Saturday, March 23, 2013

First Barn Swallow of the year

This year I was the lucky one. Very probably I made first record of a Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) in Slovakia this year. Nice reward for the time spent outside in the field. This great observation was accompanied with other yearlist ticks: heard my first Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita); there was one Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava) in flock of White Wagtails; nice flock of 6 Whooper Swans (Cygnus cygnus) was silenty floating on a dead river-arm of River Morava; 3 Redshanks (Tringa totanus) made short stop on the bank and 3 Garganeys (Anas querquedula) were in the flock of 40+ Teals (Anas crecca).

Barn Swallow catching insects low over the flooded meadow:

Flock of 6 Whooper Swans:

Two male Garganeys out of three observed:

Great Cormorant in courtship plumage is a beautiful bird:

List of recorded species during the walk:
Common Pheasant   (Phasianus colchicus)
Greylag Goose   (Anser anser)
White-fronted Goose   (Anser albifrons)
Mute Swan   (Cygnus olor)
Whooper Swan   (Cygnus cygnus)
Mallard   (Anas platyrhynchos)
Garganey   (Anas querquedula)
Teal   (Anas crecca)
Grey Heron   (Ardea cinerea)
Great Egret   (Egretta alba)
Great Cormorant   (Phalacrocorax carbo)
Red Kite   (Milvus milvus)
Marsh Harrier   (Circus aeruginosus)
Hen Harrier   (Circus cyaneus)
Sparrowhawk   (Accipiter nisus)
Common Buzzard   (Buteo buteo)
Eastern Imperial Eagle   (Aquila heliaca)
Coot   (Fulica atra)
Lapwing   (Vanellus vanellus)
Common Redshank   (Tringa totanus)
Black-headed Gull   (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
large Gull   (Larus cachinnans/michahellis)
Wood Pigeon   (Columba palumbus)
Great Spotted Woodpecker   (Dendrocopos major)
Black Woodpecker   (Dryocopus martius)
Green Woodpecker   (Picus viridis)
Hooded Crow   (Corvus cornix)
Raven   (Corvus corax)
Great Tit   (Parus major)
Blue Tit   (Cyanistes caeruleus)
Barn Swallow   (Hirundo rustica)
Chiffchaff   (Phylloscopus collybita)
Common Starling   (Sturnus vulgaris)
Blackbird   (Turdus merula)
Fieldfare   (Turdus pilaris)
Song Thrush   (Turdus philomelos)
Robin   (Erithacus rubecula)
Black Redstart   (Phoenicurus ochruros)
European Stonechat   (Saxicola rubicola)
House Sparrow   (Passer domesticus)
Tree Sparrow   (Passer montanus)
Yellow Wagtail   (Motacilla flava)
White Wagtail   (Motacilla alba)
Chaffinch   (Fringilla coelebs)
Greenfinch   (Carduelis chloris)
Goldfinch   (Carduelis carduelis)
Yellowhammer   (Emberiza citrinella)
Reed Bunting   (Emberiza schoeniclus)

Monday, March 18, 2013

Is this spring?

After the weekend that was full of duties I made regular walk along seepage channel of Danube's Hrušovská zdrž water reservoir to count the wintering waterbirds. Weather forecast looked bad but I had no other option. First 2 hours it was only cold and windy and after 8:30 it began to snow. I spotted my first Stonechats (Saxicola torquata) and Grey Wagtails (Motacilla cinerea) of the year. Snowdrops started to bloom two weeks ago, now Two-leaf Squills (Scila bifolia) appeared. I was lucky to observe Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus) and was able to shoot short video of an Eurasian Beaver (Castor fiber). The second half of my walk was covered under snow blanket. Pretty weird to see flowers under snow. I spotted also one Fox (Vulpes vulpes) and three Roedeer (Capreolus capreolus) Fortunately the rain came in late afternoon so the only problem was snow on my spotting scope and freezing hands.
Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus) and Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus)
happy Beaver (Castor fiber)
Two-leaf Squill (Scila bifolia)
road along seepage channel covered with snow
not very typical photo from spring birdwatching walk
Two-leaf Squill under snow
Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis)
Bear's Garlic (Allium ursinum)
Bear's Garlic meadow under snow blanket
I found these feathers: upper two are from Wood Pigeon, undermost is from Pheasant

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Wallcreeper - always a stunner!

As the spring is very near we met this afternoon under the Devín castle rock. We came to give a farewell to one small stunning winter guest. Or better said, two of them. Two Wallcreepers (Tichodroma muraria) use the castle rock as a wintering site. We are happy that more than 50 people had today an opportunity to spot these little creatures that are commonly found only in higher altitudes of Alps or High Tatras. Bratislava has that luck to host them almost every winter.
birdwatchers are searching for Wallcreepers
phonescoped Wallcreeper using cheap spotting scope
"Iron Curtain" memorial under Devín castle
Devín castle rock - Wallcreeper's winter holiday resort

Saturday, March 9, 2013

First bike birding of this year

I've brought my bike finally to my new flat. Weather forecast for today was very pleasant: temperature around 10°C, no rain and light wind. All this resulted into my short distance bike birding trip to the areas near Danube below Bratislava. I hoped for some waders but I didn't see any. My yearlist got an update: 94. Lesser Black-backed Gull (possibly ssp. graellsii). Other highlights from today: adult White-tailed Eagle, Raven, 2 Gadwalls (m+f) , 2 female Goosanders, 8 Smews (1m+7f), 3 Bearded Reedlings, 2 White Wagtails, Black Woodpecker (several calls heard), 15 Waxwings. Complete list of observed species you can find below photos.
Kalinkovská zátoka - small bay next to the Danube
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)
record shot of LBB Gull (in the middle), can you spot 2 Great Cormorants, Mallard and Tufted Duck?
floodplain forest is now covered with carpets of Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis)
bike birding
one of my favourite birding spots near Danube
tea birding
List of recorded bird species during the day:
Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)
Greylag Goose (Anser anser)
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)
Gadwall (Anas strepera)
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
Pochard (Aythya ferina)
Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula)
Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)
Smew (Mergellus albellus)
Goosander (Mergus merganser)
Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus)
Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
Great Egret (Egretta alba)
Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla)
Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)
Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo)
Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus)
large Gull (Larus cachinnans/michahellis)
Feral Pigeon (Columba livia f. domestica)
Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius)
Green Woodpecker  (Picus viridis)
unidentified Woodpecker (Dendrocopos sp.)
Jay (Garrulus glandarius)
Magpie (Pica pica)
Jackdaw (Coloeus monedula)
Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix)
Raven (Corvus corax)
Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus)
Great Tit (Parus major)
Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)
Bearded Reeding (Panurus biarmicus)
Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus)
Nuthatch (Sitta europaea)
Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
Blackbird (Turdus merula)
Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)
Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)
White Wagtail (Motacilla alba)
Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)
Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris)
Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella)
Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus)

 

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Sunny March Afternoon

Just few photos from today's walk in quiet corners of Bratislava:
Danube's blind riverarm
Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus) and Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)
Danube below Prístavný most
Great Tits (Parus major)
Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus)
Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) from behind

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Greater Scaup, Lesser Scaup or hybrid?

UPDATE:
I've obtained several comments. Greater Scaup was dismissed as the bird on photo is smaller and head shape is different. Lesser Scaup would be extremely rare but the bird on the photos is missing texture on its back, tip of its bill is extensively black so Lesser Scaup could be dismissed too. Most probably it is a hybrid of Tufted Duck and Pochard that are abundant in the area. Most of the comments are saying about hybrid. I compared photos of other birds of these hybrid and it seems very similar. This not 100% conclusion but we are probably very close to truth. Thank you for your contribution!
.....
I wrote about my latest birdwalk along Danube below Bratislava here. I found 4 Scaups (1 male and 3 female). I have identified all of them as Greater Scaup (Aythya marila). I made photos only from that male but it was questioned on Twitter that it has a bit odd shape of head. Hrušovská zdrž water reservoir on Danube River (IBA Dunajské luhy) is regular wintering site of Greater Scaups (30-100 birds). Aside of this species man can find here during the winter 20000-30000 Tufted Ducks (Aythya fuligula) and few thousands of Common Pochards (Aythya ferina), but Pochards are in decline. I made few photos using my HTC Desire S phone and 20-60x cheap spotting scope. All the photos are without any postproduction, just cropped. I made also one video. I'll be thankful for your opinions on identification of this Scaup. Please write a comment, mail me (tomas.novak@ymail.com) or tweet me (@titodaking)

Tu som písal o mojej vychádzke k Dunaju. Na Twitteri mi bolo poznamenané, že tá Aythya marila má zvláštny tvar hlavy. Fotené je to telefónom HTC Desire S, ktorý bol priložený k lacnému monokuláru 20-60x z Lidla. Na fotkách nie je žiadna postprodukcia iba som ich orezal. Podarilo sa aj jedno krátke video. Čo vy na to? Budem vďačný za akýkoľvek názor. Prosím napíšte mi komentár, mail (tomas.novak@ymail.com), tweet (@titodaking), alebo pridajte koment k pozorovaniu na birdingu.

Saturday, March 2, 2013

"S" for Spring

Spring started to show its signs and I was still missing couple of wintering birds in my yearlist. As a coincidence my today's target species begin with "S" - Scaup and Smew. I didn't want to wait till late November to spot them so I decided to take 18km long birdwalk along Danube from Dobrohošť to Čunovo. This part of Danube is wintering site for both species. 

Small flock of c15 Waxwings appeared just minute after I left home. On my way to bus station I found Snowdrops ("S" as coincidence). I took bus to Dobrohošť. As I was approaching Danube shipping channel I spotted flock of c130 birds. They were Starlings ("S" again) and Fieldfares. Just a while later my first spring Skylark (what about "S"?) was flying up from Danube's channel embankment and tried to sing with shy voice. I was scanning flocks of Tufted Ducks and Common Goldeneyes for my targets. After 1,5 hour I found  male Scaup and few whiles later 3 females too. The bird that was identified as male Scaup was hybrid of Pochard and Tufted Duck. 3 female Scaup remained in the list. First target species was ticked. Meanwhile I spotted Pygmy Cormorants, Goosanders, Gadwalls, Buzzards and Sparrowhawk. I was thankful for gloves and cap as wind was blowing in my face all the way. 12 kilometres against the wind were in my legs as day's goal was fulfilled. I found Smew pair (species with "S" once more). Yearlist jumped to number 90. I continued along Danubiana gallery. Two dozens of Pochards appeared and another large flock of Goldeneyes. As I was checking this part of water surface I registered panic among waterfowl and cormorants. I was looking for White-tailed Eagles but I didn't see any. Few minutes later I spotted a pair of them soaring high in the sky over gallery. 

Here is a bunch of phonescoped record shots from today:
filling channel of old river-arm system
Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
Great Egret (Egretta alba)
Pygmy Cormorants (Microcarbo pygmeus)
male Scaup (Aythya marila) left, female Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula) right
male Scaup (Aythya marila) hybrid Pochard x Tufted Duck right, male Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula) left
Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis)
vast water surface of Danube's channel
male Goosander (Mergus merganser) up, Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) down
Gadwalls (Anas strepera)
literally record shot of Smews (Mergellus albellus)
Pochards (Aythya ferina)
Danubiana gallery
Tea time! (Mao Jian)
Pygmy Cormorants
site where Pygmy Cormorants were sitting
Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula)
List of observed species during the day in Bratislava and along Danube:
Greylag Goose (Anser anser)
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)
Gadwall (Anas strepera)
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
Pochard (Aythya ferina)
Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula)
Greater Scaup (Aythya marila)
Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)
Smew (Mergellus albellus)
Goosander (Mergus merganser)
Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus)
Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
Great Egret (Egretta alba)
Pygmy Cormorant (Microcarbo pygmeus)
Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla)
Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)
Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo)
Coot (Fulica atra)
Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
large Gull (Larus cachinnans/michahellis)
Feral Pigeon (Columba livia f. domestica)
Stock Dove (Columba oenas)
Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus)
Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)
Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius)
Jackdaw (Coloeus monedula)
Rook (Corvus frugilegus)
Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix)
Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus)
Great Tit (Parus major)
Common Skylark (Alauda arvensis)
Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)
Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
Blackbird (Turdus merula)
Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris)
Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus)
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
White Wagtail (Motacilla alba)
Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)
Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris)
Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes)
Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella)