Karystos: Tourism development meeting 2016

Karystos: My motherland and a place worthy of careful tourism development.

May 14- 15, 2016 Karystos Evia 

Southern Evia: Synergies for Tourism and Sustainable Development. A public meeting and promotional event took place at Karystos. Vassiliki and I were both invited and we both talked on very different subjects: Landscapes and amateur scuba diving promotion. About 200 people participated in the discussions. Tourism could be an incentive to revive interest in nature conservation - I hope...Good for nature and culture.

It was nice to be back in my beautiful motherland. 

I recommend a weekend visit. 

The Mayor of Karystos, Mr. Lefteris Raviolos.

Beginning the meeting is Vassiliki Vlami - to talk on cultural landscapes.

My wife with one of the team helpers. Organizing the talk. 

It felt good talking into three microphones: immediate broadcast on the web etc. 

More details from the meeting:

http://evia-travel.blogspot.gr/

http://www.in-karystos.gr/webtv.html

Alykes Anavissos: Rare bird

"Very Rare" visitor to Attika (according to Stavrakas & Skareas 2015) - the Isabelline Wheater photographed at Alykes Anavissou by Apostolis Chirstopoulos.

Alykes Anavissos,  March 1st 2016

On my fifth transect bird count today accompanied by Apostolis Christopoulos. Apostolis, now 33, is one of the star members of the Greek birding community and a member of the Hellenic Rarities Committee of the Hellenic Ornithological Society (http://www.ornithologiki.gr/page_cn.php?tID=1890&aID=923).

We had a wonderful time, visting both the Alykes salina area and Agios Nikolaos - with its remarkable tombolo and wonderful views. Plenty of North African dust in the air and a light warm south wind. The result: first spring migrants including a rarity: Isabelline Wheatear.

In total the transect gave 25 spp. at Alykes Anavissos. Top sightings beside the Wheater were notable: 11 Tawny Pipits, 2 Subalpine Warblers and at Agios Nikolaos a skulking Common Redstart (not seen well - but very light coloured as apposed to the Black Redstart female). 15 spp. at Agios Nikolaos in a 40 min walk.



News flash: Finally I should call to your attention a study be architeture students that has contributed to the mythos of the future desired state at Alykes Anavissou. Check out: http://www.greekarchitects.gr/en/projects2013/alykes-anavyssos-id9953


We'll share some snapshots below, later.

11th Athens Bird Race

Hellenic Ornithological Society ATHENS BIRD RACE: 6 of the teams that participated (Photo: Aris Vidalis).

11th Athens Bird Race, April 16th 2016

Athens has been hit by an economic recession since 2009. So how do pastimes such as birding survive in a city which has seen much hardship?

Well birding is a very specialized sport. It incites natural history surveying by amateurs. And Bird Racing which is like a bioblitz of sorts does create a special kind of event atmosphere. The key is to get psyched-up for an all-day bird finding challenge. Of course to do this, you need a community spirit and "teams".  Athens is a city of 4 million inhabitants, events like this could be bigger. Ours is usually a low-key event. 

For me the Bird Race is a perfect excuse to get away from our computer screens. Two old friends, Aris Vidalis and Vassilis Hatzirvassanis participated with me in the "Sainia" team. We started at around 12:45 (not an early rise..) and drove about- really close to central Athens: Mount Hymettus ridgeline (at about 900 m. asl.), Artemida Wetlands (30 kms east of Athens, at the popular beach of Loutsa), Rafina estuary and ending at the Tritsis Park in western Athens. 

Well we did'nt really work very hard since the day did'nt seem to have too many birds - sunny and perfect for a bird migration over-pass (no reason for birds to stall and stop to stage). So I enjoyed a largish FIX beer and we just slowly drifted taking snap-shots of flowers and of each other. We ended up finding 29 bird species.

We'll do better next year!

And finally:

The Hellenic Ornithological Society keeps bird-centered activities in Athens and in Greece alive. And thanks to the volunteers and pathos for nature and birds this has been going on for several years now. The 11th year of this Bird Race is a year that a lot of Environmental NGOs in Greece are having hard times. So...please support the Society if you are into birds and nature conservation: http://www.ornithologiki.gr/

Mount Hymettus. Birding in the phrygana and scattered maquis. Saw a far-away Short-toed Snake Eagle. (Photo: Aris Vidalis).

Chukar partridge with the Athens basin as a backdrop. Near Hymettus ridgeline.

Chukar partridge on abandoned building at Mount Hymettus. (Photo: Aris Vidalis).

Aris surveys the south part of Hymettus - an impressive Natura 2000 next to Athens.

Peak flower season at Hymettus ridge line.

Euphorbias, Asphodelines and the scent of Aleppo pine - Mount Hymettus. (Photo: Aris Vidalis).

Down at the formerly flooded meadows of Loutros, near Athens Airport (Spata area). (Photo:Vassilis Hatzirvassanis).

Vassilis on Milk Thistles. (Photo: Aris Vidalis).

Bee on Milk Thistle.

Loutros: Finding a flock of 35 Yellow Wagtails with Vassilis.

Artemida Wetland (Loutsa). Good wader spot. (Photo: Aris Vidalis).

Artemida Wetland (Loutsa). (Photo: Aris Vidalis).

Artemida Wetland (Loutsa).

Aris photographs Artemida Wetland (Loutsa).

Artemida Wetland (Loutsa): 50 Wood Sandpipers! (Photo: Aris Vidalis).

Artemida Wetland (Loutsa): Little Ringed Plover. (Photo: Aris Vidalis).

Artemida Wetland (Loutsa): Little Stint. (Photo: Aris Vidalis).

Artemida Wetland (Loutsa): Dunlin. (Photo: Aris Vidalis).

Surveying the sea at Artemida Wetland. 

Artemida Wetland (Loutsa): former infilling debris as islets.

Artemida Wetland (Loutsa).

Artemida Wetland (Loutsa): note-taking.

Rafina river estuary. 

Tritsis Park in the west side of Athens.

Tritsis Park in the west side of Athens: Breeding Eurasian Coots. (Photo: Aris Vidalis).

Tritsis Park in the west side of Athens: Final gathering spot for Bird Race and "community spirit".

And finally, for history's sake, some stats from Nikos Probonas and Labros Katerinopoulos:

-9 Teams participated, three teams on Antikythira Island.
-34 observers involved
-23 sites visited
-151 species tallied
-Highest count tallied by two teams, 91 spp.
-Third place: 82 spp.
-Last place: 29 spp. (us!!!)
-Rarest bird: Blue-cheeked Bee-Eater (At Pyrgos Vraonas, near Vravrona)

And the original summary in our language:

"Tο περασμένο Σάββατο 16 Απριλίου, πραγματοποιήθηκε, όπως κάθε άνοιξη, ο 11ος Αττικός Αγώνας Παρατήρησης Πουλιών. 9 ομάδες έδωσαν το παρόν, αποτελούμενες από 34 συνολικά παρατηρητές. Οι ομάδες επισκέφτηκαν 23 βιοτόπους της Αττικής και κατέγραψαν συνολικά 151 είδη. Φέτος ο "συναγωνισμός" ήταν ιδιαίτερα έντονος, καθώς είχαμε ισοβαθμία τόσο στην πρώτη θέση, όσο και στο σπανιότερο είδος.

Την πρωτιά λοιπόν μοιράστηκαν οι "Πτεροδρόμοι" με ομαδάρχη το Νίκο Προμπονά και οι "Νυφογερανοί" με ομαδάρχη το Γεράσιμο Μπεριάτο. Αμφότερες οι ομάδες, παρατήρησαν από 91 είδη. Τρίτη θέση με 82 είδη για τα "Ξεφτέρια" με ομαδάρχη το Θανάση Τσαφώνη.

Σπανιότερο είδος για φέτος ήταν, χωρίς αμφιβολία, ο Πράσινος Μελισσοφάγος, ο οποίος παρατηρήθηκε στη Βραυρώνα από τα "Ξεφτέρια" και τους "Πετρόκληδες του Μαγκρέμπ" με ομαδάρχη τον Αντώνη Τσακνάκη.

Στον αγώνα συμμετείχαν επίσης οι "Δουσούτρυγγες" και τα "Σαΐνια" καταγράφοντας 78 και 29 είδη αντίστοιχα. Εκτός συναγωνισμού συμμετείχαν ο "Μαχητής" Νίκος Φωκάς, ο "Κούκος" Γιώργος Παπαγιάννης και φυσικά οι "Ναυαγοί" από τα Αντικύθηρα (όπου καταγράφηκε Ερημοπύρρουλας)".

Alyki Anavyssou Bird Survey Project

Alyki Anavyssou site. Red arrow shows the beginning and end of the survey transect - red dotted line. Yellow dots sketch the imaginary line roughly separating wetland/terrestrial zones. Blue figures show a very rough wetted area distribution on 22.01.2016. 

Alyki Anavyssou, Anavissos Attiki          January 22nd 2016

We are trying to standardize a bird survey scheme at Alyki Anavyssou in Southern Attika - an important wetland area near the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research. I was accompanied by my friends Yannis Kapakos, Ira Theophilou and David Koutsogiannopoulos (who took the pics that follow)

These are some initial organization rules we set today on the second pilot survey:

1. The former salina pans area (fenced area of Alyki) is to be counted in a line transect whereby the birds will be tallied in three following lists: a) within the wetland zone; b) non-wetland zone; c) outside the salina fence area. The so-called "wetland zone" is a roughly outlined in the map above (yellow dotted line) and includes areas dominated by open wetland habitats. Areas outside of this (including the fence itself) are in the terrestrial zone. While walking the transect at a slow and steady pace one holds a record of all species positively identified in their respective "habitat zones". If a species if flushed and moves on to another habitat zone or is overflying it is recorded within the zone it was first detected in.

2. The transect is to be walked the at the same pace each time and at exactly the same route each time (marked in red dotted line above). Two birders, myself and Ira Theophilou know the exact route (mapped roughly above) and we can show this to others who may want to participate.

3. In an effort to standardize this, during the survey one or two people should participate not more than two.

4. The survey should take one hour to complete. (At a slow pace with 4-5 stops). No spotting scope is used. Good binoculars are crucial. Birders should not seek to photograph birds during the transect.

5. We aim to have two survey trails at least two times each month for the next 12 months.

6. The rough wetted area distribution should be mapped each time (as in the map above). A rough estimate will be made (i.e. say % of the Salina Lot's wetland area under water - today it was about 10%).

7. Any disturbance or human interventions must be reported. (i.e. today there was one man picking herbs, no cars, no dogs).

8. Start and end times must be noted exactly.

9. As an addendum to the count-survey the small river-mouth of a tiny stream (the Anavissos Stream) will also be counted (maximum 15 min.). From the river-mouth a quick scan will also help record birds in the cove of Anavissos (an oligotrophic species-poor area).


Today the Alyki Anayssou Site had 23 bird species; 7 species where recorded at the Anavissos Stream river-mouth (a few species such as Moorhen, Kingfisher were found only here).

The whole experiance is a nice walk.

Yellow-legged and Black-headed Gulls at pooling waters in Alyki Anavyssou. (Photo by David Koutsogiannopoulos).

Retama retam a winter-flowering North African shrub that is quite invasive in Attica.(Photo by David Koutsogiannopoulos - thanks for the great photo David!).

Retama retam: Winter flowers for local bees. (Photo by David Koutsogiannopoulos).

Stonechat on Cistus.(Photo by David Koutsogiannopoulos).

Commmon Serin.(Photo by David Koutsogiannopoulos).

Corn Bunting on Cistus.(Photo by David Koutsogiannopoulos).

Arthrocnemum (Glaswort species).(Photo by David Koutsogiannopoulos).

Arthrocnemum (Glaswort Species).(Photo by David Koutsogiannopoulos).

Upland fringe of Alyki with scattered scrub and Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo).(Photo by David Koutsogiannopoulos).

Common Kestrel. (Photo by David Koutsogiannopoulos).

Date Palm in fruit.(Photo by David Koutsogiannopoulos).

Anavissos stream near its River mouth (near the AB Supermarket across from Alyki Anavyssou).(Photo by David Koutsogiannopoulos).

Anavissos stream with a fine school of grey mullet (Mugilidae).(Photo by David Koutsogiannopoulos).

UPDATE SUMMER 2018:

Official documents giving the Alykes Anavissou (Alykes Anayssos coastal marsh) protected areas status and delineation of the wetland site for the first time. The delineation is similar to mine at the top of this post. And it fortunately includes some filled-in areas as well. It unfortunately does not include the small estuary mouths of the canals (2) and the periodically flooded pools behind the beach. However the result is good!