Sunday 22 May 2011

Sardinian Birds 1

A recent holiday to Sardinia (South West) and I clocked up 76 species of bird, 14 of which I'd never seen before.

1. Spotless Starling
2. Little Egret
3. Swift
4. House Martin
5. Swallow
6. Hooded Crow
7. Kestrel
8. Corn Bunting
9. Spanish Sparrow
10. Stonechat
11. Greenfinch
12. Collared Dove
13. Dunlin
14. Sanderling
15. Alpine Swift
16. Kentish Plover
17. Goldfinch
18. Rock Dove
19. Sardinian Warbler
20. Great Tit
21. Cetti's Warbler
22. Blackbird
23. Spotted Flycatcher
24. Yellow legged gull
25. Black winged stilt
26. Avocet
27. Osprey
28. Turtle Dove
29. Shellduck
30. Ringed Plover
31. Shag
32. Common Tern
33. Greater Flamingo
34. Moorhen
35. Purple Heron
36. Hoopoe
37. Jay
38. Buzzard
39. Linnet
40. Marsh Harrier
41. Bee Eater
42. Woodchat Shrike
43. Grey Wagtail
44. Mallard
45. Robin
46. Coot
47. Little Grebe
48. Cuckoo
49. Blackcap
50. Cirl Bunting
51. Serin
52. Raven
53. Crag Martin
54. Little Tern
55. Curlew Sandpiper
56. Audouin's Gull
57. Moustached Warbler
58. Blue Rock Thrust
59. Eleanora's Falcon
60. Red Kite
61. Great Spotted Woodpecker
62. Jackdaw
63. Pied Flycatcher
64. Woodlark
65. Citril Finch
66. Skylark
67. Chaffinch
68. Winchat
69. Little Ringed Plover
70. Horned (Shore) Lark
71. Barbary partridge
72. Whitethroat
73. Bar-tailed Godwit
74. Cattle Egret
75. Slender Billed Gull
76. Zitting Cisticola (Fan Tailed Warbler)



Above: A Dunlin. Excellent close up views of Dulin and Sanderling were found on the beach (they prefered the small rocky outcrops in the shallow water).



Above: A Sanderling



Above: Greater Flamingo. Views of these birds were at distance only. I recorded them at two locations.



Above: A Serin. Whilst looking for a 'yellow bird' I didn't recognise, my dad called me over, saying 'Edward, look at this, what's this?' - a regular occurance but on this occasion it produced a pine marten! I was unable to get a photo because it moved too quickly. I never did locate that 'yellow bird' but shortly after and before we drove away, I located my first ever Cirl Bunting that flew away shortly before I got the camera ready to take a photo. Typical!

However, we were trying to locate a WWF reserve (I didn't know they did reserves) called Monte Arcuso. Shortly after arriving here I did locate a 'yellow bird' that proved to be the above Serin. Having located one, I found it easier to see more and they seem to be quite common in Sardinia. There was one on the hotel grounds. Their song is a bit like the Corn Bunting 'jangle' but they don't finish the 'jangle' with the same flourish.



Above: Dung beetles. Monte Arcuso has a stunningly beuatiful landscape, deep ravines and high mountains with challenging walks (especially whilst carrying telescope, binoculars and camera!). Plenty of cliffs. Here I also identified my first ever Crag Martins.



Above: Best bird of the holiday - Eleanora's Falcon. I saw 6 of these very rare breeding birds in one field of view in my binoculars. The photograph is a snapshot of a digiscope video I took. We spent a lovely 2 hours watching these birds hunt and play in the wind on the island of St. Pietro. I will never be sure, but it is possible that I saw an Orphean Warbler whilst sitting & wathcing the Eleanora's but I didn't get enough of a view to confirm.

There will be more to come!

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