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What
does Gypaetus Barbatus mean?
Gypaetus
refers to my species. Lammergeyer.
Barbatus means mustached. This name is justified by the long black hair,
which starts from my beak and looks like a beard. The first time I heard
of that, it sounded funny. Well, I’ve heard more of that kind. At the
old times, when our ancestors were living in Cyclades, Leucada, Nauplion,
Taygetus, Helmos and in the island of Rhodes, we were called
“Halinarades” (Bridle-carriers), because our mustaches reminded them
of bridles.
Don’t
you have any relatives at those places actually?
Unfortunately,
there is only a few of my kind left in
Greece
. You can find some
at
Sterea Ellada
,
Macedonia
and Thraki, whereas
the majority of our population is located in
Crete
. We are not many
here either, just thirty individuals. Keep in mind that the population
of
Crete
is the only viable
population in
Greece
and the Balkans, but
it is also the greatest island population in the whole of
Europe
and the world.
How
are things outside of
Greece
?
There
are relatives of mine located at the mountain chain of Pyrenean
(Spain-France 77 couples), at the
island
of
Corsica
(10 couples) and in
the Balkans (2-3 couples). Some of us, with human help, moved to the
Alps
during the last few
years (about 80 individuals).
Though
it hasn’t always been like that…
No.
Until the beginnings of the 20th century, we were living in
almost every rocky mountain, not only those that belong to the mainland
but also the islands
What
happened?
What
happened… this is a sad story… they started going after us at some
point. They said we destroyed their flocks. That we took away their
children from inside their cradles. They were afraid of us. They made
poisonous baits and we, being unaware of the dangers, used to eat them.
The animals that die from natural reasons out there, our natural food
source, are hard to find anymore. We used to go after small mammals as
well, which also disappear. There is no much food for us now. When
humans see us, they often shoot with no second thought. I never really
understood what happened, where it all started from and why…
So
there was no reason for humans to be afraid of you?
What
reason? Here in
Crete
they call us “Kokkalades”.
Do you know what that means? We feed from bones. Up to a 70 to 90% of
our diet comes from bones of dead animals. What danger are we talking
about? Let alone that we
have been cleaning the mountains from all these bones and cadavers. All
the animals that look strong scare humans, it’s as simple as that. You
want to be the conqueror of nature.
Bones?
Why do you feed yourself
with bones?
Look,
our stomach secretes very strong gastric fluids, which are able to
dissipate bones. There are many nutritious ingredients in a bone, which
are also easy to store. Let alone that there is not much of a competition for
this kind of food. Are you aware of many who can eat bones, especially
between the large animals?
No,
not to be honest. And how do you break them up in order to eat them?
There
is a special technique for that. Initially, since it is not possible for
us to tear up the corpses of animals by ourselves, we need the help of
other big vultures. Nowadays, because all other vultures are extinct
too, we have a problem. Anyway, if we assume that we manage to get to a
body, we swallow the smallest bones entirely. The bigger ones, well, we
break them by throwing them to the ground with a special, unique
technique. We knock them over from a great height and let them fall onto
rocky, harsh cliffs, following them to the ground through a spiral
descent, a process which we keep repeating, until they break up into
small pieces and then we eat them, starting from the marrow which is the
tastier and most nutritious part.
Do
you often meet with other individuals of your species remaining in
Crete
?
No,
just scarcely. I would say that I am a lonely bird.
I live with my mate and I don’t like it when the rest of the
barbatus invade my territory, especially when they are adult
individuals. My territory covers something like 350 square kilometers
and in times of need I stand up for it vigorously against possible
invaders. When I was young I used to travel long distances, but I’ve
always been feeling homesick and was coming back to the locations I was
born at. Now that I’m older I’ve become a humming bird. I wouldn’t
let my mountains, not even to travel to the nearest one. So I don’t
meet with other eagles often.
Do
you live exclusively in the mountains?
Yes,
I am a highlander. I usually like to fly at an altitude of 1500-4000
meters. I like reserves above woodlands, in rocky areas with harsh
banks, steep cliffs and alpic-like meadows. During winter, because of
the snow, sometimes I move to semi-mountainous areas (500-800 meters).
From mid December to the end of January I nest inside small caves at
abrupt rocks or in deep gorges with high pitch slopes. I guess I just
love to fly high. To gaze at the ground, to keep an eye on the area and
the creatures that move on it. You know, this is an exceptional sense of
freedom, an exquisite moment of happiness among all those dangers and
threats.
Are
you worried?
Yes,
since I have a family. I have built three big nests and in one of them
are two eggs, which are now under incubation. I won’t let you know in
which one. This is why I have all three of them, so no one knows where
my eggs are. From the time they are born till the time they are hatched
it takes up to 55-75 days. I know that from my two chicks only one is
going to survive. This is the way it has to be done; this is the law of
my species. The one which
will survive will remain in the nest for about four months and the first
time it will open its wings will be by the peak of the summer. I am
extremely looking forward to this moment. Seeing your child flying for
the first time… it will be magic. It will approximately need six years
to become sexually mature. During that period I will be seeing much of
it, but from then on… it will have its own personal life. Anyway,
it’s too early to think about that now…
Is
there any action towards all that?
Thankfully
the last few years, with the help of the Museum of Natural History of
Crete and the Greek Ornithological Society, there was an attempt which
has helped us and I hope they keep it up. However, this is not enough.
The common Cretan has to realize our worth and we have been living for
centuries on those mountains. We have flown above each rock of the Cretan
Mountains, we have laired in
the top of each hill, we have lived and died here. We are more Cretans
than the Cretans themselves. Large-bodied, proud like you, black bearded
like you. We fit in in terms of character and we should live in harmony
with each other.
How
do you feel that you are one of the most rare and large raptors of
Europe
?
Extremely
lonely…
Our
discussion was over. He opened wide his wings and lifted off from the
ground. He had to go back to his nest. I started to shiver while looking
at his huge figure flying higher and higher, till his shadow almost
covered the sun, and then he was gone…
I
was writing this interview during the days of the great cold. I was
thinking about him. I imagined him having moved uphill, awaiting the
birth of his chick, anxious about finding food to feed it. Flying over
the Cretan skies, an imposing, primitive figure, a symbol of a
disappearing
Crete
…
LEFTERIS
GIANNAKOUDAKIS
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