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June 2007 LOG-BOOK: News about the Bird-flu is in red and about the environment in blue June 1st: all patients were still alive this morning. The yesterday taken-in juvenile Brown Barn Owl (intake-body-weight was 218 gram) was 232 gram. The red juvenile Little Owl was 184 gram (-2), silver 125 (+7), blue 130 (+4), orange 127 (-3) and green 113 (+5) gram. Release: We have released well the yesterday taken-in adult Swift (07-081). At 9.07 a.m. the yesterday announced owl arrived > see further at BARN OWL. The May 31st taken-in Brown Barn Owl received a red ring left foot. Meanwhile we succeeded in reaching responsible authorities about the SEAL (see May 31st) and brought the case into their hands. In the morning 2 Dutch visitors. In the afternoon 2 Belgian visitors from Meerseldreef. Hereafter 2 Dutch visitors. June 2nd: the red juvenile Barn Owl was 238 gram (+6) and the yesterday taken-in green 287 (-4) gram. The red juvenile Little Owl was 197 (+13), blue 134 (+4), silver 131 (-4), orange 127 (+10) and green 116 (+3). June 3rd: the juvenile red Barn Owl was 240 gram (+2) and the green Barn Owl was 310 gram (+23). The juvenile red Little Owl was 191 gram (-6), blue was 142 gram (+8), silver as well 142 (+11), orange 133 (+6) and green 123 (+7) gram. In the morning-hours 3 Dutch (Frisian) visitors, of which one is coming back in August as a trainee. June 4th: the red juvenile Barn Owl was 270 gram (+30 !!) and green was 299 (-11) gram. The red Little Owl was 194 gram (+3), blue and silver both 146 gram (both +4), orange 141 gram (+8) and green 128 (+5) gram. Today there had to be bought and processed again meat etc.: 9,755 kilo for 65,25 Euro. Total this year 267,815 kilo for 1679,44 Euro. At 1.05 p.m. a phone-call from Mytiléne about a Blackbird > will (probably ??) be brought today. And the bird arrived at 5.08 p.m. > see further at BLACKBIRD. June 5th: all patients were still alive this morning; even the Blackbird !! The red juvenile Barn Owl was 252 gram (-18) and green was 317 (+18) gram. From the Little Owls was red 196 (+2), blue 153 (+7), silver 151 (+5), orange 146 (+5) and green 133 (+5) gram. We couldn’t do anything more with the injuries of the yesterday taken-in Blackbird, but it showed to be that lots more of the big feathers had disappeared than we had thought yesterday. At 9.35 a.m. a phone-call from Athens about a tortoise with a lack of calcium, and which should have eye-problems as well (so probably a vitamin-A-deficit) > one is trying to get him over here as soon as possible. From the Internet: Deadly puffer fish seen in Greek waters Rising temperatures in the Mediterranean Sea have created appropriate conditions for the migration of a puffer fish from the Red Sea that can be lethal to humans, authorities said yesterday. According to researchers, the Lagocephalus sceleratus carries potentially deadly toxins in its liver, skin and reproductive organs which are capable of causing muscle paralysis, breathing and blood circulation problems if consumed. “Our health inspection office has alerted all associations of fishermen and fish merchants,” the Athens prefecture said in a statement. The grey fish, which has a beak-shaped mouth and four large teeth, has been sighted in waters off the Dodecanese islands of Rhodes and Symi as well as off Crete. At 6.40 p.m. our secretary, María Karapolíti, was at the door with a puppy. It showed to be the black-and-white puppy we had put on our site April 9th. The poor boy was languid and refused to eat. A smell of fish came from the mouth . . . . (??). There was no fever. We could remove several ticks from both ears and a sharp grass-seed out of one eye. As a prophylaxis Vetrimoxin-tablets were given for 5 days > further not in the statistics. At the same moment there were 2 people from Mytiléne at the door for information about . . . volunteering !! Are coming back (maybe) tomorrow. At 7.25 p.m. a phone-call from Mólivos about 2 Partridges with digestion-problems > if still alive will be brought tomorrow. June 6th: the red juvenile Barn Owl was 289 gram (+37 !!) and the green 339 (+22). The red juvenile Little Owl was 199 gram (+3) and has got from today food in the cage. Silver was 154 gram (+3), orange 151 gram (+5), blue 150 gram (-3, but had refused one feeding yesterday) and green was 136 gram (+3. We have tried (in vain) to release the juvenile Red-rumped Swallow (07-073; May 22nd ’07): there was some flying, but not good and not far enough. At 3.50 p.m. a juvenile CRAG MARTIN was brought-in > see over there. And this was the 188th registered animal-species we have been treating since 1996 !! June 7th: all were still alive this morning. At the young Barn Owls red was 306 (+17) and green 344 (+5) gram. At the young Little Owls red was 194 (-5), silver 153 (-1), blue 151 (+1), orange 150 (-1) and green 138 (-2) > so all within the norms. From today on as well the 4 youngest Little Owls have food in the cage. We have planned for tomorrow, if nothing special will happen, the neutering of the cat “Gonda” (06-196B; September 22nd ’06). At 9.20 a.m. again a phone-call from Skála Kallonís about the Seal in the Gulf of Kallonís (see as well May 31st and June 1st) > again we have informed the MOM (Society for the protection of Seals). Hereafter 4 Dutch visitors. At the beginning of the evening it showed to be that the male Blackbird for the first time had emptied his feeding-bowl and not had to be force-fed. None of the juvenile Little Owls has started eating by themselves. June 8th: from the young Barn Owls red was 325 (+19) and green was 361 (+17) gram. The red Little Owl was 197 (+3), silver 158 (+5), blue 153 (+2), orange 151 (+1) and green 141 (+3) gram. At 7.13 a.m. a phone-call from Mória about a juvenile Sparrow. Will be send by the coach from 11 o’clock. In exactly 27 minutes the cat “Gonda” was stripped of further for the enlargement of the cat-population necessarily parts. See further at CAT. And at 11.47 a.m. we had a young SPARROW, loudly crying for food with the beak wide open, in our hands > see further over there. Art 12.14 p.a. a phone-call (via the Vet Myrsíni Tourvalí) from Paralía Thermís, that a well-known to us kafeníon-owner over there had a juvenile owlet > will probably be picked-up tomorrow by Ineke. At the evening-feeding-round we discovered that the Long-eared Owl (07-032; March 14th ’07) had a huge abscess on the right leg > after punctuating we could remove lots of bloody puss. June 9th: the leg of the Long-eared Owl was less thick this morning. From the young Barn Owls was red 331 (+13) gram and green 373 (+12) gram. The red young Little Owl was 196 (-1), silver was 162 (+4), blue was 158 (+5), orange was 155 (+4) and green was 149 (+8) gram. We have tried to release the juvenile Crag Martin, but without success > he/she isn’t (yet ?? Nest-misfit ??) able to fly. At 11.10 a.m. we received a phone-call from Ineke in Paralía Thermís, that the Owlet meanwhile should have died . . . . ?? At 11.34 a.m. we discovered the male Blackbird on his side, and not breathing anymore. No P.M. was done. Did we receive May 5th a delegation of ex-students of the University of the Aegean in Mytiléne, ecology-department, who were busy with a project with old news-papers, today they were back and handed over to us the yield: 1030 Euro !! They looked around again to see the newest patients. Doing so, we discovered that the Carrier-Pigeon with the spinal injury was severe hurt by his cage-mates > taken back. After the siesta 2 Dutch visitors. At 4.40 p.m. we discovered the juvenile Crag Martin dead in the cage; was still kept warm by the juvenile Red-rumped Swallow. June 10th: the body-weights were this morning: red Barn Owl 339 (+8), green Barn Owl 376 (+3), red Little Owl 192 (-4), silver 164 (+2), orange 159 (+4), blue 152 (-6) and green 148 (-1). We were able to squeeze lots of thick puss from the leg of the Long-eared Owl > the injury is treated now with Dermisol-cream. As well the green Barn Owl as the blue Little Owl refused to eat during the midday-feeding-round. The puppy, born May 27th out of “Mítsi”, started today opening the eyes and that’s why we officially have given him his name: “Lénnon Dévtros”, which means a.o. “the second”. After all he is, after “Prótos” in 1994, the 2nd pup which was born with us and which is allowed to stay. Both difficult eaters from midday were eating normally at the evening-feeding-round. At 7.05 p.m. a phone-call from Mória about a little swallow > was brought to the Shell-Petrol-Station where we could pick up a juvenile HOUSE MARTIN at 8.04 p.m. > see further over there. June 11th: all patients were still alive this morning. The young red Barn Owl was 352 (+13) and green 386 (+13) gram. The red young Little Owl was 194 (+2), silver 169 (+5), orange 161 (+2), blue 156 (+4) and green 155 (+7) gram. It seems that our (minus one) eldest patient, the Little Owl “Pállas” (96-018; May 7th 1996) is approaching the end of her days: she has diminished a lot and is vomiting already for days all the given food. We have transferred all 5 young Little Owls to a bigger cage for practicing the muscles of the wings. We made a picture to see the difference with 3 weeks back. On the branch is sitting the eldest (red) and three others are visible as well. Compare this picture with those taken May 20th & 21st.
The youngest House Sparrow decided during a feeding, that Heaven was a more preferable place to be and went in that direction without using his wings . . . . Today there should be processed meat etc. again, and this time it was 12,345 kilo for 79,57 Euro. Total this year 280,160 kilo for 1759,01 Euro. June 12th: our eldest Little Owl (see as well yesterday) is breathing more and more difficult. The juvenile Red-rumped Swallow (07-073; May 22nd ’07) was discovered dead in the cage at 5.50 a.m. The red Barn Owl was 351 (-1) gram and the green was 411 (+25 !!) > however: refused to eat this morning. The red Little Owl was 197 (+3), silver 168 (-1), blue 159 (+3), orange 156 (-5) and green 153 (-2) gram. During the “cultural excursion” with the 2 trainees (and as well an intimate couple) we discovered within the Castle of Mytiléne a nest of young Hooded Crows, which were almost ready to fly. Later the parents showed to have left (we discovered 3 juvenile birds quite far away in the field, but the youngest was left in a small building. Taken with us to be rescued from over there roaming dogs & cats). See further at HOODED CROW. Intake-weight was 191 gram. At 4.13 p.m. a minor earth-quake could be felt. After several bird-watchers had told us that one of our disabled Peregrines could be an Eleonora Falcon (she was booked as a juvenile Peregrine), we have figured out that indeed that’s the case > what we had seen as a “juvenile dress” (and that’s quite similar), showed to be the adult dress. In this case it is 06-217, which was picked-up October 20 th 2006 in Mólivos after being shot. June 13th: the juvenile Hooded Crow was 188 (-3) gram; the red Barn Owl 360 (+9) and the green 388 (-23) gram. The red Little Owl was 194 (-3), silver 167 (-1), blue 159 (=), orange 158 (+2) and green 154 (+1) gram. On our way going shopping in Kalloní, we plucked from the streets a hit-by-a-car juvenile sparrow > see further at HOUSE-SPARROW. At 9.40 a.m. a phone-call from Mytiléne about . . . . as well a sparrow. Will be send by coach of 11 a.m. At 9.51 a.m. a phone-call from the Vet Myrsíni Tourvalí in Mytiléne about an owlet in bad condition > will be send by the coach of 11 a.m. as well. We received 2 friendly Dutch ladies and at the same time we had to go down to the coach. The announced Sparrow we had in our hands at 11.42 a.m., but the sojourn of the owlet was unknown . . . . !! Both friendly ladies showed their passion by “flying low” to Mólivos to discover the bird. Their efforts were successful and at 3.05 p.m. we had again a juvenile Little Owl in our hands. Intake-weight 127 gram(much too less). Received 2 silver rings. June 14th: all patients were still alive this morning, only the yesterday taken-in Sparrow (traffic-victim) died at 6.10 a.m. The young Hooded Crow was 210 (+22) gram; the red Barn Owl 364 (+4) and the green one 392 (+4) gram. Juvenile Little Owls: red 191 (-3) gram, silver 171 (+4), blue 163 (+4), orange 162 (+4) and green 159 (+5) gram. The one from yesterday, silversilver was 140 (+13) gram. After we made dust-free yesterday the air-conditioning in “The Keep” and switched it on, we did the same today in the Sick-Bay. As well for us as for the animals it started to be necessary. The air-temperature reached in the shadow +32 degrees centigrade. At the evening-feeding-round we discovered dead at 8.10 p.m. in the pigeon-cage in “The Keep” the Pigeon, which had come-in as a juvenile March 22nd ’06 (06-039), which showed to have an inborn leg-defect. P.M. will happen tomorrow. June 15th: the Carrier-Pigeon with the spinal-injury is brought-back to the pigeon-cage in “The Keep”, hoping for the best. The young Hooded Crow was 225 (+15) gram, the red Barn Owl was 371 (+7) and the green Barn Owl 389 (-3) gram. The red Little Owl was 183 (-8), silver 172 (+1), blue 166 (+3), orange 164 (+2) and green 160 (+1) gram. The new silversilver was 167 (+27!!) gram. It showed to be that the yesterday discovered dead Pigeon had died from an egg, she couldn’t lay. At 10.36 a.m. a phone-call from Mytiléne about a Pigeon in bad condition: wing and leg into pieces. Will be send by the coach of 11 a.m. At 10.39 a.m. again a phone-call from the same town, but now about a juvenile Hoopoe > will be send by the coach of 13.15 p.m. And at 10.50 a.m. again a call from Mytiléne; now from the Vet Myrsíni Tourvalí about a swallow > will be send as well by the coach of 11 a.m. At 11.31 a young Spurr-tighed Tortoise (*2006) was rescued from traffic due to the attention of trainee Samantha > see over there. At 11.43 a.m. we had our first “load” in hands: see at PIGEON and at SWIFT. And at 1.20 p.m. again a call from the Vet Myrsíni Tourvalí about another swallow > this one will be send by the coach of 5.30 !! At 1.58 p.m. we had a juvenile HOOPOE in our possession > see over there. From the Internet: Climate change to hurt Greece Unless the advance of global warming is halted, the average temperature for July in Athens will be 8 degrees Celsius warmer by the end of the century and some 56,000 hectares of coastal land around Greece will be flooded, according to a report presented yesterday. The study was conducted by researchers at the Athens Observatory and unveiled during a conference on the environment in Southeastern Europe organized by the Charokopeio University in Athens. “When we talk about climate change, we are now in a position to talk about certainties,” said professor Dimitris Lalas. The impact of global warming and the knock-on effect it is expected to have will seriously affect Greece, according to the report. The current average temperature for Athens in July is 33 Celsius. This is expected to rise to 41 Celsius between 2071 and 2100. This will have an effect on the demand for electricity, which is predicted to rise by 20 percent as people turn to air conditioning to keep cool. Average rainfall is expected to lessen dramatically but the rising sea level will mean that parts of coastal Greece will be submerged. Some 56,000 hectares or 0.4 percent of Greece’s land mass will be covered by water by the end of the century, according to current rates of global warming. Areas such as the Evros Delta in northeastern Greece and the islands of Lemnos, Corfu, Crete and Rhodes are thought to be in particular danger. However, due to declining rainfall, other parts of the country, such as Athens, will suffer from a lack of water. Athens currently uses 400 million cubic meters of water a year but by 2100 there could be as little as 125 million cubic meters of water available to Athenians. And at 6.15 we had the announced swallow in our hands: a quite juvenile SWIFT > see over there. The Hoopoe started to be more and more lethargic, and so we discovered it dead at 9.20 p.m. June 16th: the young Hooded Crow was 231 (+6) gram; the red Barn Owl was 368 (-3) and the green was 394 (+5) gram. The red Little Owl was 178 (-5), silver 179 (+7), blue 167 (+1), green 167 (+7) and orange was 166 (+2) gram. Silversilver was 172 (+5) gram. With the help of our air-gun and a .22-pellet we could give a young rat in the Aviary “Air-conditioning”. The score is now L.W.H. 1 – W.R.P. 0. At 12.41 p.m. a phone-call from the Vet Myrsíni Tourvalí about . . . . of course, again a swallow. Will be send by the coach of 1.15 p.m. And so we went to the petrol-station for nothing, because no bird could be discovered in the coach . . . . At 4.35 p.m. a phone-call from the newly-opened “Kantína” next to the Salines about a gull, which wasn’t injured but couldn’t fly > so we went and picked him up. See at YELLOW-LEGGED GULL. At 5.03 p.m. a phone-call from Mytiléne about a pigeon > we will be informed later. And that Pigeon was brought-in at 6.23 p.m. > see further at PIGEON. In the evening around 8 p.m. the (late) chief of our village-police came with an, adopted by him, stray puppy > complete check was done, some fat ticks were removed and the first vaccination was given. Not in the statistics. June 17th: we discovered dead in its cage the juvenile Sparrow (07-090, June 13th) at 5.50 a.m. All other newcomers were still alive. The young Hooded Crow was 250 (+19) gram; the red Barn Owl 377 (+13) and the green one 398 (+4) gram. The red Little Owl was 185 (+7) gram, silver 177 (-2), blue 168 (+1), silversilver 166 (-6), orange 165 (-1) and green 163 (-4). We had to remove a huge air-blister under the skin of the Pigeon with the Trichomoniasis. We have given the Yellow-legged Gull the first washing > it was the first time in the history of the L.W.H. that a trainee was invited by one of us to share the bath with him . . . . !! But to comfort everyone: she was dressed in bathing-suite against the drops and he was dressed in protecting army-clothes against biting !! For the picture see at YELLOW-LEGGED GULL. At 10.40 a.m. a phone-call from Parákoila about an owlet > so we went for a ride and picked-up a juvenile LITTLE OWL at 11.10 a.m. See over there. After we started this morning very, very carefully giving the Pigeon with the Pigeon-canker a mixture of Dextrose in Ringers-solution, at the evening-feeding-round we started even more carefully feeding Lori-food dissolved in the same fluid, which was swallowed with taste. NOW he/she has a chance. June 18th: the Pigeon with the “Canker” was very lively this morning > so a good omen. The young Hooded Crow was 246 (-4) gram, while the red Barn Owl was 381 (+4) and the green 409 (+11). The red Little owl was 187 (+2) gram, silver 180 (+3), blue 171 (+3), green 170 (+7), orange 167 (+2), silversilver 163 (-3) and redred 160 (+6) gram. Today there had to be processed meat, liver & minced meta again: 11,205 kilo for 78,39 Euro. Total this year 291,365 kilo for 1837,40 Euro. During the morning the Pigeon with the “Canker” was seen eating from the given seeds; however, the “porridge” will be force-fed for the coming days. Did the body-weight of the baby Spurr-tighed Tortoise at intake (June 15th) was 68 gram, today this was 75 gram !! At 12.44 p.m. a phone-call from Parákoila that they had found again a juvenile Little Owl > so we went again to the same address and picked it up; see over there. At 7.10 p.m. a phone-call from Mytiléne about 2 swallows; probably Swifts. The people came and brought them-in at 8.37 p.m. See at SWIFT & PALLID SWIFT. At 9.55 p.m. a phone-call from Mólivos that a woman had seen in her garden a fox-cub, loudly squeaking. We’ve tried to organize a rescue-crew, but at 10.15 p.m. again a phone-call that the cub had disappeared, but that they had seen 4 eyes (maybe the vixen ??). June 19th: we discovered at 5.10 a.m. dead in its cage the juvenile House Martin. The new-comers were all alive. The Hooded Crow was 246 (=) gram; the red Barn Owl 392 (+11) and the green 405 (-4) gram. In the “Little Owl-legion” the score was as follows: red 186 (-1), silver 182 (+1), blue 172 (+1), orange 168 (+1) and green as well 168 (-2) gram. Silversilver was 163 (=), redred was 162 (+2) and blueblue was 151 (+7) gram. Release: At 8.05 a.m. we have released well the PALLID SWIFT from yesterday > was flying perfect !! Not only for the bird this was a relief, but as well for trainee Liesbeth . . . . !! After first practicing on a piece of material, both trainees were allowed to show their “sewing- & embroidering-skills” on a, special for this case defrosted, knocked-down House Marten. If in the near future we will be seriously injured, we will be in safe hands for stitching our injuries. Meanwhile the floor-covering for the house-next-door was brought; the bearer was showed around as well. At 10.37 a.m. a phone-call from Mytiléne about an, already found June 15th, injured tortoise; one has already “fiddled” a lot, but are coming to bring the poor creature after the siesta. From the Internet: Lack of protectionGreece headed for EU court over law on natural habitatsThe European Commission is set to take Greece to the European Court of Justice because Greek legislation is not strict enough in protecting certain areas of natural beauty, sources said yesterday. The legislation covers the protection of Natura 2000 sites, which are part of a European network of protected sites that contain natural habitats and species of plants and animals that are rare, endangered or vulnerable in the EU. Brussels feels that the Greek law allows far too many exemptions and could lead to the protection of the areas being compromised. Weather warning as temperature rises Lack of protection The temperature could soar to 42 degrees Celsius in some parts of Greece by the weekend, the National Meteorological Service (EMY) said yesterday as people were warned to take extra care in the heat. The average temperature in Greece for the next three days is expected to be 38 Celsius. It is due to be even warmer on Friday and over the weekend. “We think the temperature will be between 40 and 42 degrees at the start of next week as well,” the head of forecasting at EMY, Dimitris Ziakopoulos, told Kathimerini. Ziakopoulos said it was quite rare for the temperature to reach 40 degrees or higher in Athens during June. The highest temperature on record for this period was in 1982, when it reached 45 degrees in Athens. The Health Ministry recommended that people eat lightly, wear loose clothes and drink plenty of water.
The son of our Mítsi (see as well June 10th), “Lénnon Dévtros”, has walked today for the first time on four legs !! At 7.52 p.m. a quite “heavy” female delegation came and brought-in an injured BALKAN TERRAPIN > see over there. June 20th: we discovered dead the juvenile House-Sparrow (the “misfit”; 07-077, May 26th ’07) > was expected. The Hooded Crow was 244 (-2) gram, while the red Barn Owl was 399 (+7) and the green 431 (+26). The red Little Owl was 190 (+4) gram, silver 181 (=), blue 176 (+4), orange 170 (+2) and green 168 (=) gram. From the “new-comers” silversilver was 163 (=), redred as well 163 (+1) and blueblue 157 (+6) gram. At 9.58 a.m. a juvenile House sparrow (just left the nest in one of the windows of the House-next-door) panicked is such a way, that the poor creature almost literally flew into the mouth of “Foúrno” > luckily we could rescue hem/her an taken-in. See at HOUSE-Sparrow. The panic happened because we were busy in one of the rooms of the House-next-door with removing the heads of nails in the floor and as well in between the floor-planks the dust and other rubbish that had gathered there for more than 80 years. We were ready with that room at 11.50 a.m. Tomorrow we can start over there laying the floor-covering. With a temperature of more than 33 degrees Celsius in the shade, the electricity-company ΔΕΗ had nothing better to do than creating a power-cut from 12.40 till 1.50 p.m. And just before, we had read the following: From the Internet: Heat tests electricity grid Authorities said yesterday the country’s power network is well prepared to meet higher demand this week, as Greeks turned up their air conditioners in a bid to cool off in rising temperatures. Níkos Stefánou, general secretary at the Development Ministry, said the system sufficiently handled yesterday’s spike in demand. “We handled the 9,240-megawatt load with ease. We can manage much higher loads, thanks to the work that has been done in the last three years and during the winter just past,” he added. Electricity power demand across the country remained at the 9,000 MW mark for about two hours, according to authorities. The greatest demand came from Attica, where usage during the midday hours reached 3,440 MW. The growing number of air conditioners is responsible for the higher power needs. Industry data show that some 3 million air conditioners have been installed across the country and that another 350,000 new ones are added to that number every year. The electricity network managed to meet demand yesterday but this was only done by importing power from Bulgaria and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). Four Public Power Corporation (PPC) energy plants had technical problems and were forced to shut down for a few hours until technicians fixed the problem. “All the necessary measures have been taken for the safe supply of electrical power to the country even if demand reaches very high levels,” Ioánnis Theodorakopoúlos, managing director at the Hellenic Transmission System Operator (HTSO), told Kathimerini. Pressure on the power network is unlikely to ease unless there is a drop in temperatures across Greece – something that weather experts do not expect until early next week. Temperatures this weekend could reach as high as 42 Celsius in some parts of Greece. Authorities warned residents to take measures against the hotter conditions, such as keeping trips outdoors to a minimum. Desertification threatKilkis in N. Greece added to list of areas at risk of lacking waterMore areas of Greece than previously thought are in danger of suffering from desertification due to forecast temperature rises over the next 50 years, scientists revealed at a conference in Thessaloniki yesterday. Kilkis in northern Greece is one of the areas that had not previously been thought to be at risk but scientists from Thessaloniki’s Aristotle University said that it is likely to be hit by a lack of water. The worst-affected areas are likely to be Thessaly in central Greece and the island of Crete. Other areas in danger include the islands of Naxos and Lesvos. Just after 7 p.m. a woman with her dog was at the door: a good-willing (but quite stupid) Greek had tried to trim the dog with an old-fashioned sheep-shears with square ends: quite a luck he is still a HE, because there was an injury of more than 10 cm in the groin !! See further at HE-DOG. June 21st: no “victims” this morning. The Hooded Crow was 254 (+10) gram; the red Barn Owl was 397 (-2) and green 429 (-2). The red Little Owl was 190 (=); silver 183 (+2), blue 181 (+5), green 172 (+4) and orange 171 (+12) gram. Silversilver was 167 (+4), redred 166 (+3) and blueblue 160 (+3) gram. At 9.14 a.m. a phone-call from Skála Eressoú, that in front of the house was discovered a whole “bunch” of bats > 2 had died meanwhile. So we went and picked them up > see at PIPISTRELLE BAT. On our way to there, we could release well the Balkan Terrapin in the river at Skála Kallonís. Temperatures in the shade reached again 33 degrees Centigrade over here today. And look how quickly opinions are changing over here: From the Internet: City swelters as temperatures remain high
An army officer wipes sweat from the face of an Evzone, a member of the presidential guard, yesterday as temperatures remained high during the visit of the emir of Qatar, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who was in Athens on a three-day trip where he signed a trade cooperation agreement with Greece. As Greeks continue to look for ways to cool off in sweltering temperatures, experts recommended yesterday that Athenians stay away from the center of the city if they want to experience cooler conditions. According to surveys conducted by Athens University over the last 10 years, temperatures in central streets such as Ermoú can reach 39 Celsius, while at the same time of day, suburbs such as Ilioupolis show a far lower 30C . “The city absorbs the sun’s rays and holds the temperature. This is exacerbated by the fact that we use buildings for residential and office purposes that are unsuitable,” said Matthaios Santamouris, associate professor of meteorology at Athens University. “We have calculated that if all rooftops had been painted with cooler colors, the city’s temperatures would drop by three degrees. Similarly, by painting exterior walls a color that does not absorb heat, we would reduce the temperature by six degrees,” he added. Greece has failed to adopt an EU directive on energy-saving methods for buildings, the deadline for which expired in 2006. Soaring temperatures made conditions particularly difficult for firefighters late on Tuesday when a blaze broke out in Glifáda, southern Athens, at a municipal rubbish collection point. Rubbish collectors deposit garbage at the collection point – sometimes for a number of days – before it is sent on to the city’s landfill at Ano Liosia in northwest Athens. The fire was quickly brought under control but not before a thick cloud of black smoke had formed over Glifáda and surrounding areas. The fire could continue to burn for days before being completely extinguished, authorities said. Meanwhile, the Public Power Corporation yesterday instructed residents to switch off their air-conditioning units and avoid cooking to prevent power cuts during this week’s heat wave. (read what was written June 20th about “having enough capacity “ > note from the L.W.H. !!) Temperatures are expected to top 43C at the weekend. Rising energy consumption has triggered brief power cuts in parts of the mainland and islands in recent days. At 6.10 p.m. 2 Swiss visitors (from Zürich) who brought-in a juvenile Hooded Crow, plucked from the streets at the entrance of Eressós (and so saved his life). At 9.09 the four of us have set free the whole “Bat-colony” in the deserted house at the end of the street: glittering teeth, but they were capable to fly !! June 22: the new juvenile Hooded Crow was 231 gram and the older one 262 (+8). The red Barn Owl was 403 (+6) and the green 171 (-6) gram. Little Owls: red 191 (+1), silver 185 (+2), blue 178 (-3), orange 173 (+2) and green 171 (-1) gram. New-comers: redred 168 (+2), silversilver 167 (=) and blueblue 165 (+5) gram. At 7.30 a.m. no Bats were discovered anymore on the place of release, neither in the other rooms. And as well no dead bodied were discovered > so case closed. At 10.40 a.m. a phone-call from Pérama about a Bekátsa (Woodcock ??) > tried to organize the transport via the Dasarcheío. At 10.50 a.m. the first room of the House-next-door had its floor-covering and was already partly re-organized. The Dasarcheío has informed us that one of their drivers will go and pick-up the bird. At 12.15 p.m. we heard from Pérama that the bird was already picked-up over there, but at 4.20 p.m. still no bird had arrived here !! So this won’t be the end of the matter !! The elder of the two juvenile Hooded Crows received a green ring left foot and will be transferred tomorrow to the crow-aviary for flying-practices; is meanwhile eating on its own. The temperatures had risen in the shade today till above 36 degrees Centigrade !! We’re going to feed both juvenile Barn Owls less, hoping they will start eating on their own. June 23rd: the “green” Hooded Crow was 166 (+4) gram and the other (bluesilver) was 280 (+49) gram. The red Barn Owl had been “messing around” in de feeding-bowl, but evidently not real eaten: 400 (-3) gram. Green had done nothing with the given food: 415 (-8) gram. Little Owls: red 190 (-1) gram, silver 185 (=), blue 180 (+2), orange & green both 173 (both =). Redred was 172 (+4) gram, silversilver 170 (+3) and blueblue was 167 (+2) gram. At 11.07 a.m. a phone-call from Mytiléne about a gull with a fracture of the wing > will be send by the coach of 1.15 p.m. In spite of the heat, and in spite of both trainees having their day-off, we were capable of cleaning in between the floor-plans of the hall of the 2nd floor in the House-next-door and laying the floor-covering over there. We had the YELLOW-LEGGED GULL in our hands at 2.06 p.m. > see over there. At 3.47 p.m. a phone-call from Mytiléne about a SWIFT one will coma and bring this evening. The air-temperature in the shade was today “only” 36 degrees centigrade. And the following was on the Internet: Hottest summer in decades The country will brace for more hot weather this weekend with the temperature expected to be around 43 degrees Celsius in what is shaping up to be the hottest June in decades. Weather experts said this could be the warmest June in 90 years and that Greece was on track for its hottest summer in a quarter of a century. Reports said the current spell of hot weather will not ease until at least the middle of next week. Parts of Greece suffered blackouts yesterday. Thessaloniki suffered power cuts for the third day running, while some Athens suburbs suffered outages on Thursday, as did several central provinces. National power demand in Greece hit 9,649 MW on Thursday, short of the all-time record of 9,961 in August 2006. Over a third was consumed in the broader Athens district. Power officials have been boosting imports and drawing on hydroelectric reservoirs to avert bigger problems – and to avoid a repeat of the massive pre-Olympics blackout that hit Athens in July 2004. Development Ministry general secretary Níkos Stephanou said “there is no reason to be concerned... we have prepared all winter to be ready for this.” Ministers have also announced an energy saving plan for government facilities, including reduced lighting and higher air-conditioner settings. Hospitals remained on high alert. Other parts of southeastern Europe, including Albania, Bulgaria, Romania and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) are also roasting – just weeks after being hit by massive floods. Not everyone, however, is feeling the heat. Retailers are reporting sharp growth in air-conditioner sales. According to local press reports, air-conditioner sales have more than doubled in comparison with the same period last year. After the siesta we discovered a juvenile Spurr-tighed Tortoise in the tortoise-pen, which hadn’t been able to find a cooler place > boiled in his own shell !! So tomorrow we’ll have to take some measures !! Around 6 p.m. there were 2 visitors from Israel: 2 women from Kfar Hanagid. At the same moment the announced SWIFT had te be collected at the Town-Hall > see over there. Some hours later the two trainees discovered two other “boiled” tortoises: one from the same vintage as the first one and the other some years older > was nominated to be released next autumn. This we haven’t experienced never before !! All tortoises were caught and transferred to the fox-cage. June 24th: no other victims this morning. The green Hooded Crow had eaten well yesterday in the crow-aviary: 203 (+27); bluesilver was 184 (+4) gram. The red Barn Owl had made a mess again of his food, but hadn’t eaten: 385 (-15); green had done nothing and was 399 (-16) gram. Little Owls: red 190 (=), silver 188 (+3), blue 180 (=), orange 174 (+1) and green 170 (-1) gram. Redred was 175 (+3), blueblue 170 (+3) and silversilver as well 170 (=) gram. Two English visitors from Newton Abbot, Devon, this morning. And again the temperature rose till above 37 degrees Centigrade !! June 25th: we discovered the Yellow-legged Gull, which came in the day before yesterday with the broken wing, this morning very quiet, very stiff, very cold and very dead. No P.M. was done. The green Hooded Crow had diminished: 284 (-9) and the bluesilver had gained weight: 296 (+12) gram. The red Barn Owl had been playing a lot with the given food, but nothing more: 377 (-8_ gram. The green had done nothing: 384 (-15) gram. Little Owls: red 193 (+3), silver 187 (-1), blue 181 (+1), orange 176 (+2) and green as well 176 (+6) gram. Redred 178 (+3), blueblue 173 (+3) and silversilver 172 (+2) gram. We discovered on the spot our had been parked a dead Leopard-snake; 80 cm long. Today the knives had to be sharpened again: 11,845 kilo of meat, liver & minced meat (79,26 Euro) had to be processed. Total this year 303,210 kilo for 1916,66 Euro. At 9.50 a.m. a phone-call from Mytiléne about a Swift > one is trying to deliver the bird At the Vet’s Practice of Myrsíni Tourvalí. And she should send with the same coach an injured Pigeon. Both birds we had in our hands at 11.58 a.m. > see at SWIFT and at PIGEON. At 12.35 p.m. there was a power-cut, which lasted till 1.45 p.m.; hereafter there was power, but scanty measure. At 1.16 p.m. a phone-call from Mandamádos about . . . . again a Swift, which was discovered last evening. One is trying to deliver the bird here before dark. And again the mercury reached the 37 degrees Centigrade !! From the Internet: More days of hot weather Temperatures climbed as high as 43 Celsius in parts of Greece yesterday with cooler weather not expected until Thursday, according to meteorologists. Temperatures in the southern city of Kalamata hit 43C, while in Athens the thermometer rose to 41C. Press reports said that seven people were taken to hospital with heat-related problems. The country’s power grid coped with the extra demand but brief blackouts were reported in parts of Athens, including Faliron and Kallithea. Other areas of Greece were left without power for short periods. Experts said the power system of the Public Power Corporation (PPC) will come under greater strain today due to the start of the working week and higher demand for electricity on account of air conditioners. And from 6.59 p.m. we were again without electricity and such lasted till 8 p.m. !! At 7.38 p.m. the announced SWIFT was brought-in (see over there) and both bearers were showed around as well. June 26th: all patients were still alive this morning. The green Hooded Crow was 290 (+6) and the bluesilver was 301 (+5) gram. Barn Owls: red 367 (-10) and green 383 (-1) gram. Little Owls: red 193 (=), silver 192 (+5), blue 181 (=), orange 178 (+2) and green 176 (=) gram. Redred 182 (+4), blueblue 177 (+4) and silversilver 174 (+2) gram. In spite of the heat we have continued with the 2nd room in the House-next-door. Only, we can’t open windows over there, because Sparrows have build their nest in between the window and the shutters and there are youngsters !! At 10.07 a.m. a phone-call from the Vet Myrsíni Tourvalí from Mytiléne that we will send again a Swift with the coach of 11 o’clock > hopefully is this one more lucky than its predecessor from yesterday, because that one we discovered dead at 10.55 a.m. At 11 o’clock the whole floor of the already mentioned room was clean and half of the floor-covering was laid. The juvenile SWIFT we had in our possession at 11.45 a.m. > see over there. And the heat is continuing: see the Internet: Three die in record-high heat wave across Greece
Development Minister Dimitris Sioufas took to the streets in central Athens yesterday to hand out pamphlets calling for consumers to be careful with power usage. High temperatures over the last few days have tested the country’s power grid as Greeks switch on air conditioners to cool down. Three people died yesterday as continued hot weather across the country kept temperatures well above the 40 degree Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) mark in what is set to be the hottest June ever recorded. The Health Ministry said that three pensioners, aged 76, 84 and 103, died of medical conditions aggravated by heat stroke in central and southern Greece. The government ordered all public offices to work only half-days today and tomorrow, closing at midday to reduce energy consumption and allow people to stay out of the sun during the peak hours of the day. “Based on the forecasts, temperatures are expected to be very high for the next two days, so we have taken these extraordinary measures,” said Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos. Temperatures are expected to remain high for a second week, reaching 43C (109F) in Athens. National electricity consumption exceeded 10,000 megawatts to hit a record high yesterday, fueled by heavy air-conditioning use and causing limited power outages in parts of Athens and Thessaloniki. The government urged the public to avoid unnecessary energy consumption but insisted that the national grid had been adequately strengthened to avoid widespread outages. “The system had been reinforced to withstand even higher levels of consumption,” said Níkos Stefanou, general secretary at the Development Ministry. Greece has been relying on importing electricity from neighboring countries to help meet demand. Temperatures are not expected to ease until Thursday, according to weather experts. And while the thermometer reached the 38 degrees Centigrade, there was a power cut again from 2.17 till 3.55 p.m. > the siesta was gone, because the fans didn’t work of course anymore !! At 6.35 p.m. an adult Yellow-legged Gull was brought-in from Nifáda > see over there. And at 9.50 p.m. there was again a power-cut > without fans we couldn’t stand it inside, so sleeping . . . . ?!?! This lasted until 11.13 p.m. !! June 27th: the Yellow-legged Gull with a suspicion of being poisoned was still alive this morning and had eaten well. Hooded Crows: green 282 (-8) and bluesilver 307 (+6) gram. Barn Owls: red 356 (-9) and green 386 (+3) gram. Little Owls: red 193 (=), silver 186 (-6), orange 181 (+3) and blue as well 181 (=). Green 177 (+1) gram. Redred 184 (+2), blueblue 180 (+3) and silversilver 174 (=) gram. Release: We have released in the salines the Yellow-legged Gull, which had come-in June 16th as an “Oil-victim”. We have heard over there that the Glossy Ibis (07-048; April 25th ’07) which we had released over there May 15th was eaten meanwhile by cats . . . . !! Nature can be cruel !! At 10.45 a.m. the 2nd room in the House-next-door had all its floor-covering and was re-furnished. And even over here it started to be “hot under our feet”: see the Internet Heat wave kills five more AP A girl cools down in a fountain in central Thessaloniki yesterday where temperatures reached 40 Celsius. Temperatures soared to 46C in some parts of the country yesterday, making this Greece’s hottest June on record. Authorities warned citizens to avoid overexposure to the sun for another two days as the heat wave is forecast to continue. The heat provoked record power consumption as millions of air-conditioners operated in unison. Several fires were contained before they could cause injuries or major damage. Searing temperatures reached 46 Celsius in parts of the country yesterday as power consumption reached record levels and the toll of heat-related deaths rose to eight. The majority of the five deaths reported yesterday were elderly citizens but also included a 17-year-old girl on Crete. The blazing heat provoked several fires in Attica and other parts of the country but no injuries were reported. Meanwhile, the National Meteorological Service (EMY) warned that the heat wave would continue for at least another two days and advised citizens, especially the old and frail, to avoid exposure to the sun. Temperatures are expected to drop slightly today, reaching an anticipated high of 44C on the mainland. Air-conditioned halls will remain open and access to beaches in Vouliagmeni and Ágia Triada will be free. Public services, apart from hospitals, will close at noon. Development Minister Dimitris Sioufas yesterday insisted that the country’s power network could cope with the increased demand after power consumption reached record levels. But most of Attica, and many other parts of the country, were hit by brief power cuts. Blackouts lasting as long as eight hours were recorded in some parts of Attica, such as Chalandri. Moreover, the fire service received dozens of calls from citizens trapped in elevators. Authorities appealed to citizens to curb their use of electrical appliances to avoid overstraining the power network. They also asked citizens to reduce their use of cars to curb the pollution that has made the atmosphere in central Athens asphyxiating. The heat provoked at least six fires yesterday. The largest blaze broke out in Nafplion, close to the monastery of Ágios Theodosios, but was extinguished before it reached the building. Fires also broke out in Elefsina, Larissa, Lamia, Viotia and Mandra, Attica. Most of the fires were under control by late yesterday. Small blazes in Thessaloniki’s Seikh Sou Forest and Attica’s Mount Parnitha were extinguished before they could spread. The General Secretariat for Civil Protection warned that the fire risk would be equally high today in many parts of the country. At 12.18 p.m. a phone-call from Mória about a Swift, which neither we could pick-up nor the discoverer could bring > so wait and see. And while the mercury reached the 39 Celsius mark, there was a power-cut again which lasted from 12.50 till 2.37 p.m. > so no decent siesta again. In our Island-capital the mercury reached the 42 degrees Centigrade this afternoon !! At 6.35 p.m. a phone-call from Mytiléne about a . . . Swift > one will try to bring the bird tomorrow by themselves. And at 7.58 p.m. we picked-up at the Shell-Petrol-station the Swift from Mória > see over there. At 9.05 p.m. (of course !!) there was a power-cut again: we tried to cool-down a bit in the streets, but even there was no wind at all . . . . !! During our “suffering” we could rescue from the mouth of “Foúrno” a Mediterranean House Gecko > placed in the terrarium with the little Spurr-tighed Tortoise for the case it wasn’t injured. And it was too warm to book him in the statistics !! At 9.45 p.m. electricity was back, but it took some hours more before it was a bit more comfortable inside the house. The Swift, we had picked-up this evening had already before 11.15 p.m. changed temporarily life for eternal !! June 28th: no other victims last night. There is a huge ant-plague in our court-yard and inside “The Keep” !! Hooded Crows: green 294 (+12) and bluesilver 313 (+6) gram. Barn Owls: red 350 (-8) and green 373 (-13) gram. Little owls: red 196 (+3), silver 194 (+8), orange and blue both 180 (both =) and green 176 (-1) gram. Redred 184 (=), blueblue 178 (-2) and silversilver 176 (+2) gram. The little Gecko was unharmed and we have released him/her (after a picture was taken) in the Sick-Bay, where enough flies are present. The juvenile House-Sparrow was transferred to the Aviary, after a silver foot-ring was given, for flying-practices. At 12.05 p.m. a phone-call from Skála Kallonís about an injured doggie > one will pass by. And at 12.10 p.m. there was a power-cut again . . . . !! We have examinated and treated the little HE-DOG by the light of some car-lamps, fed by a battery. Electricity was restored (bit by bit) at 2.10 p.m. but not enough to work on the computer. When that was possible again, we could read the following on Internet: Heat sparks outages, fires Vassiliki Paschali/ANA A tractor and watering pump were mobilized yesterday in efforts to extinguish a blaze that broke out in the village of Anatoli, in Kissavos, near Mount Olympus. The fire was one of at least 95 reported to have ravaged different parts of the country yesterday as temperatures remained high. One of the worst blazes was on the island of Poros where several homes were reported to have been damaged. Tourists were evacuated from the island’s Neorion district in water taxis. There were no reports of any injuries resulting from the blazes. Sizzling high temperatures yesterday helped spark at least 95 fires across the country and caused blackouts in many parts of Attica as the national power network struggled to meet increased demand. The fire service was out in full force, striving to extinguish blazes in different parts of the country. The worst of the fires were on the island of Poros, at Diakofto, in the northern Peloponnese, in Ileia prefecture, in Larissa and in Volos. On Poros, tourists were evacuated from hotels in the Neorion district, where a large blaze proved difficult to control. There were no reports of injuries but several homes were damaged. Firemen were struggling to contain the blaze late last night. Meanwhile state officials started assessing the extent of the damage wreaked by Tuesday’s fires in Halkidiki, the Peloponnese and on Crete. Although temperatures dropped two degrees yesterday, reaching highs of 44 Celsius, power consumption remained high too, as millions of air-conditioning units operated in homes and offices. According to electrical appliance retailers, sales of air-conditioning units have reached record levels. In the past three days alone, 25,000 air conditioners were sold in Attica. But the increased use of air conditioners proved too much for the power network at times, with blackouts in parts of Attica, Crete and other islands continuing for a second day. However, Development Ministry General Secretary Níkos Stefanou claimed that the electricity network’s performance had been impressive. “It was a miracle, the grid handled tremendous demand,” he told Flash Radio. “The distribution network in some areas of Athens was built to handle loads of only a fifth of what they are today,” he said. The Public Power Corporation has appealed to citizens to avoid using several electrical appliances at the same time. Media reports yesterday set the heat-related death toll at 10, though authorities have so far confirmed only five deaths. The heat wave is expected to subside from today with temperatures dropping to relatively seasonal levels over the weekend. At 6.15 p.m. the yesterday announced SWIFT was brought from Mytiléne: was discovered by students of the Aegean University, department Ocean Ecology, and kept alive already for some days. Both bearers received a guided tour as well. The temperature didn’t reach the 36 degrees Centigrade today !! June 29th: at last there was some wind again last night !! Hooded Crows: green 303 (+9) and bluesilver 313 (=) gram. Barn owls: red 354 (+4) and green 372 (-1) gram. Little Owls: red 194 (-2), silver 192 (-2), blue 184 (+4), orange 183 (+3) and green 176 (=) gram. Redred was 185 (+1), silversilver 180 (+4) and blueblue as well 180 (+2) gram. Because all Sparrows had left the nest in between the shutters and one window in the House-next-door, we could remove now the nest and at last open this window. Started with the finishing of the floor-covering on the 2nd floor over there. It seems to be that in Athens the state of emergency is declared: Forest fires ravage Greece
Firefighters are pictured in front of a blaze caused by an explosion at an electricity substation in Thessaloniki yesterday. No one was injured. The explosion, provoked by a malfunctioning transformer, caused blackouts of up to six hours in Thessaloniki and across the northern prefectures of Macedonia and Thrace. More than 100 fires ravaged Greece yesterday, the worst in Larissa, Pelion and Dervenochoria, Viotia. In the town of Ágia, near Larissa, two people were killed after their truck was trapped by flames. Dozens of fires ravaged thousands of hectares of land yesterday, killing two people, as an ebbing heat wave continued to provoke blackouts across the country. Fires were reported from more than 100 sites - some the continuation of blazes that started on Wednesday. Two men, aged 36 and 42, died in Ágia, near Larissa in central Greece, after their truck was surrounded by flames. A third man in the truck escaped unharmed. Apart from Larissa, the worst of yesterday's fires were in Pelion and in Dervenochoria, Viotia. The work of firefighters in Dervenochoria was hampered after buried World War Two mines exploded in the area. The blaze was still spreading last night as strong winds fanned the flames in the direction of Mount Parnitha. Local hotels and the casino were evacuated and firefighters erected a barrier to stop the fire spreading to the other side of the mountain. Of some 120 fires to have broken out since Wednesday, most had been extinguished by last night. Fire officials believe some of the blazes may have been the work of arsonists. A total of 24 water-dropping aircraft and 13 helicopters were mobilized to assist rescue efforts on the ground. France and Italy sent two firefighting planes each after Greece appealed to the EU for help. «We are facing an unprecedented situation,» Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos told reporters yesterday after briefing Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis. According to Health Ministry officials, at least nine people have died of heat-related health problems since last Friday. Meanwhile, many parts of the country were hit by power outages, some lasting for hours, due to increased energy consumption. Although temperatures dropped significantly from Tuesday's 46 Celsius high, the heat was still oppressive and air conditioners were still on overdrive. An explosion at an electricity substation in Thessaloniki sparked blackouts across most of northern Greece. The Public Power Corporation (PPC) said the explosion, which caused no injuries, was caused by a malfunctioning transformer that was being repaired. By late yesterday, parts of northern Greece were getting their power back. At 12.28 p.m. a phone-call from Mória, that tomorrow a juvenile swallow (no Swift) will be send by coach. And at 1.32 a phone-call from Mytiléne that someone had 2 juvenile Swifts > will be send (if everything is going according to plan) with the same coach. We received a phone-call from moria, that they will send the swallow after all with the coach of 6.45 p.m. And we had the bird at 7.30 p.m.: so after all a . . . . SWIFT > see over there. And at 8.40 p.m. again a phone-call from Mytiléne: of course a SWIFT again. Never the situation with this kind of birds was so badly !! June 30th: we discovered Swift nr 4 this morning dead in the cage; has already for 2 days digestion-problems. Hooded Crows: green 300 (-3) and bluesilver 327 (+14) gram. Barn Owls: red 354 (=) and green 370 (-2) gram. Little Owls: red 195 (+1), silver 190 (-2), blue 183 (-1), orange 181 (-2) and green 180 (+4) gram. Redred 186 (+1), blueblue 180 (=) and silversilver 177 (-3) gram. We had to put down the Carrier-Pigeon with the spinal injury (07-062, May 16th ’07) because the whole situation and condition worsened. The Pigeon with the leg-amputation (07-093; June 15th ’07) was transferred to the pigeon-cage in “The Keep”. We have tried to release 4 Swifts, but with 2 we were not (yet ??) successful. Releases: We have released well the Swifts 07-094 (June 15th ’07) and 07-112 (June 25th ’07). At 11.43 a.m. we had the box with what was announced as a “little swallow” in our hands. At home-coming however we couldn’t discover a bird in the box, and there were ventilation-holes in the box an adult Sparrow could have escaped without any problem: . . . . ?? Later we discovered in a tuft of cotton an, almost the seize of the nail of our little finger, baby-swallow; yesterday just hatched . . . . This we couldn’t handle properly and so was promoted into Hoopoe-fodder. Further not in the statistics. And within 3 hours we could take back the one-legged Pigeon from the pigeon-cage in “The Keep” > was seriously pecked by the other inhabitants. Hereafter we could read the following on the Internet: Attica’s worst fire in a decade razes Parnitha
A firefighting aircraft drops water on the slopes of Mount Parnitha in Attica yesterday after firemen battled an overnight blaze estimated to have destroyed some 3,000 hectares of forestland. Firefighters continued their efforts to extinguish the blaze last night. Opposition parties blamed the government for a lack of organization and action in combating the fire, the biggest seen in Attica for more than a decade. The worst forest fire in more than a decade yesterday ravaged some 3,000 hectares of Mount Parnitha, one of the few oases of green in Attica's concrete jungle, as ash rained down on the capital. Meanwhile fires in other parts of the country, many of which had started on Thursday, continued to burn, some threatening homes. The worst of the blazes were in Pelion, Schimatari, north of Athens, and Ágia near Larissa. Several blazes also broke out in Halkidiki, ravaged by a huge fire last summer. Troops joined hundreds of firefighters in efforts to contain the blaze on Parnitha, which started on Thursday afternoon at Dervenohoria, some 15 kilometers away. Several water-dropping planes spearheaded firefighting efforts from the air. Light rainfall yesterday evening made the firefighters' job easier. Public Order Minister Byron Polydoras had earlier yesterday called for curbs on water being dumped from the air amid fears that electricity pylons might be hit. His call reportedly provoked the ire of Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis. But Polydoras claimed the government had «tackled a difficult task with relative success.» Leaders of opposition parties visiting the sites of the blazes condemned the government. PASOK leader George Papandreou slammed authorities for «ineffective planning.» But the sharpest criticism came from environmentalists and local residents. «Mount Parnitha was crucial for the climate of the city,» said Dimitris Karavellas, head of WWF Greece. «The effects of this disaster will be felt for months,» he said. More than 300 fires have broken out in Greece since Wednesday, fueling speculation that some were the work of arsonists. Supreme Court prosecutor Giorgos Sanidas yesterday ordered an investigation into what caused the blazes and whether any individuals or officials should be charged. Fire also ravaged Cyprus's Troödos mountain range yesterday, threatening holiday homes. Three more die in record heat wave Three more people have died as a result of the prolonged heat wave, the Health Ministry said yesterday as environmental experts warned that the forest fire on Mount Parnitha will likely lead to hotter temperatures in Attica in the future. The three people who died yesterday were identified as an 84-year-old man from Athens, a 72-year-old woman from Chalkida on the island of Evia, and a 59-year-old man from Karditsa in central Greece. All three had been hospitalized with heatstroke symptoms on Thursday. Their deaths brought to 12 the total number of Greeks to die during the record heat wave that sorely tried the country for the past two weeks. Although the temperature in Attica dropped yesterday, environmental experts warned that there is likely to be little respite from sweltering temperatures in the future after an estimated 3,000 hectares of forest on Mount Parnitha were burned. Dimitris Karavellas, the head of WWF Greece, said the impact of the fire would be felt “through the worsening quality of air in the city, the increase in the average temperature and floods, which we will likely experience this winter.” “Attica used to have a specific climate, for which it was well known,” Giorgos Kallos, associate professor of meteorology at the University of Athens, told Kathimerini. “But urbanization and the other changes that accompany it have disturbed the local climate, which is not what it used to be.” Kallos said that the disappearance of forests around Attica was one of the factors that would contribute to higher temperatures in the future. At 4.10 p.m. the announced 2 Swifts arrived from Mytiléne : see over there. At 5 p.m. a phone/call from Melínda (after Plomári) that they had over there an (injured ??) quite huge bird of prey. Because both trainees had their day-off and we had to do all the feedings, picking-up the bird was impossible for us. After lots of phone-calls we had arranged that the bird should be brought by taxi. At 6 p.m. a phone-call that the bird was on its way and should be delivered for the amount of 57 Euro !! And so we had him/her, a juvenile LONG-LEGGED BUZZARD, at 7.18 p.m. but meanwhile the bird had changed temporarily life for the eternal life: so the first big heat-victim this year. Further not in the statistics (except for the spending for the taxi). Total amount of visitors this month: 031 (total this year: 239) Kinds of animals who are mentioned like this were for the first time in treatment in the L.W.H. Amount of kilometers (Animal-Ambulance) for bringing-in/releasing animals this month 398 (total this year 1311 kilometers) Total amount of intakes this month: 46 [wild ones: 43; others 03], (total this year 132: wild ones 095, others 037; total since the start of registration in 1996: 3675) of which: BARN OWL (Tyto a. alba x Tyto a. guttata): 1 juvenile from Mytiléne > an “astling”. Green ring left foot.
Bodyweight at intake was 291 gram. BLACKBIRD (Turdus merula): 1 good grown-up male from Mytiléne > quite seriously bitten by cats. Firstly only antibiotics were injected > tomorrow we’ll check the injuries (were already treated with Bethadine by the discoverer). (see as well June 9th). Crag Martin (Ptyonoprogne rupestris): 1 juvenile from the rocks around Hotel Petalidi (in between Paralía Thermís and Paralía Mistegnón) > so trying again to bring it up. (see as well June 9th).
CAT (Felis catus): “Gonda” from the L.W.H. (06-196B; September 22nd ’06). Was successfully “de-mothered”. HOUSE-SPARROW (Passer domesticus): 4 the first was a juvenile from Mória > so we’re going to give it a try again. (see as well June 11th). The second was juvenile as well, but that was hardly visible any more > so big already. Was sitting in the midst of the street and had evidently had a “kiss” from a car. So observation cerebral. (see as well June 14th). Number 3 was a juvenile and came from Mytiléne. (see as well June 17th). The 4th, as well a juvenile, came out of a nest in one of the windows in the House-next-door. Rescued out of the mouth of “Foúrno” (see June 20th & 28th). HOUSE MARTIN (Delichon urbica): 1 juvenile from Mória > so trying to bring it up again. HOODED CROW (Corvus corone cornix sharpii): 2; the first was a juvenile from the Castle of Mytiléne > was “left behind” by the parents (see as well June 22nd & 23rd). The 2nd was discovered just at the entrance of Eressós and plucked-away from before a car by 2 Swiss tourists. Was as well a juvenile and not injured. LITTLE OWL (Athene noctua indigena): 3 juveniles, the 1st via the Vet Myrsíni Tourvalí > should be in an alarming condition, with bloody eyes etc. Was by the driver of the coach overlooked and not delivered at the Petrol-station. By lovely Dutch ladies plucked from the coach in Mólivos and delivered over here. Was much too light, but that was the only thing that was wrong. Received 2 silver rings.
The 2nd came from Parákoila and was a bit older that all the predecessors: the eyes had changed color already into yellow. Intake-weight was 154 gram. Ring color redred..
The 3rd was a brother/sister of nr. 2. Received double blue rings. Intake-weight was 144 gram (so as well much too light).
SPURR-TIGHED TORTOISE (Testudo graeca ibera): 1, * 2006. Was on it’s way for food, but as well to a certain death. Due to the attention of Samantha the 2nd option could be prevented.
Body-weight at intake was 68 gram and that’s not enough !! PIGEON (Columba livia dom): 3; the first was an adult from Mytiléne > has lost lots of feathers of the left wing, but the left foot was only hanging on a piece of skin. There was as well a high fracture of the tibiotarso. Foot was only tied-up > will fall-off after some days (See as well June 30th). The 2nd came from the same town, was quite juvenile but had as well Trichomoniasis (Pigeon-canker). Was bone-thin. The crop was opened and 1 tablet of Spartrix could be placed under the obstruction. As well enough “yellow stuff” was removed making drinking possible. Further wait and see. (see as well June 17th). The 3rd came as well from Mytiléne and was caught by a cat. The Vet Myrsíni Tourvalí had stitched already all the injuries (she said). Over here it showed to be that, except from the back and the right side of the thorax (which were stitched), there was an immense injury close to the right leg, through which the bird couldn’t stand straight normally due to clogged feathers. Those were removed and the injury was closed with 4 staples. Because of the cat-bite antibiotics were injected. SWIFT (Apus apus): 12; the first was a juvenile from Mytiléne > had only made a “crash-landing”. (See as well June 30th). The 2nd came as well from Mytiléne, was much smaller, but we’re going to give it a try again. The 3rd was almost full-grown, came as well from Mytiléne and had a small problem with the right wing (fracture ??). Number 4 came as well from Mytiléne and was also a juvenile (See as well June 30th). The 5th came from the same town and wasn’t yet fully grown (see as well June 26th). Number 6 came from Mandamádos and wasn’t yet fully grown as well. Evidently the too hot weather is playing its role in this as well. (See as well June 30th). The 7th came from Mytiléne again and was very small. Number 8 came from Mória and was in quite a bad condition: pulmonal-fluid !! Due to good willing (but without knowledge ??) efforts of the discoverer ?? Was dead already before 11.15 p.m. The 9th was discovered already some days ago in Mytiléne by students of the University. Due to the good advices of Vet Myrsíni Tourvalí (and she knew that from us) they had been able to keep it alive till today, after graduating, they had time to bring him/her. Number 10 was announced as being NO Swift > so NO; it was a Swift. Came from Mória and was as well a juvenile. The next two came from Mytiléne as well and were also juveniles. HOOPOE (Upupa epops): 1 juvenile from the fields somewhere around Mytiléne > so try to bring it up. Body-weight in only about half of what an adult should have !! The mucous membranes of the mouth are very pale !!
YELLOW-LEGGED GULL (Larus cachinnans michael.): 3; the first was an adult from the “Kantína” next to the Salines > oil-victim, but in this case it was sunburn lotion with coco-smell. First livening up and cleaning afterwards. The first washing was given the day after intake: luckily the damage to our side was minimal. (see as well June 17th & 27th).
The 2nd came from Mytiléne and had an (old) fracture of the left wing (pulse-joint). However, in spite of the age of the fracture started with Dermisol-solvens. (see as well June 25th). The 3rd came from Nifáda and was discovered there. Because of the purple color of the inside of the mouth, we’re thinking about a poisoning. PALLID SWIFT (Apus pallidus): 1 quite full-grown bird, discovered in Agiássos. Observation and a release as soon as possible. (see as well June 19th). BALKAN TERRAPIN (Mauremys rivulata): 1 adult ; discovered in the streets in Dípi. Minor injuries at the shell, but more seriously at the head (fracture os frontale & eye-injuries [??]. Was named in the past Stripe-necked Terrapin – Mauremys caspica. (see as well June 21st) HE-DOG (Canis familiaris): 2; the first came from our village. Was by a sheep-breeder quite seriously injured with an old-fashioned sheep-shears with square ends. Huge injury in left groin. Injury-toilet and stitched with 7 stitches. Dog will be back in about a fortnight for decently trimming. The 2nd came from Skála Kallonís and had quite a huge injury on a flank > with the help of local anesthetics we could close the injury with 7 stitches. PIPISTRELLE BAT (Pipistrellus pipistrellus): 8 from Skála Eressoú. Hereunder 1 mother with 2 sucklings. It’s the first time we have this over here !! Total amount of discovered bats: 10, but 2 had died meanwhile.
(see as well June 21st & 22nd) |
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