korcula: raptor migration

[maxathos]

 hi everybody,
i just got back from a vacation on korcula island where i was able to spot birds of prey on their migration back to Africa from their eastern breeding grounds. Above the hills of central villages of Smokvica and Blato and even from Vela Luka harbour we saw dozens of raptors in thermals taking off towards Susac and Palagruza to Gargano Peninsula in Southern Italy, i guess. I find this quite an interesting topic but nobody on the island could tell me anything about it, they didn't seem to know what was happening above their heads...so i'm here asking for papers about raptor migration in korcula for future studies

thanks
maxathos

[Mario]

I haven't got a clue, mate :-(
Sorry.

[stepney]

Ask the Eko - Centar, onisland of Cres:

www.supovi.hr

[pygargus]

wow, this is very good news, finally somebody noticed this extraordinary phenomenon, one of nature's best kept secret....are you still there counting them on this beginning spring migration ? did you just see raptors or also see cranes, lately ?
 and most important...is there somebody who can arrange birding trips over there ?
 

[maxathos]

 No, unfortunately i'm not there to count them at this time of year, i don't even know if somebody else is doing it but a friend of mine who lives there said he saw a few cranes flying by while he was working the fields in his house a week ago...so i believe it's not only raptors, and it must be like this;  since the adriatic is crossed by flyways coming from the south of italy, all kinds of birds migrating from Africa are taking shortcuts through the sea to reach their territories so i think probably every island of the croatian archipelago might be good for spotting these beautiful wonders of the air.
As far as arranging birding trips there i really have no idea,sorry, i guess you'll have to book a vacation over there and start looking up...:-)))
i will be there at the end of august when they come back
bye
maxathos

[Carla]

 So.. how big are these birds ?
 if this is the same thing i witnessed a few days ago they must be quite big
one of them was eating a snake in flight and it seemed HUGE compared to birds i normally see in my town
i immediately felt something extraordinary was happening, there were 15 of them flying in circles, not very high,
then they disappeared high in the sky
but anyway i understand they were migrating, right ??
cool.....very cool

[pygargus]

Carla,
yes i believe they were migrating, this is the best time of year to see them
 as far as sizes i'll add a few links to some of the different species you're likely to see

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pernis_apivorus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsh_harrier
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_footed_Falcon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_kite
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_kite
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short-toed_Eagle

grab a binocular and get out in the fields to see them, as long as we have them the world is ok

[maxathos]

 
so, after a week of observations at the end of august, and so many hours spent sweating in the sun,  i can now say there is quite a serious amount of raptors flying over this island. great.
 on august 25th we counted 248 birds, mainly Honey Buzzards, a few Black Kites and some male Marsh Harriers, it's just a wonderful sight to see these magnificent creatures, sometimes gliding above us in flocks of 50+ birds.
still, nobody seems to care about it among the locals....they don't know what they miss

[Peter]

Hi guys,

I hope this post about young falcon would be of your interest:

http://www.korculainfo.com/blog/index.php/young-falcon-from-peljesac/

Large photo is here:
http://www.korculainfo.com/gallery/animals/hawk1.html

[Aquila]

Ciao,
we are doing the same thing but in the opposite direction here in Italy near Ancona - Monte Conero - counting them on their way up north, we see them take off from the mountain with north-northeast direction, supposedly heading towards Istria and Kvarner across the Adriatic.
So my question is:  does anybody see this birds when they arrive on the croatian coast somewhere ?
It would be very interesting to know
This is peak season for bird migration after all, and it shouldn't be difficult to notice groups of large birds of prey coming from the sea into the mainland...come on, help us and let us know, please

thank you

[Solitum]

If anybody can help you i guess it would be these guys  http://www.sokolarskicentar.com/

a heard the should be quite passionate with the falcons and that they set up some kind of raptor rescue network trough out Croatia, so try to send them a mail, i know the main guy in charge speaks English

Regards

Morten

[lore]

 Sorry, is there any chance to see Eleonora's Falcon on this island ?

 thank you
 

[maxathos]

 lore,
 i'm not sure if they nest there, somebody said you should see them on the cliffs above Pupnatska Luka but
we haven't really checked...we only saw 2 of them hunting around Blato valley and Smokvica hills
 we'll be there in 3 weeks and we'll do some searching for you 
bye

[maxathos]

 back from the island 2 weeks ago
we had quite a hard time spotting the birds this year since they were flying at high altitudes, especially due to perfect weather conditions; i really wonder how many we missed...
 but anyway i can confirm the island should be considered a real hotspot for birds of prey on fall migration
 on august 27 we saw 97 honey-buzzards in a single flock above the town of Blato !! 
2 Booted Eagles were seen the day before in a group of male Marsh Harriers, not bad...
so it was fun as usual but i must admit the island is very big and 2 people are not enough to monitor every corner of it like it should be done
with so many hills these birds really can take-off from just about everywhere depending on the winds
 so we just did what we could and enjoyed it
let's just hope to find somebody available to help next year
 as far as eleonora's falcons, yes we saw them almost every day around the island, still we don't know were they nest but they were not migrating, always hunting
 that's all, bye

[TravelGirl]

hi guys,

i'm not really into birds and stuff, but found this article about A new life for Croatia's griffon vultures in today's Telegraph.

it may interest you:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatnews/6543064/A-new-life-for-Croatias-griffon-vultures.html