Eastern Europe ...Lithuania, a birder's tale. (1 Viewer)

[delia todd]

Great reports Jos. Thanks

D

 

[Jos Stratford]

Finally took a deep swallow and emptied my wallet to get the pleasure of the Canon 100-400 lens plonked on the end of my camera ...then endured a few dull cloudy days waiting for a chance to get out and put it through its paces!

Finally dawned a sunny day, so loaded up and headed out to see what I could snap - after failing to locate them some days earlier, a Pygmy Owl did me proud to pose for some of my first shots, whilst over on my land a Brown Hare popped up amoungst the dandelions in the meadow. So, the lens has been christened

 

[Andrew]

Cool pic of the Pygmy Owl!

 

[Jos Stratford]

Cool pic of the Pygmy Owl!

Hope I'm not overdoing pictures of the Pygmy Owls , but one more! This one I am really happy with - arrived there today and was fortunate enough to find one that had made a kill! Couldn't see the species of bird, but prey recorded so far with this pair has ranged from Crested Tit and Pied Flycatcher up to Mistle Thrush, the latter bigger than the owls themselves. Today's prey was something more typical in size. In their typical way, the bird paid no attention to me whatsoever and flew in to sit just three metres from me, with the dead bird in tow. It then sat and called to its mate, awaited an answer, then flitted right over my head and off towards the nestsite. Absolutely mezmorizing!


And here's the picture, Pygmy Owl with kill...

 

[Keith Dickinson]

Jos,
I think that your wallet can be mightily pleased that you emptied it....the pics are ace,....thank you for your reports they are top notch.

 

[Jos Stratford]

Sometimes you just feel everything was worth the effort ...and today was one of those! Anyone that has followed the story of my land over the last couple of years, might remember it all started in late summer two years back with the purchase of this chunk of traditional meadows and forest. The urms and arrs of whether to throw my money into this little piece of real estate went out the window when a single Roller flew over - having declined in Lithuania to the point where I didn't even see one each year, this was the final push I needed. I dreamed to have a pair and with that went to the bank and scrounged the money needed. Up went a couple of Roller boxes, plus lots of other work too, but I always knew I was being highly optimistic. Last spring, one day, a singing Roller appeared - I was elated, it hung about near the nestbox the whole summer and I felt privaleged each day I saw it. However, no female ever appeared. I hoped he would reappear this year ...and hoped even more a female would come too, so ever the optimist slung up another two Roller boxes at different localities on the land. And today, I'm on cloud nine - turned onto the little dirt track that marks the start of my land today and suddenly realised what I was looking at - not just a Roller, but a pair of Rollers! Bloody brilliant, I have to say ...and better still, the male managed to catch a lizard and presented it to his lady, brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.

After that, I had to pinch myself that today was supposed to be a work day on the land - had ideas to put in a new hedge line running some hundreds of metres from a ditch to the forest edge. This is going to be my new Red-backed Shrike breeding patch - managed to do about half today, planting about 40 trees and stuffed in a whole bunch of fence posts, a right slog it was too, but it seems the resident Whinchats immmeditely appreciated the work, happily perching up on their new vantage points. Work on the land is never a very productive pastime however - too many distractions, today in the form of an overhead Black Kite, two passing Hobbys, a Corncrake singing in the meadows adjacent and a short wander down to the forest cabin. There, the second owl species of the day (see above post) posed for photos - the Tawny Owls that I have in another nest box. I'm a happy guy today!

Plus a new butterfly today - a Brown Argus!


Another owl picture, one of the Tawny Owls from the nestbox.

 

[timmyjones]

Hope the Rollers stay to breed Jos.

 

[delia todd]

Just a normal day at the office then Jos 3

Seriously good news that, I'm pleased for you. Love the pictures.

D

 

[Keith Dickinson]

So Jos...are you going to get us a photo???
I ve never seen a roller.

 

[London Birder]

Jos mate, you have it large ... nothing nicer to see (except maybe the opening sequence to Baywatch) .. I'm envious

 

[London Birder]

yeah! what's the Roller situ 2006?

 

[Jos Stratford]

yeah! what's the Roller situ 2006?

Rather dire - eight years back, I had 2 - 3 pairs breeding on the local patch and would see others elsewhere across the country. Since then, the bird has become extinct as a breeder on the local patch and very scarce across the country. Only seen one single bird on a single date at my local patch in the last three years. My land, not near my local patch, is in the part of the country deemed their 'stronghold' (what ever that means as I believe they are extremely thinly spread here too). Much as last year, the only ones I have seen this year are the ones on my land.

 

[Andrew]

Roll on the Red-backed Shrikes!

 

[Jos Stratford]

So Jos...are you going to get us a photo???
I've never seen a roller.

Another cracking day on the land - had intended it a work day, putting in more fence posts ...but with temperatures nudging towards 30 C, it was much too hot for any of that nonsence, so spent a good few hours relaxing and looking about.

Started off up on the raptor viewpoint - a Black Kite drifted back and fro, a pair of Lesser Spotted Eagles put in a good showing, Common Buzzards as usual and several Marsh Harriers hunting the grasslands, but the real stars appeared just as I grabbed a spade and decided to do a little bit of work. Legged it back to the car, grabbed the bins and sat back to enjoy a pair of Black Storks drifting over, my first record for the land. Not just a 'fly over' record either - the pair doubled back and then dropped down into the flood forest, very nice of them indeed. Some half hour or so later, they were up again, slowly circling and climbing ever higher, eventually departing off towards distant lakes. Just about at that moment, a Camberwell Beauty also went flying through, a first class butterfly by any reckonings, though I have seen the occasional one on the land before. Decided on a butterfly walk and headed off to an area that is usually fairly rich, plenty of orchids today, but relatively few butterflies on the wing - the best being one Mazarine Blue, several Common Blues, a Large Skipper and a Painted Lady.

Then I spotted one of the Rollers, the female. So reckoned it was time to get a photo - using the car as a hide, I edged along the track it was perched alongside, then snuck up through the sunroof to grab a few shots. The Roller sat and preened, choked up a pellet, eyeballed a low flying Black Kite, but didn't seem too fussed by a certain car parked not very far away! Very nice bird.

 

[London Birder]

gorgeous Roller shots Jos, congrats on the storks ..

 

[delia todd]

Another great day for you by the sounds of it.

What beautiful pictures too, you must be well pleased.

D

 

[Jos Stratford]

Good breeding season for the White Storks too, six nests visible from the raptor viewpoint - this one with three young

.

 

[matt green]

Good breeding season for the White Storks too, six nests visible from the raptor viewpoint - this one with three young

.

fantastic,whilst watching paul hackets video diairys one could be forgiven
for thinking lithuania is one big nature reserve!

matt

 

[Jos Stratford]

fantastic,whilst watching paul hackets video diairys one could be forgiven
for thinking lithuania is one big nature reserve!

His videos are either in my garden, land or local patch

 

[Andrew]

Nice one Jos. I'd be chuffed with the Eagles, Camberwell and Mazarine plus all the rest!