HOS has once again set sail in the Aegean Sea. Ornithologists and volunteers comb the Aegean to count and monitor the Eleonora"s Falcon population. A similar census had been carried out by HOS during 1997-99 as part of a LIFE program dedicated to the Audouin"s Gull. This year’s census is part of the LIFE program for Falco eleonorae or “Varvaki” as it is best known in Greece.

Four HOS field teams and another one from the Natural History Museum of Crete covered all areas of interest in the Aegean Archipelagos. More specifically, the areas covered this year included the Northern Dodecanese, Northern Sporades and Eastern Cyclades island complexes, the wider area of Kythira and Antikythira islands, and also Gramvousa, Dia and Dionysades in Crete.

The census results were impressive and provide up to date information about the species distribution in Greece, despite the sometimes harsh weather conditions during August and September.
All this data will be analyzed and combined with similar data collected by our Birdlife partners in other Mediterranean countries in order to promote the systematic study of this rare species.