The NCC contributes to our knowledge of the avifauna of the Aegean rocky islets in various ways, in particular through the installation of recording devices such as microphones and automatic cameras. The recordings made with automatic cameras are particularly valuable as they are carried out without disturbing the birds. However, observations during missions by the NCC team are also important.
On the Makares islands, east of Naxos, during recent expeditions the following species of birds were observed as residents on the island of Agios Nikolaos: Scopoli´s shearwater (Calonectris diomedea), Yelkouan shearwater (Puffinus yelkouan), Yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis), Rock dove(Columba livia), European shag (Gulosus aristotelis), Common raven (Corvus corax), Bonelli´s eagle (Aquila fasciata), Eurasian scop´s owl(Otus scops), Common swift (Apus apus), Alpine swift (Tachymarptis melba), White wagtail (Motacilla alba), Blue- rock thrush (Monticola solitarius), European greenfinch (Chloris chloris), Sardinian warbler (Curruca melanocephala).
The recordings of a white-tailed godwit feeding her young next to a small rainwater pond in an old quarry (see video below) underline the importance of the presence of water on small islands, especially for the feeding of young birds (the image at the beginning of the article was processed with artificial intelligence).
