Aegean voyages and beyond!
After their chicks fledged and flew from the nest, the parents spread their wings for the long migratory journey. Each followed a different route, but all with a common destination: the coasts of North Africa, where they spent the winter.
While we were under the impression that Aegean gulls were an exclusively coastal species, our red-billed gulls impressed us once again, as they seem to have flown from the mainland and even crossed high mountains to shorten their journey!
Upon reaching North Africa, they remained there throughout the winter, where the Association des Amis des Oiseaux (Association des Amis des Oiseaux), a BirdLife partner in Tunisia, spotted one of our gulls during the Midwinter Waterbird Census feeding in their wetlands, as had happened in previous years.
Telemetry allows us to monitor them in real time, and transmitters help us understand where these rare and endangered seabirds go when they leave their colonies. This way, we can protect them more effectively, not only in Greece, but also identify threats along their migration routes and understand the needs of the species at the Mediterranean level.
The Greek seas hide countless secrets and have many surprises in store for us… Stay tuned, the Aegean seagulls still have many stories to reveal!
