Griffon vultures on the sea cliffs of Cres
Eurasian griffon (Gyps fulvus); also eagle owl, peregrine, blue rock thrush, shag. Cres, Krk, Plavnik and Prvić, Kvarner islands, Croatia.
Best time: 15 May – 15 Aug (May to August). Where: Beli visitor centre and rescue centre (Tramuntana, north Cres), North-east Cres cliffs (Beli – Merag coast), Plavnik island and Prvić (off Krk) (Croatia). Time of day: Colony ledge sound from first light to about 09:00 (from the eco-trail, or a boat before the mistral).
- You can go on your own
- Low cost
- Binoculars essential
- Sound 2/5
Open it in the interactive calendarSunrise and sunset listening times for the day you pick, and the map.
When is the best time?
Peak: 15 May – 15 Aug. Mid May to mid August (large chicks, then fledging June–August); adults at colonies all year, laying from January
Active from 1 Jan to 31 Dec (all year) in a typical year.
Time of day
Colony ledge sound from first light to about 09:00 (from the eco-trail, or a boat before the mistral); birds lift on thermals from about 10:00 and pass the cliffs until mid afternoon.
- Ledge colony: sunrise → 09:00
- Thermals: 10:00 → 15:00
What will you hear?
Hissing and grunting at the ledges, the wind-rip of 2.7 m wings passing low over a boat, chick begging; shags and yellow-legged gulls beneath, cicadas and scops owl in the maquis behind.
Binoculars?
Binoculars essential. Colonies are on sea cliffs seen from eco-trails above or a boat 500 m off; binoculars needed, a scope for the ledges.
Where to go
- Beli visitor centre and rescue centre (Tramuntana, north Cres) — Exhibition, rehabilitated birds in the aviary, trails to cliff viewpoints. Eco-trails above the colonies. Map
- North-east Cres cliffs (Beli – Merag coast) — The only griffon colonies in the world directly above the sea. Boats must keep 500 m in the breeding season. Map
- Plavnik island and Prvić (off Krk) — Ornithological reserves; landing prohibited, viewed from the ferry or a boat at distance. Map
How to go on your own, and what it costs
Beli: drive the narrow road from Cres town to Beli; the eco-trails above the cliffs are free and open, the visitor centre (10:00–14:00/16:00/18:00 by season, closed Mondays outside summer) charges entry. Boats must stay 500 m off the cliffs in the breeding season; Plavnik and Prvić are seen from the Krk ferries at distance.
Cost: Eco-trails free; Beli Visitor Centre entry €7 adult Apr–Oct, €5 Nov–Mar (2026).
Field-recording notes
The critical rule: fledglings panic-fly when boats come close and drown in the sea (the rescue centre exists largely because of this) — the 500 m no-approach zone in the nesting season is law, and colony cliffs on Prvić and Plavnik are closed. Kvarner has strong bora and mistral winds; early morning before the mistral is the only quiet window at sea. Ferry and yacht traffic from Cres and Krk in July–August is constant. Best acoustic strategy is a hydrophone-free, land-based long shotgun from the Beli eco-trail viewpoints with the cliff as a reflector, plus wing-passes recorded at the feeding site the centre manages. Hunting is closed on the islands but shepherds' dogs are everywhere.
Sources
- Beli Visitor Centre
- Beli Visitor Centre – rescue centre
- Vulture Conservation Foundation – Croatia releases
Similar spectacles
Vulture cliffs of the Jonte, Verdon and OssauWing-rush of griffons passing a few metres over the rim, hissing and grunting from the colony ledges, chough flocks and the river below; more a sight than a sound.
Griffon cliffs: Hoces del Duratón, Hoces del Riaza and MonfragüeA griffon colony settling at dusk is a surprisingly loud thing: hisses, grunts and cackles from hundreds of birds squabbling over ledges, the rush of wings passing at head height, choughs and alpine swifts along the wall and, after dark in winter, eagle owls hooting across the gorge.
Griffon vultures of the Bosa coast, SardiniaMostly visual: Italy's largest griffon colony riding the updraughts of volcanic sea cliffs. Sound is the Mediterranean swell under the cliffs, the wing-rush of birds passing close, hissing at the ledges, blue rock thrush and, in summer, Eleonora's falcons chattering along the coast.
Douro Internacional: griffon and Egyptian vultures on the canyon wallsMostly visual, but the canyon is a natural reverb chamber: griffon wing-rush as they pass the viewpoint at eye level, hissing and grunting at the nests carrying across the gorge, alpine swifts screaming along the walls, blue rock thrush and the river far below.
Marmots, ibex and vultures, Hohe TauernMarmot alarm whistles bouncing between glacier-polished walls, chough flocks, ibex hoof-clatter, the wing-rush of a griffon passing at 20 m, ptarmigan; glacier streams and cowbells below.
Bearded vultures and golden eagles of the EngadinSilence and wind — the recording is of the alpine air, chough flocks, marmots and the occasional whoosh of a 2.8 m wingspan overhead; the visual spectacle is the point.
More: all spectacles in Croatia · vultures · birds of prey · Croatia in May · Croatia in June · Croatia in July · Croatia in August