Surprise between ice floats

[Wednesday, February 8, 2012]

I'm short of words today so there will be only few pictures and list of observed birds. This was my short walk alongside Karloveské rameno - river arm and short section of River Danube.

waiting for my tram

water museum

footprints of Coot (Fulica atra)

Mark Twain "steamboat museum" pub

Danube near Lafranconi bridge

winter Danube

explosive sunset over Danube

and some birds...

the last remnant of calm unfrozen water surface

Pochard (Aythya ferina)

may be you are still waiting for that surprise, so here you are:

Greater Scaup (Aythya marila) is rare wintering bird species in Slovakia. It is estimated that only aproximately 10-100 birds are wintering in Slovakia. Place of today's observation is very atypical. We used to see them 25km down the river on Hrušovská zdrž water dam near Šamorín.

List of observed bird species:

Mallard  (Anas platyrhynchos) min 35
Pochard  (Aythya ferina) 3 males
Tufted Duck  (Aythya fuligula) 2 males
Greater Scaup  (Aythya marila) 1 female
Smew  (Mergellus albellus) 1 female
Goosander  (Mergus merganser) 2 males
Little Grebe  (Tachybaptus ruficollis) 1
Great Cormorant  (Phalacrocorax carbo) 2
Coot  (Fulica atra) 8
Black-headed Gull  (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
Feral Pigeon  (Columba livia f. domestica)
Rook  (Corvus frugilegus)
Hooded Crow  (Corvus cornix)
Great Tit  (Parus major)
Blue Tit  (Cyanistes caeruleus)
Blackbird  (Turdus merula) 7
Chaffinch  (Fringilla coelebs) 2
Goldfinch  (Carduelis carduelis) min 20