Another long gap due to too much work and other tasks, but I’ve tried to get out and about as much as possible.
Horný Bankov has been my most regular spot, all because of the amazing pygmy owls that I wrote about in the last post. I have been seeing them regularly over the last few weeks in two locations; I am also regularly spotting them with prey such as this freshly caught wren from a couple of weeks back.
Or with a vole from one week earlier; only the tail is visible in the photo.
I waited a long time with the owls on these occasions hoping to follow them to the nest sites where they would stash their catches. Unfortunately, they seemed to know what I was up to and refused to budge, so I wasn’t able to find the nest site using this approach.
However, this changed after the amazing experience I had while visiting the forest with my French birding friend. I had been boasting to him that we were guaranteed to see the pygmy owls and that the forest would be loud with their calls, but of course, when we checked both areas, there was nether hide nor hair of them, nor of anything else for that matter.
After an hour of searching, I could see that he was a little disappointed, so as we returned to the first pygmy area, I did something I never usually do and played calls from my mobile phone to try to provokea response. Almost immediately, two owls started calling in the distance, and within another thirty seconds, a pygmy had appeared above our heads to check us out.
It stayed there for a long time, around half an hour, allowing us to take many photos and generally seeming unbothered by us.
Then, amazingly, another pygmy owl, presumably its partner, appeared with prey and popped into a nearby tree cavity which we assume is the nest site. This was totally unexpected and a huge find; I planned to put up my trail camera to confirm the nest, but I haven’t been able to get up to the forest since then, unfortunately.
A fantastic experience, and both my friend and I were elated. However, I am not planning to use this technique to attract owls in the future; nor do I endorse this type of behaviour in general…
I haven’t had much other luck around Bankov, however; I haven’t been able to track down the tawny owl nest site although I have heard them calling. I did spot a pair of Ural owls, but only once and fleetingly.
My other main area has been Budimír; the village has exploded into spring, with wrynecks and lesser whitethroats calling all over the place. The white stork nest in the cemetery is also occupied again, but I can’t confirm whether it is by the same broken-legged bird as in previous years.
The flooded field is still in good condition and during my brief visits there, I saw lapwings and little ringed plover.
As expected at this time of year, there were also a few wheatears in the bare fields.
One disappointing discovery was the clearing of the sand martin colony site; there is still some sand in the area, but not enough to support the large population of previous years…
Deep in the forest, all the regulars are doing well. I think I have finally identified the goshawk nest; one of the three potential sites has a lot of loose feathers fluttering around it, so it looks very promising.
The goshawks themselves are keeping a low profile; I hear them most visits, but have only got a couple of fleeting views. All very exciting, in my opinion.
And I was incredibly lucky to find this stunning tail feather beneath the nest; I’ve long been hoping to find one, and it is now proudly on display on my bookcase.
The large common buzzard nest is occupied; I could only see a tail for a couple of weeks.
On my last visit, however, the female was visible, just peeking over the edge.
Sadly, the other buzzard nest nearer the village must have come down over the winter; the fall does not seem to be recent.
Much better news about the tawny owls; many pellets below the hollow tree.
As I walked away from the tree after taking this photo, the tawny decided to flush, and I felt very guilty; I took just a quick shot and left sheepishly.
On last week’s visit, however, a tawny owl was roosting in the open; my thanks are due to the friendly blackbird who advised me of its presence. I was very close to the owl, only a couple of metres below it and while it watched my carefully, it made no effort to flee. Those talons are gorgeous…
The other exciting find in Budimír was a treecreeper nest in a split tree trunk; as you can see, many eggs at the moment.
I also had a great encounter with a group of young fallow deer stags in the forest, around ten of them.
As always, many roe deer in the area too.
And while waiting for the bus at the Crematorium, something I have never seen before: a kestrel preying on a bat.
My other site this spring has been Barca. Only a single visit, but it was very rewarding.
Firstly, there was a couple of surprises in the park; a female wigeon accompanied by a female Mandarin duck. The latter is a stunningly attractive bird, much more beautiful than the male, in my opinion.
I had been hoping to see some harriers, but I was out of luck; a few common buzzards, but not much else.
Then slowly, in fact incredibly slowly, a couple of young imperial eagles turned up; they seemed to hang suspended in the air, barely moving, an incredible sight.
I have never seen them so close to the city before, it was quite an encounter.
Around my local area, I have had a few goshawk sightings, but they are drying up a little as the breeding season heats up.
Kestrels are the most frequently seen birds from my balcony; they are nesting in the area, possibly even on my building. There are two males fighting over a female, often quite viciously, locking claws and tumbling downward.
And the waxwings appear to have left; this was my last sighting from a couple of weeks back, right beside my apartment building, perhaps they came to say goodbye…
And lots of hawfinches in the area, I’m expecting some to nest nearby.
Much more to come in the next few weeks, I hope to be more regular with my updates, but I seem to end almost every post with this promise these days…
Košice Patch Birding 