Portrait of a Greek village in Chalkidi

Our home in Greece is in a rural coastal village in Chalkidiki. The village was established in the 1930s by Greek refugees from Turkey following the catastrophic exchange of populations after the collapse of the Ottoman empire.  The original houses were modest 2-3 room affairs built of mudbrick. As the wealth of the local population has improved, these mudbrick houses have gradually been replaced, in the 60s and 70s by three storey houses for three generations of a family (though in many cases the third storey remains unbuilt) or more recently by apartment blocks. These ventures, and the tavernas and bars were a means of allowing locals to supplement their income from agriculture, fishing or other small business ventures.More recently the tavernas and bars have become the main source of income during the summer months.

 When we came eight years ago, the village was a small agricultural and fishing village, with an area to one side consisting of holiday apartments. We chose our apartment because it was on the edge of the village away from the sea front with its tavernas and bars. It has a view of the countryside inland.

We have learned that most of the holiday apartments are owned either by well-off Thessalonians who use them as weekenders during the summer, or by Germans. Since the expansion of the European Union, there are noticeably more Bulgarians and Romanians holidaying here.  What is extraordinary is that the summer holiday season only lasts for about six to eight weeks. Outside this period, the place is dead, (as we discovered to our cost one New Year when we were trying to find an open taverna).  An entry on Wikipedia estimates that a permanent population of 1520 is swelled to around 20,000 during the season. This puts considerable strain on rubbish collections, which are well-organised and frequent here, and water supply, which tends to dry up at about 6pm when the holiday population has returned home from the beach and are taking their showers. 

Our village is typical of the expansion of tourist developments since the 1970s, which have sprung up in a ribbon along the coastlines of Chalkidiki. The Rough Guide notes that these developments have swept away both agricultural plots and wildlife havens as they grow. Expanding resorts increase local employment, often attracting inland workers to the coast. The generation that would have once herded sheep or goats, or tended their small vegetable patches, now work in tourist bars and tavernas.

The developments round our village are typical of this trend. Eight years ago there were fields and swampy wetlands between us and the next village, 2km away. Reed beds were home to a variety of birds. The tinkling of bells heralded the shepherd, who regularly drove his flock of goats past our apartment. In the intervening years, the wetlands have been gradually filled and bulldozed, and gradually roads have been made. Heavy earth moving machinery means that an ancient meadow or in our case the delicate ecology of a wetland can be swept away in a morning’s work. The space between us and the next village is gradually filling up with new apartment blocks.

Whilst this expansion to the south has been taking place, the village has seen other development too. There is now a paved esplanade along the seafront planted with palm trees. Easter marks the time when the village apparently wakes up and there is a hive of activity. The tavernas and bars have increased in number, and seem to get an annual refit. A lot of white paint is applied to kerbs and the lower part of tree trunks. There is much pruning of trees – the palm trees have their lower fronds removed. Aspen trees and poplars provide shade, but are subject to an annual savaging which leaves them looking pretty ugly. Surprisingly these amputated branches seem to recover and throw out new shoots pretty quickly. The better bars have put in gardens consisting of lawns upon which tables and chairs are provided for beer and coffee drinkers, with borders of flowers such as gladioli and roses. The lawns are mowed and everything is kept well watered..Away from the seafront, a triangle of land between three roads outside our apartment has become a well-tended parkland space.  It has about 16 palm trees, a couple of rose beds and grass. It is tended regularly by council workers who come once a week. They strim the grass (I cannot understand why they do not use a mower – strimming takes three times as long), weed the rose beds and as it is spring they have today been pruning the palm trees. I notice that for this they use a long-handled saw driven by a motor similar to the ones we use at home. All the palm fronds are gathered in a heap and will be taken away later.

So we are tidied up and modernised, but at considerable expense to wildlife. And at the expense of the traditional way of life. The shepherd has moved elsewhere. And sadly, down the street, a shed in which three old men distilled tsipouro (like ouzo) has long since gone.

A wild life in Greece

Easter is the best time to be in Greece. (Unless you happen to be a lamb, in which case it is best to leave the country at an early opportunity). The weather can be variable – quite cool, to very warm – but this is not the reason for it being the best time. It is best because of the wonderful spring awakening of its wildlife. People who come only in the summer miss a treat. Everywhere is a mosaic of flowers, which attract a multitude of insects, and they in turn bring the birds to life. The countryside is a riot of colour: arable fields are rich with an abundance of scarlet poppies, blue bugloss, white and yellow daisies, wild peas, gladioli and grape hyacinths. According to The Rough Guide, Greece has about four times as many native flowering plants as Britain. In isolated areas, such as Mount Olympus, species have developed which are found nowhere else. It also has many species of orchid, but the slopes of Olympus are the only place I have seen any.

One’s first impressions of the Greeks’ attitude to wildlife tend to be negative. Anywhere that is not farmed land is left as wasteland. Littering and fly tipping appear to be endemic, although to be fair, the natives do use a bin if one is provided. However at the end of a public holiday, these bins are overflowing and big piles of rubbish rise up.  Farming is still carried out on a small scale in many areas, and plants growing in the wild, such as greens, herbs, figs, plums and cherries are still harvested by many Greeks. Only those species that have a practical use are regarded as having a value.

But this view is in contrast to efforts devoted to conserving wild areas. Greek TV programmes regularly highlight the beauty of some of these places. There are some spectacular parts of the country, such as the mountainous regions in the north-west, where national parks have been created.  These parks don’t appear to have the same status as British national parks, but nevertheless are protected, in theory at least, and respected by most Greeks. 

Greeks are amazingly good at setting things up. Money for projects comes from the Ministry of Culture, the local municipality, and mostly from the European Union. An example is an amenity near a village in the mountains that we visited over Easter. It is on the edge of a gorge leading to the higher peaks of Mt Pieria, (some of the highest in Greece, in the same range as Olympus) and boasts some spectacular views. A 2km footpath has been created up one of the walls of the gorge. It leads eventually to the top of a small peak, where there are the remains of a Byzantine castle.  Safety railings have been erected along the gorge path, then for the last 700m a paved path takes you to the castle. In the grounds there is a recently erected pavilion with seats, housing information boards in Greek and English giving some of the history and background to the site.  But there are a few destructive individuals (teenagers on trail bikes? Is there a thread of similarity with Britain emerging?) who spoil it for everyone by damaging the notices, breaking the timber in the seats and who spray graffiti on any available surface.  This has not yet happened at this particular site, but there are three information boards around the site that no longer contain any information. The difference between Greece and the UK is that there appears to be no money for ongoing maintenance, so that once something is damaged, it stays that way. A visit to some of the lesser known archaeological sites, in which an effort is made to protect the wildlife habitat, often reveals a forlorn and neglected visitor facility.

The walk up the Gorge was lovely. It is limestone and has some craggy outcrops. In these rocks it was possible to spot birds nesting, but other than rock pigeons and a lone buzzard, I was not able to identify any others. The wildflowers were in abundance here too, though more of the alpine variety. As well as the poppies and bugloss, which grow everywhere, I noted some aubretia growing in clefts and blue anemones in the grassy patches. There was a preponderance of small yellow flowers, which I think were probably some kind of ragwort. The lower slopes of the mountains, which are difficult to farm, are left to regenerate. Here you see a mass of bright lilac-purple blossom, which at first I thought were a variety of wild cherry. I eventually identified these as  the Judas Tree. It grows everywhere in this region. The purple is interspersed with yellow, a combination of broom and gorse.

I haven’t noticed any particular fauna in Greece, though I know there are bears in the mountains, and boars which are hunted. There are also small creatures that the locals call squirrels, but they are more like chipmunks. In great numbers on the beach of our seaside village we see crested larks. It is also surprisingly easy to see tortoises trundling about. You might be sitting at a quiet place looking at the view when suddenly there is crashing about in the undergrowth.  You sit and wait and eventually you will be rewarded with the emergence of a tortoise in search of good forage. The Greeks appear to like tortoises and will drive round one if it happens to be crossing the road. This is not the case for cats, dogs and hedgehogs, carcases of which it is easy to see at the side of any road. I am frustrated by my ignorance of local fauna. It would be helpful to have one of my colleagues from the Countryside Service to help me out with their superior knowledge of what to look for, as I am sure that there are many more things here, if only I could see them. But I have my reference books, so some more study is in order, I think.

Building steps - footpath maintenance

It's a funny thing, this blogging lark. A friend remarked recently that it is quite addictive, and he's right.  I'm currently in foreign climes. Initially I thought, oh well, I'll just leave it. Then I thought, actually, I could write about nature on my travels.  We have now found a means of connecting to the internet, so I am able to update the blog. What is fascinating is the statistics that the software provides you with. How on earth have I ended up with readers in the US and Canada?  Are they the same people each time, or completely different individuals? France, India, Croatia, Iran, Belarus, Russia, South Africa. What? How?  The ones in the UK, Australia, Greece and Switzerland can all be explained. 

Now where was I? Ah yes. On a footpath which crosses farmland in a valley over the hill from us.  I was forewarned that this was a big job, so it was all hands on deck.  There were two wardens and three volunteers, plus a very important person in the shape of the Inspector of Footpaths. He was in charge of operations for the day, which started with the usual briefing.  It is nine years since complaints were first received from the local Footpaths Society about the fact that the bridge at the stream crossing was in a sad state of disrepair. That and a series of delicate negotiations with the farmer whose land it crosses are an indication of how thinly resources are stretched. An agreement was reached with the farmer whereby access to build the footbridge was permitted in exchange for rebuilding two stiles and installing a wicket gate. Technically the building and maintenance are his responsibility, whilst the Countryside Service merely provides the kit.

We split into two teams, one to do the stiles, the other to do work by the new bridge, which  had recently been installed by a team working to the Footpaths Inspector. Our job consisted of making good the approaches to the bridge on either side. One approach was down a steep bank, and it was here that we were to construct a series of steps, using a variety of wooden planks and stakes which we had brought with us. 

Our job was particularly awkward, as the steps were to be constructed around the roots of a large tree, which spread out in all directions. As a consequence, some cogitation took place regarding a possible route for the steps. Eventually a plan was hatched which would incorporate some of the tree roots as steps.  We proceeded by firstly constructing a revetment parallel to the proposed steps. The planks were cut to size and a small trough cut to provide a flat base for them.  The planks are held in place by hammering large stakes into the ground on either side. Then we dug out the soil to level off the ground, thereby making the tread of the step. The tree roots posed such an obstacle that the size and shape of the steps up the bank were largely determined by them. Finding a rootless piece of ground into which to drive a stake was an interesting challenge.  My role in all of this was some sawing, some cutting of steps and the collection of some barrow loads of shingle from the stream. This was spread on the steps as a top layer.  I didn't do any hammering as I am not much good at it.

During the whole exercise, my co-workers kept up a constant stream of mock Father Ted repartee. Both were able to re-produce an authentic sounding Irish brogue, which kept me laughing for most of the day. One of the joys of volunteering with these people is that they are such fun to be with. It is also great to be doing something that is worthwhile at the same time.

Whilst we were working, the other team headed up by the Footpaths Inspector worked on the wicket gate and the stiles.  The man proclaimed himself very satisfied with our efforts at the end of the day, and took numerous photographs of the volunteers. There is no doubt that the Countryside Service derives a great benefit from our labours. My co-volunteer today is a short but strong man, with a cheery disposition and a great sense of fun. He worked incredibly hard all day, only occasionally stopping for a short rest. He is a great inspiration to me, as I sometimes feel like a bit of a spare part.  They are all good at involving me, even though I lack some of the skills that are required in this job.

Brambles and birds

Every job has its mundane aspects, and my job as a volunteer for the Countryside Service is no exception. I didn't write about last week because we spent the entire day removing plastic tree guards from trees and hedging, which are large enough to no longer require protection.  In the morning we were in a location along the trail where there is some new hedging. I can't pretend that I enjoyed this very much as it involved crawling on all fours or slithering about one one's stomach underneath a prickly hawthorn hedge.  In the afternoon we were at the riverside site where the guards were round trees. It was a much easier job.  This site is quite large, so we spent quite a long time walking about to find the guards that needed removing. Much of the job involves walking about and just seeing what is going on. So my partner for this activity, the warden, was taking a mental note of the birds we observed as we were walking around, and looking for evidence for other wildlife. There was a badger trail at one point, but no evidence of frogs in the pond yet.

This week we were back at the riverside site.  In November we had had a day of tree-felling, but one of our number had spent the same day chopping back brambles in a clearing.  It was to this clearing we returned, and our task was to dig out the bramble roots.  This work was as back breaking as shovelling out the drains was a couple of weeks ago.  The roots are deep and penetrating, often in a tangle, with runners that go along to the next overground growth. The soil was wet and claggy and before long our boots, forks, gloves and trousers were covered in the stuff.  Trying to get hold of a root and pull, with muddy gloves that slip and slide is not an easy thing to do.  By lunch time we were both quite tired, and disappointingly only a very small patch had been cleared. But we decided to call it quits for the day, and in the afternoon we spent our time more productively planting tree saplings.  There is a small nursery next to the depot, from where we collected some hazel, birch, hawthorn and field maple. We planted these in specific spots where it was deemed necessary to create more cover.  

I have mentioned before how my remunerated colleagues are very good at explaining what they do and why. As the planting proceeded, I received a lengthy exposition about the features of a natural woodland, which the lads are trying to recreate. Remembering that this site was a brownfield site reclaimed, initially the woodland was allowed to grow by itself. Then some planting took place to try to introduce some variety of species. After some years, some trees are felled to make space for other trees to grow larger. After some more years, more trees are planted, in order to produce a varied age range of the trees in the wood. This all happens naturally, but what we are doing do is speeding up the process.  A natural woodland has clearings, where old trees have died, fallen and rotted away, and rides. A ride is a linear open space within a wood derived from the need for access. Rides may have a hard surface but are usually unsurfaced.  Most commonly rides consist of a central grass zone with a mixed herbaceous and shrub zone on one or both sides. A track becomes a ride when it is wide enough to make a break in the canopy overhead.  Because the light penetrates, a greater variety of plant life occurs, which in turn supports a greater variety of animal life than in the rest of the woodland. Since my memory is rather poor, I checked up on this at home later. My source for this information was again the Forestry Commission, which produces a plethora of How-to-do-it guides for woodland management.

The warden has been speaking to me recently about the need to conduct a bird survey of their woodland areas. I had previously expressed an interested in taking part. Toward the end of the day, it was fixed that we would conduct a survey the following morning: the weather forecast was for a dry, settled day.  This meant arriving early. Birds are generally active early in the morning and late afternoon.

The Countryside Service carry out this survey on a voluntary basis for the BTO (British Trust for Ornithology).  The surveys take place maybe four or five times between March and June and the information collected gives a snapshot of the state of birdlife in the country.

Armed with some large scale maps of the area, we started from base along the trail. My tutor was observing, I was recording on the map what he heard or saw.  There are symbols for sightings of birds sitting, birds flying, with a start point and end point, birds calling, birds singing, birds in aggressive display, birds making nests.  There are symbols codes for the different species and sexes.  There were the usual blue tits, great tits, blackbirds and robins, but also a couple of warblers, two or three song thrushes, a woodpecker, chiff chaffs, chaffinch, goldfinches, dunnocks, and tree creepers.  We spent two hours walking slowly around the bluebell wood and along the trail.  "The only job where you get paid to walk slowly", said the warden with some wry amusement.  The highlight was seeing a pair of tree creepers with nesting material, and eventually spotted where they were making their nest, in a cleft under some bark in an ancient chestnut tree.  My companion, a keen birder himself, was delighted with this, as he had not previously seen where tree creepers nest.  We stood and watched for a few minutes. They are such sleek, pretty little birds. I am pleased we will have a family there soon. The end of our walk took us out near some houses, and there we encountered a large flock of house sparrows. Nice to see them, they have become so scarce in some parts of the country.  The warden was happy with our survey. One of the results was to note that quite a number of the nest boxes we put up are being used.  The next stage is to transfer all the information to a master map, which is something I may get involved in in future.