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| Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea |
Škocjanski zatok NR: yesterday the brackish marsh was alive with lots of waders. A
Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea (in breeding-like plumage) was a welcome, but expected sight - always on time as every year in July. Also typical of this month are good numbers of Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucos - counted 45 of them (compared with the 4 last week!). Three plover species were to be seen together:
Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula (1), Little Ringed Plover
Charadrius dubius (5) and
Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus (3). A rare sight in Škocjanski zatok as Ringed Plover is quite scarce. Among the other commoner species like Greenshank
Tringa nebularia, Common Redshank
Tringa totanus, Curlew
Numenius arquata and Wood Sandpiper
Tringa glareola, also a
Little Stint Calidris minuta, a Ruff
Philomachus pugnax and a Snipe
Gallinago gallinago were feeding on the mudflats. Black-winged Stilts
Himantopus himantopus have now decreased in numbers and there are just a few juveniles around. Three
Little Terns Sternula albifrons were also present among the Common Terns
Sterna hirundo. Other birds of note were a male
Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus, Pygmy Cormorant
Phalacrocorax pygmeus (24 - a high number for the area), Turtle Dove
Streptopelia turtur (2) and a singing
Fan-tailed Warbler Cisticola juncidis.
After the monitoring I went to check the limestone cliffs at Osp. Here I saw 2
Blue Rock Thrushes Monticola solitarius, 16 Alpine Swifts
Apus melba and a
Short-toed Eagle Circaetus gallicus.
Also had 4 by-the-way Hoopoes
Upupa epops the other day.
