gkamov
Yeah, birds.
Hi there!
This morning I had an interesting observation around Ihtiman, Bulgaria - would be great to hear opinions on the bird in question.
I was birding on a dry hill covered with grass and small bushes around it when I heard a sound very similar to this one. It caught my attention because I'd never heard it before. Tried to locate the bird which seemed pretty close by. Finally saw it and my first reaction was: "What is a Nuthatch doing here?", as I clearly saw the eye stripe, the bill and the general familiar shape of the species. It kept moving from bush to bush and the only photo I managed to snap was the one attached - no head, I know...
What I noticed from shortly observing it with binoculars was how pale it was - and how unusual it was to see a Nuthatch in this habitat (the nearest forest is at least 2 km. away).
Could it be a Western Rock Nuthatch? As far as I know, it has not been observed in this area. It is a breeding species in Bulgaria, but much further south (Eastern Rhodopes, Kresna Gorge). However, this hill seems like a matching habitat - with exposed rocks, dry soil with small water pools...
Thanks in advance!
This morning I had an interesting observation around Ihtiman, Bulgaria - would be great to hear opinions on the bird in question.
I was birding on a dry hill covered with grass and small bushes around it when I heard a sound very similar to this one. It caught my attention because I'd never heard it before. Tried to locate the bird which seemed pretty close by. Finally saw it and my first reaction was: "What is a Nuthatch doing here?", as I clearly saw the eye stripe, the bill and the general familiar shape of the species. It kept moving from bush to bush and the only photo I managed to snap was the one attached - no head, I know...
What I noticed from shortly observing it with binoculars was how pale it was - and how unusual it was to see a Nuthatch in this habitat (the nearest forest is at least 2 km. away).Could it be a Western Rock Nuthatch? As far as I know, it has not been observed in this area. It is a breeding species in Bulgaria, but much further south (Eastern Rhodopes, Kresna Gorge). However, this hill seems like a matching habitat - with exposed rocks, dry soil with small water pools...
Thanks in advance!
