We were a bit quiet for a few weeks, but we were never gone! As we mentioned in the previous post, June in Croatia is hot. The high temperatures and the end of the nesting period for most species mean they are quieter and more secretive, with a very narrow window of activity (though it’s still better than July!). During those two weeks, we had a few trips and conducted several surveys, so let’s talk about those!
Krka National Park area
As habitats in the higher elevations tend to stay cooler in late June, birds tend to stay active longer throughout the day. Knowing this, we used it to our advantage and got ourselves in the area just a few minutes after the sunrise. Bird activity was already noticeably lower than previous few times we visited the area, but it was absolutely worth it! Right after getting to Mt. Svilaja, we spotted our first birds for the day – a Northern Wheatear. Several individuals were there, from adult males and females to a few juveniles that were hopping on the rocks and flying around us. Swifts were also active, where we saw all three species that are regular in Croatia within minutes: Alpine, Pallid and Common Swift, all seen flying overhead, over the peaks and mountain pastures. One of the species we were on the lookout for was a Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush, a bird that’s actually in a Old World Flycatcher family. It took us a while to get a glimpse of the bird, as they were silent the entire time, but after the initial few brief moments, we saw both male and female, with the female posing perfectly only a few steps away from us!
Young Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush.
With the Rock Thrush sighted, we set out to find the Eurasian Hoopoe that we had been hearing the entire time we were there. It didn’t take long; after driving just a few hundred meters, we spotted the Hoopoe flying toward a potential nesting site. It also flew into a clearing in the field, giving us a few minutes of great observation opportunities, although the photo opportunities weren’t as good. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out.
After spotting the Hoopoe, we went towards the city of Knin, where we visited a European Bee-eater colony and attempted to find the White-throated Dipper. While Bee-eaters were present at the colony and showing off nicely all around, we did not have as much luck with the Dipper – only one short flight, after which it was hiding in the brush, barely visible. As the day grew too hot, so we went to try and find a few more species, and explore additional habitats. We ventured into Ravni Kotari, where we found Calandra Larks in the fields, all still singing. Black underwings with a white edge were obvious even from the distance! In the shrubs, we found the Tawny Pipit and Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, and no matter how hard we tried, Melodious Warbler just wouldn’t show up. Next time!
We ended our day with a Blue Rock Thrush on village houses, flying from one roof to another.
Pag Island
Rock Partridge is a sought-after goal for many birders worldwide, especially in Europe. This month was no exception, so we set out to visit Pag Island in search of the Rock Partridge and to see what else we could find. We started the day early, aiming to reach the island before sunrise. It didn’t take long to spot the first one—only a couple of hundred meters from the bridge to the island!
Since it was a short trip, we didn’t explore much of Pag, but we did try to find better views of the Rock Partridge around the island. Soon, we found a family of three sitting on a stone wall. However, as is typical, as soon as we stopped to take some photos, the birds began moving away from us.
With a few short stops, we found Eurasian Thick-knees, chicks and adults in the stone field and some adults in the meadows, as well as Purple Herons and Little Owl. Our day ended with 32 species, but considering the time spent and the quality of birds seen, we call it a good day for sure!
