Zvezda & Alex Big Year 2016 - first attempt

[Galana]

Well I don't know if you have been but these places yielded much to me.

Secovlje Salina. Bohinj and the woods above Savica and the Vogel, Ljubljana Castle closer to your home and just south of the city there is a small marshy reserve that held lots of different warblers.

Slovenija is home to 376 species. You have work to do.

[michael-ibk]

Very cool you found the Bee-Eaters!

[PeterHG]

@@xelas,

What a great wetland area you have over there, Alex! Great variety of birds and I must say the Stilts are my favorite, too. Great shots! The same goes for the beautiful Falcons, both the Red-footed and the Hobby shots are excellent. Ok, they,re my favorites, too. You have added a lot of wonderful photos in my absence . I'm sure with your other trips coming up, you are going to be hard to beat both in quantity as in quality!

Edited June 25, 2016 by PeterHG

[xelas]

@@Galana

The marshy area south of the Ljubljana castle is where I live! But have not seen many warblers on my hikes. maybe I need to change the route?

 

@@michael-ibk

Indded they are such cool birds, specially when you can observe them near home (relatively near, that is).

 

@@PeterHG

Welcome back! I am sure you have returned with a couple of birds to add to your tally! I am still clinging to the line I have said in the beginning, it is important to participate.

Edited June 25, 2016 by xelas

[Galana]

Xelas. I don't recall the name of the reserve but it was maybe 40km south of Ljubljana. Motorway south had a junction nearby. I could take you there as I drove the route t my digs several times but don't know its name. there were walks in reedbeds and a couple of hides.

Here is a good resource for you http://fatbirder.com/links_geo/europe/slovenia.html .

Some good work for you. Just watch out for wolves and bears in the forests. Harmless but tend to distract your attention.

[xelas]

Since @@Galana was not around (lucky guy enjoyed some excellent birding in Scotland) I have to manage by myself, and thus I have looked at neighbouring countries. Easiest to approach was Croatia, and there is Kopački Rit http://pp-kopacki-rit.hr/index-en.html a very interesting birding area. Around 297 bird species has benn counted there, and many waders so I was really hoping to get home with plenty of photos!

 

Indeed Zvezda had a great time taking almost 2500 photos in 1 and 1/2 day,; but mostly those were already reported species. Anyway, we have both had a great time, me driving slowly and observing birds with binoculars, and Zvezda practising with new to her camera and lens.

 

Yet we were able to collect 12 new species, and I have added also 2 that we had at home but were not posted yet.

 

 

The starter is the bird that is loudest of them all, and hangs among the reeds where the wooden walkways are, all the time:

 

 

163. Savi's Warbler - Locustella luscinioides - Trstni cvrčalec

 

 

18/06/16 - Kopački Rit

 

18/06/16 - Kopački Rit

 

18/06/16 - Kopački Rit

 

 

and a female

18/06/16 - Kopački Rit

 

 

[xelas]

One more that likes to hang around walkways:

 

 

164. Spotted Flycatcher - Muscicapa striata - Sivi muhar

 

18/06/16 - Kopački Rit

[xelas]

One more Flycatcher, this one taken from the boat ride

 

 

165. Collared Flycatcher - Ficedula albicollis - Belovrati muhar

 

18/06/16 - Kopački Rit

[xelas]

That's it, folks!

 

Well, for songbirds anyway . There were several others yet all already reported here. However the guide/park ranger that took us on a private boat ride said water levels are high this time of the year and songbirds tend to stay away from the banks, and that we should return in September. We might just follow his advice .

 

Moving up the ladder this one was an unexpected catch. Not because it is a rare bird but because it was more like a "test shot" into the backlighted bird:

 

 

166. Turtle Dove - Streptopellia turtur - Divja grlica

 

19/06/16 - Kopački Rit

[xelas]

With all that water, you will say, there were at least plenty of water-dwelling birds?! Not really. Grey Herons and Little Egrets everywhere and in every pose but again, those are already reported here (although I might add a couple of really nice shots at the end of Kopački Rit, if you will allow).

 

Among the two new water-dwelling birds this is my favourite:

 

 

167. Great Crested Grebe - Podiceps cristatus - Čopasti ponirek

 

 

18/06/16 - Kopački Rit

 

18/06/16 - Kopački Rit

 

18/06/16 - Kopački Rit

Edited June 26, 2016 by xelas

[xelas]

Not so funny looking, and bigger bird:

 

 

168. Greylag Goose - Anser anser - Siva gos

 

18/06/16 - Kopački Rit

 

19/06/16 - Kopački Rit

 

18/06/16 - Kopački Rit

[xelas]

One that we have seen it only high on the sky:

 

 

169. Common Tern - Sterna hirundo - Navadna čigra

 

18/06/16 - Kopački Rit

[Galana]

Very nice xelas. Careful with those warblers. Tricky little beggars.

Lovely Turtle Dove. Quite endangered further north now due to illegal migration shooting in Mediterranean area.

[michael-ibk]

Kopacki Rit looks good - unfortunately too far away for me. Really like that Spotted Flycatcher, and of course the Grebes.

[xelas]

@@Galana

At least it is a warbler?

 

@@michael-ibk

Probably yes; while Slovenia is much closer !

[Galana]

"At least it is a warbler?"

No doubt about that.

[xelas]

Aha! Legs; they are black, not red.

 

At first, the black feathers on the neck leaded me towards Savi's, however that one has red legs, and on other photos also Great Reed Warbler is showing those black feathers.

 

Correction on:

 

#163. Great Reed Warbler - Acrocephalus arundinaceus - Rakar (*) (**)

 

(*) waiting for confirmation by @@Galana

(**) what a name in German language, I hope @@michael-ibk would give us English translation: Drosselrohr !! It surely sounds like having one .

Edited June 26, 2016 by xelas

[xelas]

One more for this weekend; I was amazed by results of Zvezda's quick reaction when this one performed its low fly-by act!

 

 

170. Little Bittern - Ixobrychus minutus - Čapljica

 

 

18/06/16 - Kopački Rit

[Galana]

Great capture of the Little Bittern.

 

re.163. I am happy with Savi's. If I was to think of an alternate it would be just Reed Warbler.

 

Reed is Tiechrohr Savi's is Rohrschwirl Greater Reed is, as you say Drosselrohr. I don't think your photo is of that species.

Incidentally the bird you show seems to have one red leg and one black one. Exotic!!

[Peter Connan]

Great additions! You certainly seem to be enjoying yourselves!

[xelas]

@@Galana

Eh, I rest my case with this specific warbler . I will move on with some easier to identify species ... mainly because they are larger .

 

@@Peter Connan

Thanks for taking time and looking at our photos. But you should, as you have been instrumental in our new hobby (and @@Galana with his brilliant idea of balcony birding )!! Thank You both!!!

[michael-ibk]

what a name in German language, I hope @michael-ibk would give us English translation: Drosselrohr !! It surely sounds like having one

Alex, that would be something like "Thrush Reed Singer", so actually I´m not quite sure why you find that name that remarkable?

[xelas]

Because I have translated it as a "Choke Pipe Singer" Drossel = choke rohr = pipe .

[michael-ibk]

Ah ok, well you certainly picked the most remarkable technically possible literal translation then.

[Galana]

Interesting diversion on names. From my limited involvement "Drossel" seems to cover Thrush or at least Turdus genus including Fieldfare, Blackbird etc.,

I say interesting as in old English these birds are called 'Ouzels' hence Ring Ouzel for Ringdrossel. Blackbird is simply Ouzel and Song Thrush is often called "Throstle" even today by country folk.

Obviously there must be a linkage back to the roots of the two languages.

 

Keep em coming xelas.