The autumn bird migration is in full swing and our attention has turned again to birds, after the "summer break" with butterflies and plants. At Škocjanski zatok Nature Reserve several interesting species have turned up in the last two weeks. The highlight was finding the second Broad-billed Sandpiper Limicola falcinellus for the reserve (on the 29th of August). This species is a rare but more or less annual vagrant to Slovenia. Also very interesting is the presence of a juvenile Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus in the brackish lagoon, which apparently has no rush to move away from the reserve. As it is usually the case in early September, the reserve hosts several migrant Bluethroats Luscinia svecica that can be seen (with some luck) feeding on the muddy edges of reedbeds. Other interesting species recorded at the reserve in the past two weeks, until today included: Spotted Crake Porzana porzana (up to 4 in one morning), Little Crake Porzana parva (2 males together), Hobby Falco subbuteo (1), Short-toed Eagle Circaetus gallicus (1 almost daily at the reserve), Dunlin Calidris alpina (4), Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur (3), Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca, Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe, Wood Warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix, Whinchat Saxicola rubetra and several other common migrants.
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| Broad-billed Sandpiper Limicola falcinellus |
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| Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus |
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| Bluethroat Luscinia svecica |
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| Little Crake Porzana parva |
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| Spotted Crake Porzana porzana |
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| Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca |
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| Snipe Gallinago gallinago |
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| Kingfisher Alcedo atthis |
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| Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur |
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| Short-toed Eagle Circaetus gallicus |
Short afternoon visits of woodlands, meadows and mountains close to home in the Karst have also produced some interesting finds. On the botanical front the most noteworthy plant of the moment is certainly the Autumn Lady's-tresses Spiranthes spiralis - the last orchid of the season. Among birds we had several encounters with Short-toed Eagles Circaetus gallicus, as well as several migrant passerines and a nice male Cuckoo Cuculus canorus, a rather uncommon autumn sight. In the very first days of September we've also checked several mountain meadows for migrating Dotterels Charadrius morinellus, but with no success. This rare mysterious migrant wader has been observed at the end of August on mount Slavnik, an almost annual stopover site for the species in our area. In slightly less than 10 years of regular autumn trips to find Dotterels in the high Karst, we managed to observe the species only twice (in 2011 and 2015).
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| Autumn Lady's-tresses Spiranthes spiralis |
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| Cuckoo Cuculus canorus |
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| Short-toed Eagle Circaetus gallicus |
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| Wind-swept dry limestone grasslands on mount Vremščica. |
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| Mighty mount Nanos seen from the Karst plateau. |
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| Black Woodpecker Dryocopus martius |
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| Blackthorn Prunus spinosa |
The butterfly season is coming to an end, however there are still some interesting species to be found here and there. During a brief visit to Nova Gorica on the 10th of September we made a short walk in the Panovec woodland where we found the amazing and rather rare Common Glider Neptis sappho. Otherwise most butterflies now concentrate on dry meadows where they can find some late-flowering plants for nectar. In our garden the alien Geranium Bronze Cacyreus marshalli from South Africa is common in this season, while far more exciting is the presence of the large Convolvulus Hawk-moth Agrius convolvuli, coming to feed on nectar in the evenings. At the end of August in Škocjanski zatok we also found a caterpillar of the impressive Oleander Hawk-moth Daphnis nerii.
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| Common Glider Neptis sappho |
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| Dryad Minois dryas |
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| Geranium Bronze Cacyreus marshalli |
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| Weaver's Fritillary Boloria dia |
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| Convolvulus Hawk-moth Agrius convolvuli |
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| Oleander Hawk-moth Daphnis nerii |
