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 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 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 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

MONDAY 30th MARCH 2015

11°C, wind light from South, mostly overcast with brighter intervals.

 

Paljuvi Lake Kolubara & Jabucje village centre Kolubara

Paljuvi Lake - 

Ospreys were a great surprise and all to brief, both birds on their way out when I saw them, the first moving out NE and the possible second an hour later, moving out NE/E.

The Harriers came in late and were difficult to observe. First 2 together then a third following closely behind. I was wondering if they could be using a common roost site ?

Good selection of duck with great views of spanking male Gargany's pestering a female. 

Little Egret is early for here I think.Had fabulous long head plume.

First Long Eared owls in Serbia for me and so nice to find my own. Right in the middle of the village with noisy vehicles and lights near by. The young were in conifers calling and the adult did a fly by on a couple of occasions.

 

2 Gadwall pair

8 Shoveler 6 male + 2 female

2 Pintail pair

9 Gargany pair + 6 males + female

8 Pheasant females

16 Great Crested Grebe some paired & courting

Grey Heron

Little Egret on submerged tree preening

1/2 Osprey

Marsh Harrier

2 Harrier sp.

Moorhen

Common Sandpiper on rocky shore

Yellow-legged/Caspian Gull 2nd cal

2 Wood Pigeon nesting

Green Woodpecker singing

Jay

Magpie

6 Hooded Crow 3 pairs

14 Swallow feeding, and resting on bank side vegetation

Chiffchaff singing

Song Thrush singing

90 Starling 3 flocks

 

 Jabucje village centre -

3 Long Eared Owl adult  + 2 Juvs

 

 

FRIDAY 27th & 29th MARCH 2015

16°C, wind NW 11km/h, overcast with light rain showers.
 
27th March -  Liplje

2 Pheasant females
23 Grey Heron 11 birds sitting on nests in Heron Wood
Marsh Harrier male over N
Hen Harrier male over E
Sparrowhawk female
Buzzard
Collard Dove
Black Woodpecker
4 Jay
2 Magpie
2 Jackdaw
2 Raven on nest in Heronry
3 Skylark flew out N
Black Redstart female
4 Stonechat 2 pairs, new pair in by main road as last year
2 Blackbird
Song Thrush
32 Starling single flock some singing
White Wagtail
Yellowhammer
Cirl Bunting singing
Chaffinch

29th March
Blackcap singing near home

THURSDAY 26th MARCH 2015

Clear and mild

Liplje

Woodcock roding again close to home
Tawny Owl calling/singing

WEDNESDAY 24th MARCH 2015

7°C, wind SE 20 km/h, light cloud cover, mostly sunny.

Liplje 6:00-7:35

Pheasant
2 Feral Pigeon
2 Wood Pigeon
Collard Dove
M.S.Woodpecker
G. S. Woodpecker 2 drumming
Black Woodpecker
Green Woodpecker
10 Jay party of 8 very vocal and courting
2 Magpie
2 Hooded Crow
4 Raven
Woodlark possibly 2 singing
Marsh Tit singing
4 Great Tit
Blue Tit
2  Nuthatch
Wren
3 Robin
2 Black Redstart
3 Stonechat 1 pair + male, 2 singing
2 Blackbird
2 Song Thrush
8 Starling single flock some singing, one mimicing G.Oriole
Cirl Bunting
Chaffinch singing
2 Hawfinch
House Sparrow

SATURDAY 21st MARCH 2015

Liplje

Heronry Census - the heronry is located close to the main road 22, known by me as Heron Wood.

21 Grey Heron

12 birds sitting on nests with 6 mates near by. 3 on partially built nests and possibly 1 unoccupied.

THURSDAY 19th MARCH 2015

6°C, wind N/NW 19mph, partly cloudy with sunny intervals.
First Stonechat of the year.Migrating flock of wagtails feeding on new ploughed field.

Wood Pigeon

Green Woodpecker

4 Jay

HoodedCrow

2 Woodlark 1 singing

Marsh tit

9 Great tit

2 Blue tit

4 Robin singing

Stonechat

Blackbird singing

3 Song Thrush singing

2 Starling over N

Dunnock

11 White Wagtail

4 Yellowhammer 1 singing

Cirl Bunting singing

10 Chaffinch 1 singing

Goldfinch

6+ Tree Sparrow

WEDNESDAY 18th MARCH 2015

10°C, wind light variable, cloudy with sunny intervals

Harrier in same field as previous male Hen Harrier in January, one to watch ? Showed strong streaking on underside with creamy/yellowish background. Inner half of underwing noticeably darker. Upper wing not uniform with various grey brown areas. . Some orangey tones noticed on upper tail feathers. Flushed Pheasants a few times and possibly the Heron and Egret off the near by river.

Lapwings hanging about so worth a later visit to see if they are breeding.

Latković, Kolubara

Hen Harrier female / juv
Sparrowhawk
Buzzard
5 Pheasant
Grey Heron
Great White Egret
2 Northern Lapwing
2 Magpie
2 Hooded Crow

SUNDAY 15th MARCH 2015

11°C, wind E S/E 13km/h, partly cloudy, mostly sunny,pressure 1029hPa and rising

Liplje - within a few hundred meters of home

Middle Spotted Woodpecker male
2 Great Spotted Woodpecker
2 Jay
Wood Lark singing
10 Great tit
2 Blue tit
2 Marsh tit
2 Nuthatch
Wren
2 Robin singing
7 Blackbird 1 singing
3 Song Thrush singing
Dunnock
2 yellowhammer
Cirl Bunting
14 Chaffinch 1 singing
4 Tree Sparrow

17:55 -

6 Fieldfare over N

SATURDAY 14th MARCH 2015

3-6°C, wind light from SW, cloudy, pressure 1027hPa and rising

Fieldfares and starlings feeding on arable land with Greenfiches and Tree Sparrows near by.

Blackbirds still feeding on last of the ivy berries. Seems to be an important winter food which by the cutting down of just s few of the ivy covered trees could have a  significant effect on their winter survival numbers. The hawthorn does not seem to carry fruit into the winter as it does in Blighty nor are there any ornamentals for them to feed on such as pyracantha, holly, sorbus sp. ect.
Probably my best flock of Greenfiches so far.
Pheasants in seperate male and female groups.

Liplje
10 Pheasant 3 male & 7 female
60 Starling
25 Fieldfare
7 Blackbird 
26 Greenfinch
Cirl bunting male
4 Chaffinch
30 Tree Sparrow
3 Goldfinch

22:10

5+  Common Crane 

Flew over calling  in two flocks of 3+ and 2  close to house, heading North.
Fantastic evocative call all the more magical for echoing around our hilltop on a misty night ! 
I attempted to mimic their call and  possibly with some success especially with the first flock which appeared to get closer and linger a little. 

SATURDAY 7th MARCH 2015

Overcast, sleet, rain, cold

Liplje

15 Fieldfare over SE
2 Mistle Thrush
24 Great tit
25 Tree Sparrow

FRIDAY 6th MARCH 2015

0-3°C, wind N light, overcsst dull snowing and light covering, pressure 1027 hPa and falling

Liplje Sumadija Serbia
Return of the snow this morning and the finches with it.


Sparrowhawk
2 Grest potted Woodpecker
2 Middle Spotted Woodpecker
2 Nuthatch
2 marsh tit
20 Great tit
2 Blue tit
Robin
8 Yellowhammer
7 Chaffinch 3 female
2 Tree Sparrow
2 Cirl Bunting
Goldfinch
Jay

WEDNESDAY 4th MARCH 2015

0-12°C, wind S/SE 8-12 mph, mostly clear sunny, pressure 1025 hPa and falling

Liplje

New one for the Walnut list, Collard Dove this morning.
Appeares we have a pair each of Great and Middle Spotted Woody's visiting regularly to feed on pig fat put out for them.

MONDAY 2nd MARCH 2015

5-14°C, wind light from SW, light cloud clearing, sunny, pressure 1014 hPa and falling

Identified the "song" of the Middle Spot today though believe I may of heard it last week and passed it off as one of the many Jay calls and of course it may have been mimicked by this clever corvid.
 Again heard the Short-toed Treecreeper song and call but unable to identify which of the two Treecreepers it may have been. 
7 Fieldfare over North yesterday.
Pleased to see pair of Tree Sparrows investigating my nest box along with 2 Great tits at the same box at Raspberry plantation.

Liplje at home 6:30 am

Middle Spotted Woodpecker male singing
2 Great Spotted Woodpecker female & male drumming
Green Woodpecker singing
3 Fieldfare over N
2 Song Thrush singing
Blackbird singing
2 Great tit singing
2 Cirl Bunting male & female
Yellowhammer singing

07:45 - 09:30
Circuit 1

Green Woodpecker singing
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Sparrowhawk
4 Skylark over N
26 Fieldfare over E
Mistle Thrush
White Wagtail flyover
4 Great tit 1 singing
2 Blue tit
2 Long tailed tit agitated
Wood pigeon display flight
3 Jay
Jackdaw
2 Feral pigeon
2 Collard Dove
Robin singing
Wren
Cirl Bunting male singing
Yellowhammer
Hawfinch female
3 Brambling
Chaffinch male singing
6 Tree Sparrow
7 House Sparrow