns, and distinguishes them from storks, cranes and spoonbills, which extend their necks. The long neck of Purple Heron looks particularly snake-like, with more of an S-shape in flight. The call is a loud croaking "krek".

Photos by Walking and Clicking

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Heron

->Γερακίνα-Common Buzzard

2010-10-16T14:16:00.000-07:00

It breeds in woodland, usually on the fringes, but favours hunting over open land. It eats mainly small mammals, and will come to carrion. A great opportunist, it adapts well to a varied diet of pheasant, rabbit, other small mammals, snakes and lizards and can often be seen walking over recently ploughed fields looking for worms and insects.

Buzzards do not normally form flocks, but several may be seen together on migration or in good habitat. The Victorian writer on Dartmoor, William Crossing, noted that he had on occasions seen flocks of 15 or more at some places. Though a rare occurrence as many as 20 buzzards can been spotted in one field area, approx 30 meters apart, so cannot be classed as a flock in the general term, consisting of those males (and females) without a mate or territory. They are fiercely territorial, and, though rare, fights do break out if one strays on another pair's territory, but dominant displays of aggression will normally see off the interloper. Pairs mate for life. To attract a mate (or impress his existing mate) the male performs a ritual aerial display before the beginning of Spring. This spectacular display is known as 'the roller coaster'. He will rise high up in the sky, to turn and plummet downward, in a spiral, twisting and turning as he comes down. To then rise immediately upward to repeat the exercise.

This broad-winged raptor has a wide variety of plumages, and in Europe can be confused with the similar Rough-legged Buzzard (Buteo lagopus) and the only distantly related Honey Buzzard (Pernis apivorus), which mimics the Common Buzzard's plumage for a degree of protection from Goshawks. The plumage can vary in Britain from almost pure white to black, but is usually shades of brown, with a pale 'necklace' of feathers.

The call is a plaintive peea-ay, similar to a cat's meow.

Photos by Walking and Clicking

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Buzzard

->Αλκυόνη-Alcedo atthis-Common Kingfisher

2010-09-26T08:51:00.000-07:00

The Common Kingfisher is widely distributed over Europe, Asia, and North Africa, mainly south of 60°N. It is a common breeding species over much of its vast Eurasian range, but in North Africa it is mainly a winter visitor, although it is a scarce breeding resident in coastal Morocco and Tunisia. In temperate regions, this kingfisher inhabits clear, slow-flowing streams and rivers, and lakes with well-vegetated banks. It frequents scrubs and bushes with overhanging branches close to shallow open water in which it hunts. In winter it is more coastal, often feeding in estuaries or harbours and along rocky seashores. Tropical populations are found by slow-flowing rivers, in mangrove creeks and in swamps.

In flightCommon Kingfishers are important members of ecosystems and good indicators of freshwater community health. The highest densities of breeding birds are found in habitats with clear water, which permits optimal prey visibility, and trees or shrubs on the banks. These habitats have also the highest quality of water, so the presence of this bird confirms the standard of the water.[9] Measures to improve water flow can disrupt this habitat, and in particular, the replacement of natural banks by artificial confinement greatly reduces the populations of fish, amphibians and aquatic reptiles, and waterside birds are lost.

This species is resident in areas where the climate is mild year-round, but must migrate after breeding from regions with prolonged freezing conditions in winter. Most birds winter within the southern parts of the breeding range, but smaller numbers cross the Mediterranean into Africa or travel over the mountains of Malaysia into Southeast Asia. Kingfishers migrate mainly at night, and some Siberian breeders must travel at least 3,000 km (1,900 mi) between the breeding sites and the wintering areas.

Photos by Walking and Clicking

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Kingfisher

->ΛΕΥΚΟΤΣΙΚΝΙAΣ-Little Egret

2010-08-15T07:26:00.000-07:00

The Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) is a small white heron. It is the Old World counterpart to the very similar New World Snowy Egret.

There are at least two subspecies of Little Egret. The nominate subspecies E. g. garzetta occurs in Europe, Africa and Asia. E. g. nigripes breeds in Indonesia and Australasia. Those in Australia are sometimes thought to represent a third subspecies E. g. immaculata.

Several other egret taxa have at times been classified as subspecies of the Little Egret in the past but are now regarded as separate species. The Western Reef-Egret, Egretta gularis occurs on the coastline of West Africa (race gularis) and from the Red Sea to India (race schistacea). The Dimorphic Egret, Egretta (garzetta/gularis) dimorpha is found in East Africa, Madagascar, the Comoros and the Aldabra Islands.

The adult Little Egret is 55–65 cm long with an 88–106 cm wingspan. It weighs 350–550 grams. Its plumage is all white. It has long black legs with yellow feet and a slim black bill. In the breeding season, the adult has two long nape plumes and gauzy plumes on the back and breast. The bare skin between the bill and eyes becomes red or blue. Juveniles are similar to non-breeding adults but have duller legs and feet. The subspecies garzetta has yellow feet and a bare patch of grey-green skin between the bill and eyes, whereas nigripes has yellow skin between the bill and eye and blackish feet.

Little Egrets are mostly silent but make various croaking and bubbling calls at their breeding colonies and produce a harsh alarm call when disturbed.

Distribution and habitat

Its original breeding distribution was large inland wetlands and coastal wetlands in warm temperate parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, Taiwan, and Australia.

In warmer locations, most birds are permanent residents; northern populations, including many European birds, migrate to Africa and southern Asia. They may also wander north after the breeding season, which presumably has led to this egret's range expansion.

Photos by Walking and Clicking

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Egret

->Θαμνοψάλτης-Dunnock

2010-07-13T11:36:00.000-07:00

->Φιδαετός-Short toed Eagle

2010-07-06T13:28:00.000-07:00

This is an Old World species spread throughout the Mediterranean basin and into Russia and the Middle East, and into parts of Asia (Pakistan, India and some Indonesian islands).

Those present on the northern edge of the Mediterranean and other parts of Europe migrate mainly to sub-Saharan Africa north of the equator, leaving in September/October and returning in April/May. In the Middle and Far East the populations are resident. In Europe it is most numerous in Spain where it is fairly common but elsewhere it is rare in many parts of its range. A bird on the Isles of Scilly, Britain, in October 1999 was the first confirmed record for that country.

The Short-toed Eagle is found in open cultivated plains, arid stony deciduous scrub areas and foothills and semi-desert areas. It requires trees for nesting.

The Short-toed Eagle has suffered a steep decline in numbers and range in Europe and is now rare and still decreasing in several countries due to changes in agriculture and land-use. It needs protection.In the middle and far eastern part of its range this species is not yet threatened.

Photos by Walking and Clicking

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short-toed_Eagle

->Snake Vs Stonechat!

2010-06-26T00:47:00.000-07:00

->κοκκινολαίμης-European Robin

2010-06-22T10:20:00.000-07:00

The European Robin (Erithacus rubecula), most commonly known in Anglophone Europe simply as the Robin, is a small insectivorous passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family (Turdidae), but is now considered to be an Old World flycatcher (Muscicapidae). Around 12.5–14.0 cm (5.0–5.5 in) in length, the male and female are similar in colouration, with an orange breast and face lined with grey, brown upperparts and a whitish belly. It is found across Europe, east to Western Siberia and south to North Africa; it is sedentary in most of its range except the far north.
The term Robin is also applied to some birds in other families with red or orange breasts. These include the American Robin (Turdus migratorius), which is a thrush, and the Australian red robins of the genus Petroica, members of a family whose relationships are unclear.

Photos by Walking and Clicking

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Robin

->Κουκουβάγια-Little Owl

2010-06-21T12:22:00.000-07:00

The Little Owl (Athene noctua) is a bird which is resident in much of the temperate and warmer parts of Europe, Asia east to Korea, and north Africa. It is not native to Great Britain, but was first introduced in 1842, and is now naturalised there. It was also successfully introduced to the South Island of New Zealand in the early 20th century.

This species is a part of the larger grouping of owls known as typical owls, Strigidae, which contains most species of owl. The other grouping is the barn owls, Tytonidae.
The Little Owl is a small owl, 23-27.5 cm in length. It takes prey such as insects, earthworms, amphibians, but also small birds and mammals. It is partly diurnal and often perches prominently during the day.
This is a sedentary species which is found in open country such as mixed farmland and parkland. It usually nests in holes in trees or rocks, laying 3-5 eggs which are incubated by the female for 28–29 days, with a further 26 days to fledging. Little Owls will also nest in buildings, both abandoned and those fitted with custom owl nest boxes. If living in an area with a large amount of human activity, Little Owls may grow used to man and will remain on their perch, often in full view, while humans are around.
The adult Little Owl of the most widespread form, the nominate A. n. noctua, is white-speckled brown above, and brown-streaked white below. It has a large head, long legs, and yellow eyes, and its white “eyebrows” give it a stern expression. This species has a bounding flight like a woodpecker. Juveniles are duller, and lack the adult's white crown spots. The call is a querulous kee-ik.
There is a pale grey-brown Middle Eastern type known as Syrian Little Owl A. n. lilith. Other forms include another pale race, the north African A. n. desertae, and three intermediate subspecies, A. n. indigena of southeast Europe and Asia Minor, A. n. glaux in north Africa and southwest Asia, and A. n. bactriana of central Asia. A recent paper in the ornithological journal Dutch Birding (vol. 31: 35-37, 2009) has advocated splitting the southeastern races as a separate species Lilith's Owl Athene glaux (with subspecies A. g. glaux, A. g. indigena, and A. g. lilith).
The Little Owl was sacred to the goddess Athena, from whom it gets the generic name.

Photos by Walking and Clicking
Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Owl

->Καλαμόκιρκος-Marsh Harrier

2010-06-06T02:03:00.000-07:00

The Western Marsh-harrier is 42 to 56 cm in length, and has a wingspan of 115 to 140 cm. It is a large, bulky harrier with fairly broad wings, and has a strong and peculiar sexual dichromatism. The male's plumage is mostly a cryptic reddish-brown with lighter yellowish streaks, which are particularly prominent on the breast. The head and shoulders are mostly pale greyish-yellowish. The rectrices and the secondary and tertiary remiges are pure grey, the latter contrasting with the brown forewing and the black primary remiges at the wingtips. The upperside and underside of the wing look similar, though the brown is lighter on the underwing. Whether from the side or below, flying males appear characteristically three-colored brown-grey-black. The legs, feet, irides and the cere of the black bill are yellow.

The female is almost entirely chocolate-brown. The top of the head, the throat and the shoulders have of a conspicuously lighter yellowish colour; this can be clearly delimited and very contrasting, or (particularly in worn plumage) be more washed-out, resembling the male's head colors. But the eye area of the female is always darker, making the light eye stand out, while the male's head is altogether not very contrastingly colored and the female lacks the grey wing-patch and tail. Juveniles are similar to females, but usually have less yellow, particularly on the shoulders.

There is a rare hypermelanic morph with largely dark plumage. It is most often found in the east of the species' range. Juveniles of this morph may look entirely black in flight.
Photos by Walking and Clicking
Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Marsh_Harrier

->Λευκοσουσουράδα-White Wagtail

2010-06-03T12:08:00.000-07:00

This is a slender bird, 16.5–19 cm (6½–7½ in) in length (East Asian subspecies are longer, to 21 cm (8¼ in), with the characteristic long, constantly wagging tail of its genus. The nominate subspecies Motacilla alba alba is basically grey above and white below, with a white face, black cap and black throat.

There are a number of other subspecies, some of which may have arisen because of partial geographical isolation, such as the resident British form, the Pied Wagtail M. a. yarrellii, which now also breeds in adjacent areas of the neighbouring European mainland. Pied Wagtail, named for naturalist William Yarrell, exchanges the grey colour of the nominate form with black (or very dark grey in females), but is otherwise identical in its behaviour. Other subspecies, the validity of some of which is questionable, differ in the colour of the wings, back, and head, or other features. Some races show sexual dimorphism during the breeding season. As many as six subspecies may be present in the wintering ground in India or Southeast Asia and here they can be difficult to distinguish.Phylogenetic studies using mtDNA suggest that some morphological features have evolved more than once including the back and chin colour. Breeding M. a. yarrellii look much like the nominate race except for the black back, and M. a. alboides of the Himalayas differs from the Central Asian M. a. personata only by its black back. M. a. personata has been recorded breeding in the Siddar Valley of Kashmir of the Western Himalayas. It has also been noted that both back and chin change colour during the pre-basic moult; all black-throated subspecies develop white chins and throats in winter and some black-backed birds are grey-backed in winter.
The call of the White Wagtail is a sharp chisick, slightly softer than the version given by Pied Wagtail. The song is a pleasant twittering, more regular in White than Pied, but with little territorial significance, since the male uses a series of contact calls to attract the female.

Photos by Walking and Clicking

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Wagtail

->Βαλτόπαπια-Ferruginous Duck

2010-05-22T10:33:00.000-07:00

The Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca) is a medium-sized diving duck from Eurasia. The species is known colloquially by birders as "Fudge Duck".
Their breeding habitat is marshes and lakes with a metre or more water depth. These ducks breed in southern and eastern Europe and southern and western Asia. They are somewhat migratory, and winter farther south and into north Africa.The adult male is a rich chestnut colour with a darker back and a yellow eye.

The pure white undertail helps to distinguish this species from the somewhat similar Tufted Duck. The female is similar but duller, and with a dark eye.These are gregarious birds, forming large flocks in winter, often mixed with other diving ducks, such as Tufted Ducks and Pochards.

These birds feed mainly by diving or dabbling. They eat aquatic plants with some molluscs, aquatic insects and small fish. They often feed at night, and will upend (dabble) for food as well as the more characteristic diving.

It is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.

Photos by Walking and Clicking

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferruginous_Duck

->Πορφυροτσικνιάς-Purple Heron

2010-05-22T10:10:00.001-07:00

Ardea purpurea purpurea Linnaeus, 1766. Africa, Europe north to the Netherlands, and southwestern Asia east to Kazakhstan.

Ardea purpurea bournei (de Naurois, 1966), Bourne's Heron. Cape Verde Islands (included in purpurea by some authors, but treated as a distinct species Ardea bournei by some others).

Ardea purpurea madagascariensis Oort, 1910. Madagascar.

Ardea purpurea manilensis Meyen, 1834. Asia from Pakistan east to the Philippines and north to Primorsky Krai, Russia.

The Purple Heron breeds in colonies in reed beds or trees close to large lakes or other extensive wetlands. It builds a bulky stick nest.

Photos by Walking and Clicking

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Heron

->Ωχροστριτσίδα-Eastern Olivaceous Warbler

2010-05-16T10:17:00.000-07:00

The Eastern Olivaceous Warbler (Hippolais pallida) is a "warbler", formerly placed in the Old World warblers when these were a paraphyletic wastebin taxon. It is now considered a member of the acrocephaline warbelrs, Acrocephalidae, in the tree warbler genus Hippolais . It was formerly regarded as part of a wider "Olivaceous Warbler" species, but as a result of modern taxonomic developments, this species is now usually considered to be two species:

Western Olivaceous Warbler, Hippolais opaca, and

Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Hippolais pallida.

It is a small passerine bird, found in dry open country, including cultivation, with bushes or some trees. 2-3 eggs are laid in a nest in low in undergrowth or a bush. Like most warblers, Eastern Olivaceous is insectivorous.

It is a medium-sized warbler, more like a very pale Reed Warbler than its relative the Melodious Warbler. The adult has a plain pale brown back and whitish underparts. The bill is strong and pointed and the legs grey. The sexes are identical, as with most warblers, but young birds are more buff on the belly. It has a characteristic downward tail flick.

Eastern Olivaceous Warbler breeds in south east Europe and the Middle East. It is migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa or Arabia. It is a rare vagrant to northern Europe.

Western Olivaceous Warbler differs from this species in being larger and having a browner tinge to the upperparts; it also has a larger bill. Eastern Olivaceous Warbler sometimes has a greenish tinge to its upperparts, and can be very difficult to separate from Sykes's Warbler, Hippolais rama. The song is a fast nasal babbling.

Photos by Walking and Clicking

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Olivaceous_Warbler

->Ποταμοσφυριχτής-Little Ringed Plover

2010-05-16T04:49:00.000-07:00

->Κιστικόλη-Fan-tailed warbler

2010-05-15T07:21:00.000-07:00

The Zitting Cisticola or Streaked Fantail Warbler (Cisticola juncidis), is an Old World warbler in the genus Cisticola. This genus is sometimes split off with various other southern warbler genera and given family status as the Cisticolidae. This species was previously known as Fan-tailed Warbler , but the current name gives consistency with the many tropical cisticola species.
It has a very wide breeding range including southern Europe, Africa outside the deserts and rainforest, and southern Asia down to northern Australia. It is mainly resident, but some East Asian populations migrate south to warmer areas in winter
This species is a rare vagrant to northern Europe, mostly as a spring overshoot. Its European range is generally expanding, although northern populations are especially susceptible to hard winters.
Zitting Cisticolas are very small insectivorous birds. These small passerines are found in tall grassland habitats, often near water. Male cisticolas are polygamous; the female builds a discreet nest deep in the grasses, often binding living leaves into the soft fabric of felted plant-down, cobwebs, and grass. The Zitting Cisticola's nest is a cup shape with a canopy of tied-together leaves or grasses overhead for camouflage; 3-6 eggs are laid.
These warblers are brown above, heavily streaked with black. The underparts are whitish, and the tail is broad, white-tipped and flicked frequently, giving rise to the alternative name for the species. The adult males have less crown streaking and more back marking than the females, but there is no great difference between the sexes or the eighteen geographical races.
Although this species is unlikely to be confused with other warblers in Europe, where it is the only cisticola, it is very similar to other members of its genus. It is best distinguished from its many African relatives by its zit-zit-zit song, given in flight. The song is always the easiest identification criterion for this genus.
These birds are more easily heard than seen, and because of their small size (about 10 cm) not always easy to recognise, particularly outside the breeding season when they seldom emerge from their grasses.

Photos by Walking and Clicking

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zitting_Cisticola

->Πετρίτης-Peregrine Falcon

2010-05-09T09:07:00.000-07:00

Shoinias
Peregrine Falcon flying away with a bird just grabbed in the air.

The Peregrine Falcon has a body length of 34 to 58 centimetres (13–23 in) and a wingspan of around 80 to 120 centimetres (31–47 in). The male and female have similar markings and plumage, but as in many birds of prey the Peregrine Falcon displays marked reverse sexual dimorphism in size, with the female measuring up to 30 percent larger than the male. Males weigh 440–750 g, and the noticeably larger females weigh 910–1500 g;

Few minutes later with the remains...

The back and long, pointed wings of the adult are usually bluish black to slate gray with indistinct darker barring (see "Subspecies" below); the wingtips are black.The underparts are white to rusty and barred with thin clean bands of dark brown or black.The tail, colored like the back but with thin clean bars, is long, narrow and rounded at the end with a black tip and a white band at the very end. The top of the head and a "mustache" along the cheeks are black, contrasting sharply with the pale sides of the neck and white throat.The cere is yellow, as are the feet, and the beak and claws are black. The upper beak is notched near the tip, an adaptation which enables falcons to kill prey by severing the spinal column at the neck.The immature bird is much browner with streaked, rather than barred, underparts, and has a pale bluish cere.

Photos by Walking and Clicking

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peregrine_Falcon

->Φιδαετός-Short toed Eagle

2010-05-05T12:01:00.001-07:00

This is an Old World species spread throughout the Mediterranean basin and into Russia and the Middle East, and into parts of Asia (Pakistan, India and some Indonesian islands).

The Short-toed Eagle is found in open cultivated plains, arid stony deciduous scrub areas and foothills and semi-desert areas. It requires trees for nesting.

The Short-toed Eagle has suffered a steep decline in numbers and range in Europe and is now rare and still decreasing in several countries due to changes in agriculture and land-use. It needs protection.In the middle and far eastern part of its range this species is not yet threatened.

Photos by Walking and Clicking

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short-toed_Eagle

->Σταχτοτσικνιάς-Grey Heron

2010-05-01T11:23:00.000-07:00

The Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea), is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It is resident in the milder south and west, but many birds retreat in winter from the ice in colder regions. It has become common in summer even inside the Arctic circle along the Norwegian coast.

It is a large bird, standing 90-100 cm tall, with a 175-195 cm wingspan and a weight of 1-2 kg. Its plumage is largely grey above, and off-white below. Adults have a white head with a broad black supercilium and slender crest, while immatures have a dull grey head. It has a powerful, pinkish-yellow bill, which is brighter in breeding adults. It has a slow flight, with its long neck retracted (S-shaped). This is characteristic of herons and bitterns, and distinguishes them from storks, cranes and spoonbills, which extend their necks. The call is a loud croaking "fraaank". The Australian White-faced Heron is often incorrectly called Grey Heron.
It feeds in shallow water, catching fish, frogs, and insects with its long bill. Herons will also take small mammals, reptiles and occasionally warbler nestlings, plovers, young and adult snipes, takes ducklings and tern chicks and other small birds. It will often wait motionless for prey, or slowly stalk its victim.

In the Netherlands, the Grey Heron has become a very common species in recent decades by moving into urban environments in great numbers. There, the herons hunt as they usually would but also make use of food discarded by humans, will visit feeding times in zoos to birds such as penguins and pelicans and some individuals even make use of people feeding them at their homes
This species breeds in colonies in trees close to lakes, the seashore or other wetlands, although it will also nest in reedbeds. It builds a bulky stick nest.

Photos by Walking and Clicking

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_Heron

->ΛΕΥΚΟΤΣΙΚΝΙAΣ-Little Egret

2010-04-26T09:58:00.000-07:00

Shoinias

The Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) is a small white heron. It is the Old World counterpart to the very similar New World Snowy Egret.

There are at least two subspecies of Little Egret. The nominate subspecies E. g. garzetta occurs in Europe, Africa and Asia. E. g. nigripes breeds in Indonesia and Australasia. Those in Australia are sometimes thought to represent a third subspecies E. g. immaculata.
Several other egret taxa have at times been classified as subspecies of the Little Egret in the past but are now regarded as separate species. The Western Reef-Egret, Egretta gularis occurs on the coastline of West Africa (race gularis) and from the Red Sea to India (race schistacea). The Dimorphic Egret, Egretta (garzetta/gularis) dimorpha is found in East Africa, Madagascar, the Comoros and the Aldabra Islands.
The adult Little Egret is 55–65 cm long with an 88–106 cm wingspan. It weighs 350–550 grams. Its plumage is all white. It has long black legs with yellow feet and a slim black bill. In the breeding season, the adult has two long nape plumes and gauzy plumes on the back and breast. The bare skin between the bill and eyes becomes red or blue. Juveniles are similar to non-breeding adults but have duller legs and feet. The subspecies garzetta has yellow feet and a bare patch of grey-green skin between the bill and eyes, whereas nigripes has yellow skin between the bill and eye and blackish feet.
Little Egrets are mostly silent but make various croaking and bubbling calls at their breeding colonies and produce a harsh alarm call when disturbed.
Distribution and habitat
Its original breeding distribution was large inland wetlands and coastal wetlands in warm temperate parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, Taiwan, and Australia.
In warmer locations, most birds are permanent residents; northern populations, including many European birds, migrate to Africa and southern Asia. They may also wander north after the breeding season, which presumably has led to this egret's range expansion.

Photos by Walking and Clicking

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Egret

->Πορφυροτσικνιάς-Purple Heron

2010-04-25T08:14:00.000-07:00

Shoinias

Ardea purpurea purpurea Linnaeus, 1766. Africa, Europe north to the Netherlands, and southwestern Asia east to Kazakhstan.

Ardea purpurea bournei (de Naurois, 1966), Bourne's Heron. Cape Verde Islands (included in purpurea by some authors, but treated as a distinct species Ardea bournei by some others).

Ardea purpurea madagascariensis Oort, 1910. Madagascar.

Ardea purpurea manilensis Meyen, 1834. Asia from Pakistan east to the Philippines and north to Primorsky Krai, Russia.

The Purple Heron breeds in colonies in reed beds or trees close to large lakes or other extensive wetlands. It builds a bulky stick nest.

Photos by Walking and Clicking

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Heron

->Πρασινοκέφαλη-Mallard

2010-04-18T11:35:00.000-07:00

Shoinias

The male birds have bright green head, while the female is light brown. The Mallard lives in wetlands, eats water plants, and is gregarious. The Mallard is the ancestor of all domestic ducks, and can interbreed with other species of genus Anas. This interbreeding is causing rarer species of ducks to become genetically diluted.

The Mallard is 56–65 cm long, has a wingspan of 81–98 cm, and weighs 0.9–1.2 kg. The breeding male is unmistakable, with a bright green head, black rear end and a yellowish orange (can also contain some red) bill tipped with black (as opposed to the dark brown bill in females). The female Mallard is light brown, like most female dabbling ducks. However, both the female and male Mallards have distinct purple speculum edged with white, prominent in flight or at rest (though temporarily shedded during the annual summer moult). In non-breeding (eclipse) plumage the drake becomes drab, looking more like the female, but still distinguishable by its yellow bill and reddish breast.

The Mallard is a rare example of both Allen's Rule and Bergmann's Rule in birds. Bergmann's Rule, which states that polar forms tend to be larger than related ones from warmer climates, has numerous examples in birds. Allen's Rule says that appendages like ears tend to be smaller in polar forms to minimize heat loss, and larger in tropical and desert equivalents to facilitate heat diffusion, and that the polar taxa are stockier overall. Examples of this rule in birds are rare, as they lack external ears. However, the bill of ducks is very well supplied with blood vessels and is vulnerable to cold.

In captivity, domestic ducks come in wild-type plumages, white, and other colours. Most of these colour variants are also known in domestic mallards not bred as livestock, but kept as pets, aviary birds, etc., where they are rare but increasing in availability.

A noisy species, the male has a nasal call, the female has a "quack" stereotypically associated with ducks

Photos by Walking and Clicking

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mallard

->Φιδαετός-Short toed Eagle

2010-04-11T08:50:00.000-07:00

Πάρνηθα_Parnitha mt.(hovering for snakes in the evening.)
This is an Old World species spread throughout the Mediterranean basin and into Russia and the Middle East, and into parts of Asia (Pakistan, India and some Indonesian islands).

Those present on the northern edge of the Mediterranean and other parts of Europe migrate mainly to sub-Saharan Africa north of the equator, leaving in September/October and returning in April/May. In the Middle and Far East the populations are resident. In Europe it is most numerous in Spain where it is fairly common but elsewhere it is rare in many parts of its range. A bird on the Isles of Scilly, Britain, in October 1999 was the first confirmed record for that country.

The Short-toed Eagle is found in open cultivated plains, arid stony deciduous scrub areas and foothills and semi-desert areas. It requires trees for nesting.

The Short-toed Eagle has suffered a steep decline in numbers and range in Europe and is now rare and still decreasing in several countries due to changes in agriculture and land-use. It needs protection.[citation needed] In the middle and far eastern part of its range this species is not yet threatened.

Photos by Walking and Clicking

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short-toed_Eagle

->Χαλκόκοτα-Glossy Ibis

2010-04-11T02:32:00.000-07:00

The Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) is a wading bird in the ibis family Threskiornithidae.

This is the most widespread ibis species, breeding in scattered sites in warm regions of Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Atlantic and Caribbean region of the Americas. It is thought to have originated in the Old World and spread naturally from Africa to northern South America in the 19th century. This species is migratory; most European birds winter in Africa, and in North America birds from north of the Carolinas winter farther south. Birds from other populations may disperse widely outside the breeding season.

The Glossy Ibis nests colonially in trees, often with herons. It is also gregarious when feeding in marshy wetlands; it predates on fish, frogs and other water creatures, as well as occasionally on insects.

This species is 55–65 cm long with an 88–105 cm wingspan. Breeding adults have reddish-brown bodies and shiny bottle-green wings. Non-breeders and juveniles have duller bodies. This species has a brownish bill, dark facial skin bordered above and below in blue-gray (non-breeding) to cobalt blue (breeding), and red-brown legs. Unlike herons, ibises fly with necks outstretched, and often flocks fly in lines.

Sounds made by this rather quiet ibis include a variety of croaks and grunts, including a hoarse grrrr made when breeding.

The Glossy Ibis is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.

Photos by Walking and Clicking

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossy_Ibis

->Λασπότρυγγας-Wood Sandpiper

2010-04-06T09:58:00.000-07:00

The Wood Sandpiper, Tringa glareola, is a small wader. This Eurasian species is the smallest of the shanks, which are mid-sized long-legged waders of the family Scolopacidae.

Description and systematics

In non-breeding plumage, wintering at Bharatpur (Rajasthan, India)It resembles a longer-legged and more delicate Green (T. ochropus) or Solitary Sandpiper (T. solitaria) with a short fine bill, brown back and longer yellowish legs. It differs from the first of those species in a smaller and less contrasting white rump patch, while the Solitary Sandpiper nas no white rump patch at all.[1]

However, it is not very closely related to these two species. Rather, its closest relative is the Common Redshank (T. totanus), and these two share a sister relationship with the Marsh Sandpiper (T. stagnatilis). These three species are a group of smallish shanks with red or yellowish legs, a breeding plumage that is generally subdued light brown above with some darker mottling and with a pattern of somewhat diffuse small brownish spots on the breast and neck.[2]

Ecology
The Wood Sandpiper breeds in subarctic wetlands from the Scottish Highlands across Europe and Asia. They migrate to Africa and southern Asia, particularly India. Vargant birds have been seen as far into the Pacific as the Hawaiian Islands. In Micronesia it is a regular visitor to the Marianas Islands (where flocks of up to 32 birds are reported) and Palau; it is recorded on Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands about once per decade. This species is encountered in the western Pacific region between mid-October and mid-May[3]

This bird is usually found on fresh water during migration and wintering. They forage by probing in shallow water or on wet mud, and mainly eat insects and similar small prey. T. glareola nests on the ground or uses an abandoned old tree nest of another bird, such as the Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris).[1]

The Wood Sandpiper is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.

Photos by Walking and Clicking

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_Sandpiper

Κιτρινοσουσουράδα-Yellow Wagtail

2010-04-06T09:50:00.000-07:00

The Yellow Wagtail, Motacilla flava, is a small passerine in the wagtail family Motacillidae, which also includes the pipits and longclaws.

This species breeds in much of temperate Europe and Asia and has a foothold in North America in Alaska. It is resident in the milder parts of its range, such as western Europe, but northern and eastern populations migrate to Africa and south Asia. The Beringian population winters further down the Pacific coast.

Immature Blue-headed Wagtail (M. f. flava)Vagrant individuals occur around the winter quarters at migration time. For example, on Palau in Micronesia migrant flocks of this species – apparently of the Bering Sea Yellow Wagtail, and including many adult males – are regularly seen, while further north on the Marianas, only the occasional stray individual – usually females or immatures as it seems – is encountered.[1]

It is a slender 15–16 cm long bird, with the characteristic long, constantly wagging tail of its genus. It is the shortest tailed of the European wagtails. The breeding adult male is basically olive above and yellow below. In other plumages, the yellow may be diluted by white. The heads of breeding males come in a variety of colours and patterns depending on subspecies.

The call is a characteristic high-pitched jeet.[2]

This insectivorous bird inhabits open country near water, such as wet meadows. It nests in tussocks, laying 4-8 speckled eggs.

Photos by Walking and Clicking

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_Wagtail

Κοκκινοκεφαλάς-Woodchat Shrike

2010-04-05T09:03:00.000-07:00

The Woodchat Shrike (Lanius senator) is a member of the shrike family Laniidae.

This migratory medium-sized passerine eats large insects, small birds and frogs. Like other shrikes it hunts from prominent perches, and impales corpses on thorns or barbed wire as a "larder".

The male is a striking bird with black and white plumage and a chestnut crown. The race L. s. badius of the western Mediterranean lacks the large white wing patches.

In the female and young birds the upperparts are brown and vermiculated. Underparts are buff and also vermiculated.

Photos by Walking and Clicking

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodchat_Shrike

Χειμωνόκιρκος-Hen Harrier

2010-04-04T11:02:00.000-07:00

The Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus) or Northern Harrier (in North America) is a bird of prey. It breeds throughout the northern parts of the northern hemisphere in Canada and the northernmost USA, and in northern Eurasia. This species is polytypic, with two subspecies. Marsh Hawk is a disused name for the American form.[2]

It migrates to more southerly areas in winter. Eurasian birds move to southern Europe and southern temperate Asia, and American breeders to the southernmost USA, Mexico, and Central America. In the mildest regions, such as France, Great Britain, and the southern US, Hen Harriers may be present all year, but the higher ground is largely deserted in winter.

Description
The Hen Harrier is 45–55 cm long with a 97–118 cm wingspan.[3] It resembles other harriers in having distinct male and female plumages. The sexes also differ in weight, with males weighing an average of 350 g and females an average of 530 g.[2]

The male of the nominate race, C. c. cyaneus (Linnaeus, 1766), breeds in Europe and Asia, is mainly grey above and white below except for the upper breast, which is grey like the upperparts, and the rump, which is white; the wings are grey with black wingtips. The female is brown above with white upper tail coverts, hence females, and the similar juveniles, are often called "ringtails". Their underparts are buff streaked with brown.[2]

The female gives a whistled piih-eh when receiving food from the male, and her alarm call is chit-it-it-it-it-et-it. The male calls chek-chek-chek, with a more bouncing chuk-uk-uk-uk during his display flight[3]

Behaviour
This medium-sized raptor breeds on moorland, bogs and (in Europe) farmland. The nest is on the ground. Four to six whitish eggs are laid.[2]

In winter, the Hen Harrier is a bird of open country, and will then roost communally, often with Merlins and Marsh Harriers. There is now an accepted record of transatlantic vagrancy by the American subspecies, with a juvenile being recorded in Scilly, Great Britain from October 1982 to June 1983.[5]

This is a typical harrier, with long wings held in a shallow V in its low, contour-hugging, flight. Hen Harriers hunt small mammals and birds, surprising them as they drift low over fields and moors.[2] This harrier tend to be a very vocal bird while it glides over its hunting ground.

Photos by Walking and Clicking

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hen_Harrier

Τσιφτάς-Corn Bunting

2010-04-04T10:56:00.000-07:00

Υφάντρα-Penduline Tit

2010-03-27T13:25:00.000-07:00

Πρασινοκέφαλη-Mallard

2010-03-27T06:31:00.000-07:00

The Mallard, or Wild duck (Anas platyrhynchos[1]), probably the best-known and most recognizable of all ducks, is a dabbling duck which breeds throughout the temperate and sub-tropical areas of North America, Europe, Asia, New Zealand (where it is currently the most common duck species), and Australia. It is strongly migratory in the northern parts of its breeding range, and winters farther south. For example, in North America it winters south to Mexico, but also regularly strays into Central America and the Caribbean between September and May.[2]

The male birds have bright green head, while the female is light brown. The Mallard lives in wetlands, eats water plants, and is gregarious. The Mallard is the ancestor of all domestic ducks, and can interbreed with other species of genus Anas. This interbreeding is causing rarer species of ducks to become genetically diluted.
Description
The Mallard is 56–65 cm long, has a wingspan of 81–98 cm, and weighs 0.9–1.2 kg. The breeding male is unmistakable, with a bright green head, black rear end and a yellowish orange (can also contain some red) bill tipped with black (as opposed to the dark brown bill in females). The female Mallard is light brown, like most female dabbling ducks. However, both the female and male Mallards have distinct purple speculum edged with white, prominent in flight or at rest (though temporarily shedded during the annual summer moult). In non-breeding (eclipse) plumage the drake becomes drab, looking more like the female, but still distinguishable by its yellow bill and reddish breast.

The Mallard is a rare example of both Allen's Rule and Bergmann's Rule in birds. Bergmann's Rule, which states that polar forms tend to be larger than related ones from warmer climates, has numerous examples in birds. Allen's Rule says that appendages like ears tend to be smaller in polar forms to minimize heat loss, and larger in tropical and desert equivalents to facilitate heat diffusion, and that the polar taxa are stockier overall. Examples of this rule in birds are rare, as they lack external ears. However, the bill of ducks is very well supplied with blood vessels and is vulnerable to cold.

In captivity, domestic ducks come in wild-type plumages, white, and other colours. Most of these colour variants are also known in domestic mallards not bred as livestock, but kept as pets, aviary birds, etc., where they are rare but increasing in availability.

A noisy species, the male has a nasal call, the female has a "quack" stereotypically associated with ducks.[3]

Photos by Walking and Clicking

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mallard

Σταχτοπετρόκλης-Northern Wheatear

2010-03-27T06:21:00.000-07:00

The Northern Wheatear or Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae. It is the most widespread member of the wheatear genus Oenanthe in Europe and Asia.

The Northern Wheatear is a migratory insectivorous species breeding in open stony country in Europe and Asia with footholds in northeastern Canada and Greenland as well as in northwestern Canada and Alaska. It nests in rock crevices and rabbit burrows. All birds winter in Africa.

Breeding maleThe Northern Wheatear is larger than the European Robin at 14½–16 cm length. Both sexes have a white rump and tail, with a black inverted T-pattern at the end of the tail.

The plumage of the summer male has grey upperparts, buff throat and black wings and face mask. In autumn it resembles the female apart from the black wings. The female is pale brown above and buff below with darker brown wings. The male has a whistling, crackly song. Its call is a typical chat chack noise.

The Northern Wheatear makes one of the longest journeys of any small bird, crossing ocean, ice, and desert.[5] It migrates from Sub-Saharan Africa in Spring over a vast area of the northern hemisphere that includes northern and central Asia, Europe, Greenland, Alaska, and parts of Canada.[5] In Autumn all return to Africa, where their ancestors had wintered.[5] Arguably, some of the birds that breed in north Asia could take a shorter route and winter in south Asia; however, their inherited inclination to migrate takes them back to Africa.[5]

Birds of the large, bright Greenland race, leucorhoa, makes one of the longest transoceanic crossings of any passerine. In spring most migrate along a route (commonly used by waders and waterfowl) from Africa via continental Europe, the British Isles, and Iceland to Greenland. However, autumn sightings from ships suggest that some birds cross the North Atlantic directly from Canada and Greenland to southwest Europe (a distance of up to 2500 km)[6]. Birds breeding in eastern Canada are thought to fly from Newfoundland to the Azores (a distance of 1600 km) before flying onwards to Africa.[7] Other populations from western Canada and Alaska migrate by flying over much of Eurasia to Africa.[

Photos by Walking and Clicking
Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Wheatear

Μαχητής-Ruff

2010-03-27T06:16:00.000-07:00

The Ruff (Philomachus pugnax) is a medium-sized wader that breeds on marshes and wet meadows across northern Eurasia. This highly gregarious sandpiper is migratory, and sometimes forms huge flocks in its winter grounds, which include southern and western Europe, Africa, southern Asia and Australia. It is usually considered to be the only member of its genus, and the Broad-billed and Sharp-tailed Sandpipers are its closest relatives.

The Ruff is a long-necked, pot-bellied bird. This species shows marked sexual dimorphism; the male is much larger than the female (the reeve), and has a breeding plumage that includes brightly coloured head tufts, bare orange facial skin, extensive black on the breast, and the large collar of ornamental feathers that that inspired this bird's English name. The female and the non-breeding male have grey-brown upperparts and mainly white underparts. Three differently plumaged types of male, including a rare form that mimics the female, use a variety of strategies to obtain mating opportunities at a lek, and the colourful head and neck feathers are erected as part of the elaborate main courting display. The female has one brood per year and lays four eggs in a well-hidden ground nest, incubating the eggs and rearing the chicks, which are mobile soon after hatching, on her own. Predators of wader chicks and eggs include mammals such as foxes, feral cats and stoats, and birds such as large gulls, corvids and skuas.

The Ruff forages in wet grassland and soft mud, probing or searching by sight for edible items. It primarily feeds on insects, especially in the breeding season, but it will consume plant material, including rice and maize, on migration and in winter. Classified as "least concern" on the IUCN Red List criteria, the global conservation concerns are relatively low because of the large numbers that breed in Scandinavia and the Arctic. However, the range in much of Europe is contracting due to land drainage, increased fertiliser use, the loss of mown or grazed breeding sites, and over-hunting. This decline has seen it listed in the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA).

Photos by Walking and Clicking
Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruff

Σπίνος-Chaffinch

2010-03-25T06:50:00.000-07:00

Σιρλοτσίχλονο-Cirl Bunting

2010-03-21T15:24:00.000-07:00

Σταχτοτσικνιάς-Grey Heron

2010-03-20T11:20:00.000-07:00

Καρβουνιάρης-Black Redstart

2010-03-20T11:11:00.000-07:00

Καμποδενδροβάτης-Short-toed Treecreeper

2010-03-07T05:20:00.000-08:00

Λιβαδοκελάδα-Meadow Pipit

2010-03-06T06:47:00.000-08:00

Καλαμοτσίχλονο-C. Reed Bunting

2010-03-06T06:40:00.000-08:00

Νανοβουτηχτάρι-Little Grebe

2010-03-06T06:35:00.001-08:00

Σκουφοβουτηχτάρι-Great crested grebe

2010-02-28T10:02:00.001-08:00

Βουνοτσίχλονο-Rock Bunting

2010-02-28T06:01:00.000-08:00

The Rock Bunting, Emberiza cia, is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae.

It breeds in northwest Africa, southern Europe east to central Asia, and the Himalayas. It is partially migratory, with northern populations wintering further south, mainly within the breeding range of the resident southern populations. It is a rare wanderer to western Europe.

Rock Bunting breeds in open dry rocky mountainous areas. It lays 3-5 greyish eggs in a lined nest on the ground or occasionally in a low bush. Its natural food consists of insects when feeding young, and otherwise seeds.

This bird is 16cm in length. The breeding male has chestnut upperparts, unmarked deep buff underparts, and a pale grey head marked with black striping.

The female Rock Bunting is a washed-out version of the male, with paler underparts, a grey-brown back and a less contrasted head. The juvenile is similar to the female, but with a streaked head.

There are four races differing mainly in the plumage shades, although the subspecies which breeds in Europe, Africa and western Turkey is the only one to show white wing bars.

The call is a sharp tseee, and the song is a twittering churrrr-chirrriiii-itt.

Photos by Walking and Clicking

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Bunting

Φοινικόπτερο-Greater Flamingo

2010-02-07T10:07:00.000-08:00

Καστανοκέφαλος Γλάρος-Black-headed Gull

2010-02-07T06:32:00.001-08:00

ΛΕΥΚΟΤΣΙΚΝΙAΣ-Little Egret

2010-02-07T04:57:00.001-08:00

Καλαμόκιρκος-Marsh Harrier

2010-01-31T04:43:00.001-08:00

Διπλοκεφαλάς-Great Grey Shrike

2010-01-31T04:25:00.000-08:00

Ξεφτέρι-Eurasian Sparrowhawk

2010-01-31T04:07:00.000-08:00

Βραχοκιρκίνεζο-Common Kestrel

2009-12-27T05:57:00.001-08:00

Γερακίνα-Common Buzzard

2009-12-26T06:48:00.000-08:00

Χειμωνόκιρκος-Hen Harrier

2009-12-06T12:10:00.000-08:00

Διπλοκεφαλάς-Great Grey Shrike

2009-12-06T06:27:00.000-08:00

Γερακίνα-Common Buzzard

2009-12-01T12:09:00.001-08:00

The Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo) is a medium to large bird of prey, whose range covers most of Europe and extends into Asia. It is typically between 51-57 cm in length with a 110 to 130 cm (48-60 inch) wingspan, making it a medium-sized raptor. There are around 40,000 breeding pairs in Britain. It is usually resident all year except in the coldest parts of its range, and in the case of one subspecies.

It breeds in woodland, usually on the fringes, but favours hunting over open land. It eats mainly small mammals, and will come to carrion. A great opportunist, it adapts well to a varied diet of pheasant, rabbit, other small mammals, snakes and lizards and can often be seen walking over recently ploughed fields looking for worms and insects.

Buzzards do not normally form flocks, but several may be seen together on migration or in good habitat. The Victorian writer on Dartmoor, William Crossing, noted that he had on occasions seen flocks of 15 or more at some places. Though a rare occurrence as many as 20 buzzards can been spotted in one field area, approx 30 meters apart, so cannot be classed as a flock in the general term, consisting of those males (and females) without a mate or territory. They are fiercely territorial, and, though rare, fights do break out if one strays on another pair's territory, but dominant displays of aggression will normally see off the interloper. Pairs mate for life. To attract a mate (or impress his existing mate) the male performs a ritual aerial display before the beginning of Spring. This spectacular display is known as 'the roller coaster'. He will rise high up in the sky, to turn and plummet downward, in a spiral, twisting and turning as he comes down. To then rise immediately upward to repeat the exercise.

This broad-winged raptor has a wide variety of plumages, and in Europe can be confused with the similar Rough-legged Buzzard (Buteo lagopus) and the only distantly related Honey Buzzard (Pernis apivorus), which mimics the Common Buzzard's plumage for a degree of protection from Goshawks. The plumage can vary in Britain from almost pure white to black, but is usually shades of brown, with a pale 'necklace' of feathers.

The call is a plaintive peea-ay, similar to a cat's meow.

Photos by Walking and Clicking

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Buzzard

Στικταετός-Greater Spotted Eagle

2009-11-28T07:24:00.000-08:00

It is about 65 cm in length and has a wingspan of 160 cm. This medium-large eagle is very similar in general appearance to its closest relative the Lesser Spotted Eagle (A. pomarina), which shares part of its range. Head and wing coverts are very dark brown and contrast with the generally medium brown plumage; the Lesser Spotted Eagle has a paler head and wing coverts. The head is small for an eagle. The similarites of the Greater Spotted to the Lesser Spotted often results in misidentification as being that species. This is further complicated by occasional hybrids between the two species[1].

There is often a less obvious white patch on the upperwings, but a light crescent on the primary remiges is a good field mark. The white V mark on the rump is less clear-cut in adults than in the Lesser Spotted Eagle. The juvenile has white spots all over its wings and lacks a lighter nape patch.

The call is a dog-like yip.

In winter, it occurs in the range of the Indian Spotted Eagle (A. hastata). From this recently-validated relative, it can be distinguished by the darker color and lighter eye (not darker than the body plumage at distance, lighter at close range), and in juveniles, the strong spotting. It is also a bit larger – though this cannot be reliably estimated in the field – and in the winter quarters prefers wetland habitat.
Photos by Walking and Clicking
Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Spotted_Eagle

Σκαρθάκι-Serinus Serinus-Serin

2009-11-21T09:12:00.000-08:00

Ξεφτέρι-Eurasian Sparrowhawk

2009-11-21T06:52:00.000-08:00

Θαμνοφυλλοσκόπος-Willow Warbler

2009-11-15T12:09:00.000-08:00

Νεροκελάδα-Water Pipit

2009-11-15T10:22:00.000-08:00

Καρακάξα-Magpie

2009-11-15T10:14:00.000-08:00

Καλαμόκιρκος-Marsh Harrier

2009-11-14T07:59:00.000-08:00

Αετομάχος-Red backed Shrike

2009-11-08T04:48:00.000-08:00

The Red-backed Shrike (Lanius collurio) is a carnivorous passerine bird and member of the shrike family Laniidae.

This bird breeds in most of Europe and western Asia and winters in tropical Africa. Its range is contracting, and it is now probably extinct in Great Britain as a breeding bird, although it is frequent on migration. It is named as a protected bird in Britain under a Biodiversity Action Plan. It breeds in open cultivated country with hawthorn and dog rose.

This 16-18 cm (approx. 6.3-7.1 inches) long migratory bird eats large insects, small birds, frogs, rodents and lizards. Like other shrikes it hunts from prominent perches, and impales corpses on thorns or barbed wire as a "larder".

The general colour of the male’s upper parts is reddish. It has a grey head and a typical shrike black stripe through the eye. Underparts are tinged pink, and the tail has a black and white pattern similar to that of a wheatear. In the female and young birds the upperparts are brown and vermiculated. Underparts are buff and also vermiculated.

English common names for the red-backed shrike include 'Wariangle' and 'worrier'
Photos by Walking and Clicking
Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-backed_Shrike

Ψαρόνια-Starling

2009-10-28T10:36:00.000-07:00

Γερακίνα-Common Buzzard

2009-10-28T10:35:00.001-07:00

The mobing bird in the second photo is a European Magpie
Mobbing is a term referring to a type of animal behaviour. A newer use refers to a group behavioural phenomenon in workplaces.
Main article: Mobbing behavior
A longer-established technical use of mobbing is in the study of animal behaviour, especially in ornithology, where it refers to the antipredatory mobbing behavior harassing something that represents a threat to them.

From the Royal Society for Protection of Birds, RSPB, website [1]:

Mobbing is a noisy, obvious form of behaviour that birds engage in to defend themselves or their offspring from predators. When a predator is discovered, the birds start to emit alarm calls and fly at the predator, diverting its attention and harassing it. Sometimes they make physical contact. Mobbing usually starts with just one or two birds, but may attract a large number of birds, often of many species. For example, a chorus of different alarm calls coming from the same tree is often a good sign of a roosting owl or a cat.
Mobbing behaviour has been recorded in a wide range of species, but it is particularly well developed in gulls and terns, while crows are amongst the most frequent mobbers. In addition to flying at the predator and emitting alarm calls, some birds, such as fieldfares and gulls, add to the effectiveness by defaecating or even vomiting on the predator with amazing accuracy...

Photos by Walking and Clicking

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobbing

Μαυροκιρκίνεζο-Red footed Falcon

2009-10-03T10:37:00.000-07:00

The Red-footed Falcon (Falco vespertinus), formerly Western Red-footed Falcon, is a bird of prey. It belongs to the family Falconidae, the falcons. This bird is found in eastern Europe and Asia although its numbers are dwindling rapidly due to habitat loss and hunting. It is migratory, wintering in Africa. It is a regular wanderer to western Europe.It is a medium-small, long-winged species. The adult male is all blue-grey, except for his red undertail and legs; its underwings are uniformly grey. The female has a grey back and wings, orange head and underparts, and a white face with black eye stripe and moustaches.

Young birds are brown above and buff below with dark streaks, and a face pattern like the female. Red-footed Falcons are 28-34 centimetres (11-13½ in) in length with a wingspan of 65-75 centimetres (25½-29½ in).

This is a diurnal bird of open country with some trees, often near water. Its distinctive method of hunting is shared by the Common Kestrel. It regularly hovers, searching the ground below, then makes a short steep dive towards the target. The Red-footed Falcon's main prey is large insects, but it will also take small mammals and birds.

This falcon is a colonial breeder, reusing the old nests of corvids, such as Rooks. It lays two to four eggs.
Photos by Walking and Clicking

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-footed_Falcon

Γερακίνα-Common Buzzard

2009-10-03T10:34:00.000-07:00

The Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo) is a medium to large bird of prey, whose range covers most of Europe and extends into Asia. It is typically between 51-57 cm in length with a 110 to 130 cm (48-60 inch) wingspan, making it a medium-sized raptor. There are around 40,000 breeding pairs in Britain. It is usually resident all year except in the coldest parts of its range, and in the case of one subspecies.

It breeds in woodland, usually on the fringes, but favours hunting over open land. It eats mainly small mammals, and will come to carrion. A great opportunist, it adapts well to a varied diet of pheasant, rabbit, other small mammals, snakes and lizards and can often be seen walking over recently ploughed fields looking for worms and insects.

Buzzards do not normally form flocks, but several may be seen together on migration or in good habitat. The Victorian writer on Dartmoor, William Crossing, noted that he had on occasions seen flocks of 15 or more at some places. Though a rare occurrence as many as 20 buzzards can been spotted in one field area, approx 30 meters apart, so cannot be classed as a flock in the general term, consisting of those males (and females) without a mate or territory. They are fiercely territorial, and, though rare, fights do break out if one strays on another pair's territory, but dominant displays of aggression will normally see off the interloper. Pairs mate for life. To attract a mate (or impress his existing mate) the male performs a ritual aerial display before the beginning of Spring. This spectacular display is known as 'the roller coaster'. He will rise high up in the sky, to turn and plummet downward, in a spiral, twisting and turning as he comes down. To then rise immediately upward to repeat the exercise.

This broad-winged raptor has a wide variety of plumages, and in Europe can be confused with the similar Rough-legged Buzzard (Buteo lagopus) and the only distantly related Honey Buzzard (Pernis apivorus), which mimics the Common Buzzard's plumage for a degree of protection from Goshawks. The plumage can vary in Britain from almost pure white to black, but is usually shades of brown, with a pale 'necklace' of feathers.

The call is a plaintive peea-ay, similar to a cat's meow.
Photos by Walking and Clicking
Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Buzzard

Πετροτουρλίδα-Stone Curlew

2009-09-27T14:04:00.000-07:00

The Stone Curlew or Eurasian Stone-curlew Burhinus oedicnemus is a northern species of the Burhinidae (stone-curlew) bird family.
It is a medium-sized wader with a strong yellow and black beak, large yellow eyes (which give it a "reptilian", or "goggle-eyed" appearance), and cryptic plumage. The scientific name refers to the prominent joints in the long yellow or greenish legs. The bird is striking in flight, with black and white wing markings.Despite being classed as a wader, this species prefers dry open habitats with some bare ground. It is largely nocturnal, particularly when singing its loud wailing songs, which are reminiscent of that of curlews (possibly the cause of the name). Food consists of insects and other small invertebrates. It will also take small reptiles and rodents. It lays 2-3 eggs in a narrow scrape in the ground.

The stone curlew occurs throughout Europe, north Africa and southwestern Asia. It is a summer migrant in the more temperate European and Asian parts of its range, wintering in Africa.

In Egypt, the melodic song of the stone curlew is often heard at night, although the bird is almost never seen. Its song is featured in poetry, songs, and movies, such as Song of the Stone Curlew
Photos by Walking and Clicking
Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_Stone-curlew

Μαυρολαίμης-Stonechat

2009-09-27T05:37:00.000-07:00

The genus Saxicola[1], the stonechats or chats, is a genus of 14 species of small passerine birds restricted to the Old World. They are insectivores of open scrubland and grassland with scattered small shrubs.

Saxicola torquatus was at one time used for the supposed taxon "Common Stonechat". With addition of mtDNA cytochrome b sequence and nDNA fingerprinting data (Urquhart & Bowley 2002, Wink et al. 2002), it was confirmed that not only the Fuerteventura and Réunion Stonechats are distinct species. In addition, the African, European and Siberian Stonechats needed to be separated too. Due to confusion of subspecies allocation, the name S. torquatus was briefly used for the European species, the African Stonechat being S. axillaris. Some studies suggest that the Madagascar subspecies Saxicola torquatus sibilla may be considered a distinct species.[2]
Photos by Walking and Clicking
Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxicola

Ωχροκελάδα-Tawny Pipit

2009-09-26T11:44:00.000-07:00

The Tawny Pipit, Anthus campestris, is a medium-large passerine bird which breeds in much of temperate Europe and Asia, and northwest Africa. It is a migrant moving in winter to tropical Africa and the Indian subcontinent.

Tawny PipitThis is a large pipit, 16.5-18 cm long, but is an undistinguished looking species on the ground, mainly sandy brown above and pale below. It is very similar to Richard's Pipit, but is slightly smaller, has shorter legs and a shorter dark bill. It is also less streaked. Its flight is strong and direct, and it gives a characteristic "schip" call, higher pitched than Richard's.

In south Asia, in winter some care must be taken to distinguish this from other large pipits which winter or are resident in the area, including Richard's Pipit, Blyth's Pipit and Paddyfield Pipit. Tawny Pipit is insectivorous, like its relatives.

The breeding habit is dry open country including semi-deserts. The nest is on the ground, with 4-6 eggs being laid.
Photos by Walking and Clicking
Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tawny_Pipit

Μαχητής-Ruff

2009-09-23T14:11:00.000-07:00

The Ruff (Philomachus pugnax) is a medium-sized wader that breeds on marshes and wet meadows across northern Eurasia. This highly gregarious sandpiper is migratory, and sometimes forms huge flocks in its winter grounds, which include southern and western Europe, Africa, southern Asia and Australia. It is usually considered to be the only member of its genus, and the Broad-billed and Sharp-tailed Sandpipers are its closest relatives.

The Ruff is a long-necked, pot-bellied bird. This species shows marked sexual dimorphism; the male is much larger than the female (the reeve), and has a breeding plumage that includes brightly coloured head tufts, bare orange facial skin, extensive black on the breast, and the large collar of ornamental feathers that that inspired this bird's English name. The female and the non-breeding male have grey-brown upperparts and mainly white underparts. Three differently plumaged types of male, including a rare form that mimics the female, use a variety of strategies to obtain mating opportunities at a lek, and the colourful head and neck feathers are erected as part of the elaborate main courting display. The female has one brood per year and lays four eggs in a well-hidden ground nest, incubating the eggs and rearing the chicks, which are mobile soon after hatching, on her own. Predators of wader chicks and eggs include mammals such as foxes, feral cats and stoats, and birds such as large gulls, corvids and skuas.

The Ruff forages in wet grassland and soft mud, probing or searching by sight for edible items. It primarily feeds on insects, especially in the breeding season, but it will consume plant material, including rice and maize, on migration and in winter. Classified as "least concern" on the IUCN Red List criteria, the global conservation concerns are relatively low because of the large numbers that breed in Scandinavia and the Arctic. However, the range in much of Europe is contracting due to land drainage, increased fertiliser use, the loss of mown or grazed breeding sites, and over-hunting. This decline has seen it listed in the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA).
Photos by Walking and Clicking
Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruff

Καστανολαίμης-Whinchat

2009-09-13T05:05:00.000-07:00

The Whinchat, Saxicola rubetra, is a small European passerine bird. Formerly considered a member of the thrush family (Turdidae), it is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher (Muscicapidae). It, and similar thrush-like Muscicapidae species, are often called chats.

Its scientific name means "reddish rock-dweller", in reference to its habitat and overall coloration. Saxicola derives from Latin saxum ("rock") + incola ("inhabitant", "one who dwells in a certain place"). rubetra is Latin for "colored reddish" or "reddish-hued".
The Whinchat is similar in size to its relative the European Robin (Erithacus rubecula). Both sexes have brownish upperparts, a yellowish rump, a buff throat and breast, a whitish belly, a blackish tail with white bases to the outher rectrices. The male in breeding plumage has blackish head sides almost encircled by a strong white supercilium and malar stripe and white wing patches.

The female is duller overall, in particular having pale brown head sides and a buff supercilium, malar stripe and wing patches. Males in nonbreeding plumage and immatures are similar.

The male has a whistling, crackly but soft song, consisting mainly of the tell-tale phrase fü-chack-chack. Its call is the chack noise typical for chats, or a soft whistle. On the wintering grounds, it often calls but rarely sings.[1]

This species represents a fairly basal divergence of the genus Saxicola. It retains the plesiomorphic[jargon] supercilium found in many Muscicapidae but lost – probably autapomorphically[jargon] – in the more advanced Saxicola species such as the European Stonechat (S. rubicola) or African Stonechat (S. torquatus).[2]
Photos by Walking and Clicking
Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whinchat

Κιρκίρι-Teal

2009-09-06T05:53:00.000-07:00

It nests on the ground, near water and under cover. The pairs form in the winter quarters and arrive on the breeding grounds together, starting about March. The breeding starts some weeks thereafter, not until May in the most northernly locations. The nest is a deep hollow lined with dry leaves and down feathers, built in dense vegetation near water. After the females have started laying, the males leave them and move away for shorter or longer distances, assembling in flocks on particular lakes where they moult into eclipse plumage; they will usually encounter their offspring only in winter quarters. The clutch may consist of 5-16 eggs, but usually numbers 8-11; they are incubated for 21-23 days. The young leave the nest soon after hatching and are attended by the mother for about 25-30 days, after which they fledge. The drakes and the hens with young generally move to the winter quarters separately. After the first winter, the young moult into adult plumage. The maximum recorded lifespan – though it is not clear whether this refers to the Common or the Green-winged Teal – was over 27 years, which is rather high for such a small bird
Photos by Walking and Clicking
Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Teal

Λιμόζα-Black-tailed Godwit

2009-09-06T02:45:00.001-07:00

The Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica) is a large wader in the family Scolopacidae, which breeds on Arctic coasts and tundra mainly in the Old World, and winters on coasts in temperate and tropical regions of the Old World.[2] It makes the longest non-stop flight known for any bird and also the longest journey without pausing to feed by any animal, 11,680 kilometres (7,258 mi) along a route from Alaska to New Zealand
Photos by Walking and Clicking
Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar-tailed_Godwit

Αετομάχος-Red backed Shrike

2009-08-23T04:36:00.000-07:00

Βραχοκιρκίνεζο-Common Kestrel

2009-08-22T12:27:00.000-07:00

The Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) is a bird of prey species belonging to the kestrel group of the falcon family Falconidae. It is also known as the European Kestrel, Eurasian Kestrel, or Old World Kestrel. In Britain, where no other brown falcon occurs, it is generally just called "the kestrel".
When hunting, the Common Kestrel characteristically hovers about 10-20 m (c.30-70 ft) above the ground, searching for prey, either by flying into the wind or by soaring using ridge lift. Like most birds of prey, Common Kestrels have keen eyesight enabling them to spot small prey from a distance. Once prey is sighted, the bird makes a short, steep dive toward the target. It can often be found hunting along the sides of roads and motorways.

This species is able to see near ultraviolet light, allowing the birds to detect the urine trails around rodent burrows as they shine in an ultraviolet colour in the sunlight[6]. Another favourite (but less conspicuous) hunting technique is to perch a bit above the ground cover, surveying the area. When the birds spot prey animals moving by, they will pounce on them. They also prowl a patch of hunting ground in a ground-hugging flight, ambushing prey as they happen across it
Photos by Walking and Clicking
Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Kestrel

Κηποτσιροβάκος-Garden warbler

2009-08-02T10:53:00.000-07:00

Σταχτομυγοχάφτης-Spotted Flycatcher

2009-08-02T08:34:00.000-07:00

Καμποδενδροβάτης-Short-toed Treecreeper

2009-08-02T08:14:00.000-07:00

Shoinias drying up..

2009-08-01T10:56:00.000-07:00

Ιερή Ίβιδα-Sacred Ibis

2009-07-25T11:53:00.000-07:00

ΛΕΥΚΟΤΣΙΚΝΙAΣ-Little Egret

2009-07-14T11:32:00.000-07:00

Τρυγόνι-Turtle dove

2009-07-13T12:00:00.001-07:00

Βραχοκιρκίνεζο-Common Kestrel

2009-07-13T11:29:00.002-07:00

Πρασινοκέφαλη-Mallard

2009-07-13T11:29:00.001-07:00

Λευκοτσικνιάς-Little Egret

2009-07-13T11:17:00.000-07:00

Σταυλοχελίδονο-Barn Swallow

2009-07-13T11:13:00.000-07:00

Τσιχλοποταμίδα-Great Reed

2009-05-23T10:09:00.000-07:00

Πρασινοκέφαλη-Mallard

2009-05-16T17:53:00.000-07:00

Νερόκοτα-Common Moorhen

2009-05-03T05:59:00.000-07:00

Λασπότρυγγας-Wood Sandpiper

2009-05-01T14:08:00.000-07:00

Βαλτόπαπια-Ferruginous Duck

2009-05-01T13:41:00.001-07:00

Ψαραετός-Osprey

2009-05-01T11:31:00.000-07:00

Τσαλαπετεινός-Hoopoe

2009-05-01T10:47:00.002-07:00