Labanoras.
Sunday, a last day of warm sunshine before temperatures shuddered downwards in asprial to a mere 8 C today. Still incoming migrants, including two very nice Golden Orioles on offer this day, a swirl of Black Terns flying over from a nearby lake, plus my first Swifts, Garden Warbler and Thrush Nightingale at this location this year.
Sedge Warblers also arrived, reoccupying territory colonised last year in reedbeds growing up in former forest-zone cleared by Beavers.
Also added Tree Sparrow, a pair in a nestbox tucked up behind a stork nest (they are usually in the stork nest, but that is occupied by the rarer House Sparrows this year). Another rarely observed bird here, a Feral Pigeon put in a surprise appearance, one waddling about.
Star of the day however, a nice complement to Pied and Spotted Flycatchers singing alongside, was a rather showy Red-breasted Flycatcher. Not easy to find in Lithuania, the swampy forest on my land is just about perfect habitat - but even here, I can't be sure I will find them in any given year. This year's bird is singing on a territory held by another bird in 2010 (that being the only previous occasion that I actually found a territory).
93. Black Tern
94. Feral Pigeon
95. Swift
96. Thrush Nightingale
97. Sedge Warbler
98. Garden Warbler
99. Red-breasted Flycatcher
100. Tree Sparrow
Also my first Swallowtail of the year, Short-tailed Blue and a good bunch of Map Butterflies, Orange Tips, etc.
