Egyptian Vultures Monitored Through Transmitters

A project aiming to protect the endangered species of the Egyptian vulture is now making use of special transmitters to monitor the rare birds’ migration to Africa. 

The Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus and asproparis in Greek) migrates south to spend the winter in sub-Saharan Africa. As part of the European project Life+ that aims at preventing the extinction of the vulture in Greece and Bulgaria- special transmitters have been placed on two of these rare birds.

Icarus, a young vulture born near Meteora earlier this year, and Lazarus, named thus, because it was saved after it had been found half-dead in Attica, have already begun their journey, which is being monitored by scientists. Their trail can also be followed on the project’s website.

So far, young Icarus has travelled over the Peloponnese and has been located in Crete, while the older and more experienced Lazarus has crossed Northern Greece and Turkey, and is now flying over Syria.

A Surprise Arrival at Athens Airport

An unscheduled landing took place at Athens International Airport a few weeks ago, when a Buff-breasted sandpiper made one of its unusual appearances in Europe and its first recorded sighting in Greece. The small shorebird is a long-distance migrant and travels from central North America to South America, mainly Argentina, but appears rarely as an occasional wanderer in Western Europe in autumn.

Tryngites subruficollis is considered to be the only member of the genus Trygites and a near-threatened species. According to the Fauna Observation Team of the Airport's environmental service, rare bird sightings are not uncommon in the airport area, as this was the 188th bird species to be recorded there.