Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni. Note the white claws. |
Lesser Kestrel used to breed in Slovenia until the 90s, but is now extinct. It only occurs rarely on migration and is considered a vagrant, with something like 6th records in the last 20 or so years. Pity it was a dead bird, anyway it is a very interesting find.
Alive birds in the area included a few migrants in the form of +10 Whinchats Saxicola rubetra, +5 Wheatears Oenanthe oenanthe, 4 Red-backed Shrikes Lanius collurio, 2 Common Whiethroats Sylvia communis, 1 Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca, 3 Stonechats Saxicola torquatus. The most interesting was a juvenile Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris, which has probably fledged in the area.
Later in the afternoon we moved to the grassy slopes of mt. Vremščica (at around 800-900 m) to check for potential Dotterels. Here we only found a nice flock of +25 Linnets Carduelis cannabina drinking from a puddle and +20 Whinchats Saxicola rubetra.
We rounded up the day with a Hobby Falco subbuteo flying low above Bazovica (Trieste) in the evening.
On Friday I also had a quick "Dotterel checking session" on Vremščica (1026 m), which was fruitless.
On Saturday I went for a stroll on Campo Carri (Italian Karst) which was full with Whinchats Saxicola rubetra and Wheatears Oenanthe oenanthe. A male Goshawk Accipiter gentilis was also a nice addition to the evening walk. In the sky also 3 Common Swifts Apus apus heading south.
Local patch: birds of note in and around the garden in the last couple of days included Crested Tit Lophophanes cristatus (1-2 still present), Coal Tit Periparus ater (2 the 1st of the season), Short-toed Treecreeper Certhia brachydactyla, Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita, first singing Robin Erithacus rubecula of the autumn season and mixed flocks of House Martins Delichon urbicum (+200), Swallows Hirundo rustica and a few Common Swifts Apus apus.