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Birding in the time of Coronavirus (1 Viewer)

3Italianbirders

well-known member
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Italy
So we are stuck. We can go out within the precincts of the town council only to buy groceries and/or medicines, or other necessary errands such as going to the bank or the post office.

We are as yet unsure if going for a walk, provided we keep our distance from other people (as we have been doing for the past few days) will be permitted.

Travel outside one’s own town of residence is permitted only for work, health reasons and for visiting relatives who need assistance.

Besides the obvious impact on birdwatching there is also the concern over conservation efforts all over the country, of which I have spoken briefly here.

This means that our birding for the time being will be strictly limited to what we can see in town (luckily a small one and we live on the edge of it), or from the car when I go to check on an elderly relative an hour’s drive away.

Unfortunately we don’t have a proper garden, just a small strip of grass with a few rose bushes and a baby cherry tree by the road, which doesn’t provide entertainment in the form of bird life.

We do have some feeders at the back, next to our garage, which borders on a wooded area. In the past we have recorded up to 20 species here in winter, including Dunnock, Nuthatch, Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tit, Crossbill, Hawfinch and Sparrowhawk. In the past couple of years however most of the pine trees closest to the garage have been chopped down :C , meaning that there is a large emptyish space (apart from some smaller shrubs) between the wooded area and the feeders, and species numbers have decreased considerably. Nuthatch was one of the most reliable visitors but this winter we have seen it only a few times, the Crossbills haven’t been seen for years, together with Goldcrests, Long-tailed Tits and Dunnocks.

The most assiduous customers are the 4 species of Tits in order of frequency: Coal, Marsh, Blue and Great and, from late December to March, the terrible Siskins, which descend on our feeders like the Huns, sometimes 60-80 at a time, destroying our supplies of sunflower seeds and home-made fat balls (recipe here) in no time at all and chasing away the shier tits. But the last few days have brought some welcome surprises on which I will elaborate below.

Anyway, to pass the time while we are stuck at home I will try to post what little we can see at the feeders, during our brief jaunts into town and my drives to my relative’s place. Sort of a blog from the quarantine area! Stay tuned for the updates!

The record shots below are from years ago. No snow this year. The mildest winter ever recorded.
 

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Yesterday I drove to my mum’s, just over an hour’s drive through very pleasant countryside, vineyards, olive groves and past a couple of nature reserves. I was looking forward to the drive as G had seen the first Short-toed Eagle of the year a couple of days before (before the total lockdown), and on my previous visit I had seen several Kestrels and a group of Cattle Egrets.

Instead it was a bit disappointing, as I only saw 2 Buzzards, Jackdaws and lots of Italian Sparrows. On the way back I took a shortcut that runs closer to the edge of a reserve, but I only saw flocks of Chaffinches and a lone Goldfinch. Closer to home, at the edge of another reserve, an unexpected Cormorant flew across the river.

In the late afternoon we went for a walk around town and saw Blackcap and Wren.
 
Today I went to refill the feeders, but wasn’t very hopeful as bird traffic had slowed down considerably in the past few days; I was also a bit depressed at the idea of the long birdless weeks in front of us.

At first there were only a few Siskins and the usual Coal and Marsh Tits. After a while a Great Tit appeared, too, and then all of a sudden things sped up and Bramblings (I counted at least 8, mostly males), Greenfinches (probably a pair) and Blue Tits appeared. I hadn’t brought my binoculars, so I rushed down the front, then up the stairs and down and up again and as I was approaching I saw a largish bird land on the hazelnut tree next to the feeders: Hawfinch! The first one of the year, a female. Some 15 minutes later a male also put in an appearance. Also a couple of Blackbirds were rustling about below the feeders, while the Siskins and Bramblings came and went. A very enjoyable hour or so, which definitely lightened my mood. I love Bramblings , but the Hawfinches were a real bonus. I also heard a Green Woodpecker.
 
Very slow today. Still good numbers of Siskins, and the usual Coal, Marsh and Blue Tits. Great Tit heard only. A Magpie and a couple of Collared Doves around. A Blue Tit was furiously chasing a Coal Tit around. Fingers crossed for tomorrow morning's drive to my mum's.
 
Saturday

I forgot to say that the other day when we went for a walk we also saw a Grey Wagtail by a pond at the edge of town.

Anyway today I could get out! My hopes of seeing a Short-toed Eagle were dashed as soon as I got up to thick fog (or rather low cloud cover, as we live at 850 metres) and a light drizzle, certainly not a good day for BOPs. The feeders were pretty quiet too: a few Siskins, and the usual trio of Tits: Coal, Marsh and Blue.

Anyway, I took the sight of a Green Woodpecker as I was leaving town as a good omen. The most striking thing of the past few days, birdwise, is that with the rountry roads almost empty, a lot of birds forage on them or just by the side so one must be extra careful. Today was much emptier than Wednesday, presumably both because the lockdown has been tightened since then and because being a Saturday there is even less commercial traffic, no lorries and just a few vans. The good thing about this is that during the whole trip I didn’t get one single idiot tailgating me (very rare occurrence in this country). Anyway the sight of the empty roads is really unsettling: I don't think I have ever seen them this empty in the daytime - I had the radio on and David Bowie's "Life on Mars" came on and I can tell you that that was what it felt like.

Most abundant birds were Wood Pigeons, Jays, very bright in the dull light, and cackling Magpies. Among the little ones, Chaffinches, Italian Sparrows, Great Tits and a couple of Corn Buntings.

As I was getting into the car to come back, a White Wagtail appeared on a roof. Further on, in front of a winery two Cattle Egrets and immediately after a nice Buzzard sitting on a post by the side of the road. driving through the next village, a nice surprise: House Martins! Then a Wren flew across the road to hide in a bush. A little while later I stopped to have a better look at a female Black Redstart and at the same time a Great Spotted Woodpecker flew into a tree. I heard, but did not see a Serin sing. A lone Cormorant flew across a field (?), then the usual flock of Jackdaws circling around the ancient part of the next town. Driving through a stretch of woodland I heard a Chiffchaff, then as I was getting closer to home, another Buzzard on another post and finally, the icing on the cake: a Red Kite!

After lunch I went for a walk, seeing a nice pair of Black Redstarts.

Today I can’t really complain!

Below some pics of the empty town, another uncanny sight on a Saturday afternoon in spring. Especially the grassy ring around the athletics track is a favourite walking/idling/gossiping spot in town. The last two pics are signs that Italian kids all over the country have been encouraged to draw and hang on balconies, saying "Everything is going to be all right" with a rainbow.

That's it from the lockdown today!
 

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Maybe keep a tally of the number of species that you see whilst ubder lockdown? If you have a valid reason to travel, I guess you are not allowed to stop and have a wander on route?
 
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Maybe keep a tally of the number of species that you see whilst ubder lockdown? If you have a valud reason to travel, I guess you are not allowed to dtop and have a wander on route?

Yes, I have been thinking about it. I don't think wandering is allowed, but I have taken dubious "shortcuts" on dirt roads and stopped by the side of the road to have a better look at things flying in the distance. ;)

John: no dates in my notebook, so can't be used as a proof! :king:
 
I remember when we were "on your neighborhoods" there was always peoples on sight. I can't imagine what it looks like now... Wait - OK - I can imagine it. It must be like country roads here at any day. 3:)

Sorry. Maybe I shouldn't joke about this... I hope the things are going better for there.
This side of Europe Corona just beginning to spread. More than 500 person public events have been canceled, but the schools are still open and there is no restriction on movements (within the country) - yet. And hopefully it wan't happen. It would be a terrible if you can't go to birdwatching when ever you want and where ever you want. :-C

Keep up posting and good birding. :t:
 
Thanks, all. Unfortunately it seems (from what they say and from the figures they give every day) that we haven't reached the peak of the epidemic yet. Total lockdown should be until the 25th and schools are due to reopen on April 3rd, but we all fear that it's going to take much longer, maybe after Easter, maybe more. In the meantime we can just hope for the best.

Today I birded by proxy, as G spent some time at the back near the feeders, reporting the usual species, Siskins and Tits, plus a few Greenfinches. From the balcony I heard a Green Woodpecker and saw a few Tree Sparrows.
 

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G went cycling just outside town (but within its precinct) early this morning and heard a Tawny Owl calling. He also heard Nuthatch, Short-toed Treecreeper and Green Woodpecker.

At the feeders the usual customers plus again Greenfinch, Hawfinch and several (at least 7) Brambling. I also heard Chiffchaff.
 
Hi 3Italianbirders,
My best wishes to you and your loved ones, from Ireland. Thank you for your enlightening thread. I hope all your people are safe. When this is all over, we will enjoy life again, but many will not be with us.
Sancho
 
Thank you Sancho, we are all well, at least for the time being, but we might still be incubating, so we try to be as careful as possible and hope for the best!

Dan: I think that staying sane will be the hardest!
 
So, today was "driving to my mum's day" again. Unfortunately the clear blue skies of the past couple of days had been replaced by kind of terrible white high cloud cover that turns every bird into a dark blob, but still it was bound to be better than staying at home!

On the outward journey I didn't pay much attention to what was happening outside the car as I was listening to the radio, but did see the usual selection of Corvids (I didn't count them, so I can't say if they were 19 or not ...;)), Jays, Jackdaws, Magpies and Hooded Crows. No BOPs, Chaffinches by the side of the road, but one Cirl Bunting on a wire did catch my eye.

At my mum's, an Italian Sparrow was happily pecking away at one of the fat balls on her tiny balcony. I must post a photo next time because it's really something.

On the way back, I rolled down the windows and concentrated on the birding (well on the road, too o:D). Soon after leaving town, I saw a Moorhen in a ditch and then heard the first of the many Zitting Cisticolas of the day, and also another Cirl Bunting. A Buzzard was circling over a field, and soon after, in another ditch I saw two Little Egrets, then a flock of Goldfinches scattered over the next field, and further on a Grey Heron.

I also heard several Great Tits and one Chiffchaff and, closer to home two resident Stonechats that I hadn't yet seen during the previous trips. But the best sighting of the day came soon after: two Short-toed Eagles circling and hovering fairly close (shame about the terrible white sky, or the views would have been perfect).

After lunch we went for a hike with G in the woodland behind our flat. It was pretty quiet apart from a few Coal Tits and the occasional Blackbird, but we did hear Song Thrushes. Also lots of toads in a pond just outside town, unfortunately the photo is completely out of focus! I didn't have my reading glasses and didn't notice that the phone had focused on the wall instead. I had never seen toads swimming! Bumblebees were about too. The final bird of the day was a cracking Firecrest that sung by the primary school, must be one of my favourite birds!

I want to say that if anyone else is birding while in lockdown feel free to hijack this thread!
 

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Good stuff - nice one on the eagles!

Just wondering - how are you going about seeing your Mum? ie are you in minimal other contact with others (eg when doing essential food shopping/other members of your family seeing other relatives), and are you observing all the social distancing recommendations when with her?
 
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