[Thursday, March 8, 2012]
If you would ask a birder in Slovakia with which bird species he has most identification problems he would answer - Treecreeper. Treecreeper (Certhia familiaris) and his mate Short-toed Treecreeper (Certhia brachydactyla) are very similar in look. Both kinds of Treecreepers can be found in western part of our country and in the southern tip of east Slovakia. The numbers of breeding pairs of the common one is 100 000-150 000. Short-toed Treecreeper is estimated to have 1000-3000 breeding pairs. Most usually you spot that common one but one never knows if he is the lucky one to spot the uncommon one. Very slight distinction in wing-bar pattern and length of its hindclaw makes it sometimes unable to identify. If you hear its song you can be sure which one it is but if not you can only guess or have brilliant photo or video documentation. As I'm not so good in bird song I used to write down just Certhia sp. into my list. Everybody can cheat a little. I have bird calls and songs in my phone and I'm using it as a hint to identification. It is interesting to see birds replying to your phone but man need to be careful not to tease the bird by repeating those fake calls of their buddies. Yesterday I was able to make the accurate ID according to their distinctive calls and I made this interesting videos. I observed or heard at least 5 birds on the spot. Those two photos are frame captures from the video. The location where I observed this bird is not more than 10 minutes of walk from the built-in area of Dúbravka, Bratislava.
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| Treecreeper - Certhia familiaris |
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| wing-bar pattern and long hindclaw |
Isn't it great what man can make with combination of smartphone and spotting scope?
