Birdwatch, August - September 2017

Well summer is over, birding-wise, and during the last three months, hopefully, birds have bred successfully on the island. I have certainly seen evidence of this, particularly recently, with good numbers of House Sparrows all around. Also frequently during the summer months I have seen birds carrying food to nests.

Two Storks holidaying in Jelsa, September 2017. Two Storks holidaying in Jelsa, September 2017. Photo: Vivian Grisogono

We are keeping an eye out for bats, as they have been noticeably fewer over the past few years. Happily, there have been more around this year. On August 9th, at dinner with nearby neighbours, I was pleased to see quite a few bats of different species swooping under the lights of their swimming pool. There was a Nightjar too.

Adult and juvenile Golden Orioles, September 2017. Photo: Steve Jones

With some difficulty and not terribly good images but I managed to photograph an adult and juvenile Golden Oriole which nested nearby in Dol – last heard in very early September, in Dol and also in Vrboska.

Mid-September and I have seen a few birds of prey passing through, several Harriers, Honey Buzzard (a bird watching friend visiting picked up on that – I’m not so sure I would have picked it out ). We also saw a Short-Toed Eagle on two different occasions at two different locations. Was it the same bird?? Perhaps.

After the much needed rain I visited the pond on Stari Grad plain every day to see if this would bring anything new in but still very quiet. I was seeing Whinchats and still Red Backed Shrike, an occasional Cirl Bunting calling whilst picking grapes on 14th September. Also on two different days a Sparrowhawk looking to feed but sadly on both days it was unsuccessful while I was there.

Hoopoe, looking pale, September 2017, Photo: Steve Jones

On September 13th down at the Vrbanj airfield I saw the first birds actually feeding on the ground, the recent rain had clearly softened the ground, providing some food, I counted 16 Hooded Crows, probably in the region of 200 House Sparrows in various flocks, a Hoopoe – you can clearly see from the picture how pale it looks in comparison to the arrival earlier in the year.

There were also a few Wheatear and seven Tawny Pipits, once again passing through. I wasn't totally sure of the identification, but three people I asked for help all confirmed.

On the same day whilst watching from my garden I saw several Blackcaps both adult and newly fledged birds feeding on the figs. Also several Spotted Flycatchers. Then, another first for me on the island, no doubt just passing through as there's been no sign of it since – a Wood Warbler. For ages I had been trying to photograph a male Blackcap and female, to show the difference between them for anyone who wants to identify them. In mid-September they were constantly feeding on the figs, albeit really difficult to catch on camera. But I was fortunate on the afternoon of September 15th. The picture clearly identifies a male and two females, female Blackcaps having the “brown cap”. Couldn’t be any better than that to make a comparison.

Male and two female Blackcaps, September 2017. Photo: Steve Jones

On September 17th two storks came to earth in Jelsa. Immediate steps were taken by bird-loving friends of Eco Hvar to ensure that they would be given appropriate food and kept as safe as possible. They settled into a comfortable routine over the next few days. The rain which came down on September 20th provided a good source of insects, which they devoured with gusto. They also clearly enjoyed the fresh fish meals which were being provided at intervals during the day. Storks are generally gentle birds, and intelligent. They quickly realized that shopping bags could be bringing them their mobile meals, so they were prone to advancing on any innocent shoppers who were trying toload their bags into cars parked nearby. The only worry was whether they would get too used to this luxury lifestyle to resume their long journey to Africa. However, this is not the first time storks have appeared in jelsa at this time of year, and they have always moved on after a while, so we shall see.

One of Jelsa's visiting Storks, 22nd September 2017. Photo: Vivian Grisogono

By September 21st most other migrating birds had headed off. I saw a single Swallow the day before. Out on my bike on the morning of the 21st, I saw Yellow Wagtails and Tawny Pipits frequenting the airfield getting ready to move on, while there was nothing at the pond again.

© Steve Jones, 2017

For more of Steve's nature pictures, see his personal pages: Bird Pictures on Hvar 2017, and Butterflies of Hvar

Nalazite se ovdje: Home Okoliš Novosti iz prirode Birdwatch, August - September 2017

Eco Environment News feeds

  • Watchdog has faced intense criticism over sewage spills, shareholder payouts and ballooning debts

    England and Wales’ embattled water regulator will be abolished under recommendations from a government-commissioned review due out on Monday, the Guardian understands.

    Ministers will announce next week a consultation into creating a new regulator, to coincide with the results of a review into the water industry directed by former Bank of England deputy governor Sir Jon Cunliffe.

    Continue reading...

  • World’s fourth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases pays lip service to tackling climate crisis and, with fossil fuels central to regime’s legitimacy, it seems happier with status quo

    Source of figures at top: World Economic Outlook

    Continue reading...

  • Head gardeners try out more diverse and drought-resistant plants from around the world, with fascinating results

    Rare succulents, palm and monkey puzzle trees, beaked yucca and oriental hornbeams are just some of the new features in the historic gardens of England, as head gardeners get to grips with the changing climate this summer.

    In the historic Grade I-listed landscape at Sheffield Park and Garden in Sussex, designed in the 18th century by Capability Brown and Humphry Repton and famed for its rhododendrons and azaleas, the National Trust has planted a “more resilient” garden. It features drought-resistant flowers and trees from South America, Australasia and the Mediterranean.

    Continue reading...

  • Rules to prevent ‘enormous waste’ of fuel are seen as weak and poorly enforced and firms have little incentive to stop

    The fossil fuel industry pumped an extra 389m tonnes of carbon pollution into the atmosphere last year by needlessly flaring gas, a World Bank report has found, in an “enormous waste” of fuel that heats the planet by about as much as the country of France.

    Flaring is a way to get rid of gases such as methane that arise when pumping oil out of the ground. While it can sometimes keep workers safe by relieving buildups of pressure, the practice is routine in many countries because it is often cheaper to burn gas than to capture, transport, process and sell it.

    Continue reading...

  • Big Butterfly Count asks volunteers to spend 15 minutes in local green space with big recovery expected after 2024’s dramatic decline

    People are being urged to help measure the scale of Britain’s butterfly bounceback after last summer’s dramatic decline with this year’s launch of the world’s biggest insect survey.

    The Big Butterfly Count asks volunteers to spend 15 minutes in a local green space counting the butterflies and day-flying moths they see. Results of the survey, which takes place from 18 July to 10 August, can be logged on the Butterfly Conservation charity’s website or via its free app.

    Continue reading...

  • Temperature on lee side of mountain can be several degrees higher, which benefits farmers but also brings perils

    One benefit of living on the lee side of a mountain – the side that is sheltered from the prevailing wind – is a micro-climate caused by the Foehn effect. Cold air pushed up one side of a mountain condenses and releases its moisture and then, as this air descends on the other side, it expands and warms. In Scotland the temperature can be 10C higher on one side of a mountain than the other and much drier.

    Anywhere that has mountains will experience the Foehn effect, and the higher the mountains the greater the warming. In the Alps and North America, where mountain ranges are covered in glaciers and snow, this sudden rise in temperature can trigger avalanches, especially in the spring. The Foehn effect’s advantage, where there is a fairly consistent prevailing wind, is that farmers get an earlier and longer growing season on the lee side of the mountain range. The simple rule is that whichever way the wind is blowing from, it is going to be warmer on the other side of the hill.

    Continue reading...

  • Initial £15.5m will go to schemes such as launch of large regional park to improving green spaces along canals

    A coalition of environmental and heritage bodies has launched a billion-pound mission to bring nature into the heart of urban areas in the UK.

    The first phase of the NatureTowns and Cities initiative will involve £15.5m being invested in 40 towns and cities across the four nations.

    Continue reading...

  • Piles of waste line the streets of Manshiyet Nasr, turning it into a no-go zone for many. But a new generation see themselves as agents of change in the fight against plastic pollution

    When Mina Nedi graduated with a nursing degree last year, his friends and family expected him to start working in one of Egypt’s overstretched hospitals. Instead, the 25-year-old decided to join his father’s recycling business in Manshiyet Nasr, a neighbourhood on Cairo’s eastern outskirts known as Garbage City.

    Every day, he sorts through thousands of plastic bottles, collected by a team of men who roam the city at night to pick up rubbish, separating them by colour and compressing them into large bundles with the help of a machine, ready to be sold for recycling and reuse.

    Mina Nedi, 25, has been working as a plastic collector for five years and funded his university education with it

    Continue reading...

  • The bulk of global greenhouse gas emissions come from countries that are not democratic, and many big oil and gas exporters are also authoritarian

    When it comes to the climate crisis, how do you negotiate with an autocracy?

    It is the case today, and it is almost certain to remain so for the dwindling number of years in which we can hope to stave off the worst of climate breakdown, that the bulk of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions come from countries that are not democratic. Add to that, many of the major suppliers of oil and gas – the Gulf petrostates for instance, plus Russia, Venezuela and a few others – are likewise authoritarian.

    Continue reading...

  • Ahead of Cop30, the Guardian will profile each of the top 10 emitters and their plans – good or bad – to tackle emissions

    This year will be the 30th UN climate summit – known as the conference of the parties (Cop) – and it is being held in Brazil. Every climate summit is crucial but Cop30 is taking place during extremely challenging times.

    The US has pulled out of the Paris agreement, under which the world’s countries agreed to hold global temperature rises to “well below” 2C above preindustrial levels while “pursuing efforts” to limit heating to 1.5C.

    Continue reading...

Novosti: Cybermed.hr

Novosti: Biologija.com

Izvor nije pronađen