Sunday 29 June 2014

WEDNESDAY 25th JUNE 2014

Liplje Circuit 2 06:00 - 09:00

The speed, flight pattern and general jizz suggested Ruff. Was also pretty sure the paler grey neck patch was indeed a ruff or remnant of.

The heronry which I recorded earlier in the year near the main road was difficult to survey and no doubt there were more birds hidden out of sight. Two of the adults were sitting on nests ?


Ruff ? over NE
9+ Grey Heron 6+juvs
9 Nightingale singing
Blackcap
6 Blackbird 3 singing
3 SongThrush singing
2 Turtle Dove singing
2 Golden Oriole singing
Green Woodpecker
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Middle Spotted Woospecker
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
3 Red Backed Shrike 2 juv
Wood Lark singing
18 + Barn Swallow 9 juvs
5 Cirl Bunting 3 singing
1 Yellowhammer singing 
Chaffinch
Greenfinch singing
Bee-eater
Pheasant
White Wagtail
Hooded Crow
Blue Tit
Great Tit

Odonata - 
Beautiful Demoiselle (Calopteryx virgo) male
Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa) 

Saturday 21 June 2014

SATURDAY 21st JUNE 2014

12-22°C,Wind W 6-18mph,Mostly sunny with fair weather cloud,Pressure 1017 hPa

Liplje - Circuit 1

Red Backed Shrike pairs have now been seen at Raspberry Plantation, The Cemetery, The Lookout,South Bank, Rose Bank and probably a sixth pair at the Lightening Tree.
Redstart and female House Sparrow both seen dispatching large green grasshoppers

The Common Whitethroats seem somewhat subdued with just one singing briefly today. Are they already approaching the end of their breeding season ? surely not.
3 of the Wood Larks sitting around together were probably juvs.

Hobby
7 Red Backed Shrike 
Redstart female
4 Wood Lark 1 singing
2 Turtle Dove singing
Green Woodpecker
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Middle Spotted Woodpecker
Common Whitethroat singing
3+ Blackcap singing
6 Tree Sparrow
House Sparrow
Cirl Bunting singing
Yellowhammer singing 
Chaffinch singing
Nightingales
2 Buzzard courtship display
4 Barn Swallow 
4 Golden Oriole singing






WEDNESDAY 18th JUNE 2014

Overcast ,dull raining

Ljig - the river just Soth of town. 20 min. walk.

For me the Common Sandpiper, (probably a returning female), is a first for Serbia. It looked at home on what has become a very rocky gravelly river bed since the flood.There has been an incredible amount of heavy material moved into great bars and beach's. All the previous well established vegetation which was growing in the river bed and no doubt providing useful habitat for all sorts of wildlife, has been swept clean away. Also just north of Ljig the river is probably twice its original width in places due to the sheer volume of water eroding the soft banks.

Common Sandpiper
Common Redstart juv
Serin singing
2 Nightingale singing



Saturday 14 June 2014

SATURDAY 14TH JUNE 2014

17-20°C,Wind W/SW 4-11mph, Overcast moderate rain am, Pressure 1014 hPa

Liplje - at home
Black woody back on the scene again recently mostly heard but also perched in The Walnut 
as was the Great Spotted Woodpecker, Cirl Bunting, Yellowhammer and one of the Blackbirds, at diffeernt times today and yesterday.
Bee-eaters went over faster and more direct than their usual more leisurely insect catching meanderings, at 17.30.
I think the Cuckoo's have stopped singing, and the Nightingales much less so.

9 Bee-eaters over over W/NW
Rose Chafer (Cetonia aurata) on elder flower
Black Woodpecker
Green Woodpecker
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Cirl Buntng singing
Yellowhammer singing
2 Blackbird singing
Chaffinch singing
2 Blackcap singing
2 Golden Oriole singing
Turtle Dove singing

Thursday 12 June 2014

THURSDAY 12th JUNE 2014

16-30°C,Wind N up to 10mph, mostly clear and sunny, Pressure 1016hPa

Liplje

5 or 6 Bee-eaters have been regularly seen all week either feeding up near The Lookout or flying East or West over our house. Have decided to check the map and see where they might be intersecting the main road (E763). May well be worth a visit at that point to try and locate their nest site on the banks of the river Ljig. Could they be using the top of the ridge at The Lookout as a preferred feeding area ?

Delighted with the Lesser Pecker in The Walnut Tree, plus almost everyday now the Middle Spot is using it as a place to announce to the world that he has arrived ? and to carry out early morning ablutions.

9 Bee-eater over W
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
Middle Spotted Woodpecker
4 Hawfinch over

Sunday 8 June 2014

SUNDAY 8th JUNE 2014

15-30°C,Wind light variable,Mostly clear & sunny, Pressure 1019hPa

Liplje (Circuit 1) 06.45 - 08.45

Great views of the Honey Buzzard soaring at moderate height then flew towards me and over my head. Upperside silver grey while head looked hooded with warmer red/brown colour. White underside much more sparsely marked than Common Buzzard. Little head and big rudder ! Best views yet of this impressive beast
.
Red Backed Shrikes at Rasberry Plantation (formerly Milosh's Plantation), Cemetery Orchard, Lightening Tree and the South Bank. Suspect at least one other pair.

5 Wood Lark in family party with at least one juvenile.

Great Tit again nesting in our box which contains original nest.
House Sparrows in post breeding flock.
Hooded crow must be nesting near by as they are frequently seeing off the Ravens.

Honey Buzzard
6 Wood Lark 1 singing + 5
8 Red Backed Shrike 4 pairs
2 Green Woodpecker adult with juv
Middle Spotted Woodpecker
5 Golden Oriole
4 Turtle Dove 2 singing + 1pair 
Collard Dove
2 Wood Pigeon
6 Nightingales 5 singing + 1 juv
4 Common Whitethroat singing
Blackcap
2 White Wagtail 1juv
4 Cirl Bunting singing
Yellowhammer singing
Corn Bunting 
Chaffinch singing
13 House Sparrow some juvs 
Starling
Raven
2 Hooded Crow
4 Barn Swallow


Later in the afternoon at home - 

Black Woodpecker
5 Bee-eater 1over E, 1over W, + 3
Great Tit brooding
Wryneck or L.S.Woodpecker calling

Monday 2 June 2014

MONDAY 2nd JUNE 2014

12-20°C,Wind W 3-12mph, cloudy with sunny intervals,light rain later,Pressure 1015 hPa


Liplje - am

Redstart again at Milosh's plantation this time with what appeared to be somewhat surprisingly a juvenile. Didn't think they had been on site long enough to have produced a fully fledged juv. ?
1 Wryneck perched on the Lightening Tree while another sang nearby.
Not altogether sure if there was 1 or 2 Corn buntings singing on the South Bank.
Wood Lark again singing close to home over Top Meadow so pretty sure this is a second singing male along with the other bird that usually sings close to The Lookout.
The juvvy Stonechats together on The Rough.

2 Redstart male singing with 1 juv
2 Wryneck 1 singing
1/2 Corn Bunting singing
Wood Lark singing
4 Stonechat juvs

Minonica - pm

The Storks are nesting on a platform above a chimney near to the school, and the House Martins have a small colony on the court house.

The other species were seen just outside of town to the West at the swimming pools area.
The 2 pairs of Lapwings are no doubt breeding as they became nervous at my approach giving alarm and distraction displays from large open cereal fields with small flooded areas.
The shrike was seen at some distance and was was notable for the amount of white wing/body flashes in flight.

2 White Stork nesting
House Martin 

Woodchat Shrike (possible)
4 Northern Lapwing
Golden Oriole male
Common Whitethroat 
G. S. Woodpecker
Red Backed Shrike
Barn Swallow
Jay
Hooded Crow
Magpie
8 Starling
Liplje

Redstart again at Milosh's plantation this time with what appeared to be somewhat surprisingly, a juvenile. Didn't think they had been on site long enough to have produced a fully fledged juv. ?
1 Wryneck perched on the Lightening Tree while another sang nearby.
Not altogether sure if there was 1 or 2 Corn buntings singing on the South Bank.
Wood Lark again singing close to home over Top Meadow so pretty sure this is a second singing male along with the other bird that usually sings close to The Lookout.
The juvvy Stonechats together on The Rough.


2 Redstart male singing with 1 juv
2 Wryneck 1 singing
1/2 Corn Bunting singing
Wood Lark singing
4 Stonechat juvs