Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary
Heath Fritillary
Moorland Clouded Yellow
Black-veined White
Purple-edged Copper
Large Copper
Large Chequered Skipper
Large Wall Brown
Poplar Admiral
Large White-faced Darter
MOOSE!
Thursday, 23 June 2016
LATVIA - Other wildlife
Loads of new butterflies and Dragonflies for me over in Latvia as well; I think I've got all the pictured ones correct but.......
LATVIA - Black Terns
I've never seen Black Terns breeding before so it was a highlight of the trip to see the hundreds breeding and feeding over the fishponds in the windy conditions!
Wednesday, 22 June 2016
LATVIA; photos #2
Half grown Hazel Grouse walking nervously along a branch
White Storks were all over the place
Displaying Tree Pipits
White-tailed Eagle
Pied Flycatcher
Blyth's Reed Warbler
Roller record shots
Blue-headed Wagtail
LATVIA; photos
Pygmy Owl
Booted Warbler
Honey Buzzard
Just fledged Middle-spotted Woodpecker
Lesser-spotted Woodpecker
Juvenile Penduline Tit
Marsh Harrier
Thrush Nightingale - this pair was going absolutely crazy as there was a cat sat in the hedge where they had fledglings, a few handily aimed rocks temporarily helped out....
Jackdaw - the eastern race C. m. soemmerringii with paler grey head, whitish neck collar and some hints of pale scalloping on the mantle
LATVIA; 16th - 21st June
An awesome three days hardcore
birding (18-20 hours a day!) followed by two days of drinking for Jack’s stag
do; mainly over in the SE of the country guided by the marvellous Gaidis Grandà ns. The weather was a bit variable but by
enlarge good, warm and sunny although a big storm blew through one night with
high winds and heavy rain meaning the following days birding around the
fishponds was hampered a little by strong winds. The below list is what I saw but I missed a
few things, mainly as a result of my habit of wandering off away from the group
– most frustratingly was Latvia’s first Eastern Imperial Eagle which I missed
at the fishponds but I can’t really complain with four new birds; Hazel Grouse,
Ural Owl, Middle-spotted Woodpecker and Booted Warbler.
Mallard – Common
Gadwall, Shoveler, Teal, Wigeon, Tufted Duck, Pochard, Goldeneye – Common around the fishponds
Pintail – A single drake was at the fishponds
HAZEL GROUSE – A couple of half-grown chicks were seen really well (and one was caught!) while the adult looked on from a distance at Gaidis’s house. A new bird for me!
Corncrake – A couple were head singing around Gaidis’s house
Slavonian Grebe and Black-necked Grebe – One of each were seen hanging out together at the fishponds
Little Grebe and Great-crested Grebe – Common
Red-necked Grebe – Common at the fishponds with several pairs having small chicks
Cormorant – Common
Bittern – One heard booming at the fishponds
Great White Egret – Common
Heron – Common
White Stork – Common everywhere with many active nests dotted around.
White-tailed Eagle – Several seen around the fishponds
Osprey – Seen regularly around with many seen at the fishponds
LESSER-SPOTTED EAGLE – Several seen dotted around the place
Black Kite – One seen distantly at the fishponds
Marsh Harrier – Plenty around the fishponds with a few elsewhere
Common Buzzard and Sparrowhawk – Common
Honey Buzzard – Commonly seen throughout the forests including an awesome male doing it’s full on display, wing claps and huge, slow wing beats; I’ve not seen this before, brilliant!
Goshawk – A few seen around the place including several in the centre of Riga (where there are c40 pairs within the city limits!); we ringed a big chick from a nest near Gaidis’s house; an awesome beast!
Red-footed Falcon – A female flew over the van hire place in Riga; a scarce bird in Latvia with this one the first reported this year!
Hobby – A few seen dotted around
Water Rail – One heard calling somewhere near the fishponds
LITTLE CRAKE – Awesome views of a male and female as they responded to playback at a site in the fishponds
Coot – Common
Crane – Several heard calling from Gaidis’s house
Lapwing – Common
Wood Sandpiper – Several seen on most ponds
Green Sandpiper – One seen at the fishponds
Spotted Redshank – One seen at the fishponds
Black-tailed Godwit – Four flew over the fishponds
Woodcock – Several seen roding at a couple of woodland sites
Snipe – One displaying at Gaidis’s house
Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull (omissus types) – Common
Little Gull – A few were at the fishponds
Common Tern – Common
Black Tern – Hundreds were breeding at the fishponds
Whiskered Tern – A pair were with the Black Terns at the fishponds
Woodpigeon and Cuckoo – Common
URAL OWL – One of the real highlights of the trip; we located some calling, just fledged chicks at a known site, after which it wasn’t long before the adults started calling, starting off barking then building up to some hoarse grunting and finally they flew in to give great views in the spotlight. Another new bird for me and fantastic!
PYGMY OWL – Great views of an adult perched by a nest hole which still contained a couple of well grown chicks, it just sat there, totally unconcerned by us tramping around; first time I’ve seen one in the field and not in the hand!
Tawny Owl – One seen along a road somewhere
Nightjar – Fell asleep to them calling and displaying every night we spent out in the forests!
Swift, Swallow, House Martin, Sand Martin – Common
ROLLER – One was seen fairly well in flight at an active nest-box
BLACK WOODPECKER – One was seen well at a nest site
GREY-HEADED WOODPECKER – A pair were seen well in some town
Great-spotted Woodpecker – Common
MIDDLE-SPOTTED WOODPECKER – A pair with just fledged chicks were seen well in some town. Another new bird for me!
Lesser-spotted Woodpecker – Two were seen together at fabulously close range at the fishponds
WHITE-BACKED WOODPECKER – Several seen around Gaidis’s house
THREE-TOED WOODPECKER – One active nest was seen with extremely noisy, calling chicks inside
Skylark – Common
Woodlark – A few seen in the open areas
Meadow Pipit, Tree Pipit and White Wagtail – Common
Yellow Wagtail – Common; mostly flava with a few thunbergi and many hybrid-type things with random head patterns
CITRINE WAGTAIL – Several pairs seen feeding chicks at the fishponds
Dunnock, Robin and Wren – Common
THRUSH NIGHTINGALE – Quite a few singing males were heard with a few pairs seen carrying food for chicks and fledglings
Redstart and Black Redstart – Several seen around the place
Bluethroat – One singing male was found
Wheatear – Several seen
Whinchat – Common
Blackbird, Song Thrush and Mistle Thrush – Common
Redwing – Several singing males
Fieldfare – Common around towns and villages with many feeding chicks
BARRED WARBLER – Two pairs were found, one at a known location and another feeding chicks and singing at a new site in some village; one was also seen in a park in Riga
Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat – Common
Sedge Warbler and Reed Warbler – Common
Marsh Warbler – Quite a few singing males found
BLYTH’S REED WARBLER – Several head singing with one showing very well near Gaidis’s house
GREAT REED WARBLER – Quite a few singing and feeding chicks around the fishponds
RIVER WARBLER – Several singing male heard with one seen fairly well
Icterine Warbler – One was singing by a shop out in the country and a couple more were singing in parks in Riga
BOOTED WARBLER – A pair were seen very well collecting food at a known breeding site. Another new bird for me!
Wood Warbler, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Goldcrest – Common
GREENISH WARBLER – One singing male was seen well at a known site
Spotted Flycatcher and Pied Flycatcher – Common
Red-breasted Flycatcher – One singing male was at Gaidis’s house
Great Tit, Blue Tit, Willow Tit and Crested Tit – Common
Long-tailed Tit – Magnificent white headed birds were heard several times
Bearded Tit – A small party were seen in the reedbeds at the fishponds
PENDULINE TIT – Common in the ditches and edges around the fishponds with several nests found with a few fledglings around; a nest was also seen in a park in Riga
Nuthatch – Smart, white bellied birds were common
Great Grey Shrike – One was seen well at a singing River Warbler
Red-backed Shrike – A few pairs seen dotted around
Magpie, Jay, Jackdaw, Hooded Crow, Raven and Starling – Common
Golden Oriole – Commonly heard singing with a few seen
House Sparrow and Tree Sparrow – Common
Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Siskin and Linnet – Common
Bullfinch – Quite a few deep trumpet calling birds seen around the place
Common Rosefinch – Commonly seen and heard around the place
Reed Bunting and Yellowhammer - Common
White-tailed Eagle
Mute Swan – Common
Whooper Swan – Quite a few
were around the fishponds; a few pairs had small chicksMallard – Common
Gadwall, Shoveler, Teal, Wigeon, Tufted Duck, Pochard, Goldeneye – Common around the fishponds
Pintail – A single drake was at the fishponds
HAZEL GROUSE – A couple of half-grown chicks were seen really well (and one was caught!) while the adult looked on from a distance at Gaidis’s house. A new bird for me!
Corncrake – A couple were head singing around Gaidis’s house
Slavonian Grebe and Black-necked Grebe – One of each were seen hanging out together at the fishponds
Little Grebe and Great-crested Grebe – Common
Red-necked Grebe – Common at the fishponds with several pairs having small chicks
Cormorant – Common
Bittern – One heard booming at the fishponds
Great White Egret – Common
Heron – Common
White Stork – Common everywhere with many active nests dotted around.
White-tailed Eagle – Several seen around the fishponds
Osprey – Seen regularly around with many seen at the fishponds
LESSER-SPOTTED EAGLE – Several seen dotted around the place
Black Kite – One seen distantly at the fishponds
Marsh Harrier – Plenty around the fishponds with a few elsewhere
Common Buzzard and Sparrowhawk – Common
Honey Buzzard – Commonly seen throughout the forests including an awesome male doing it’s full on display, wing claps and huge, slow wing beats; I’ve not seen this before, brilliant!
Goshawk – A few seen around the place including several in the centre of Riga (where there are c40 pairs within the city limits!); we ringed a big chick from a nest near Gaidis’s house; an awesome beast!
Red-footed Falcon – A female flew over the van hire place in Riga; a scarce bird in Latvia with this one the first reported this year!
Hobby – A few seen dotted around
Water Rail – One heard calling somewhere near the fishponds
LITTLE CRAKE – Awesome views of a male and female as they responded to playback at a site in the fishponds
Coot – Common
Crane – Several heard calling from Gaidis’s house
Lapwing – Common
Wood Sandpiper – Several seen on most ponds
Green Sandpiper – One seen at the fishponds
Spotted Redshank – One seen at the fishponds
Black-tailed Godwit – Four flew over the fishponds
Woodcock – Several seen roding at a couple of woodland sites
Snipe – One displaying at Gaidis’s house
Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull (omissus types) – Common
Little Gull – A few were at the fishponds
Common Tern – Common
Black Tern – Hundreds were breeding at the fishponds
Whiskered Tern – A pair were with the Black Terns at the fishponds
Woodpigeon and Cuckoo – Common
URAL OWL – One of the real highlights of the trip; we located some calling, just fledged chicks at a known site, after which it wasn’t long before the adults started calling, starting off barking then building up to some hoarse grunting and finally they flew in to give great views in the spotlight. Another new bird for me and fantastic!
PYGMY OWL – Great views of an adult perched by a nest hole which still contained a couple of well grown chicks, it just sat there, totally unconcerned by us tramping around; first time I’ve seen one in the field and not in the hand!
Tawny Owl – One seen along a road somewhere
Nightjar – Fell asleep to them calling and displaying every night we spent out in the forests!
Swift, Swallow, House Martin, Sand Martin – Common
ROLLER – One was seen fairly well in flight at an active nest-box
BLACK WOODPECKER – One was seen well at a nest site
GREY-HEADED WOODPECKER – A pair were seen well in some town
Great-spotted Woodpecker – Common
MIDDLE-SPOTTED WOODPECKER – A pair with just fledged chicks were seen well in some town. Another new bird for me!
Lesser-spotted Woodpecker – Two were seen together at fabulously close range at the fishponds
WHITE-BACKED WOODPECKER – Several seen around Gaidis’s house
THREE-TOED WOODPECKER – One active nest was seen with extremely noisy, calling chicks inside
Skylark – Common
Woodlark – A few seen in the open areas
Meadow Pipit, Tree Pipit and White Wagtail – Common
Yellow Wagtail – Common; mostly flava with a few thunbergi and many hybrid-type things with random head patterns
CITRINE WAGTAIL – Several pairs seen feeding chicks at the fishponds
Dunnock, Robin and Wren – Common
THRUSH NIGHTINGALE – Quite a few singing males were heard with a few pairs seen carrying food for chicks and fledglings
Redstart and Black Redstart – Several seen around the place
Bluethroat – One singing male was found
Wheatear – Several seen
Whinchat – Common
Blackbird, Song Thrush and Mistle Thrush – Common
Redwing – Several singing males
Fieldfare – Common around towns and villages with many feeding chicks
BARRED WARBLER – Two pairs were found, one at a known location and another feeding chicks and singing at a new site in some village; one was also seen in a park in Riga
Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat – Common
Sedge Warbler and Reed Warbler – Common
Marsh Warbler – Quite a few singing males found
BLYTH’S REED WARBLER – Several head singing with one showing very well near Gaidis’s house
GREAT REED WARBLER – Quite a few singing and feeding chicks around the fishponds
RIVER WARBLER – Several singing male heard with one seen fairly well
Icterine Warbler – One was singing by a shop out in the country and a couple more were singing in parks in Riga
BOOTED WARBLER – A pair were seen very well collecting food at a known breeding site. Another new bird for me!
Wood Warbler, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Goldcrest – Common
GREENISH WARBLER – One singing male was seen well at a known site
Spotted Flycatcher and Pied Flycatcher – Common
Red-breasted Flycatcher – One singing male was at Gaidis’s house
Great Tit, Blue Tit, Willow Tit and Crested Tit – Common
Long-tailed Tit – Magnificent white headed birds were heard several times
Bearded Tit – A small party were seen in the reedbeds at the fishponds
PENDULINE TIT – Common in the ditches and edges around the fishponds with several nests found with a few fledglings around; a nest was also seen in a park in Riga
Nuthatch – Smart, white bellied birds were common
Great Grey Shrike – One was seen well at a singing River Warbler
Red-backed Shrike – A few pairs seen dotted around
Magpie, Jay, Jackdaw, Hooded Crow, Raven and Starling – Common
Golden Oriole – Commonly heard singing with a few seen
House Sparrow and Tree Sparrow – Common
Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Siskin and Linnet – Common
Bullfinch – Quite a few deep trumpet calling birds seen around the place
Common Rosefinch – Commonly seen and heard around the place
Reed Bunting and Yellowhammer - Common
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