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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jos Stratford" data-source="post: 1966453" data-attributes="member: 12449">A couple of weeks in the past now, but an account of the Lithuanian Bird Rally (16 October) - the annual day to see birds after most of them have already left.By long tradition, as birds flee the country and temperatures begin to warn of the giddy lows ahead, a dozen and more teams of Lithuania's finest descend to celebrate the autumn's end with a madcap dash around the coastal regions trying to desperately scrap together as many species as possible, hoping for the odd summer bird lingering, searching out early visitors from the north. Joining the Lithuanians, a scatter of teams from further a field, this years merry bunch including several Finns, a Bulgarian and four Poms, myself included. Let battle commence.An hour before dawn, a half hour before the rally kicked off, out a few stumbled from assorted accommodations, crunching onto a frost, shivering in the morning darkness. Off yonder, hoo hooo hooo, the haunting call of an Eagle Owl echoing out from alder forests, damp waterlogged affairs hugging tepid waters. Thirty minutes later, eight kilometres south at Ventes Ragas, a legendary migration hotspot, twenty teams clambered from cars, a few boots stomping in the cold. Bang, a firecracker launched into the night sky, the rally officially began. Ventes Ragas truly is the place to be at dawn - hundreds of thousands of birds passing over on the best of days, success on the rally absolutely demanding a hour or two here, a careful ear tuned to the skies above, eyes trained on the abundant flocks moving through the cover. With the race now underway, most teams vanished into the gloom, wandering off to await the birds at favoured spots towards the tip on the small headland. One team however returned to their car, slipping away in the darkness ...'hmm', thought I, 'not a bad idea'. There was still a good thirty minutes before dawn would reveal more the occasional alarming Blackbird, so I had plenty of time to play with. Team mate and I jumped back into our car, zooming back to Kintai where we had slept - the prize we sought was the Eagle Owl so vocal just a little earlier. A light shower falling onto iced roads left the track an ice rink, also accounting for many road accidents we later encountered, but would the rain shut the owl up? Almost so! Fortunately, after a good few moments, the owl decided to give its final hoots of the night, most appreciated, species number one! Back to Ventes Ragas, a shadowy ghost rising in the darkness turned out to be a Grey Heron, Robins and Blackbirds began to appear on the road, a few slight slips on icy corners slowed me down a little. Arrived back at Ventes, walked out to the point, occasional nods to groups scattered about. Dawn came ...and went. Where were the mass movements? In skies above, now clear of cloud and promising a most glorious sunny day, birds were certainly on the move, but it was evident this was not going to be a classic migration day. Still the species were there - assorted thrushes and flocks of finches quickly notched up, Brambling, Serin, Hawfinch and Crossbill amongst the early rewards. Marsh and Willow Tits common enough, a trickle of Long-tailed Tits also moving through, plus the expected Sparrowhawks harassing the flocks of Chaffinches and Siskin passing over. Whooper Swans in melody winged over, a migrant Middle Spotted Woodpecker made several half-hearted attempts to conjure up the courage to fly out over the water crossing ahead, finally giving up and ditching into a Rowan tree. Overall however, birds were few in number I thought, already I was not expecting a big species count this year - 100 species would be a challenge.9.00 a.m., most teams had already left Ventes Ragas, we had lingered, dragging out a Chiffchaff, a Dunnock and a Kingfisher, the latter always a valuable rally bird! With total somewhere around 45 species, it was time to again return to Kintai, this time focussing on the rich fish pools and adjacent meadows. White-tailed Eagle capital of the Baltics, a good autumn can see 50 or so congregating, so it was no surprise to soon see their hulks lumbering across skies, gulls and waders parting in their wake. Linnets and Yellowhammers, Reed Buntings and Tree Sparrows, all added species. At the fish pools themselves, I found the gates locked, so abandoned the car to walk - time consuming and meaning I didn't visit many of the pools, a move that cost me several species. Really should have paid more attention the evening before - access was possible by car via another route, but I hadn't been listening, so didn't know! Anyhow, one pool in particular did its business - semi-drained and full of birds, many additions to the day's list added in just a few minutes. Amongst hundreds of Lapwings and Dunlins, plenty of other waders including Little Stint, Ringed Plover, Greenshank and both Grey and Golden Plover. Also, plenty of Grey Herons, a bunch of Great White Egrets and gulls of assorted type. Tally for the day was now over 65, neighbouring meadows adding Skylark, Meadow Pipits and Greylag Goose (but not unfortunately White-fronted and Barnacle Geese which I was later to hear were grazing in a gully just beyond!).With mid-morning pushing, it was time to rally north, relocating to Palanga some 70 km up the coast. Famed for its winter Steller's Eider, this seaside resort town and its strategic pier should, if all went to plan, afford me a few nice marine species, perhaps a diver or two, maybe even an auk, the latter not exactly common in the Baltic. With the sea a millpond and the day now blessed by super autumnal sun, our hour on the pier was a pleasure indeed - even if somewhat slow birdwise. Flocks of both Common and Velvet Scoters frequently skimmed the waters close to the horizon, many mere shimmering dots, but closer at hand several Great Crested Grebes, a lone Long-tailed Duck and, even closer, sat on rocks, one female Common Eider. No divers however, nor auks, and certainly not a Steller's Eider, this latter typically arriving late in November. Surprise of the day however was a blob that popped up right alongside a Common Gull - a rare sight indeed in Lithuania, it was a Grey Seal! Only the second I have ever seen in Lithuanian waters, this impressive beastie would not help me in the bird rally! I was however, climbing to about 80 species, added extras also including things like Great Spotted Woodpecker in Palanga town. After a stop in a petrol station for take-away coffee, we then decided to make a second seaside stop a few kilometres further up the coast - a good move, adding both Red-breasted Merganser and Red-throated Diver, along with several Little Gulls and, flying down the coast, Bean Goose.One or two extra species in the neighbouring pine forest, then a wasted twenty minutes having a friendly discussion with the local constabulary, I really should have paid heed to a little red sign with a horizontal white stripe! Fifty litas lighter in the pocket, it was then a drive of 80 km to the far south of the coastal region, the excellent Nemunas Delta - a complex of flood meadow, wet woodland, fish pool and lagoon. Summer home to exotics such as Aquatic Warbler and Great Snipe, not to forget huge populations of Corncrake and assorted waders, the delta is also of international significance for its staging flocks of waterfowl, particularly geese and swans. For the purposes of the rally however, it was the wet woodlands that I sought, hopefully producing a few key passerines, and thereafter to the Rusne fish pools, several ducks still on the 'needed' list. A bit of luck en route with a Black Woodpecker flying over, then immediate success in the woodlands - Nuthatch, Treecreeper and Redpoll nicely complemented by a male Hen Harrier floating over adjacent meadows, a Moorhen added shortly after in a canal. Tally now stood at 88, reaching the 100 species milestone was now going to be a struggle. I was still missing many relatively common species, birds such as Great Grey Shrike, Collared Dove, Mistle Thrush and White-fronted Goose, plus an assortment of ducks. My next port of call, Rusne fish pools should help plug a few gaps ...and indeed it did. Smew and Bewick's Swans aplenty, also Pintails and Gadwall, Goosanders and Shoveler, a lone Little Grebe - all carrying us ever higher, a splendid 97 little ticks on our list. Huge numbers of Cormorants present too, plus Great White Egrets and White-tailed Eagle. With just an hour or so before the deadline, the rally's end, we decided to head out across the polders - a good chance of White-fronted Goose, a reasonable likelihood of Grey Partridge. In the event, saw neither - a flock of distant geese flying into the sun being the closest shave. However, what we did see rather dwarfed them all, rounding a corner, a pipit landed on rank marsh just adjacent, ...a quick scope revealing it as a major Lithuanian rarity, a Water Pipit! Feeding along the edge of water channel, this winter plumage bird served admirably as bird number 98. Further along, an observation tower offers a panorama over vast reedbeds, home to Bitterns and Marsh Harriers and all number of reed-dwellers. Maybe we could eek out our list a degree or two ...nope, no Bittern played ball, Marsh Harriers all seem to have departed already and the last hope, Bearded Tit, refused to ping at all! Refused to ping that is till we were back in the car ...we'd driven barely 50 metres and the reeds resounded to 'ping ping ping'. An abrupt stop and there they were, Bearded Tits most smart, a flock of about 18. Popping right out on reeds immediately adjacent, these were most enjoyable.  It was now 5.45 p.m., the rally would close at Kintai at 6.30 p.m. we had to get a move on. With a few futile stops en route revealing nothing new, we decided our finale would be a brief stop at Minge, our hope still to connect with White-fronted Goose. Tick, tick, tick, the clock was not in our favour, we found no geese and with just six minutes to spare, we cut and ran. Moments later, a cloud of dust as we hit the brakes ...6.27 p.m., Great Grey Shrike on wires, species number 100. Rally end!As evening merriments proceeded and results filtered in, our hundred species proved insufficient - the crown would not be heading our way this year, several teams getting five to eight species more. We did however find the rarest bird of the day, the Water Pipit turning out to be the fourth record for the country. Game over.</blockquote>

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