Short Description

Systematic recording of all birds of prey passing through Antikythira and examination of all the parameters that affect through-passage. This action aims at:

• monitoring of the populations of birds of prey using this migration corridor and the evaluation of the importance of Antikythira to them.
• Recording of other potential uses of Antikythira by birds of prey besides passage (e.g. feeding and resting site).

Large birds using the same migration pattern with birds of prey (storks etc) are also recorded during the point counts.

Methodology

Point count method is used for recording. Observers are located at specific parts of the island. The observation posts, a total of five depending on the season, cover the island in a way that the observers can record species, sex, age, but also some more exquisite data such as ingression and egression altitudes. Weather conditions that also play an important role in migration (temperature, wind speed and direction, cloud cover, etc) are also recorded.

This action takes place for about five months per year, from the 15th of March to the 31st of May and from the 25th of August to the 31st of October.

The objective of all ABO actions is the collection of valuable data about the migratory birds of Europe aiming at their conservation.