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)

 

Winter waterbird census - January III.

[Saturday, January 21, 2012]

Earlier this week I was asked if I want to make some more fieldwork on SOS/BirdLife Slovakia's project of winter census of water birds. I was supposed to map 23 km long counting section of seepage channel between Horný Bar (in Slovak "horný" means "upper") and Hamuliakovo. The channel runs along the flume of River Danube. It is man-made and it was constructed as a part of waterwork Gabčíkovo (VD Gabčíkovo). The whole dam became an important site for wintering of water birds and it is also important migration stop-over for birds whose migratory paths are crossing the area of Central Europe.

Saturday was the only day this week that has no rain or snowfalls during the daylight, so I needed to wake up at 5:00 to catch my buses to get to the beginning of my counting section in proper time. The village of Horný Bar is apr. 60 km far from Bratislava but it took me 2 hours to get there. As a reward I had lot of sunshine in the morning. I have seen my first Gadwalls of this year. Numbers of observed water birds on the counting section: Mute Swan 68, Mallard 74, Gadwall 2, Wigeon 1, Tufted Duck 351, Pochard 15, Little Grebe 217, Great Cormorant 4, Coot 70, large Gull (Larus cachinnans/michahellis) 1. Here you can check the map of my counting section. 

After 6,5 hours of walking, observing and counting I finished in Hamuliakovo. I have got only few minutes to check the large water body of nearby dam (Hrušovská zdrž) because I wanted to catch my bus back to Bratislava. I did a brief scan with the spotting scope and I have spotted Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus). This bird is rare visitor of this site. Beside River Danube it was spotted also on River Váh. In last 3 winters there were not more than 3 birds spotted at once. And there is not any observation in January at all except one of ssp. Larus fuscus graellsii from January 2011 from Poltár that is 250 km away from this site. I observed 3 birds floating on the water surface - 2 adults and probably 1 juvenile of the same species. I was quickly checking it in the Collins' Bird Guide and my first impression was that it was ssp. intermedius according to the "darkness" of its black wings as it was not as black as it should be if it was ssp.fuscus. I have tried to make a photo, but the combination of my mobile phone and spotting scope didn't bring good result. I'm sure that it was Larus fuscus, but it would be great observation if that mentioned subspecies would be confirmed. I phoned to my friend who is skilled ornithologist to check the area. I hope he will find them and will give further informations about that 3 birds. List of  observed species during the day is in the bottom of the page.

start near Horný Bar

Danube near Kyselica ferry port

seepage channel near Báč

only image of Lesser Black-backed Gull

List of observed bird species:

Common Pheasant  (Phasianus colchicus)
Bean Goose  (Anser fabalis)
unidentified Goose  (Anser sp.)
Mute Swan  (Cygnus olor)
Gadwall  (Anas strepera)
Wigeon  (Anas penelope)
Mallard  (Anas platyrhynchos)
Pochard  (Aythya ferina)
Tufted Duck  (Aythya fuligula)
Common Goldeneye  (Bucephala clangula)
Goosander  (Mergus merganser)
Little Grebe  (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
Great Cormorant  (Phalacrocorax carbo)
Sparrowhawk  (Accipiter nisus)
Common Buzzard  (Buteo buteo)
Coot  (Fulica atra)
Black-headed Gull  (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
Lesser Black-backed Gull  (Larus fuscus)
Feral Pigeon  (Columba livia f. domestica)
Collared Dove  (Streptopelia decaocto)
Hooded Crow  (Corvus cornix)
Great Tit  (Parus major)
Blackbird  (Turdus merula)
Fieldfare  (Turdus pilaris)
Robin  (Erithacus rubecula)
House Sparrow  (Passer domesticus)
Tree Sparrow  (Passer montanus)
Greenfinch  (Carduelis chloris)
Goldfinch  (Carduelis carduelis)
large Gull  (Larus cachinnans/michahellis)