| ![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OptgwWoO9Dw/U0665lBPIZI/AAAAAAAAJOo/KhYi677pmMQ/s1600/00+Saxicola+rubetra+DSCN0044.JPG) |
| Whinchat Saxicola rubetra |
![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gUii4WaS3Lk/U066--8Mv-I/AAAAAAAAJOw/GhkbjrT-f94/s1600/00+Milvus+migrans+DSCN0065.JPG) |
Black Kite Milvus migrans |
![](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4LZtLa9yomo/U067HwODBHI/AAAAAAAAJO4/c3rSoJufh2g/s1600/00+Ardea+purpurea+DSCN0047.JPG) |
Purple Heron Ardea purpurea |
![](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eO9oIq48a0I/U067OvovuCI/AAAAAAAAJPA/09yuOdRU_xk/s1600/00+Acrocephalus+arundinaceus+DSCN0053.JPG) |
Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus |
![](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O-z1kiQDJGA/U067V5QZU4I/AAAAAAAAJPI/Y2seqGt_hLg/s1600/00+Charadrius+dubius+DSCN0049.JPG) |
Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius |
New spring migrants are on the way. Today (and partly yesterday) at Škocjanski zatok NR I had some year's firsts in the form of
Sand Martin (about 40 today), 2
Purple Herons, 1
Squacco Heron, several
Little Ringed Plovers and 2 singing
Great Reed Warblers. However the major highlight today was a
BLACK KITE flying over the freshwater marsh. In general there was a good movement of birds. Together with the Sand Martins, there were lots of Swallows and a few House Martins, as well as
Common Swifts (+20) and a single
Alpine Swift (yesterday). Ten
flava Yellow Wagtails and a male
Whinchat were good to see on the grazing marsh. Other birds, already recorded in the previous visits included things like
Little Gull (2), Lapwing, Wood Sandpiper, Ruff (+25), Black-winged Stilt, Black-tailed Godwit, Common Sandpiper,
Marsh Sandpiper (1 in the lagoon), Redshank,
Common Tern (10) and Marsh Harrier (1 f).
On Sunday I had a small guided trip to the karstic lake of Doberdob which was quite unproductive in terms of migrants and/or waterbirds. However we managed to see an adult
Night Heron, a few
Common and
Alpine Swifts, heard a Water Rail,
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, a distant
Cuckoo and a load of Nightingales. In the early afternoon I saw my first two
SHORT-TOED EAGLES of the season (soaring together), which were quite cool to see again.