On regular weekly bird monitoring in Škocjanski zatok Nature Reserve today (27.7.2012), 48 species of birds were counted or 739 specimen.

The most numerous were Starling (150 specimen), Mallards (131 specimen) and Black-headed Gulls (106 specimen)

Other interesting species observed:

• Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus) – 2 specimen
• Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) – 1 specimen
• Teal (Anas crecca) – 1 specimen
• Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula) – 1 specimen
• Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius) – 5 specimen
• Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola) – 9 specimen
• Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus) – 1 specimen
• Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos) – 17 specimen
• Greenshank (Tringa nebularia) – 19 specimen
• Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) – 1 specimen
• Black Tern (juv) (Chlidonias niger) – 6 specimen
• Wryneck (Jynx torquilla) – 1 specimen

Photo: Bia Rakar

Photo: Bia Rakar

On regular weekly bird monitoring in Škocjanski zatok Nature Reserve today (19.7.2012), 36 species of birds were counted or 588 specimen.

The most numerous were  Black-headed Gulls (Chroicocephalus ridibundus, 177 specimen), Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos, 68 specimen) and House Martins (Delichon urbicum, 50 specimen).

Other interesting species observed:

• Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus) – 3 specimen
• Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) – 3 specimen
• Teal (Anas crecca) – 6 speciemn
• Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius) – 8 specimen
• Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos) – 8 specimen
• Greenshank (Tringa nebularia) – 18 specimen
• Woood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola) – 10 specimen
• Wryneck (Jynx torquilla) – 1 specimen

Zitting Cisticola (Cisticola juncidis),  Common Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos) and Melodious Warbler (Hippolais polyglotta) were observed this week as well.

Photo: Bia Rakar

On Friday, July 13, 2012, we conducted an inventory of bats in the nature reserve. Species were determined using an ultrasonic detector.

Four species of bats were identified: three were determined at a species level and one at genus level.

• Common Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus)
• Noctule Bat (Nyctalus sp.)
• Daubenton’s Bat (Myotis daubentonii)
• Savi’s Pipistrelle (Hypsugo savii)

V okviru Mednarodne noči netopirjev, ki bo letos potekala od 27.8.2012 do 16.9.2012, bomo v poznopoletnem času, v sodelovanju s Slovenskim društvom za proučevanje in varstvo netopirjev  (SDPVN) organizirali dogodek, na katerem boste lahko podrobneje spoznali življenje netopirjev.

During the International Bat Night, which will take place from August 27 to September 16, 2012, a special event will be organised in the reserve in late summer where one can  learn more about the life of bats in cooperation with the Slovenian Association for Bat Research and Conservation.

Further information about the event will be published on our web site.

Checking the photographs taken during the monitoring of birds in Škocjanski zatok in 2006 revealed an interesting bird which wasn’t recorded during the monitoring itself – an adult Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos). This was the second of four observations of this species in Slovenia.

Pectoral Sandpiper was observed for the first time in September 1999 and the third time in July 2009, at both occasions in Ormož Basins (NE Slovenia) and the forth time in 2009 from the embankement of Lake Ptuj.

DOPPS’ Commission for rare species still has to officially confirm the recording.

Photo: Bia Rakar