They are back...

Unmistakable silhouette - Cuckoo Cuculus canorus. Slovenian Karst.

First Hoopoe Upupa epops of the year. Slovenian Karst.

Early shoots of a young beech Fagus sylvatica. Slovenian Karst.

Petasites hybridus. Slovenian Karst.

Symphytum tuberosum. Slovenian Karst.

Black dot = Black Stork Ciconia nigra feeding at Cerkniško jezero.

Lathyrus vernus. Cerkniško jezero.

Polygala chamaebuxus. Cerkniško jezero.

Vicia oroboides. Cerkniško jezero.

Viscum abietis - a parasite on silver fir Abies alba. Cerkniško jezero.

Aposeris foetida (with leaves of Geranium nodosum nearby). Cerkniško jezero.

First Subalpine Warbler Sylvia cantillans (female) of the year. Monte Grisa (Trieste).

Algyroides nigropunctatus - a Balkanic lizard with the edge of its distribution in the wider area of Trieste. Monte Grisa (Trieste).

Rock Bunting Emberiza cia with Euphorbia wulfenii. Monte Grisa (Trieste).

Blooming on the cliffs: Prunus mahaleb, Euphorbia wulfenii and Coronilla emerus ssp. emeroides. Monte Grisa (Trieste).

Prunus mahaleb. Monte Grisa (Trieste).

Lots of new arrivals in the last week including Cuckoos Cuculus canorus and Hoopoes Upupa epops on the Karst, Scops Owl Otus scops in the local patch, first singing Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos and lots of spring activity around the cliffs, including several singing Sardinian Warblers Sylvia melanocephala and the first Subalpine Warbler Sylvia cantillans. At Isola della Cona NR also the first Sand Martins Riparia riparia and Purple Heron Ardea purpurea.
But the most notable birds were a BLACK STORK Ciconia nigra at Cerkniško jezero and two Stock Doves Columba oenas at Ljubljansko barje.

A day of forest delights

Mr. Lilford

On Thursday I was in the Kočevje forest district in southern Slovenia, doing a census and enjoying the wildlife. The area is one of the biggest IBAs (Important Bird Area) in Slovenia and is mostly composed of vast mixed forests. It is the kingdom of large carnivores, like the Brown Bear, as well as many interesting and rare bird species (Ural Owl, woodpeckers, Red-breasted Flycatcher, grouse ect.).
I was quite lucky with woodpeckers - had all species except Green and Syrian (and Wryneck). The highlight was with no doubt WHITE-BACKED WOODPECKER Dendrocopos leucotos (ssp. lilfordi). I had a nice male feeding and drumming quite close by, while another one was drumming in the distance. Although they are difficult to find, they aren't shy and usually allow great views. A short video here (watch in HD).
While I was watching the woodpecker, a familiar, but very welcome sound greeted me: the year's first Cuckoo Cuculus canorus. It sang for about one minute and it was actually the only one I heard during the whole day roving in the forests.

White-backed Woodpecker Dendrocopos leucotos

While following the White-backed's movements into the forest I came across a URAL OWL Strix uralensis flying through the beech trees. Later I realised there were two - male and female calling each other! I managed to see both and take some quick shots, although there were always just too many twigs to cover the birds. But I'm happy with the result.

Ural Owl Strix uralensis

About two seconds after I left the Ural Owl, I was sure I heard a White-backed calling. I looked up on a tree and instead found two Middle Spotted Woodpeckers Dendrocopos medius doing some courtship. I realised it's quite difficult to tell the difference between the "chip" calls of White-backed and Middle Spot. And it's amazing how so many species of woodpeckers can coexist in the same habitats and micro-locations. During the course of the day I also had 16 Great Spotted Dendrocopos major, 2 Lesser Spotted D. minor, 5 Grey-headed Picus canus, 8 Black Woodpeckers Dryocopus martius, mostly in broadleaved forest, while a THREE-TOED WOODPECKER Picoides tridactylus was drumming in a conifer stand.

Grey-headed Woodpecker Picus canus

And now the botanical part - a small selection of the most interesting plants covering the forest floor - all are typical representatives of the early-spring flora of Dinaric mountains.

Scopolia carniolica - one of the plants I most wanted to find this season. It is distributed in central and south-eastern Europe, but the story of its first description and naming are linked to Slovenia. It was named after J. A. Scopoli in 1974, from specimens collected in Idrija.

Ruscus hypoglossum

Omphalodes verna - the most typical flower of Dinaric forests (=Omphalodo-Fagetum).

Cardamine kitaibelii growing along the very common C. enneaphyllos

Hacquetia epipactis

Euphorbia amygdaloides

The beech forest floor looked a bit like this - dotted all around by H.epipactis, O.verna and Anemone nemorosa (the white one).

Chrysosplenium alternifolium

And for a perfect ending of an incredible day... a male Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus that caught a Song Thrush Turdus philomelos in front of my eyes. It took its prey just a few metres away and perched on the forest floor, giving great views for some minutes. It's not frequently that I see such nice males. 90% of all my Sparrowhawk observations involve females.

Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus

WALLCREEPER in the patch!

Yesterday in the late afternoon I made a short visit to the limestone cliffs of Monte Grisa, in my local patch. I went there with the intent of a short walk and to look around for any newly arrived migrants.
The area indeed held my first 2 Common Swifts Apus apus of the year, along with 4 Alpine Swifts Apus melba, 4 Swallows Hirundo rustica and 2 House Martins Delichon urbicum. Somewhere under the cliffs, in the shrubby vegetation a Sardinian Warbler Sylvia melanocephala was calling, while a migrant female Kestrel Falco tinnunculus flew overhead. While looking at the cliffs and wondering about the blooming "explosions" of the sulphur-coloured Euphorbia wulfenii, a restless bird caught my attention. I immediately knew what is was: a WALLCREEPER Tichodroma muraria. My first in the patch! Moreover it was a stunning male with extensive black on the face and chest. I was quite astonished by the extent of the black - covering almost all the underparts of the bird. I'm certainly not used to see this plumage, as most of my observations are from the winter period. The only other time I saw a summer-plumaged male (actually 2 together) was several years ago, one April day in the Glinščica/Val Rosandra valley (always on the Karst edge), so basically away from its breeding grounds. It looks like the birds that winter here leave the areas, not before April.
As I said the bird in question was quite restless and kept hopping and flying on the cliffs all the time. I watched it for 10 long minutes, usually quite close-by. At a certain point it also delivered a short note of its rarely-heard song! A video of the bird here (watch in 720p).

Male Wallcreeper Tichodroma muraria with flowers of Euphorbia wulfenii - a characteristic plant of the Eastern Mediterranean, blooming very prominently at this time of year along the rocky coast of Trieste.

Wallcreeper nearby another typical Mediterranean plant: Teucrium flavum.

Frequently sticking its beak in the crevices. In the last pic, the leaves of Campanula pyramidalis are visible - another typical plant growing frequently out of the limestone rocks.

After those 10 minutes, the bird made a short flight to some nearby, lower cliffs, where I couldn't see it and later I didn't relocate it. I remained there, staring at the cliffs with a smile on the face while the last rays of sun were shining on the rocks.

Views on the Wallcreeper cliffs, with the extensive flowering of E. wulfenii. On the second photo, the city of Trieste is visible in the distance.

Flora of the Karstic dolines

Primula auricula - one of the prettiest plants of all.

In this post I'll try to present some of the most characteristic wildflowers that grow at this time of year in the Karstic dolines. The dolines or sinkholes are (usually) large and shallow depressions typical of Karstic terrains and commonly found in western Slovenia and the Trieste area. The phenomenon of temperature inversion "traps" cool air in them and thus makes their microclimate cooler than the surrounding areas. This is then reflected in their vegetation which is characteristics of more montane areas. An example of is the presence of more cool-loving trees like Carpinus betulus, Colylus avellana or Quercus cerris, which are otherwise scarcer on the Karst. The predominant Karstic wood associations include warmth-loving species like Quercus pubescens, Fraxinus ornus and Ostrya carpinifolia. 
A this time of year, lots of colorful wildflowers are to be found on the bottom of dolines. These plants time their flowering season in early spring, so they can exploit the solar rays, before the trees put their leaves on and shade them. So this is the best time of the year to visit such places.
Apart from the below species, some additional ones are also common in the same habitats - see this post for more.

Primula auricula - a specialty found on just two locations on the Karst (both are dolines). See here for more info. This plant grows not in the bottom, but on the steep limestone cliffs of dolines.

Cardamine enneaphyllos with Corydalis solida in the 2nd pic. Both very common plants.

Woodland carpet composed mostly of Corydalis cava, C. solida, Cardamine enneaphyllos and other commoner species.

Corydalis cava - bumblebees seem to be the main impollinators (or stealers?).

Direct comparison between confusion species. The easiest way of telling the two is by looking at the shape of the small leaves right under the flowers.

Isopyrum thalictroides - also very common.

Lathraea squamaria - one of the most bizarre flowers of all!

Mercurialis ovata. Note oval shaped leaves with no leaf-stem. A warmth-loving species, usually avoiding the bottom of dolines (found this in a warmer area out of the doline).

Mercurialis perennis. Note more elongated, spear-shaped leaves on short leaf-stems. More cool-loving than the above species, thus usually found in dolines.

Cardaminopsis arenosa

Thlaspi praecox. A very common early-spring flower on the Karst.

Pulsatilla montana. Typical of Karstic dry grasslands; quite common.

Viola riviniana - one of the two commonest wild violet species here.

And to round up the post, a typical Karstic bird: Rock Bunting Emberiza cia.