Lake Ptuj and Rače fishponds yesterday and Zbilje lake today

Last two days were quite birdish but nothing really special to report. Firstly Alen and me went to Ptuj where we had all the usual stuff for the season like all commoner dabbling ducks, Tufted Ducks and Pochards still in hundreds, Goosanders, Goldeneyes, Little and GC Grebes, Great and Pygmy cormorants, Common, Black-headed, Yellow-legged and Caspian Gulls, Kingfishers, Sparrowhawk, lots of Buzzards migrating etc.

 Caspian Gull Larus cachinnans

 Cromorants Phalacrocorax carbo

 Pygmy Cormorant Microcarbo pygmeus

Common Gull Larus canus

Later we headed back and get to the Rače fishponds. Not very lively there but within a month ponds will get filled with waterfowl. Othervise like Matej we also had a pair of White Storks in nearby willage where they are overwintering in their nest on a high tree. Other birds of interest included a 'singing' White-tailed Eagle, first Ferruginous Duck and a pair of Smew. Later we also checked lake Požeg which is close to the ponds but there was total dissapointment with less than 10 birds all together (Grey Herons, Cormorants, Kingfisher and Yellow-legged Gull).

 Male and female Smew Mergus albellus

 Female Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca

 Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella

Hooded Crow Corvus cornix

Today we went to count birds on Brnik airport but nothing to report from there so we later went to check if drake Red-crested Pochard is still present on Zbilje lake and we managed to find it quickly because he was swimming 5 metres from the bank and was very confident as usual. It only gets there to overwinter last two years and in the spring and summer it dissapears. Other birds there included usual stuff like many Tufted Ducks, single male Pochard, Coots, Cormorants, Little and GC Grebes, Common Gull, Kingfisher etc.

Male Red-crested Pochard streching