GRIFFON VULTURES – SELINARI GORGE, CRETE.
Griffon Vultures prefer orange rocks and that is why they have established a colony on the cliffs of the Selinari Gorge in Crete, that and the fact that they like a south facing position to protect them from the cold north winds and give them every benefit of the heat from the sun. The rock face of the Selinari Gorge offers all the right conditions to make the vultures comfortable enough to set up home, as it were, build their nests and incubate their young.
Incubation occurs between December and April and this is an excellent time to see the birds. Between 9 a.m. and 12 noon every day it is possible to witness the coming and going from the nest of these giant monsters of the sky. They have a wingspan of approximately 2.6 meters which is slightly smaller than the normal average of approximately 2.8 meters. Nevertheless they appear to be very big birds as they circle and swoop overhead before slowly descending, airoplane-like, with feet down and wings slightly bent and tilted as they approach their particular ledge.
There are about 35 birds in the colony at Selinari with 12 nesting pairs a year. Each bird weighs approximately 80.5 kg and is brown in color. Although 70% of the colony will produce young, only 50% of these new chicks will survive. Mortality is high due to the fact that the chick is only fed by its parents for two months, after this time it has to fend for itself. Many are too weak to go far in search of food. The high winds of July and August cause many others to be drowned or slammed against the rocks. Therefore out of 12 breeding pairs only 7 or 8 will nest every year out of which only 2 or 3 young will survive. The colony does not therefore increase so much every year and the maximum number spotted at Selinari has been 40. Young birds, obviously, are better breeders.
The lack of food is becoming an increasing problem for the Griffon Vultures. They feed on the dead carcasses of goats and sheep and due to the better care of these animals by the shepherds then there are less dead animals to be found. One sheep carcass, however, can feed between 10 and 15 vultures, and, as they don’t need to feast every day, then at the moment they can survive. They are also adapting to the shortage and finding other animals to satisfy their hunger. The Griffon Vultures do not kill their prey though they have been known to carry off an injured lamb or hare.
Although March through to August is an optimum time for activity on the nest the remaining months can provide very exciting viewing. The best place to observe the birds is in the gorge itself, which, as the main road runs directly through it, is very easily accessed. Most days several birds can be seen soaring on the thermals above Vrahassi, which is a small village perched on the side of the mountain, Anavlohos, only a few kilometers from Selinari. If you are fit enough to take the mountain track out of the village and onto the top of Anavlohos , then you may be very lucky, as I was, and have a Griffon Vulture swoop past you only a few feet away.
Article written by Jane Sharp – 13 April 2007
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