A Weekend's birding

1 of many flocks of cranes that passed over the islands , PHOTO BY ADIN VELLA

Drive slowly please

Saturday morning we went to Ghajn Zejtuna, an urbanised valley which is the only area were you can see good numbers of Collared doves in Malta. Not only it being the first breeding site but hunters have had little chance to shoot the birds so the population has expanded. We spotted around 60 of them flying around, males performing display flights and the background cooing of course.

We continued to Ghadira Nature Reserve a bit too late to see a Lapwing and Golden plover which had flown over. However it was great to see 5 Gadwalls including two males, in the bay, this species being rather scarce in Malta with only a handful of records each winter. Inside the reserve there was much the usual stuff...Shelduck, Black-necked grebe and Grey Heron. Just before leaving a wader landed on one of the islands, in the scope it proved to be a Golden plover. Finally I could enjoy good views of this beautiful bird after quiet some time and tick of another yearer.

Next day, black rain clouds covered the island and for sunny Malta it was chilly. After a night out i didn't feel like birding but a call drom another birder about a heavy passage of Common Cranes got me scanning from my roof. Unfortunatley most of the flocks passed to the south of Malta where they gave good views and a total of around 870. I had to be content with a flock of 80 in the distance. Luckily I at least got enjoyable views of an adult and juvenile the next day from Dwejra the following day as well as two more in the distance. This made even better by a flock of 7 Siskins flying by.

Well this is biriding I suppose...

Black-headed gulls at Xemxija Bay

...it's not always exciting! Ghadira reserve was rather empty, the only birds of interest at first glance being two Shelduck, a Grey heron that seems to be over wintering here, 3 Black-necked grebes busy fishing and a Little grebe. Two hours more of birding produced little else, although I was quite happy with my first views of Reed bunting this year and not bad ones at that. What's more two Kingfishers showed up, not a bird you complain about seeing as well as hearing a Greenfinch and a Chaffinch. But that was about it.

There are positive things about exams too...

Exams are obviously a pain in the neck, but at least I get home earlier from school, meaning that I can grab my bins and get out birding berfore it gets dark. Not really much about though at Chadwick Lakes. Was getting a bit bored with seeing Stonechats (10), Meadow Pipits(16), White Wagtails (10), Chiffchaffs (7) and Starlings (300) which are the most abundant birds about all through the winter, when a Common Kestrel flew over the hillside and hovered a while in the wind. It was followed by a male Chaffinch. Not the only about and saw a pair well and heard two more. Also great to see that Black Redsarts have increased since last time. There where 8, 1 of them a beautiful male. Good views of two Grey Wagtails was welcome. Finally I heard two of both Dunnock and Blackcap as well as the usual Sardinian, Cetti's Warblers and Zitting Cisticolas.

Morning spent at Ghadira Nature Reserve

Black-necked Grebes

Wild Rabbit

Not that much about but still we got a few good birds, among being a Grey heron dozing in the shadows, a female Wigeon (yearer), 2 Little grebes and 2 Black-necked grebes which came close enough for some fairly good shots although the light wasn't on our side. Also nice were two Kingfishers and a Little Stint. A few Stonechats, Black Redstarts, Chiffchaffs and White wagtails about as well as a calling Dunnock, Reed bunting and two Chaffinches.

Mid-term holidays do it again!

1 of 16 Stonechats at Chadwick Lakes

Male Siskin at Ghadira

The effect of overzealous dredging - this part of the watercourse at Chadwick Lakeswas full of Sharp rush and other vegetation, all gone now.

Two years ago I had about 12 lifers in a day(!), last year we found a Yellow-browed warbler and I got my first Firecrest in these holidays. Today wasn't an exception either with a Siskin being the highlight (quite scarce in Malta) and I finally added Greenfinch on my Malta list.

Other good birds were a flock of 6 Grey herons (my first sighting in November), a Little Grebe, 2 Shelducks, 6 Teal, 6 Little Stint, Wryneck, 7 Skylark and some Chiffchaffs at Ghadira Nature reserve. At Foresta 2000 (birdlife afforestion project - great place!) there were quite a few Song thrushes and Stonechats as well as a Kestrel, 3 Black Redstart and 4 Chaffinch.

Quite a variety at Chadwick Lakes too, the best being good views of a Linnet, 2 Serin and 3 Chaffinch. Another Kestrel, 3 Grey Wagtail, 14 White Wagtail, 16 Stonechat and my first Dunnocks of the winter finished the day.

Not that bad..(:

After quite some waiting for buses we finally arrived at Buskett early in the morning. As usual the air was full of Robin, Blackcap, Dunnock, Sardinian and Cetti's Warbler's calls and songs. As we made our way towards a small valley were we hoped we would find a Redwings, a male Blue Rock Thrush flew by, but on arriving we didn't hear the hoped for calls of the more northern species. Only a few Song thrushes flew up from the Lentisk bushes, by the end of the trip we had seen 20 or so as well as two Blackbirds which we were very pleased being probably the last yearer of 2009. Another good sighting was two Quails flew up suddenly from close by giving us quite a surprise, enough for me to manage to knock of my glasses in lifting my bins...Finally also of interest were around 25 Chaffinch, one or two seen well while drinking and bathing in a small stream together with other passerines, as well as two Linnets.
In the afternoon we walked in Chadwick Lakes valley, not to see anything apart from the usual birds, but when taking a rest at the innermost dam a small flock of 6 Corn Buntings flew overhead, probably not part of the drastically decreasing breeding population but birds from mainland Europe overwintering here. Also fun was a Wryneck calling from a dead tree but which flew off too quickly to really enjoy.

fink fink...

Rather quiet (I seem to be using this phrase a bit too much) Buskett valley this morning, the highlight being probably around 16 Chaffinches. Not a garden bird here in Malta unfortunately, we only see it on migration and a few rest and even overwinter in places like Buskett. Illegal trappers are still out to trap it...
Song Thrushes haven't arrived yet, we only saw four. 5 Stonechats were good considering it isn't ideal habitat for them. 3 Swallows were a pitiful sight with many flight feathers missing - one had had half a wing blown off. Blackcaps (about 18) calling from the undergrowth were the only birds to answer to the Hawfinch calls we played. Also plentiful were Robins (seemed to arrived in larger numbers this night - there are two now in the gardens behind my house). I finally got my first Chiffchaffs (2) of the winter. Before I left a last taste of autumn migration - 2 Yellow wagtails feeding in a field, probably a few months to the next...