Winter stroll

Male Blue Rock Thrush at Mizieb

Took a short walk in beautiful weather after strong winds and rain, this morning. Started from Xemxija Bay where around 13 Black-headed gulls were bobbing up and down on the waves and 3 Sandwhich terns on the buouys. Look down on Simar from Mizieb to enjoy the two male Common teals still present. Coninued from Mizieb to Mistra, with not too much about either than a few Blue Rock thrushes already in song, Black redstarts, Stonechats, Robins, Chiffchaffs and Meadow Pipits. On looking out over the sea form Mistra a Great Cormorant was spotted as well around 30 Yellow-legged Gulls.

Sandwhich terns in Xemxija Bay

Took a few shots of Sandwhich terns and Black-headed gulls in Xemxija bay on waiting for the bus after seeing much the same birds at Simar as last time. In all there 7 Sandwhich terns as well as at least 8 Black-headed gulls.

Simar this morning.

The two Teals, photo by Nicholas Galea

Moorhen

Sandwhich terns as well as Black-headed gull at Xemxija Bay

Two male Common Teals were obviously the highlight. Magnificent birds that have stayed in the reserve a few days now. Also great were two Snipes feeding on the edge of the water. Two Water rails gave brief views, quite some time since I had seen one. What's more around 10 Coots were about and some five Little Grebes as always were a good entertainment. Two pairs are in full summer plumage and we're expecting to spot young popping out from between the reeds soon. A Wryneck was yet another good bird seen. Finally several Chiffchaffs were singing in the background as if saying spring isn't that far away.

Check out the bay before heading home, and found 6 Sandwhich terns perched together with the usual Black-headed Gulls.

Year List for 2009 in Malta

01/01/09

Common Kestrel
Yellow-legged Gull
Skylark
Meadow Pipit
White Wagtail
Grey Wagtail
Robin
Black Redstart
Stonechat
Blue Rock Thrush
Song Thrush
Blackcap
Sardinian Warbler
Cetti’s Warbler
Zitting Cisticola
Chiffchaff
Starling
Spanish Sparrow

04/01/09

Little Grebe
Black-necked Grebe
Greater Flamingo
Common Shelduck
Gadwall
Common Teal
Moorhen
Common Coot
Common Sandpiper
Common Snipe
Black-headed Gull
Kingfisher
Tree Sparrow

10/01/09

Great-crested Grebe
Ferruginous Duck
Dunnock
Chaffinch

18/01/09

Moussier’s Redstart
Spectacled Warbler

9/02/09

House Martin

20/02/09

Gannet
Yelkouan Shearwater
Green Sandpiper
Sandwich Tern

21/02/09

Water Rail
Collared Dove
Reed Bunting

23/02/09

Spotted Crake
Sedge Warbler

07/03/09

Little Ringed Plover
Common Redshank
Common Swift
Alpine Swift
Sand Martin
Barn Swallow
Common Redstart

08/03/09

Marsh Harrier
Yellow Wagtail
Serin

14/03/09

Grey Heron
Garganey
Goldfinch

15/03/09

Hoopoe
Northern Wheatear

17/03/09

Great Cormorant
Linnet

18/03/09

Corn Bunting

19/03/09

Semi-collared Flycatcher
Tree Pipit

21/03/09

Great White Egret
Black Kite
Little Stint
Spotted Redshank
Greenshank
Ruff
Red-rumped Swallow

29/03/09

Lesser Kestrel
Nightingale
Subalpine Warbler

31/03/09

Tawny Pipit

02/04/09

Hobby
Willow Warbler

05/04/09

Shoveler
Avocet
Black-winged Stilt
Wryneck

07/04/09

Bee-eater

08/04/09

Whinchat
Common Whitethroat
Great Reed Warbler
Wood Warbler
Pied Flycatcher


10/04/09

Pallid Harrier
Collared Flycatcher
Woodchat Shrike

11/04/09

Short-toed Lark
Black-eared Wheatear

12/04/09

Little Egret

14/04/09

Squacco Heron
Purple Heron

15/04/09

Montagu’s Harrier

18/04/09

Turtle Dove
Red-throated Pipit
Spotted Flycatcher

24/04/09

Wood Sandpiper
Reed Warbler

26/04/09

Common Cuckoo
Garden Warbler
Western Bonelli’s Warbler
Golden Oriole

3/05/09

Ringed Plover
Curlew Sandpiper

9/05/09

Pallid Swift

10/05/09

Honey Buzzard
Red-footed Falcon

14/05/09

Icterine Warbler

13/06/09

Pectoral Sandpiper

15/09/09

Osprey

18/09/09

Sparrowhawk

19/09/09

Turnstone
Little Bittern
Nightjar

21/09/09

Black Stork

22/09/09

Peregrine Falcon
Caspian Tern

23/09/09

Night Heron
Hen Harrier
Dunlin
Whiskered Tern
Quail

24/09/09

Lesser Spotted Eagle

25/09/09

Roller

26/09/09

Cory’s Shearwater
Slender-billed Gull
Common Buzzard

03/10/09

Audouin’s Gull
Red-breasted Flycatcher

04/10/09

Short-toed Eagle

05/10/09

Merlin

24/10/09

Pintail

02/11/09

Siskin
Greenfinch

28/11/09

Wigeon

05/12/09

Mediterranean Gull

19/12/09

European Golden Plover

20/12/09

Common Crane

30/12/09

Blackbird



A total of 145 species.

Lifers are marked in blue

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.