From port to park

I made another walk in urban areas of Bratislava. Started home, walked through old Ružinov where I found 130 Waxwings roosting in the tree. Then I checked the basins of port on Danube. I spotted just one Coot, male Pochard, male Mallard and Great Cormorant flew along. I crossed the river and walked on the embankment upstream to the Sad Janka Kráľa public park. There was European Hare pair running across thin strip of floodplain forest that lies between the Danube and embankment. At first I just heard some knocking on the wood, then I found fresh holes in the tree and male Black Woodpecker appeared in the moment. Great Spotted Woodpecker sat on the top of dry tree. The park showed its usual  inhabitants and seasonal guests: Great Tit, Nuthatch, Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Wood Pigeon and few others. Squirrel was hiding just two meters from the park sidewalk.

Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus)

Danube river port

Common Pochard (Aythya ferina)

Feral Pigeon (Columba livia f. domestica)

Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius)

Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)

Carrion Crow (Corvus corone)

Blackbird (Turdus merula)

Great Tit (Parus major)

Nuthatch (Sitta europea)

Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus)

Squirrel

List of observed bird species:
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
Pochard (Aythya ferina)
Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
Coot (Fulica atra)
Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
Common Gull (Larus canus)
Feral Pigeon (Columba livia f. domestica)
Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus)
Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)
Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius)
Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis)
Magpie (Pica pica)
Jackdaw (Coloeus monedula)
Rook (Corvus frugilegus)
Carrion Crow (Corvus corone)
Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix)
Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus)
Marsh Tit (Poecile palustris)
Great Tit (Parus major)
Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)
Nuthatch (Sitta europaea)
Blackbird (Turdus merula)
Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris)
Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus)
Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)
Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula)
Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes)

Early Spring Floods on Morava River - pt. 1

[Saturday, March 3, 2012]

There was very fine forecast for the weekend, so I decided to try get up early and catch my morning train. I wanted to visit on of my favourite sites near Morava river. Morava creates borderline between Slovakia and Austria. This interesting area of well preserved floodplains is part of IBA Morava. There is a bunch of images so I will split this photoreport into two parts.

 

 Five minutes before arrival of my train on Bratislava-Lamač train station.

 

Just 20 minutes later I got off the train in Devínske Jazero. Finally new train - day has fine start.

View on meadows called Hoferské lúky. That tree line in the background shows Morava river banks. I love these early mornings here. You know that you have full day ahead and you are already "in action".

Here is the real end of the city. Northernmost settlement of Bratislava ends with "Old Bicycle Buffet" - popular point of interest for cyclists. Later in afternoon I've met already few of them.

Great sighting of Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella) illuminated in the morning sun.

In this place river Malina pours into Morava.

Just compare it to conditions that were exactly 3 weeks earlier. River Malina was completely frozen and Morava was full of floating ice

Cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo) are resident here.

But Wood Pigeons (Columba palumbus) are here just few days...

...and Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) as well.

 I was counting with obstacles in form of high water so I put on my gum-boots. There were only 5cm of height of my boots left but my feet remained dry.

Meadows were flooded. Now you know why they are called floodplains.

Water was slowly creeping on. Here can river overflow onto the meadows more than 3km away from its usual river-basin.

Oxbow lakes are getting fresh water. I spotted few Mute Swans (Cygnus olor), male Wigeon (Anas penelope) and tens of Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos).

White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) was perching on the tree. Carrion Crow (Corvus corone) was perching nearby but it flew away just a moment before this shot.

Hundreds of Greylag Geese (Anser anser) and White-fronted Geese (Anser albifrons) were landing nearby.

This was the end of my walk this way. The water level was too high beyond this line.

I turned back, wade 30 metres again and decided to continue my walk along Malina river. The rest of the day you can find in part 2.