Bird songs at Železná studnička
Saturday – Sunday, June 18-19, 2011
Several years ago some of us regularly took part in short courses focused on teaching and learning birdcalls in nature. They were very popular among wide public. This year we decided to renew this tradition. In the end of May we organized a short course about bird calls at Železná studienka, a beautiful valley in the heart of Bratislava, with four artificial lakes surrounded by beech and hornbeam forests.
Because of positive feedback of our May event, we decided to repeat the action also in June. In spite of unpleasant weather forecast (rain and lower temperatures) we realized all four planned walks. During our walks or in the surrounding of buffets where our stand was placed we recorded 19 species of birds (see list below). Only a few meters from our stand was a nest of Spotted Flycatchers. We focused a telescope on it and passers-by could observe a sitting female flycatcher.
On Sunday afternoon sudden heavy shower forced us to untimely finish our event. Despite the early end, we were pleased by singing Chaffinches, Song Thrushes or Wagtails during our walks. During both days we also observed hundreds of tiny baby toads (Bufo bufo) on their way from ponds, where they hatched, to the forest, where they will live for their whole lives.
We would like to thank all participants for joining us and for their interest in our forest bird species and in learning their calls. We were especially pleased with those people who got the information about our event in media and came to take part on exact walk. We believe that time spent in nature with us was interesting and beneficial.
List of observed bird species:
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
Honey Buzzard (Pernis apivorus)
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)
Great Tit (Parus major)
Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
Firecrest (Regulus ignicapillus)
Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)
Nuthatch (Sitta europaea)
Blackbird (Turdus merula)
Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)
Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros)
Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula abicollis)
Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata)
Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)
White Wagtail (Motacilla alba)
Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)
Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris)
