Gavdos is the first stop for migratory birds

The ringing program took place from the beginning of March and lasted approximately 2.5 months, according to a recent announcement by OFYPEKA.

This is the seventh year that ringing has been carried out on the island of Gavdos, following an effort started by the head ringer - ornithologist of the MFIK, Mrs. Milica Ivovic in the period 2002-2005 and continued from 2021 onwards with funding from the former National Forest of Samaria - Western Crete and now of the Natural Environment and Climate Change Organization- OFYPEKA.

 As OFYPECA writes in its announcement, Gavdos offers unique data on the journey of migratory birds coming from Africa, as it is their first stop. Experts can thus study their physical condition after crossing the open sea, as well as the transmission of pathogenic microorganisms from Africa to Europe. The ringings, which are one of the most important scientific methods used to collect these data, were carried out this year in Gavdos by a group of 25 scientists and volunteers from the Natural History Museum of Crete (MFIK), with funding from the Natural Environment and Climate Change Organization (OFYPEKA ).

What makes Gavdos special?

Gavdos, located south of Crete, as the southernmost part of Europe, is the first stop of migratory birds on their journey from Eurasia to Eurasia. It is a rocky island that has been designated by BirdLife International as an important bird area. Gavdos has forests of pines and cedars, as well as a variety of other plants, such as maquis and phrygana. On the page of the Hellenic Ornithological Society one can see the species of birds that one can meet in Gavdos.

As OFYPEKA explains, Gavdos gathers birds heading north during the spring migration, as it is the first land they reach after a flight of at least six hours over the open sea from Africa. The island attracts a large number of birds with different habitat needs. In addition to acting as a rest stop, Gavdos also acts as an emergency landing site in case of bad weather for birds heading directly to Crete.

Which species were ringed?

According to OFYPEKA's announcement, during this year's spring migration to Gavdos, 4,014 birds from 75 different species were ringed, of which 12 species were ringed for the first time on the island. Two of these species, the Trumpeter finch and the Western Bonelli's warbler, are considered extremely rare in Greece. In addition, three ringed birds from three foreign countries were trapped: the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Italy.

The results of the ringing program will be used by the Management Unit of the Samaria National Park and Western Crete Protected Areas for better management of the Natura 2000 network areas.