Owls and woodpeckers in Trnovski gozd

On Sunday I was in Trnovski gozd (Trnovo forest) enjoying forest owls and woodpeckers. The highlight was a TENGMALM'S OWL Aegolius funereus which I attracted by imitating (whistling) its song. The bird responded quickly and showed brilliantly for a few minutes in a conifer tree, twisting and waving its head with the characteristic "astonished" look. So far the best views I've ever had of this difficult-to-see species. The picture is from a Natura 2000 information panel in Trnovski gozd.

PYGMY OWL Glaucidium passerinum (second pic by Sara Cernich) - two of these were singing close to the Tengmalm's' location. One of them was easy to spot as it had a "cloud" of small, buzzing birds around it (mainly Coal Periparus ater and Willow Tit Poecile montanus). The show went on till dark when one bird was still delivering its song from a spruce (last pic). Looks like a good year for Pygmy Owl in Trnovski gozd.

Female Three-toed Woodpecker Picoides tridactylus (by Sara Cernich) - at least two birds were seen; one on the same trees as the Pygmy Owl (difficult to choose where to watch!). Both were females and both were frequently mobbed by Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major, while feeding on dead spruces. Other woodpeckers included a Grey-headed Picus canus and two Black Dryocopus martius (while recently I had again two Middle Spotted Woodpeckers Dendrocopos medius on the Slovenian Karst).

A small group of old conifers, where the first Three-toe was seen. Woodpeckers prefer dying trees (like the above) to those already dead from a long time. Dying trees have still large amounts of bark and support a richer invertebrate fauna.

Mature conifer forest with a lot of decaying wood - the climax habitat for woodpeckers and owls. Black Woodpecker's feeding holes can be seen in the photo.

Autumn-coloured larches Larix decidua.

Large fungus (possibly the largest I've ever seen) growing out of a dead Norway spruce Picea abies. For me these fungi are usually a good indicator of forest maturity and wilderness.

Iceland moss Cetraria islandica - a rare moss in Trnovski gozd, which is otherwise a widespread boreal species (N Europe, N America). It is very sensitive to air pollution, so is a good indicator of clean, unpolluted air. In the past it was traditionally used in pharmacy/medicine.

Sphagnum nemoreum (capillifolium).

Mt. Krn in the Julian Alps (see this post) is usually visible from Trnovski gozd.

I'll round up the post with a nice "flick of crimson" from a Wallcreeper Tichodroma muraria, two weeks ago at the Škocjan caves (Škocjanske jame) near Divača. One of the many Wallcreepers that spend the winter on the Karst.

Pokljuka - Triglav National Park

Pokljuka is a large forested plateau in the Triglav National Park (north-western Slovenia). In the past the area was covered by beech and silver fir forests, which were transformed into almost pure conifer stands, through centuries of human activity. The predominant tree species today is Norway spruce Picea abies and many of the organisms that inhabit this forests belong to the fauna & flora of boreal environments. Some of them are glacial relicts (good populations of Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus, Three-toed Woodpecker Picoides tridactylus ect.). Another such example is the PYGMY OWL Glaucidium passerinum which in the Alps has the strongest population of Slovenia. The Pokljuka plateau is an excellent place to observe it. Due to its partly-diurnal habits, it's not very difficult to hear one singing in the early morning and spot it perched on the top of a spruce. On Sunday I had the pleasure to watch this nice little owl for quite a while...

Pygmy Owl Glaucidium passerinum in its typical pose: observing the surroundings from the top of a high spruce and delivering its autumn song.

The owl was as usual accompanied by a noisy flock of small forest birds (Goldcrest Regulus regulus, Coal Tit Periparus ater, Crested Tit Lophophanes cristatus and Willow Tit Poecile montanus) that were very nervous about its presence and kept mobbing it. The panic was justified as Pygmy Owl frequently includes small birds in its diet, hence the partly diurnal habits.
Of the other birds observed on Pokljuka, Nutcracker Nucifraga caryocatactes was perhaps the most interesting (3-4 seen), along with Grey-headed Woodpecker Picus canus (2-3) and Black Woodpecker Dryocopus martius (4-5) plus a good selection of common forest birds: Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula, Treecreeper Certhia familiaris, Brambling Fringilla montifringilla, Siskin Carduelis spinus and Crossbill Loxia curvirostra.
But now let some more photos tell the rest of the story...

An autumn-coloured larch Larix decidua stands out among Norway spruces Picea abies.

Some views on the Šijec bog with a morning frost. The small trees covering this wetland habitat are mountain pines Pinus mugo. The temperatures here were below zero in the early morning.

Mountain pine Pinus mugo in detail.

Two views on Šijec bog with mount Triglav in the background (first photo). This bog is perhaps the most well known and studied in Slovenia. It is also one of the very few raised bogs in the country and supports a selection of very interesting and localised plant species. Different species of Sphagnum mosses (for example the red one on the second pic) build up this vulnerable habitat.

Mount Triglav, Slovenia's highest peak (2864 m), as seen from the Pokljuka plateau (same mountain also in the first pic of the post).

Mount Debela peč (2014 m) peaking out from Pokljuka's conifer forests. On a higher elevation, Norway spruce P. abies is replaced by larch Larix decidua which constitutes the natural tree-line in the Alps.

Larch L. decidua in its full autumn beauty.

Two dead conifers - the perfect place for Three-toed Woodpecker Picoides tridactylus which is a widespread bird on Pokljuka.

Goldcrest Regulus regulus - one of the commonest birds on Pokljuka.

Lycopodium annotinum surrounded by cranberry Vaccinium vitis-idaea - both species form a dense undergrowth in the conifer forest on the plateau, especially around bogs.

Coal Tit Periparus ater - another very common forest bird.

A late Gentiana verna, still in flower on the alpine grassland of planina Klek.

Pokljuka is the major stronghold for Brown Bear Ursus arctos in the Slovenian Alps. However, bear's numbers are significantly lower compared to those of southern Slovenia. So the chances of seeing one in the Alps are quite remote.

Neusiedler See - Austria

Back from a long weekend spent birding in the Neusiedler See National Park (Neusiedl lake) in eastern Austria. Lots of great birds on a daily basis, including some of the local birding specialties...

Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca (last photo by Sara Cernich). Up to three birds together were seen on the grassy plains of the Waasen-Hansag Conservation Zone in two different days. The first photo shows an adult, the second a nice trio, while the last shows a juvenile, perched on a pole in the fields. Imperial Eagle was one of the targets of this trip, along with Saker Falco cherrug that was readily spotted from the road on the first day (an adult hunting in the fields near the town of Eisenstadt).

Syrian Woodpecker Dendrocopos syriacus (lower pic by Sara Cernich) - another of the main targets. The male shown above was performing well, along with a female and a third individual in a garden in the town of Illmitz. Video of the female here (watch at 720p). Syrian Woodpeckers were seen on a daily basis at different urban sites (parkland, roadside trees, gardens ect.) in the towns of St. Andra, Illmitz and Apetlon.

Red Kite Milvus milvus. A nice bonus species, seen twice during the trip: on the fields at the Waasen-Hansag area and at the Oberstinkersee near Illmitz (bird above). Other interesting raptors seen included: 1-2 White-tailed Eagles Haliaeetus albicilla (immature), Merlin Falco columbarius, Peregrine Falco peregrinus, Goshawk Accipiter gentilis and lots of Hen Harriers Circus cyaneus & smaller numbers of Marsh Harriers C. aeruginosus.

Long-eared Owl Asio otus in a cypress at the cemetery of Apetlon. At least 7 birds were counted roosting in the trees.

Lange Lacke - one of the many shallow, saline lakes scattered on the plains east of lake Neusiedl. This one was perhaps the most productive. Thousands of birds here - mostly Greylag Geese Anser anser (the most numerous bird at all!) with a few hundred White-fronted Geese Anser albifrons, about 50 Tundra Bean Geese Anser fabalis ssp. rossicus and two smart Barnacle Geese Branta leucopsis (of unknown origin). Also all sorts of other common wildfowl in large numbers.

Tripolium pannonicum (or Aster tripolium ssp. pannonicus) - perhaps the most typical flower of Neusiedler See National Park, growing commonly on the shores of the salty lakes and in full bloom at this time of year.

Salicornia sp. - another characteristic plant indicating the salinity of these pools (usually found on the seashore).

A typical inhabitant of the salty lakes - Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta on the Oberstinkersee. The only Avocet of the trip. Other waders included small flocks of Dunlin Calidris alpina, Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus, Greenshank Tringa nebularia, Curlew Numenius arquata and a single Snipe Gallinago gallinago.

The Zicklacke near Illmitz - one of the several salty pools were Mallard Anas platyrhynchos was always the most numerous bird. Rarer ducks included a few Red-crested Pochards Netta rufina seen in one of the lakes west of Illmitz (4 ind.) and in the Warmsee, north of Apetlon (1 female).

The Warmsee near Apetlon, produced the above Baltic Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus ssp. fuscus. The mantle colour was deep black and the bird in flight showed yellow legs, plus very long wings (primary projection when perched). It is the first time I see a nominate fuscus.

Lapwings Vanellus vanellus over the Warmsee - the only two flocks seen were near Apetlon.

A view over the Lange Lacke (photo by Sara Cernich) with tens of wind turbines in the far distance - an almost constant "background presence" in these windy plains.

The shores of lake Neusiedl with some exposed wet grassland where Greylag Geese Anser anser and semi-wild horses grazed.

Reedbed west of Illmitz where several Bearded Tits Panurus biarmicus were seen. Other typical birds of this habitat included: Bittern Botaurus stellaris, Penduline Tit Remiz pendulinus and Pygmy Cormorant Phalacrocorax pygmeus (apparently a scarce species here). A single Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia was also seen.

Danube Crested Newt Triturus dobrogicus near the Lange Lacke - a species (sometimes still treated as a subspecies of T. cristatus) with its distrubution stretching from the Danube river basin to part of central and eastern Europe, down to the Balkans.

Two views of the typical steppe (puszta) near the Lange Lacke. This is the home of the Souslik (or Ground squirrel) Spermophilus citellus, which unfortunately was already hibernating underground at this time of year. Common birds on these vast plains and nearby farmland included Great Grey Shrike Lanius excubitor, Rook Corvus frugilegus, large numbers of Tree Sparrows Passer montanus & Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella. Two Stock Doves Columba oenas were also seen in a field. 

Evening fog rising over the grasslands at the Waasen-Hansag where Great Bustards Otis tarda and Short-eared Owls Asio flammeus breed in spring.

Racka sheep - a characteristic Hungarian breed with spiral-shaped horns. Photographed in the Ferto area, on the Hungarian side of lake Neusiedl.

Mangalitza pig - another Hungarian breed, typical of these areas.

Sunset over Neusiedl lake - actually the second largest lake in Central Europe.

Sunset with a flock of about 80 Cranes Grus grus, migrating south-westwards above the Lange Lacke (photo Sara Cernich). The first Cranes of the season! Another flock was also heard over the Waasen-Hansag Conservation Zone.