Spring near Morava River
Sunday, March 3, 2013
First weekend in March brought great weather conditions. We took a birdwatching walk to area near Bratislava that is known as Devínske jazero. Our planned route needed to be changed according to the flood along Morava River. We set up new route but we could not do anything with broken train engine. We arrived with 60 minutes delay to Devínske jazero train station. Participants that came individually had an opportunity to spot adult White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) flying over our meeting place.
Together with 25 nature lovers we took a walk towards floodplains of Morava River. White-tailed Eagle appeared shortly also to the rest of the participants. In close distance to “U starého bicykla” pub we observed Red Kite (Milvus milvus) that showed itself in full beauty. Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) and Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris) flew overheads, while Yellowhammers (Emberiza citrinella) were singing from nearby tree. Birdwatchers in the end of walking group spotted soaring adult Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca). We made another stop near Malina River, where we explained details of natural conditions of this area and importance of nature conservation.
While we were discussing, Long-tailed Tits (Aegithalos caudatus), Treecreeper (Certhia sp.) and Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) appeared in floodplain forest just few metres from us. After that we moved on to another site on the boundary of flooded area. We observed flyovers of Raven (Corvus corax), rare Saker Falcon (Falco cherrug) and several Common Buzzards (Buteo buteo).
Sounds of Geese flocks were heard from the flooded meadows of Morava River floodplain area. We have found Greylag, White-fronted and Bean Geese (Anser anser, A. albifrons, A. fabalis) in our spotting scopes. Some of us had a luck to observe Pintail (Anas acuta). On the border of flooded meadow we saw Great Egrets (Egretta alba), few Greylag Geese and tens of flying gulls (Larus sp.). White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) was hopping nearby and another bird of prey appeared – Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus). We discovered one Carrion Crow (Corvus corone) in the mixed flock of Hooded Crows (Corvus cornix), Jackdaws (Coloelus monedula) and Rooks (Corvus frugilegus). We heard several calls of Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis) from the floodplain forest. On our way back we observed pair of soaring White-tailed Eagles. Their white wedge-shaped tails were glowing in the spring sun. Man even didn’t need to use binoculars to spot this distinctive sign.
We recorded 44 bird species during our birdwatching walk. We observed 6 different bird of prey species in the beams of spring sun. We witnessed spring arrivals of Starlings, Song Thrushes (Turdus philomelos) or White Wagtail. We hope that we fulfilled expectations of participants and these great sightings are good invitation to our upcoming events.
List of observed bird species:
Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)
Bean Goose (Anser fabalis)
Greylag Goose (Anser anser)
White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons)
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
Pintail (Anas acuta)
Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
Great Egret (Ardea alba / Egretta alba)
Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
Red Kite (Milvus milvus)
White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla)
Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo)
Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca)
Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
Saker Falcon (Falco cherrug)
Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus / Larus ridibundus)
Common Gull (Larus canus)
large gull (Larus cachinnans/michahellis)
Feral Pigeon (Columba livia)
Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major / Picoides major)
Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis)
Jackdaw (Coloelus monedula / Corvus monedula)
Rook (Corvus frugilegus)
Carrion Crow (Corvus corone)
Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix)
Raven (Corvus corax)
Great Tit (Parus major)
Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus / Parus caeruleus)
Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus)
Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)
Treecreeper (Certhia sp.)
Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
Blackbird (Turdus merula)
Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris)
Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)
White Wagtail (Motacilla alba)
Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)
Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris / Chloris chloris)
Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)
Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula)
Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella)
