Wednesday 15 April 2015

TUESDAY 7th APRIL 2015

8°C, feels like 4 °C, wind N 38 km/h, overcast, dull.

Paljuvi Lake, Kolubara 

3 Mallard
4 Gargany
Pheasant
12 Great Crested Grebe
Little Egret
Grey Heron
2 Buzzard
2 Moorhen
Coot
2Black Headed Gull
Little Owl
2 Long Eared Owl juvs
5 Magpie
18 Hooded Crow
70 Barn Swallow
White Wagtail


Monday 6 April 2015

MONDAY 6th APRIL 2015

5°C feels like 2,°C, wind N 25 km/h, dull overcast, pressure 1014 hPa constant.
Liplje -
all of the following on The Ridge amongst heaps of manure on a weedy field

6 Serin 2 male & 4 female
3 Tree Pipit
4 Black Redstart 1 male & 3 female
2 White Wagtail

SUNDAY 5th APRIL 2015

Overcast, dull with persistant drizzle and rain.

Liplje

Wheatear male again on the Ridge

SATURDAY 4th APRIL 2015

1-8°C, wind S 16 km/h, clear and sunny.


Paljuvi and  Jabucje village

Jabucje village 07:00 - 10:15
Superb night herons were close to the road, beautiful in flight with wonderful croaking call. Cracking bird which I've only ever seen once before when I twitched  a single bird many years ago in blighty'. Guess these must be photograph.s' there are no reed beds here for them to breed in' (Dragan Simic) However they do also breed in trees.
Purple heron is an early bird I think only the secound recorded this Spring in Serbia.
Disappointedly the flock of small grebes had gone along with half the Great crests and apparently all the Little Grebes, there were none seen even in the wooded shallows which I checked on a large part of the shore along the NW and SW borders. 
Disappointing also for the Belgade birders who would have twitched this bird this morning not least Dragan who has not seen this species in Serbia. I have to admit to being ignorant of just how rare this bird is in Serbia and on reflection would have tried harder to get better views for a photograph

25 Night Heron roosting in trees in the shallows
Purple Heron over leisurely N to S
Grey Heron
Marsh Harrier over North
3 Mallard
11 Shoveler
34 Garganey
10 Great Crested Grebe
Moorhen
2 Coot
Jay
6 Hooded Crow
6 MagpieMagpie 2 nesting
2 Jakdaw
80+ Swallow
Great tit
Nuthatch
3 Chiffchaff 1 singing
3 Blackcap singing
15 Starling
12 Goldfinch
Hawfinch
2 Tree Sparrow


Friday 3 April 2015

FRIDAY 3rd APRIL 2015

8°C felt like 3°C, wind NW 40 km/h, 50% overcast with sunny intervals, pressure 1017 hPa

Paljuvi Lake, Kolubara

Flotilla of 20 small Grebes out near centre of lake, difficult to id  due to the distance and the fact that they were mostly all sleeping on fairly choppy water, Black-necked identified mostly on jizz including upright perky head flicking stance, high forehead /head shape and rusty orange flanks. Slavonian on rusty orange flanks, blazing gold  'horns' and lower swimming position. Near by Great Crests looking over twice their size.
Little grebes in contrast were all together in the shallows with the Garganey and Pochards and Ferruginous near by.

2 Slavonian Grebe
1 Black-necked Grebe

22 Great Crested Grebe
11 Little Grebe
4 Ferruginous Duck 1 or 2 males
46 Garganey
8 Pochard
2 Gadwall pair
2 Coot
Egret sp probably Little
Grey Heron
Linnet female



FRIDAY 3rd APRIL 2015

4°C feels like -1°C, wind W/NW 24km/h, mostly overcast with some sunny spells, pressure 
1017 hPa and rising

Liplje 07:15 - 09:30
All the redstarts on the ridge feeding amongst the piles of farmyard manure with the stonechats and the near by singing Woodlark.


Tree Pipit over NW
6 Black Redstart 3 male & 3 female
2 Stonechat male & female
Chiffchaff
5 Swallow over NW
3 White Wagtail 1 pair at Branka's
4 Wood Lark 1 singing 3 over NW
15 Starling over NW 4+10+1
4 Redwing/Song Thrush over W
3 Pheasant male & 2 females
2 Magpie
Jay
Yellowhammer
Cirl Bunting
Chaffinch
Hawfinch
Tree Sparrow



Wednesday 1 April 2015

WEDNESDAY 1st APRIL 2015

10 °C, 5 °C later and dropping, wind W 14km/h,Overcast & dull with rain showers, pressure 1013hPa and rising


Liplje

The Black Stork reminded me of the one I saw here last year and again I had the feeling it was prospecting or new where it was going locally.
Wheatear again in same field on The Ridge, a pale bird with none of the sparkle of a spring male. Mantle had a hint of brown in the grey, mask was more brown black and the white eyebrow not very prominent. A first year male perhaps ?


Black Stork over fairly leisurely North up the wooded valley
Wheatear (Northern)
3 Chiffchaff 1 singing
2 Black Redstart male and female, not paired
Stonechat male
2 White Wagtail

Butterfly's yesterday -
Holly Blue
Large Tortoishell
3 Orange tip
Green Veined White