BATS, BIRDS, BEES & other flying things

Greece is blessed with a wide variety of flying things, including varieties of birds that were once common in the UK but no longer are. On Kefalonia there’s a water-fowl sanctuary at the end of the Koutavos lagoon in Argostoli, where you’ll find swans, geese and ducks, and it’s quite common to see cormorants close to rocky beaches. You’re also quite likely to see some very big birds of prey overhead, including buzzards. If you drive from Argostoli – Lixouri you’ll pass, at the end of the Argostoli Gulf, the Livadi wetland area where it’s common to see various wading birds, particularly when the weather is bad. See also: Bird Watching.

Greece is famous for its honey and, especially in rural areas, you might notice collections of small white, wooden cubes (OK, sometimes they might be painted sky blue) – Greek beehives. The bees, even the big black ones (“flying olives”), aren’t a problem. Unless you upset them. Don’t upset the bees!!! Greek honey is pure, natural and… delicious. You can find Greek honey in the local shops and you might notice that local Kefalonian honey tends to be more expensive than, say, honey from Crete. The less expensive honey tends to be better for pouring; Kefalonian honey is thicker in consistency. When you're out and about you might notice hand-painted signs on gates and walls advertising home-made honey: the word to lookout for is μελι (meli).

You might also come across some bats darting about during early evening. They aren’t especially photogenic in close-up but they’re totally harmless to humans and do a great job devouring the midges, as do the House-Martens and Swallows. It’s quite fascinating to watch these birds swooping down to the pools for water and, if you’re lucky, you might have a nest above your door - of course, they’re totally harmless so please don’t disturb the nests.

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