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Naturetrek Tour Report 7 – 14 April 2015

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Naturetrek Tour Report 7 – 14 April 2015 Crete Naturetrek Tour Report 7 – 14 April 2015 Crown Anemone at Omalos Collared Flycatcher Squacco Heron at Agia Reservoir Naked Man Orchids Report & images compiled by Jenny and John Willsher Naturetrek Mingledown Barn Wolf's Lane Chawton Alton Hampshire GU34 3HJ England T: +44 (0)1962 733051 F: +44 (0)1962 736426 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk Crete Tour Report Tour Leaders: Jenny and John Willsher and 14 clients Summary We enjoyed a successful week in Crete, despite some dramatic weather at the beginning, exploring various habitats on this fascinating and friendly island. The flora of Crete is abundant and particularly exciting, ten percent of the plants being endemic. Though the season was a little late, the roadside flora is always rich and colourful, with sweeps of Crown Daisy and stately spikes of Giant Fennel. High on the Omalos plateau, it is difficult to predict the timing of spring and, this year, the snow had only just cleared from the roads. So the drifts of Tulipa bakeri we were hoping for were only evident from their leaves. But the ground was sprinkled with blue, pink and scarlet Crown Anemones and the intriguing green Widow Iris. The ‘Orchid Hill’ at Spili did not disappoint, but the weather limited our time there as it was wet and very windy. Many interesting bird species were seen, including some spring migrants on their way north. We started our week in the south of the island, based at Plakias, where we explored the local headlands, valleys and gorges. We travelled east to visit the archaeological site of Festos. We then headed west to Chania for the last three nights of the tour. The enthusiasm, patience and tolerance of the group contributed enormously to the success of the week and it proved to be a great week of good company, birds, flowers and food! Day 1 Tuesday 7th April Arrive at Iraklion, transfer to hotel in Plakias. Our flight arrived on time and we were soon on our way west, with the backdrop to our left of Mt. Psiloritis covered in fresh snow. Then we travelled south at Rethymnon, towards our seaside hotel in the small resort of Plakias, on the south coast of the island. A brief stop on the north coast road at Geropotomas Bridge provided a leg stretch and a brief foray into the roadside habitat. A common plant of the phrygana (low growing plants – garrigue in the westerm Mediterranean) is Mastic (Pistacia lentiscus) from which an aromatic gum is collected. We also found Prasium (Prasium majus) with its bright green foliage and white flowers, Phlomis cretica, a smaller version of Jerusalem Sage, Field Gladiolus and, in the grass at the edge of the track, our first orchid, Ophrys cretica, with its black and white lip. Across the small river, a Kestrel hovered, and a Cetti’s Warbler sang loudly from the reeds below. Some had a brief view of two Purple Herons, a Kingfisher was heard and, on the river margins, numerous terrapins sunbathed. On the road south of Armeni, we stopped at a cafe overlooking a green valley with the southern mountains beyond. We enjoyed a drink in the sunshine, sheltering from the strong northerly wind. To reach the south coast, we had to pass through the Kourtalatiki Gorge where we stopped briefly, but the wind kept the few Griffon Vultures, Crag Martins and Jackdaws high up the cliff. It was difficult birdwatching, although there was a brief view of a Bonelli’s Eagle and, as we left the gorge, a couple of Red-rumped Swallows flew past. At our feet, amongst the gravel, were the tiny flowers of Burnt Candytuft (Aetheonema saxatile), Silene colorata, and tight buds of the endemic Centaurea raphanina subsp. raphanina while, amongst the rocks, were bright green cushions of Greek Spiny Spurge (Euphorbia acanthothamnos) and a solitary cyclamen – the white Cyclamen creticum. Leaving the gorge, it was a short distance to Plakias, along roadsides colourful with Giant Fennel, Crown Daisies and the lilac thistle, Galactites. © Naturetrek May 15 1 Crete Tour Report Day 2 Wednesday 8th April Moni Prevelli, Kourtaliotiko Gorge, Spili and Kotsiphos Gorge After a welcome breakfast, we set off to explore the valley leading to Moni Prevelli. At our first stop, we took a short walk through some Olive orchards towards the river. A few Common and Alpine Swifts, plus numerous House Martins, were flying low, feeding in this sheltered area. A Woodchat Shrike conveniently perched whilst we 'scoped it and Cetti’s Warblers loudly chattered. Buzzards soared over hills to the south and a distant Lammergeier was watched briefly as it glided along the ridge. Among the bushes of the pink-flowered Salvia triloba were Salsify, Tassel Hyacinth and some of the many vetches which we would find over the next week, with their intriguing seed pods, including the red Asparagus Pea, Starry Clover, Toothed Medick and, with the biggest seed pod, the Carob Tree (Ceratonia siliqua). Also there were many spikes of Serapias bergonii. On the walls of an abandoned building were many tufts of Rusty-backed Fern, the tiny fern Cheilanthes acrostica and the diminutive Campanula erinus. Continuing on, we headed to Moni Prevelli monastery. Some visited the monastery, learning about the important role it played in the evacuation of allied troops during the last war. Others wandered and scanned the hillsides for birds and flowers. Corn Buntings and Woodlarks sang from the power lines and we also saw several Stonechats, a Blue Rock Thrush and Sardinian Warblers. Migrants included Hoopoe, Golden Oriole, Pied and Collared Flycatcher, Nightingale and Black Redstart. There were some good spikes of Verbascum macrurum, many vetches and, in the hillside phrygana of Greek Spiny Spurge, Cretan Cistus and Spiny Savory, were Star Hawkbit, the delicate Malva cretica, Scarlet and Blue Pimpernel and Pyramidal Orchid. A detour down to a car park for Prevelli beach was productive for birds, with Greater Short-toed Larks, a Tawny Pipit, Crested Lark, a fine male Collared Flycatcher and a Black-headed Yellow Wagtail. Parking at the river crossing at the Turkish bridge, we negotiated the use of the café tables in exchange for the purchase of drinks and use of the facilities. It was a very pleasant setting for our first picnic, with Oriental Plane Trees just coming into leaf, the Storax tree almost in flower by the bridge, and Swallows swooping low over the river. Cetti’s Warblers and Blackcaps were singing and another Collared Flycatcher was spotted. After lunch and a quick stop at the bottom of the gorge, spotting a Griffon Vulture on its nest, we headed into the hills behind the little town of Spili. The focus here was on the botanical riches of this now partially protected area. But the weather was against us. As we drove up the switchback road, the cloud closed in. So we had little time to explore this amazing place and enjoy its floral riches before the rain and the wind defeated us. But we could appreciate how rich the flora was, as there were drifts of Naked Man and Milky Orchids (Orchis italica, Neotinea lactea), and on the rocky ledges at the base of the hill were clumps of Ariadne’s, Heldreichs, Common Cretan, Phrygana and Sicilian Ophrys (Ophrys ariadne, O. heldreichii, O. cretica, O. phrygana, O. lutea ssp. galilea, formerly O. sicula). Other orchids included Boryi’s and Fan-lipped, the tiny Four-spotted and the yellow Sparse-flowered Orchids (Anacamptis boryi, A. collina, Orchis quadripunctata, O. pauciflora). We also found some lovely clumps of Cretan Iris, Barbary Nut (Moraea sisyrinchium) and the nearby fields were dotted with scarlet Tulipa doefleri. So a bit damp and cold, we retreated back to the vehicles, made our way down from the hills and returned to Plakias via the Kotsiphos Gorge. On the banks at the top of the gorge were many spikes of the endemic Cretan Arum with its bright yellow spathe and deeper yellow spadix. Then we returned to the hotel to warm up with hot drinks and have a change of clothes, before meeting up to discuss the day’s findings. 2 © Naturetrek Crete Tour Report Day 3 Thursday 9th April Festos Amari Valley and Spili It had been a stormy night with alarming gusts of wind, rain and thunder, and the forecast was not good! We changed our planned programme to take another look at Spili but, again, the weather shortened our explorations. Scouring the rocky hillside close to the actual hill added a few more orchids to our list – Ophrys cinereophila, O. villosa and O. bombyliflora (Bumblebee Orchid) and some of us had a better chance to take photos. But a fast moving cloud soon showered us with hail and, though not actually getting wet, we were soon getting cold so a tactical retreat seemed the best idea and we headed back into Spili and a welcome coffee shop, where little chocolate eggs were offered as it was Easter! Then we continued heading east towards the archaeological site of Festos (Phaestos). East of Spili, we stopped to explore a roadside bank which was a colourful mass of white Turban Buttercups and Hairy Lupin, dotted with orchids such as Giant Orchid and Fan-lipped Orchid and various Serapias. Then we drove across the fertile plain of Mesara, and through the busy town of Timbaki with its unattractive sprawl of glasshouses, and arrived at the ancient ridge-top site of Festos. This is one of four palaces built around 1900 BC by the Minoan civilisation on Crete, and is the second largest and most important – the largest being Knossos.
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