Acrocephalus 28 (133): 49, 2007 Je pomembno! It certainly is important! Leta 1994 sem v uvodniku ene izmed številk Acrocephalusa nekoliko potožil ^lede organiziranosti zbiranja podatkov pri nas. Predvsem me je motilo, da ne ipremljamo letne dinamike ptičjih populacij. Danes, po več kot desetih letih, je lapredek opazen. IWC, štetje bele štorklje, čigre, kosca, če omenim le nekatera admevnejša. Če sem prav razumel siničke in ščinkavce, ki prihajajo na mojo akensko polico, se šušlja tudi o širše zastavljenem »monitoringu« pogostih ptic. [z njihovih kljunov v božja ušesa, kakor se reče, kadar pričakujemo nekaj res dobrega. Ali imamo v Sloveniji en ali dva para zlatovrank, pet ali deset parov *rnočelih srakoperjev, je z vidika varovanja vrst sicer pomembno, o stanju larave kot vrednote, od katere smo odvisni tudi ljudje, pa nam podatki ne sovedo prav nič. O tem izvemo, če spremljamo populacije tistih ptic, ki živijo sovsod. [n potem je tu še bistveni del vztrajnih, večletnih štetij ptic — razlaga dobljenih sodatkov. Na tej točki smo še vedno tam, kjer smo bili leta 1994. Če želimo sopulacijske trende pravilno razjasniti, moramo vedeti, kaj jih oblikuje. \li je ptic manj, ker ne najdejo gnezdišč, ker nimajo hrane, imajo težave v srezimovališčih, zmanjšano plodnost, so se zapletle v konfikt z drugo vrsto...? Solo preštevanje pojočih samcev ima dokumentacijsko vrednost, razloge za spremembe moramo iskati z drugačnimi raziskavami. S precejšnjo mero nerazumevanja gledam na orjaške »naravovarstvene« projekte, ki zbiranje bioloških podatkov (razen velikosti populacij) povsem marginalizirajo. Če grem še korak dlje, imam včasih občutek, da nekatere celo kriminalizirajo. In to ob tem, da so podatki o prehrani, začetku gnezdenja, velikosti legla, deležu uspešnih gnezd, vzrokih propada gnezd ipd. edini, na katerih lahko temeljijo razlage populacijskih sprememb ptic in posledično morebitni ukrepi. O teh podatkih sicer izvemo tudi iz tujih priročnikov, a prav nihče nam ne zagotavlja, da je pri nas enako. V resnici se pogosto izkaže, da ni — pač posledica pojava, ki ga imenujemo biodiverziteta. Kako lahko potem določimo datum koscu prijazne košnje, če ne vemo, kdaj pri nas kosec začne in konča z gnezdenjem? Kako lahko ocenimo možnosti preživetja črnočelih srakoperjev, če ne vemo, ali se na naše gnezdišče vsako leto vračajo iste ali druge ptice, in tudi tega ne, kakšna je njihova starostna struktura? Kako bomo morda nekoč pojasnjevali spremembe v populaciji črnoglavk, če ne bomo vedeli, kakšne gnezditvene uspehe so imele v nekaj preteklih sezonah? Zbiranje bioloških podatkov vseh vrst je pomembno, pa če si še tako zagrizen naravovarstvenik. Itak! Davorin Tome 49 5° Acrocephalus 28 (133): 51-55, 2007 Rast mladi~ev repalj{~ice Saxicola rubetra na Ljubljanskem barju (osrednja Slovenija) Growth of young Whinchats Saxicola rubetra on Ljubljansko barje (central Slovenia) Davorin Tome Nacionalni in{titut za biologijo, Ve~na pot 111, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenija, e-mail: davorin.tome@nib.si Na Ljubljanskem barju sem ugotavljal parametre rasti mase in peruti pri mladi~ih repalj{~ice Saxicola rubetra. Ob izvalitvi so imeli maso med 1.5 in 2.0 g, perut je merila med 6 in 7 mm. Najve~ji prirastki mase, v povpre~ju 2.5 g na dan, so bili petega dne, najve~ji prirastki peruti, v povpre~ju 7 mm na dan, so bili sedmega dne. Polovico kon~ne mase so dosegli v starosti 4.5 dni, polovi~no dol`ino peruti v starosti 10.2 dni. Klju~ne besede: repalj{~ica, Saxicola rubetra, rast, Ljubljansko barje Key words: Whinchat, Saxicola rubetra, growth, Ljubljansko barje 1. Uvod Repalj{~ica Saxicola rubetra je v gnezditvenem obdobju zna~ilna vrsta ekstenzivnih travnikov (Glutz von Blotzheim & Bauer 1988, Bastian & Bastian 1996). Danes jo pestijo {tevilne te`ave, ki izhajajo iz ~lovekovih posegov v naravo; od spreminjanja travnikov v njive ali pa{nike, spreminjanja ekstenzivnih travnikov / pa{nikov v intenzivne, do zgodnje ko{nje (Labhardt 1988, Pfeifer & Brandl 1991, Baldi et al. 2005, Müller et al. 2005, Britschgi et al. 2006). [tevil~nost repalj{~ice se je v zadnjih 30 letih zmanj{ala v 19 od 35 evropskih dr`av (Bastian & Bastian 1994, Hagemeijer & Blair 1997, Urquhart 2002), v nekaterih je postala ogro`ena (BirdLife International 2004). V Sloveniji njena populacija upada (Denac & Tome v tisku). Vrsto najdemo na rde~em seznamu ogro`enih gnezdilk (Uradni list 2002). Repalj{~ica gnezdi na tleh sredi odprtih travnikov (Glutz von Blotzheim & Bauer 1988) in je precej ob~utljiva za ko{njo. Zgodnej{a ko{nja pomeni manj pre`ivelih gnezd (Müller et al. 2005). Prestavljanje ko{nje na kasnej{i datum, z namenom npr. varovanja gnezd travni{kih gnezdilk, pa po drugi strani zmanj{uje hranilno vrednost poko{ene trave (Tome 2000), kar je neugodno z vidika sovzdr`evalcev kulturne krajine - kmetov. Ena izmed mo`nih re{itev konfikta med naravo in kmetovanjem je subvencija pozne ko{nje, s katero kmetom nadomestimo izpad dohodka zaradi slab{e kakovosti pozno ko{ene trave. Zato je zelo pomembno dolo~iti natan~en datum, kdaj ko{nja, gledano dolgoro~no, ne ogro`a ve~ travni{kih gnezdilk. Eden izmed klju~nih podatkov za to je datum speljave mladi~ev. Prera~unavanje je uveljavljena metoda ugotavljanja dneva speljave mladi~ev. Ti vsak dan `ivljenja v gnezdu pove~ujejo telesno maso in dol`ino svojih okon~in. ^e poznamo ~asovni potek pove~evanja, lahko ocenimo njihovo starost iz mase ali dol`ine, kadarkoli jih najdemo, in s tem podatkom prera~unamo dan za~etka in / ali konca gnezdenja, kar je podatek, ki nas v tem primeru zanima. Namen dela je bil izdelati ~asovno tabelo, ki bo opisovala rast mladi~ev repalj{~ice na podlagi meritev mase in dol`ine peruti, s katero bo mogo~e natan~no ugotoviti starost mladi~ev v gnezdu. 2. Material in metode Raziskava je potekala na Ljubljanskem barju. Za raziskovalno obmo~je sem izbral travnike med Bevkami in Ljubljanico, ki so eni zadnjih optimalnih gnezditvenih povr{in za repalj{~ico (Tome et al. 2005). JI D. Tome: Rast mladi~ev repalj{~ice Saxicola rubetra na Ljubljanskem barju (osrednja Slovenija) 18 ta C3 S —B— perut /wing —A- masa / mass «^v^^ A D D D LT) ID Ol o CSI Starostni interval (dan) /Age interval (day) Slika 1: Prirastki mase in peruti mladičev repaljščice Sax/co/a rubefra na dan kot odstotek končne vrednosti. Več kakor 5% povečanje na dan jemljem za hitro rast. Figure 1: Mass and wing length gains in young Whinchats Sax/co/a rubefra per day as a percent of their fnal measurement. Over 5% gain per day is considered as rapid growth. V letu 2002 sem vsak drugi dan (v primeru slabega vremena tudi z dalj{im intervalom) meril dol`ino peruti in maso mladih repalj{~ic. Celotno delo ob posameznem gnezdu je trajalo 15 do 20 minut. Z meritvami na gnezdu sem prenehal, ko je prvi mladi~ zaradi prisotnosti ~loveka gnezdo sku{al zapustiti. To se je zgodilo v starosti okoli 10 dni. Po izku{njah se pobegli mladi~i v tej starosti kasneje ve~inoma vrnejo nazaj v gnezdo. Dol`ino sem meril na mm natan~no z merilom, prirejenim za merjenje peruti, maso z vzmetno tehtnico Pesola z natan~nostjo skale 0.5 g. Mladi~e sem vsaki~ meril v pozno popoldanskem ~asu. Ob prvem obisku sem mladi~e individualno ozna~il s papirnatimi obro~ki, ki pa sem jih kasneje zamenjal s standardnimi aluminijastimi. V letu 2007 sem mladi~e v starosti okoli 10 dni opremil z radijskimi oddajniki, tako da sem njihovo telesno rast nadzoroval tudi tedaj, ko so gnezdo zapustili, vse do prvih poletov. Meril sem le dol`ino peruti. V tem delu sem za povpre~no maso doraslih osebkov vzel vrednost 16 g, za povpre~no dol`ino peruti vrednost 76 mm, kar so zaokro`ene vrednosti meritev, narejenih na odraslih osebkih v gnezditvenem obdobju (neobj.). Za obdobje hitre rasti mase in peruti jemljem dni, v katerih so mladi~i pridobili ve~ kot 5% kon~ne vrednosti. Iz povpre~nih vrednosti meritev mase in dol`ine peruti sem izra~unal tri parametre logisti~ne krivulje, ki opisuje rast organizmov (Ricklefs 1967). Parametri se navadno uporabljajo za primerjavo rasti med organizmi: (1) polovi~ni ~as rasti (to~ka prevoja na sigmoidni krivulji, ozna~ena s simbolom T50); (2) ~as, ki ga organizem potrebuje, da zraste od 10 do 90% kon~ne vrednosti (osrednjih 80% krivulje, ozna~enih s simbolom T10-90); (3) indeks hitrosti rasti (naklon rastne krivulje v to~ki prevoja, ozna~en s simbolom K). 3. Rezultati in diskusija V letu 2002 sem meril mladi~e iz {estih gnezd, ki so vsa imela po {est mladi~ev. Mladi~i so se uspe{no speljali iz vseh gnezd. V dveh gnezdih sem z meritvami za~el prvi dan njihovega `ivljenja, v preostalih drugi ali tretji dan. V letu 2007 sem meril mladi~e iz dveh gnezd. V enem jih je bilo {est, v drugem pet. Zaradi slabo name{~enih oddajnikov ali zaradi napake v delovanju oddajnikov {tirih mladi~ev nisem meril v celotnem raziskovalnem obdobju. Mladi~i repalj{~ice so goli~i. Ob izvalitvi so imeli maso med 1.5 in 2.0 g, perut je merila med 6 in 7 mm (tabela 1). Prvih osem dni `ivljenja so hitro pridobivali na masi, najve~ji prirastki so bili petega dne, ko so v 52 Acrocephalus 28 (133): JI-JJ, 2OO7 povpre~ju pridobili v enem dnevu 2.5 g. Hitra rast peruti je bila med petim in trinajstim dnem `ivljenja, najve~ji prirastek sem zabele`il sedmega dne, ko se je v povpre~ju perut podalj{ala za skoraj 7 mm na dan (slika 1). ^as, ki so ga mladi~i potrebovali, da so pridobili polovico kon~ne mase (T50), je bil 4.5 dneva, za osrednjih 80% rasti (T10-90) so potrebovali 6.6 dneva, indeks hitrosti rasti mase (K) je bil 0.66. ^as, ki so ga mladi~i potrebovali, da jim je perut zrasla do polovice kon~ne dol`ine (T50), je bil 10.2 dneva, za osrednjih 80% rasti (T10-90) 16.7 dneva, indeks hitrosti rasti peruti (K) je bil 0.26 (slika 2). Do podobnih ugotovitev sta pri{la tudi Bastian & Bastian (1993 & 1996), ki sta merila telesno maso in dol`ino peruti mladi~ev v Nem~iji. Do starosti osmih dni so bili najte`ji mladi~i vedno la`ji (ali vsaj enako te`ki) od najla`jih dan starej{ih mladi~ev (tabela 1). Zato ocenjujem napako pri ocenjevanju starosti na podlagi mase do osem dni starih mladi~ev na najve~ 1 dan, pri starej{ih pa na najve~ 2 dni. Po enajstem dnevu starosti, ko se te`a mladi~ev prakti~no ne pove~uje ve~, ocenjevanje starosti ni ve~ zanesljivo. Najve~ja dol`ina peruti mladi~ev dolo~enega dne je bila le izjemoma dalj{a od najmanj{e dol`ine peruti dan starej{ih mladi~ev. Zato ocenjujem napako pri ocenjevanju starosti na podlagi dol`ine peruti do 14 dni starih mladi~ev na najve~ 1 dan. Na starej{ih mladi~ih je bilo napravljenih premalo meritev za oceno napake. Na podlagi izku{enj na terenu ocenjujem, da je optimalna starost mladi~ev repalj{~ice za obro~kanje med {estim in devetim dnem starosti. Po devetem dnevu se pove~a verjetnost, da mladi~i gnezdo zapustijo pred~asno, pred {estim dnem je noga mladi~ev {e slabo razvita, manj{i osebki lahko obro~ek izgubijo. [e tako dobro sprejeti naravovarstveni ukrepi pozne ko{nje pri upravljalcih travnikov se lahko izka`ejo za neu~inkovite ali po nepotrebnem potratne, ~e ne Tabela 1: Rast mase in dol`ine peruti pri mladi~ih repalj{~ice Saxicola rubetra na Ljubljanskem barju. Podatki so iz 8 gnezd, 6 v letu 2002 in 2 v letu 2007. SD ozna~uje standardno deviacijo. Table 1: Mass and wing length growth in young Whinchats Saxicola rubetra at Ljubljansko barje. The data are from 8 nests, 6 from 2002, 2 from 2007. SD denotes standard deviation. Starost / (dan / d Age ay) Masa / Mass (g) Perut / Wing (mm) Povp./ Avg. 1.8 SD 0.25 Min. Max. N 9 Povp./ Avg. 6.5 SD Min. Max. N I 1.5 2 0.50 6 7 7 2 2.6 0.32 2 3 15 7.1 0.30 7 8 11 3 4.5 0.49 3.5 5 24 8.7 0.54 8 9.5 21 4 5.9 0.72 5 7 29 10.6 0.77 9 12.5 27 5 8.2 0.41 8 9 6 14.4 1.51 13 17 7 6 10.7 0.89 9 12 21 19.6 1.60 17 22 20 7 12.5 0.50 12 13 7 23.6 2.15 21 27 7 8 14.3 0.53 13.5 15 8 30.7 1.87 28 33 9 9 15.2 0.80 14 16.5 13 35.4 2.02 32 38 12 10 15.6 0.77 14.5 17 12 40.5 0.82 39 41 11 n 16 - - - 1 44 - - - 1 12 15.8 1.10 14 18 15 47.3 1.51 45 49 6 13 16.3 0.35 16 16.5 2 51.3 1.11 49 53 13 14 16.2 0.29 16 16.5 3 54 - - - 1 15 57.7 1.53 56 59 3 16 60.7 0.58 60 61 3 17 - - - - 0 18 66 - - - 1 19 - - - - 0 20 - - - - 0 21 72 - - - 1 22 - - - - 0 23 74 - - - 1 53 D. Tome: Rast mladi~ev repalj{~ice Saxicola rubetra na Ljubljanskem barju (osrednja Slovenija) 80 70 60 S 50 M M IB * 40 ts ni g 30 20 10 ^A-^rAA-A-A- flDDDDDD / A / dolžina peruti /wing length Ar —A- masa/mass o + 1 i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 E E 0) M I I Starost (dan) / Age (day) Slika 2: Logisti~ni krivulji rasti mase in peruti mladi~ev repalj{~ice Saxicola rubetra na Ljubljanskem barju Figure 2: Logistic growth curves of mass and wing in young Whinchats Saxicola rubetra at Ljubljansko barje temeljijo na konkretnih ugotovitvah s terena. Zato menim, da je orodje, ki ga predstavljam v tem delu in s katerim je mogo~e natan~no dolo~iti dan za~etka gnezdenja ali speljave mladi~ev, pomemben prispevek k varstvu repalj{~ice. Enako velja tudi za druge travni{ke gnezdilce, za katere je podobne tabele treba {e izdelati. Poseben problem, ki se ga ta prispevek ne dotika, a prav tako bistveno vpliva na gnezditveni uspeh travni{kih ptic, je datum, kdaj so se mladi~i sposobni umakniti pred koso. Nekatera opazovanja, ki smo jih zabele`ili na Nacionalnem in{titutu za biologijo, ka`ejo, da je pri repalj{~ici to bistveno kasneje od dneva speljave mladi~ev. V kateri starosti so se mladi~i sposobni izogniti prihajajo~i kosi, lahko dokaj natan~no ocenimo s pomo~jo podatkov iz raziskav, narejenih v drugih delih Evrope (~eprav jih je zelo malo), medtem ko nam natan~no gnezditveno fenologijo pri nas gnezde~ih ptic opi{ejo le doma~i podatki. Zahvala: Sodelavcema Damijanu Denacu in Ur{i Koce se zahvaljujem za kriti~ne pripombe. 4. Summary I investigated body mass and wing length growth in young Whinchats Saxicola rubetra at Ljubljansko barje (central Slovenia). At hatching time, their weight oscillated between 1.5 and 2.0 g, wing length between 6 and 7 mm. The greatest weight (2.5 g per day on average) and length gains (7 mm per day on average) were reached at the age of fve and seven days, respectively. At the age of 4.5 days, they acquired half of their fnal weight. At the age of 10.2 days, they had half of their fnal wing length. 5. Literatura Baldi, A., Batary, P. & Erdos, S. (2005): Effect of grazing intensity on bird assemblages and populations of Hungarian grasslands. - Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment 108: 251-263. Bastian, A. & Bastian, H.V. (1994): Bestände und Bestandstrends des Braunkehlchens Saxicola rubetra. -Limicola 8: 242-270. Bastian, A. & Bastian, H.V. (1996): Das Braunkehlchen. -Aula Verlag, Wiesbaden. Bastian, H.V. & Bastian, A. (1993): Entwicklung der Koerpermasse nestjunger Braunkehlchen (Saxicola rubetra). - J. Orn. 134 (1): 85-92. BirdLife International (2004): Birds in the European Union: a status assessment. - BirdLife International, Wageningen. Britschgi, A., Spaar, R. & Arlettaz, R. (2006): Impact of grassland farming intensifcation on the breeding ecology of an indicator insectivorous passerine, the Whinchat Saxicola rubetra: Lessons for overall Alpine meadowland management. - Biological Conservation 130: 193-205. Denac, D. & Tome, D.: Individualno barvno obro~kanje kot metoda v varstveni biologiji - preliminarni rezultati {tudije repalj{~ice (Saxicola rubetra) na Ljubljanskem barju. - Scopolia. (v tisku) 54 Acrocephalus 28 (133): 51-55, 2007 Glutz von Blotzheim, U.N. & Bauer, K.M. (1988): Handbuch der Vögel Mitteleuropas. Band 11/I. Passeriformec (2. Teil). - AULA-Verlag, Wiesbaden. Hagemeijer, E.J.M. & Blair, M.J. (ur.) (1997): The EBCC Atlas of European Breeding birds. - T & AD Poyser. Labhardt, A. (1988): Zum Bruterfolg des Braunkehlchens (Saxicola rubetra) in Abhängigkeit von der Grünlandbewirtschaftung in den Westschweizer Voralpen. - Beihefte zu den Veröffentlichungen für Naturschutz und Landschaftspfege in BadenWürttemberg 51: 159-178. Müller, M., Spaar, R., Schifferli, L. & Jenni, L. (2005): Effects of changes in farming of subalpine meadow on a grassland bird, the Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra). - Journal für Ornithologie 146: 14-23. Pfeifer, R. & Brandl, R. (1991): Der Einfuß des Wiesemahdtermins auf die Vogelwelt. - Orn. Anz. 30: 159-171. Ricklefs, R.E. (1967): A graphical method of ftting equations to growth curves. - Ecology 48 (6): 978-983. Tome, D. (2000): Pogoji naravovarstveno in / ali ekonomsko sprejemljive ko{nje travnikov na Ljubljanskem barju. Kon~no poro~ilo za Mesto ob~ino Ljubljana. Tome, D., Sovinc, A. & Trontelj, P. (2005): Ptice Ljubljanskega barja. Monografja DOPPS [t. 3. -DOPPS, Ljubljana. Uradni List RS (2002): Pravilnik o uvrstitvi ogro`enih rastlinskih in `ivalskih vrst v rde~i seznam (no. 82/02). Urquhart, E. (2002): Stonechats. A Guide to the genus Saxicola. - Helm. Prispelo / Arrived: 22.8.2007 Sprejeto / Acceped: 10.12.2007 10%) Soil classification / Tip prsti: 5 = sand / pesek L = loam / ilovica C = clay / glina Soil moisture / vlažnost prsti: RD = rather dry / prete`no suho D = damp / vla`no DW = damp with waterlogging / vla`no, prepojeno z vodo I 2 present / p risotni absent / odsotni 6.28 ± 6.7 16.28 ± 23.7 0 0 20 100 SW / SE SW / SE 5.96 ± 0.63 5.98 ± 0.57 4.5 5 6.5 6.5 2.24 ± 1.70 1.99 ± 1.84 0 0 4 4 L-S L-S n 10 7 7 2 2 1 0 0 2 D RD-D 2 8 16 11 3 2 out from the central point of the cluster with the most contacts and identifying a suffcient homogenous square of c. 100 m2 (10 x 10 m) considered suffciently large to establish the nature of the plant communities present (Westhoff & Van der Maarel 1978). In the sites where the Corncrake was not found the survey was made from the central point of the site under examination. On the basis of the data collected, the plant communities were assigned to those proposed in the most up-to-date studies (Roumet et al. 1999, Scotton et al. 2000, Scotton & Rodaro 2001). The vegetational structure’s complexity - that is to say in terms of the stratifcation of the above ground plant biomass and the effect of this on visibility was estimated by eye and classifed as “low”, “medium” or “high”. “Low” was deemed to be the height of the vegetation reduced almost to ground level with ground cover almost complete and a high level of visibility of the ground from above (the animal being easily visible in the meadow). “High” was represented by tall vegetation with limited cover present at ground level and little visibility of the ground from above (the animal being hidden in the meadow). The value “medium” indicates a state of affairs intermediate between the two indicated above. 63 G. Rassati & P. Rodaro: Habitat, vegetation and land management of Corncrake Crex crex breeding sites in Carnia (Friuli-Venezia Giulia, NE Italy) 3. Results 3.1. Site characteristics The results of the site characteristics assessment are presented in Table 1. The sites at which the species was found were fat (9 sites out of 21) or gently sloping, ranging from 0 to 20% with an average slope of 6.28% and main aspect lying between south-west and southeast. Where, on the other hand, the species was not found, the slopes were steeper varying between 0% and 100%, with an average slope of 16.28% and main ~.18 iü S" u 112 Lio |8 * 6 i: 0-10 10-20 20-30 30-40 40-50 50-60 60-70 70-80 80-90 90-100 Slope class / Razred naklona (%) Figure 2: Slope (%) of the two groups of sites in Carnia studied (21 each); Corncrakes Crex crex were either present (black) or absent (white) Slika 2: Naklon (%) za dva tipa obmo~ij v Karnijskih Alpah, s kosci Crex crex (~rni stolpci) in brez (beli stolpci; 21 enih in drugih) aspect lying between south-west and south-east. In addition, only 2 out of 21 of the sites could be termed šfat’ (Figure 2). The pH in the frst 10 cm ranged from 4.5 to 6.5 in all the sites examined. Carbonate levels ranged from very low carbonate content through to calcareous, whilst the soil types ranged from sandy loam to loamy sand. The sites holding Corncrakes tended overall to be more humid compared to those where the species was absent (Figure 3). 3.2. Management characteristics The results of the management characteristics assessment are presented in Table 2. On average, the felds are cut twice a year. The timing of the frst cut at the sites where Corncrake is present is slightly later than those sites in which the species is absent. Fertiliser applications take place, on average, once a year using organic material (manure and slurry); the level of fertiliser application overall appears to be medium. None of the felds used by the birds appear ever to have been re-seeded and even in the control group (Corncrakes absent) the practice appears rare. Autumn grazing is rarely practised and where it occurs the principle grazing animals used are cattle. To complete the study, other factors were assessed, such as the equipment employed to do the cut and any use of herbicides and pesticides in the felds. As far as the frst element is concerned, cuts are made using rotary cutters where the lay of the land allows, whereas in steeper areas, the cuts are made with slower machines, such as Allen Scythes (motor scythes with horizontal knife) or even hand-held scythes. Finally, no use of herbicides or pesticides was noted. 3.3. Vegetational characteristics The results of the vegetational characteristics assessment are presented in Table 3. Five types of vegetation were identifed: 1) Upright Brome Bromus erectus dominated, 2) False Oat-grass Arrhenatherum elatius dominated – sparse, 3) False Oat-grass dominated – typical, 4) False Oat-grass with umbellifers, 5) Yellow Oat-grass Trisetum favescens dominated. Corncrakes were found at the sites dominated by False Oat-grass (containing mostly Arrhenatherum elatius, particularly in those classifed as štypical’ together with |18 316 n »14 » ž 12 L ilio- » 8 L c «> 6 » 2 li RD D DW Soil moisture category / Kategorija vlažnosti zemlje Figure 3: Soil moisture of the two groups of sites in Carnia studied (21 each); Corncrakes Crex crex were either present (black) or absent (white). RD = rather dry, D = damp, DW = damp with waterlogging Slika 3: Vla`nost prsti za dva tipa obmo~ij v Karnijskih Alpah, s kosci Crex crex (~rni stolpci) in brez (beli stolpci; 21 enih in drugih). RD = prete`no suho, D = vla`no, DW = vla`no, prepojeno z vodo 64 Acrocephalus 28 (133): él-68, 2OO7 Table 2: Management characteristics of the two groups of sites in Carnia studied (21 each); Corncrakes Crex crex were either present or absent Tabela 2: Zna~ilnosti kmetijske rabe za dva tipa lokacij v Karnijskih Alpah, s kosci Crex crex in brez (21 enih in drugih) Group / Skupina Presence of Corncrakes / Prisotnost koscev Average number of cuts / Povpre~no {tevilo ko{enj min. Timing of first cut / ^as prve ko{nje normal / obi~ajen slightly late / rahlo kasnej{i late / pozen Fertilisation regime / Re`im gnojenja manure / gnoj slurry / gnojnica manure and slurry / gnoj in gnojnica no fertiliser / brez gnojila Frequency of fertiliser application / Pogostost gnojenja no fertiliser / ni gnojenja annual fertiliser application / letno biennial fertiliser application / na dve leti Prevalent level of fertiliser applied / Intenzivnost gnojenja low / nizka medium / srednja high / visoka Reseeding / Vnovi~no sejanje no / ne yes / da Most frequent grazing animal used / Prete`ni tip `ivine cattle / govedo sheep and goats / ovce in koze horses / konji horses and cattle / konji in govedo sheep and cattle / ovce in govedo sheep and horses / ovce in konji ungrazed meadows / ni pa{e Use of herbicides or pesticides / Uporaba herbicidov in pesticidov 1 2 present / prisotni absent / odsotni 2 2 0 0 3 3 sl. late - late/ sl. late (late)/ rahlo kasnej{i - pozen rahlo kasnej{i (pozen) 3 6 5 4 13 11 manure manure - slurry/ gnoj - gnojnica 10 5 4 4 3 8 4 4 annual / letno annual / letno 4 4 16 17 1 0 medium / srednja medium / srednja 3 5 13 11 5 5 no / ne rare / redko 21 18 0 3 cattle / govedo cattle / govedo 3 4 0 2 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 16 13 no / ne no / ne Cocksfoot Dactylis glomerata, Meadow Fescue Festuca pratensis and White Bedstraw Galium album, whilst in those with umbellifers the latter largely consisted of Cow Parsley Anthriscus sylvestris and Hogweed Heracleum sphondylium) as well as in the Trisetum favescens meadows, whilst it was absent from the sparse felds of Bromus erectus. The complexity of the vegetation structure shows a slight difference between the two groups of sites: that in which Corncrakes are found was shown to be slightly more complex. 4. Discussion The results obtained allow the identifcation of certain physical, management and vegetational aspects of sites where Corncrakes were recorded annually when compared with the sites where the species was never recorded. We refer to the comparisons obtained with descriptive statistics presented in Tables 1, 2 & 3. max. 65 G. Rassati & P. Rodaro: Habitat, vegetation and land management of Corncrake Crex crex breeding sites in Carnia (Friuli-Venezia Giulia, NE Italy) Table 3: Vegetational characteristics of the two groups of sites in Carnia studied (21 each); Corncrakes Crex crex were either present or absent Tabela 3: Zna~ilnosti vegetacije za dva tipa lokacij v Karnijskih Alpah, s kosci Crex crex in brez (21 enih in drugih) Group / Skupina Presence of Corncrakes / Prisotnost koscev Types of vegetation / Tipi vegetacije Bromus erectus dominated / dominira Arrhenatherum elatius dominated – sparse / ponekod dominira Arrhenatherum elatius dominated – typical / ve~inoma dominira Arrhenatherum elatius with Umbellifers Trisetum flavescens dominated / dominira Complexity of vegetational structure / Kompleksnost vegetacijske strukture low / nizka medium / srednja high / visoka 1 2 present / prisotni absent / odsotni 3 (4) 3-4 0 1 3 5 9 7 7 7 2 1 high / visoka high (medium)/ visoka (srednja) 3 4 3 5 15 12 The difference between grasslands occurring on the Broyer 1996, Schäffer & Weisser 1996, Green et al. two groups of sites are not very evident for various 1997a, Green et al. 1997b, Broyer & Renaud 1998, parameters, as already noted, but the sites without Tyler et al. 1998, Broyer 2003, Rassati 2004). The Corncrakes chosen tended to be in marginal areas new element met with in Carnia is represented by the but close to the main sites holding birds with a view fact that the use in different times (or non-use) of sites to establishing the parameters used by the birds in seems dependent upon the lay of the land and not a choosing breeding sites. As far as site characteristics choice in favour of “Corncrake-friendly mowing”. are concerned, the species appears to be infuenced Slope and humidity are also connected inasmuch as in its choice of reproductive habitat principally by where the slope is greater, waterlogging is usually less. slope and humidity that, at the sites that consistently In addition, where humidity is linked to a favourable held birds, were respectively lower and higher than in type of soil (deep and moisture-retaining) it favours those without. Slope was the parameter that showed the development of the sort of vegetation (False Oat-the greatest difference. To further confrm this, in grass or False Oat-grass with umbellifers), which seem sites with variable slope the singing males tend to best suited to the species’ requirements. Humidity has position themselves in the fatter areas and these are been found to be important in other studies on the also chosen for nesting (Rassati unpubl.). It was also choice of breeding habitat (Cadbury 1980, Broyer noted that where Corncrakes do occupy slopes they 1987, Green et al. 1997a, Green et al. 1997b, Trontelj tend to choose those where fat areas tend to alternate 1997, Broyer & Renaud 1998). with (usually small) steeply sloping areas where hand- As far as agricultural management and vegetational or Allen scythes (motor scythes with horizontal knife) characteristics is concerned, one parameter that are used and rotary cutters cannot be employed. In certainly affects the presence of Corncrakes is the timing many cases, these sites remain uncut or are cut only of the frst cut, which, if it occurs early and intensively, occasionally allowing adults and young to fnd refuge certainly compromises the chances of birds choosing during mowing operations, given the lower speed a site and breeding successfully (Cadbury 1980, of the tools employed (Rassati unpubl.). Cadbury Broyer 1987 & 1994, Green & Stowe 1993, Green (1980), Green (1995), Niemann (1995), Schäffer 1995, Niemann 1995, Green et al. 1997a, Green et & Weisser (1996), Green et al. (1997a), Tyler et al. al. 1997b, Broyer & Renaud 1998, Rassati 2001 & (1998) all indicated that slower mowing gave greater 2004). Early or frequent cutting was not recorded in chances of a successful outcome of breeding and the the meadows studied. Overall in the sites where the presence of unmowed or mowed in different times animals were located the date of the frst cut was slightly areas close by was generally considered important for later that in those meadows in which animals were not the survival of broods and adults (Green & Stowe recorded. As far as fertiliser application is concerned, 1993, Schäffer & Münch 1993, Niemann 1995, the amount of nitrogen distributed during the process 66 Acrocephalus 28 (133): 61-68, 2007 seems important regardless of its source (organic or inorganic) as it tends to infuence the species present in the meadow and therefore the type of vegetational community found there. On average, the level of fertiliser applied was slightly higher in the meadows where birds were recorded. Grazing does not take place during the breeding season of Corncrakes and this is a positive element in that intensive grazing can cause the death of individuals or the abandonment of a site (Stowe & Hudson 1991, Trontelj 1997). It has been shown on more than one occasion in montane areas of the region when the passage of large herds of sheep has caused the (at least temporary) abandonment of important Corncrake breeding sites as well as those of Rock Partridge Alectoris graeca and Black Grouse Tetrao tetrix (Rassati unpubl.). Only a single example is known, late on in the breeding season, of a calling male at a site a few days before a fock of sheep had arrived (Rassati unpubl.). The reason that Corncrakes prefer meadows of False Oat-grass (especially the štypical’ variety and those containing umbellifers) as well as those of Yellow Oat-grass when compared to those of Upright Brome can be put down to their structure. The former are usually tall but with a low density of vegetation at ground level that permits free movement. These are characteristic of good local fertility but nevertheless with just a small number of annual cuts (Rassati & Rodaro 2003). In the meadows of False Oat-grass, in addition, the ground is hardly visible from above. The felds dominated by Upright Brome, on the other hand, although extensively managed and therefore less disturbed, do not offer good habitat because they are usually low, denser at soil level and, therefore, with a structure not much liked by the Corncrakes. To add weight to the above, the height of the vegetation is a parameter held to be important by other authors together with an overall favourable structure (Cadbury 1980, Broyer 1987, Schäffer & Münch 1993, Niemann 1995, Green et al. 1997a, Green et al. 1997b, Trontelj 1997). To end with, it is hoped that the information obtained in this study might be used to direct appropriate safeguard measures for the species at a regional level that foresee the modifcation of management of areas suitable for Corncrakes and compensatory measures should these changes lead to lower or inexistent revenues as a result of these changes, already recommended in Rassati & Tout (2002) and in Rassati (2004) but currently still lacking in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Acknowledgements: We would like to thank Giancarlo Rassati, father of one of the authors, for the help in collecting the data, and Paul Tout for translating part of the paper into English. 5. Povzetek Raziskava primerja obmo~ja, stalno naseljena s kosci v obdobju 10 let (1991-2000), z obmo~ji brez koscev v Karnijskih Alpah, SV Italija. V primerjavi je bilo zajetih 21 obmo~ij s kosci in 21 obmo~ij brez njih, obmo~ja pa so bila v razponu nadmorske vi{ine 201-1400 m. Avtorja sta primerjala naslednje spremenljivke: naklon, ekspozicija, pH prsti, vsebnost karbonatov v prsti, vla`nost in strukturo prsti, {tevilo ko{enj, ~as prve ko{nje, na~in gnojenja, vrsto `ivali na pa{i in {e nekatere druge spremenljivke. Primerjala sta tudi vegetacijo. Iz rezultatov sta zaklju~ila, da imajo kosci v Karnijskih Alpah raje travnike z manj{im naklonom in vla`no zemljo, raje pa imajo tudi kasnej{o ko{njo in obmo~ja brez pomladanske pa{e. Najraje imajo travnike z dominantno travo visoko pahovko Arrhenatherum elatius, ker ima primerno strukturo; zaradi vi{ine pticam zagotavlja primerno skrivali{~e, a tudi dovolj prostora za premikanje po tleh. 6. References Baillie, J. & Goombridge, B. (eds.) (2000): IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. - IUCN, Gland & Cambridge. BirdLife International (2004): Birds in Europe. Populations estimates, trends and conservation status. BirdLife Conservation Series No. 12. - BirdLife, Cambridge. Broyer, J. (1987): L’habitat du Râle de genets Crex crex en France. - Alauda 55: 161-186. Broyer, J. (1996): Les “fenaisons centrifuges”, une méthode pour réduire la mortalité des jeunes Râles des genets, Crex crex et Cailles des blés, Coturnix coturnix. - Revue d’Ecologie (Terre et Vie) 51: 269-273. Broyer, J. (2003): Unmown refuge areas and their infuence on the survival of grassland birds in the Saône valley (France). - Biodiversity and Conservation 12: 1219-1237. Broyer, J. & Renaud, C. (1998): Conservation du Râle des genets Crex crex et calendrier agricole: contribution a l’étude du rôle des refuges disponibles en période de fenaison. - Nois Oiseaux 45: 13-18. Cadbury, C.J. (1980): The status and habitats of the Corncrake in Britain 1978-79. - Bird Study 27: 203-218. Calvario, E., Gustin, M., Sarrocco, S., Gallo-Orsi, U., Bulgarini, F. & Fraticelli, F. (1999): Nuova Lista Rossa degli Uccelli nidifcanti in Italia. - Rivista italiana di Ornitologia 69: 3-43. 67 G. Rassati & P. Rodaro: Habitat, vegetation and land management of Corncrake Crex crex breeding sites in Carnia (Friuli-Venezia Giulia, NE Italy) Green, R.E. (1995): Diagnosing causes of bird population declines. - Ibis 137 Suppl.: 47-55. Green, R.E., Rocamora, G. & Schäffer, N. (1997a): Populations, ecology and threats to the Corncrake Crex crex in Europe. - Vogelwelt 118: 117-134. Green, R.E. & Stowe, T.J. (1993): The decline of the corncrake Crex crex in Britain and Ireland in relation to habitat change. - Journal of Applied Ecology 30: 689-695. Green, R.E., Tyler, G.A., Stowe, T.J. & Newton, A.V. (1997b): A simulation model of the effect of mowing of agricultural grassland on the breeding success of the Corncrake (Crex crex). - Journal of Zoology 243: 81-115. McRae, S.G. (1991): Pedologia pratica. Come studiare i suoli sul campo. - Zanichelli, Bologna. Niemann, S. (1995): Habitat Management for Corncrakes. - RSPB, Sandy. Rassati, G. (2001): Il Re di quaglie Crex crex durante l’anno 2000 in due aree campione in Carnia (Alpi Orientali, Friuli-Venezia Giulia). - Avocetta 25: 239. Rassati, G. (2004): Evoluzione faunistica nelle aree rurali abbandonate. La presenza del Re di quaglie (Crex crex) e della Lepre comune (Lepus europaeus). - Agribusiness Paesaggio & Ambiente VII: 41-48. Rassati, G. & Rodaro, P. (2003): Aspetti stazionali, caratteristiche vegetazionali e gestionali di alcuni siti riproduttivi del Re di quaglie Crex crex in Carnia (Alpi Orientali, Friuli-Venezia Giulia). - Avocetta 27 (Numero speciale): 175. Rassati, G. & Tout, C.P. (2002): The Corncrake (Crex crex) in Friuli-Venezia Giulia (North-eastern Italy). - Avocetta 26: 3-6. Roumet, J.P., Pauthenet, Y. & Fleury, P. (1999): Tipologie dei prati permanenti della Valle d’Aosta. - Documento IAR, Aosta. Sanesi, G. (1977): Guida alla descrizione del suolo. - Consiglio nazionale delle ricerche, Firenze. Schäffer, N. & Münch, S. (1993): Untersuchungen zur Habitatwahl und Brutbiologie des Wachtelkönigs Crex crex im Murnauer Moos / Oberbayern. - Vogelwelt 114: 55-72. Schäffer, N. & Weisser, W.W. (1996): Modell für den Schutz des Wachtelkönigs Crex crex. - Journal für Ornithologie 137: 53-75. Scotton, M. & Rodaro, P. (2001): Tipologie dei prati e dei pascoli: applicazioni in Primiero. Atti del convegno “Alpeggi e produzioni lattiero casearie”, Fiera di Primiero (TN). Regione Autonoma Trentino Alto Adige, pp. 67-75. Scotton, M., Sicher, L., Moser, L., Clauser, G., Fezzi, F. , Sicher, A., Dallagiacoma, E., Kasal, A. & Rodaro, P. (2000): Tipologia dei prati permanenti delle Valli del Noce. - Monografe ESAT. Supplemento ESAT NOTIZIE, Trento. Stowe, T.J. & Hudson, A.V. (1991): Radio telemetry studies of Corncrake in Great Britain. - Vogelwelt 112: 10-16. Trontelj, P. (1997): Distribution and habitat of the Corn Crake (Crex crex) at the Upper So~a basin (Julian Alps, Slovenia). - Annales 11: 65-72. Tyler, G.A., Green, R.E. & Casey, C. (1998): Survival and behaviour of Corncrake Crex crex chicks during the mowing of agricultural grassland. - Bird Study 45: 35-50. Westhoff, V. & Va n der Maarel, E. (1978): The Braun-Blanquet approach. In: Whittaker, RH. (ed.): Classifcation of plant communities. - Junk, The Hague, pp. 287-399. Arrived / Prispelo: 12.5.2006 Sprejeto / Acceped: 10.12.2007 68 Acrocephalus 28 (133): 69-73, 2007 Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis in the Se~ovlje saltpans (SW Slovenia) – abundance, age distribution and habitat preference in post-breeding period in July 2003 Rumenonogi galeb Larus michahellis v Se~oveljskih solinah (JZ Slovenija) – {tevil~nost, starostna sestava in izbor habitata v pognezditvenem obdobju v juliju 2003 Linus Blomqvist Sardal Lyckebo 119, SE-31042 Haverdal, Sweden, e-mail: linus.blomqvist@gmail.com A large number of Yellow-legged Gulls, Larus michahellis, gather annually after the breeding season in the Se~ovlje saltpans, Slovenia. The abundance, habitat choice and age distribution were registered on several occasions by counting the gulls and marking their position on maps. The population reached a maximum of nearly 13,700 individuals on July 19, making it one of the largest in the Mediterranean, after which it decreased to approx. 10,000 on July 30. The majority of the gulls in the area were non-juveniles, i.e. birds in their second calendar year or older, which probably came there to moult. The percentage of juveniles was quite high at the end of the month. Most of the gulls spent the days outside the area, gathering a few hours before sunset to roost in the saltpans. The gulls roosted mainly on frm and dry ground providing clear views. Key words: Yellow-legged Gull, Larus michahellis, Se~ovlje saltpans, abundance, age distribution, habitat preference Klju~ne besede: rumenonogi galeb, Larus michahellis, Se~oveljske soline, {tevil~nost, starostna sestava, izbor habitata 1. Introduction Large numbers of Yellow-legged Gulls gather every summer in the Se~ovlje saltpans in coastal Slovenia. The The population of Yellow-legged Gull, Larus michahellis, few previous studies include counts of the population is distributed throughout the Mediterranean, parts of made every summer from 1983 to 1997 ([kornik the Aegean Sea, the Black Sea and in central Europe et al. 1998). A maximum of 4,000 individuals were to about 52°N. It increased substantially during the counted in August 1996 and 1997 (Makovec et al. last century, now numbering 150,000–200,000 pairs 1998). Rubini~ (in Polak (ed.) 2000) states that the (Blomdahl et al. 2003, Cramp & Simmons 1983, del largest number of Yellow-legged Gulls recorded in the Hoyo et al. 1996, Malling Olsen & Larsson 2003, entire saltpans area was 15,000, registered in August. Mullarney et al. 1999, BirdLife International 2004). A considerable proportion of the Yellow-legged 2. Methods Gulls stay close to the breeding sites year-round, but the populations in south-western Europe, the Adriatic The Se~ovlje saltpans are situated by the Slovenian Sea and the eastern Mediterranean migrate northwards coast in the Bay of Piran in the northernmost part to an increasing extent after the breeding season of the Adriatic Sea and cover an area of 738 ha. They (Blomdahl et al. 2003, Cramp & Simmons 1983, del consist of two parts: Fontanigge, where commercial Hoyo et al. 1996, Malling Olsen & Larsson 2003). salt production was abandoned in the 1960s, and Lera 69 L. Blomqvist: Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis in the Se~ovlje saltpans (SW Slovenia) – abundance, age distribution and habitat preference in post-breeding period in July 2003 14000 12000 10000 8000 6000 4000 2000 Method 1 Method 2 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 Date / Datum Figure 1: Total abundance of Yellow-legged Gulls Laws michahellis on Se~ovlje saltpans in July 2003, using methods 1 and 2. Method 1 involved successive sub-area counts (5-7 days) with the median date shown, and method 2 involved counting all sub-areas on one day. Slika 1: Skupna {tevil~nost rumenonogih galebov Larus michahellis v Se~oveljskih solinah, z uporabo metode 1 in 2. Metoda 1 pomeni zaporedno {tetje na podobmo~jih (v razmiku 5-7 dni), prikazana je mediana datuma. Metoda 2 pomeni {tetje na vseh podobmo~jih naenkrat. Prikazani so dnevi v juliju 2003. (263.5 ha), where salt is still being produced (Beltram 1996). This study focuses on Lera, which consists of shallow basins intersected by channels and dikes. The following roosting habitats have been defned: water-flled basins, wet mud in basins, dry mud in basins, low dikes, high dikes without vegetation and high dikes covered with vegetation. The population was monitored using two methods, both carried out in evenings from 1-30 Jul 2003, using telescope and binoculars. The total number of feld days was 20. The area was divided into ten sub-areas and in each one of these the population was monitored on three occasions with a method involving marking the position and activity of the gulls on a made-to-scale map. Water and weather conditions were also recorded. To calculate the abundance of Yellow-legged Gulls in the whole area from this data, the numbers of gulls in the sub areas in one monitoring round (when all areas were monitored over a 5 to 7 day period) were added (referred to as “Total A”). The median date was then chosen as the date for the total number. On four occasions, the number of individuals in all sub areas was counted during one evening (referred to as “Total B”) and, on 19 Jul all individuals in all sub areas were counted on four occasions during the day. Here, a second monitoring method was used, involving counting the gulls in groups of ten, recording only total numbers in the different sub-areas and thus not their exact position or activity. The numbers of juvenile individuals (i.e. birds in their frst calendar year) in groups of Yellow-legged Gulls ranging from 48–356 individuals (mean 136) were counted regularly, allowing calculation of the proportion of juveniles, as defned above, and non-juveniles, i.e. birds in their second calendar year or older, in the population. 3. Results and discussion 3.1. Abundance The number of Yellow-legged Gulls roosting in the Se~ovlje saltpans increased from about 8,000 in early July to a maximum of nearly 13,700 on 19 Jul (Figure 1). The main cause for the increase was probably the increasing numbers of gulls leaving their breeding grounds after the breeding season, which normally ends in late June or early July (Cramp & Simmons 1983). The number thereafter decreased to about 10,000 on 30 Jul (Figure 1). Access to suitable roosting habitat can probably be excluded as a possible limiting factor to the total abundance. The sum of the highest recorded numbers in the different sub-areas was more than 18,000, i.e. much higher than that recorded in the whole area on 19 Jul. This shows that, even on that occasion, not all possible roosting areas were occupied. 3.2. Age distribution In early July the Se~ovlje saltpans were visited by a large number of non-juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls (Figure 2), probably immature birds or failed breeders (Cramp & Simmons 1983). In mid July the numbers were even higher, probably due to the arrival of adults having fnished breeding. The majority of the non-juveniles probably come to the Se~ovlje saltpans mainly to moult intensively over a limited period of time. Moulting consumes a lot of energy and the gulls therefore need abundant food resources which they fnd on nearby refuse dumps. Furthermore, suitable loafng and roosting places are available in the saltpans, making the Se~ovlje saltpans a suitable place for moulting. Large numbers of adults gather similarly after the breeding season for moulting in other places in the Mediterranean (e.g. the Ebro delta in Spain) (Malling Olsen & Larsson 2003). At the end of July, approx. 70% of the Yellow-legged Gulls in the Se~ovlje saltpans were juveniles. 3.3. Diurnal variation of numbers On 19 Jul, the number of Yellow-legged Gulls was 2,810 at 8.00 h, decreasing to 1,660 at noon. The 7C Acrocephalus 28 (133): 69-73, 2007 14000 1 12000 g 10000 ¦k ¦a 4) M 0 >S 8000 "v JS I s 6000 L 4000 2000 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 Date / Datum Figure 2: Age distribution of the Yellow-legged Gulls Laws michahellis on Sečovlje saltpans in July 2003. Black bars denote birds in juvenile plumage and white bars denote non-juvenile birds. Numbers are extrapolated from the count in smaller groups (48-356 individuals, mean 136). Slika 2: Starostna struktura rumenonogih galebov Larus michahellis na Sečoveljskih solinah v juliju 2003. Črni stolpci označujejo število juvenilnih osebkov, beli število vseh ostalih starosti. Število je ekstrapolirano iz štetja manjših skupin (48-356 osebkov, povprečje 136). number thereafter increased slowly until 16.00 h and very fast between 16.00 and 20.00 h, when it reached 13,673. The majority of the Yellow-legged Gulls thus spent the day outside the Se~ovlje saltpans, leaving the area in the early morning and returning just before sunset. 3.4. Habitat preference High dikes without vegetation constituted the preferred roosting habitat (occupied by an average 66% of the gulls), followed by dry mud in basins (26%), wet mud (5%), low dike (2.4%) and water-flled basin (0.75%) (Figure 3). No gulls roosted on high dikes covered with vegetation. The concentrations on the different habitats (Figure 4) support this distribution. The insignifcant number of gulls occupying water-flled basins shows that this is not a frequently used roosting habitat, in keeping with the absence of records that Yellow-legged Gulls normally roost or loaf in water. The individuals that stood in water-flled basins were generally more active than those standing on dikes or mud in basins and their activity can thus be considered foraging rather than roosting. The latter birds probably moved to another habitat at sunset. Two factors, apart from disturbance, appear to be important for the Yellow-legged Gulls when choosing a roosting place – the view from the roosting place and its condition (consistency and dampness). The material on which the gulls appear to prefer to roost is dry, solid mud. Earlier studies have shown that the gulls want a good view in order to escape predators (Cramp & Simmons 1983). This conclusion is supported by two observations. One is that the concentration of gull droppings on a broad dike with small hills about 4 dm high was considerably higher on the hilltops than on the surrounding dike. The second is that, in a ditch with dry mud in the bottom, gulls only occupied the sides of the ditch and not the bottom, where the view was very limited. On high dikes without vegetation, both criteria for the view from the roosting place and its condition are met. The fact that no gulls occupied high dikes covered with vegetation highlights the importance of the view. The ji L. Blomqvist: Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis in the Se~ovlje saltpans (SW Slovenia) – abundance, age distribution and habitat preference in post-breeding period in July 2003 100% - g 90% - * s m O ë u o S D. v. 50% - 75 i 40% - .a ¦a .E L I 20% - L 10% -0% - Dry mud in Wet mud in basins/ High dikes without Low dikes/ High dikes covered Water-filled basins/ basins / Suho Vlažno blato v bazenih vegetation/Visoki Nizki nasipi with vegetation/ Bazeni z vodo blato v bazenih nasipi brez vegetacije Visoki nasipi z vegetacijo Habitat Figure 3: Average percentages of Yellow-legged Gulls Larus michahellis in different habitats in Sečovlje saltpans. Error bars denote standard deviations. Slika 3: Povprečni procent rumenonogih galebov Larus michahellis v različnih habitatih v Sečoveljskih solinah. Označena je standardna deviacija. i i ! 'S I s o Ü 0.5 0.45 0.4 0.35 0.3 0.25 0.2 0.15 0.1 0.05 0 Dry mud in basins / Suho blato v bazenih Wet mud in basins/ Vlažno blato v bazenih High dikes without vegetation/Visoki nasipi brez vegetacije Low dikes/ Nizki nasipi High dikes covered with vegetation/ Visoki nasipi z vegetacijo Water-filled basins/ Bazeni z vodo Habitat Figure 4: Average concentrations (gulls/m2) of Yellow-legged Gulls Larus michahellis in different habitats in Se~ovlje saltpans. Error bars denote standard deviations. Slika 4: Povpre~na gostota (galebov/m2) rumenonogih galebov Larus michahellis v razli~nih habitatih v Se~oveljskih solinah. Ozna~ena je standardna deviacija. 72 Acrocephalus 28 (133): 69-73, 2OO7 assumptions can furthermore be corroborated by the fact that the main predation of the gulls in Se~ovlje saltpans comes from two terrestrial predators – Red Fox Vulpinus vulpinus and Stone Marten Martes foina. Higher bare points offer good views to terrestrial predators but, at the same time, gulls’ exposure to air predators is minimal, since air predators such as Goshawk Accipiter gentilis or Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus are rare at this site. This does not, however, account for the observation that the concentrations of Yellow-legged Gulls in several cases increased very drastically on low dikes and wet mud in basins, while the concentrations on dry mud in basins and high dikes without vegetation were more constant. This indicates that, when the preferred habitats are fully occupied, the gulls have to occupy less preferred habitats such as wet mud in basins and low dikes. There is some view over possible predators from the bottoms of the basins, where a considerable proportion of the individuals roosted. What differs between dry mud in basins, wet mud in basins and low dikes is the consistency and the dampness, and therefore dry mud, which is dry and solid, is preferred. Acknowledgements: Many thanks to Andrej Sovinc and Iztok [kornik, Slovenia, and John Strand, Sweden, for invaluable help. 4. Povzetek V pognezditvenem obdobju se v Se~oveljskih solinah zbere veliko {tevilo rumenonogih galebov Larus michahellis. Populacijo je avtor spremljal v juliju 2003 z namenom dolo~iti njene parametre glede {tevi~nosti, izbora habitata in starostne sestave. [tevilo rumenonogih galebov je doseglo maksimum 19.7.2003, ko je na{tel kar 13,700 osebkov, kar pomeni eno najve~jih pognezditvenih skupin v Sredozemlju. Po tem datumu je {tevilo upadlo na pribl. 10,000 dne 30.7.2003. Ve~ina osebkov ni bila mladostnih, procent mladostnih osebkov je narasel le na koncu meseca. Ve~ina galebov se je med dnevom zadr`evala izven solin, kjer so se zbrali pred son~nim zahodom z namenom preno~evanja. Galebi so preno~evali v glavnem na trdnih in suhih tleh z jasnim razgledom. 5. References Beltram, G. (1996): The conservation and management of wetlands in Slovenia in the context of European policy related to wetlands. Ph.D. Thesis. - Vrije Universiteit, Brussels. BirdLife International (2004): Birds in Europe. Population Estimates, Trends and Conservation Status. - BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK. Blomdahl, A., Breife, B. & Holmström, N. (2003): Flight Identifcation of European Seabirds. - Christopher Helm, London. Cramp, S. & Simmons, K.E.L. (eds.) (1983): Handbook of the Birds of Europe the Middle East and North Africa. Vol. III. - Oxford University Press, Oxford. del Hoyo, J., Elliot, A. & Sargatal, J. (eds.) (1996): Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. III. – Lynx Editions, Barcelona. Makovec, T, Škornik, I. & Lipej, L. (1998): [Ecological evaluation and conservation of the important bird species in the Se~ovlje Salina]. – Falco 12 (13/14): 5-48. (in Slovene) Malling Olsen, K. & Larsson, H. (2003): Gulls of Europe, Asia and North America. - A&C Black, London. Mullarney, K., Svensson, L., ZeTTERSTRÖM, D. & Grant, P.J. (1999): Collins Bird Guide. - Harper Collins, London. Poiak, S. (ed.) (2000): Important Bird Areas (IBA) in Slovenia. - DOPPS, Ljubljana. Arrived / Prispelo: 23.8.2004 Sprejeto / Acceped: 10.12.2007 73 74 Acrocephalus 28 (133): 75-76, 2OO7 A review of the observations of Great Spotted Cuckoo Clamator glandarius in Bulgaria in 2006 and 2007 Pregled opazovanj ~opaste kukavice Clamator glandarius v Bolgariji v letih 2006 in 2007 Stoyan Ch. Nikolov1, Lyubomir Profirov2, Georgi Gerdjikov3 & Dimitar Gradinarov4 1 Central Laboratory of General Ecology/ Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2 Gagarin Str., BG-1113 Sofa, Bulgaria, e-mail: nikolov100yan@abv.bg 2 Ecological Consultant & Wildlife Tourguide, Sofia, Bulgaria, e-mail: lovebird@techno-link. com 3 Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds, Plovdiv, Bulgaria, e-mail: sakarbirds@yahoo.com 4 Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds, Sofa, Bulgaria, e-mail: dimitaski@abv.bg In Bulgaria, the Great Spotted Cuckoo is a rare and poorly studied species (Nankinov et al. 1997) with a very small population consisting of 5 to 15 breeding pairs (Kostadinova & Gramatikov 2007). Presented below are several fndings of the species during the breeding season in the last two years (Figure 1). Figure 1: Observation sites of the Great Spotted Cuckoo Clamator glandarius in Bulgaria in 2006 and 2007. Open circles (?) represent observations in 2006, full circles (•) in 2007. Slika 1: Lokacije opazovanj ~opaste kukavice Clamator glandarius v Bolgariji v letih 2006 in 2007. Beli kro`ci ponazarjajo opazovanja v letu 2006, ~rni v letu 2007. Figure 2: Great Spotted Cuckoo Clamator glandarius in 1st summer plumage observed on 23 May 2007 in Besaparski Hills (UTM KG86), southern central Bulgaria (photo: D. Gradinarov) Slika 2: ^opasta kukavica Clamator glandarius v prvem letnem perju, opazovana 23.5.2007 na Besaparskih gri~ih (UTM KG86), ju`na osrednja Bolgarija (foto: D. Gradinarov) On 11 May 2006, a single bird was observed fying around a Poplar Populus sp. tree along the River Krumovitza near the village Dolna Kula (UTM LF89), Eastern Rhodopes. So far, the species was registered in this region occasionally in 1993 (K. Ruskov unpubl.) and 1994. On 13-15 May 2006, two birds were observed in the region of Kavarna town, between Cape Kaliakra and Bulgarevo village (UTM PJ10) (V. Katrandjiev & P. Simeonov unpubl.). The observation was made in an Important Bird Area for Bulgaria (Kostadinova & Gramatikov 2007), and till now the species has not been reported for this north-eastern region of the country (Soler & Milchev 1997). On 9 Jun 2006, an adult bird was observed south-west of Topolovgrad town (UTM MG45), Sakar Mountains (A. Ignatov unpubl.). On 24 Apr of the ensuing year, a pair of Great Spotted Cuckoos was registered 1.5 km south-east of Filipovo village (UTM MG64), in the same region. At 19.00 h, the birds chased each other from tree to tree, displaying high rate of vocalization. The observation was made in comparatively open landscape with small groups of trees, shrubs and dispersed felds of tobacco and cereals. So far, the species has not been reported for the area (Milchev & Kovachev 1998). On 23 May 2007, three Great Spotted Cuckoos were observed in Besaparski Hills (UTM KG86), southern central Bulgaria. One among them was an adult individual, while the other two were 1st summer birds (Svensson et al. 1999; Figure 2). During the observation, the Great Spotted Cuckoos behaved vigorously and 75 S. Ch. Nikolov et al.: A review of the observations of Great Spotted Cuckoo Clamator glandarius in Bulgaria in 2006 and 2007 Figure 3: A courtship display between the 1st summer Great Spotted Cuckoos Clamator glandarius, as one of them approached the other by offering it a caught caterpillar, observed on 23 May 2007 in Besaparski Hills (UTM KG86), southern central Bulgaria (photo: D. Gradinarov) Slika 3: Dvorjenje med ~opastimi kukavicami Clamator glandarius v prvem letnem perju - ena je ponudila drugi ujeto gosenico; opazovane 23.5.2007 na Besaparskih gri~ih (UTM KG86), ju`na osrednja Bolgarija (foto: D. Gradinarov) displayed high rate of vocalisation. They kept close to the vineyards and their surroundings and often perched on the lower branches of the neighbouring scrubs. A courtship display was observed between the 1st summer birds, as one of them approached the other by offering it a caught caterpillar (Cramp 1985; Figure 3). We confrmed this locality as a potential breeding site for the species, considering that it had been found in the same area during the breeding season 3 years earlier, but then a single individual was observed and breeding was not confrmed (Nikolov et al. 2004). Between 28 Apr and 10 Jun 2007, two Great Spotted Cuckoos were often registered in the south-western part of Lake Atanasovsko (UTM NH31), in the region of Bourgas city (K. Bedev unpubl.). The birds were fying around several nests of Magpie Pica pica, but young individuals were not found. The breeding of Great Spotted Cuckoo was confrmed in the Bourgas region, UTM LH12, in 2003 (Bedev 2003), but near Lake Atanasovsko the species was recorded only once – in May 1996 (Michev et al. 2004). Povzetek Avtorji podajajo kratek pregled opazovanj ~opaste kukavice Clamator glandarius v gnezditvenem obdobju v letih 2006 in 2007 v Bolgariji. Lokacije opazovanj so bile: 11.5.2006, Dolna Kula, vzhodni Rodopi, UTM LF89, 1 os.; 13.-15.5.2006, mesto Kavarna, UTM PJ10, 2 os.; 9.6.2006, JZ od Topolovgrada, UTM MG45, 1 os.; 24.4.2007, JV od Filipova, UTM MG64, 2 os.; 23.5.2007, Besaparski gri~i, UTM KG86, 3 os. (1 ad. in 2 v prvem letnem perju), opazovano dvorjenje med ~opastimi kukavicami v prvem letnem perju; ena je ponudila drugi ujeto gosenico; 28.4.-10.6.2007, Atanasovsko jezero, UTM NH31, 2 os. References Bedev, K. (2003): Successful hatching of Great Spotted Cuckoos by Magpies in Bourgas region. - Bourgas Wetlands Bulletin 9: 8-9. Cramp, S. (1985): The Birds of the western Palearctic. Vol. I V. - Oxford University Press, Oxford, New York. Kostadinova, I. & Gramatikov, M. (2007): Important Bird Areas in Bulgaria and NATURA 2000. BSPB Conservation Series No. 11. - Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds, Sofa. Michev, T., Profrov, L. Dimitrov, M. & Nyagolov, K. (2004): The Birds of Lake Atanasovsko. Status and Checklist. Bourgas Wetlands Publication Series No 5. - Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation, Bourgas. Milchev, B. & Kovachev, A. (1998): A contribution to the bird fauna of the Sakar Mountains. - Annual of Sofa University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Faculty of Biology, Book 1 - Zoology, 88/90: 45-53. Nankinov, D., Simeonov, S. Michev, T. & Ivanov, B. (1997): Fauna of Bulgaria. Vol. XXVI. Aves. Part II. - Prof. Marin Drinov & PenSoft, Sofa. Nikolov, S., Spasov, S. & Shepherd, K (2004): Great Spotted Cuckoo Clamator glandarius. - Acrocephalus 123: 235. Soler, M. & Milchev, B. (1997): Great Spotted Cuckoo Clamator glandarius. pp. 394, In: Hagemeijer, W. & Blair, M. (eds.): The EBCC Atlas of European breeding birds. - T & A D Poyser, London. Svensson, L., Grant, P. , Mullarney, K & Zetterström, D. (1999): Bird Guide. - Harper Collins Publ., London. Arrived / Prispelo: 14.6.2007 Sprejeto / Acceped: 10.12.2007 j6 Acrocephalus 28 (133): 77, 2007 Povzetki diplomskih, magistrskih in Thesis summaries Bevk, D. (2007): Upadanje populacije divjega petelina v [kofjelo{kem, Cerkljanskem in Polhograjskem hribovju [The decline of Capercaillie population in the mountains of [kofja Loka, Cerkno and Polhov Gradec (central Slovenia)]. – Graduation Thesis, University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Biology Department, Ljubljana. Mentor / Supervisor: prof. dr. Peter Trontelj UDC 575.857:598.261.6(043.2)=163.6 Avtorjev elektronski naslov / Author’s e-mail: danilo.bevk@gmail.com The Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus, the largest tetranoid species, inhabits climax coniferous and mixed forests with glades and well developed Blueberry Vaccinium myrtillus undergrowth. In the last few decades, the species has greatly decreased in its numbers. First of all, it retracted from disturbed and to a greater degree exploited forests. In Slovenia, it currently lives in the areas spreading predominantly above 1,000 m a.s.l. In former times, it was abundant in the lower-lying forests as well. The present work is the result of a three-year research carried out into the Capercaillie in the mountains of [kofja Loka, Cerkno and Polhov Gradec. I wished to establish, which are the parameters infuencing the Capercaillies presence at leks in the areas under consideration. The purpose of the task was also to suggest appropriate conservation measures necessary for the survival of the species. Forty leks were investigated. On the basis of my own observations and those by hunters I attempted to establish whether the Capercaillie was still present at them during the mating season. Within the radius of 1,000 m around the alleged lek centres I measured, using ArcMap programme, the average altitude above sea level and its gradient, forest cover, surface areas of the coniferous, deciduous and mixed forests, lengths of the forest edges and lengths of the forest roads. I also measured the distance to the nearest lek and estimated dietary conditions there as well as degree of disturbance. The correlation of parameters of the leks’ surroundings with the bird’s presence was being established with the aid of multivariate statistic analysis doktorskih del with logistic regression. The leks were also compared on the basis of data provided by the surveys carried out in 1999 by the Slovene Forest Institute. During the 2005-2007 period, the Capercaillie was observed at 11 leks, 10 of them situated in the [kofja Loka Mts and 1 in the mountains of Cerkno. In the mountains of Polhov Gradec, the Capercaillie was not recorded at any known lek during the breeding season. The parameters with characteristic correlation with the bird’s presence in 1999 were disturbance degree, proportion between forest edge length and surface area of the forests, and proportion between coniferous forest area and area of the remaining forest. Signifcant apart from the above mentioned parameters were, in the 2005-2007 period, the altitude and forest cover. The leks were found to be better preserved at higher altitudes, in the areas not entirely covered by forest, with shorter forest edge and higher proportion of coniferous forest, as well as lower degree of disturbance. I believe that the Capercaillie’s survival is very uncertain in the area under consideration. I thus propose, largely on the basis of other investigations, forest management that considers habitat needs of the species, which means mainly preservation of suffciently high proportion of old forests and well developed ground vegetation, primarily Blueberry. I also propose reduction of disturbance caused by logging, forest fruit gathering and tourism, particularly from January to July. It is signifcant that the measures are not implemented merely at leks but in their immediate and wider vicinity as well. Also essential is informing of all those infuencing the Capercaillie’s habitat, i.e. forest owners, foresters and hikers. 77 j8 Acrocephalus 28 (133): 79-86, 2007 Iz ornitoloSke beleZnice From the ornithological notebook Slovenija / Slovenia Sredozemski viharnik Puffnus yelkouan Yelkouan Shearwater - two focks of 9 and 3 individuals respectively observed on 18 Nov 2006 from the coast of Piran (UTM UL84, SW Slovenia), a flock of 9 birds observed on 9 Dec 2006 from the same location; there are very few November and December records of this species in Slovenia Dne 18.11.2006 sem z dvorišča piranske cerkve opazoval morske ptice. Tega dela sem se lotil ob 9.28 h, končal pa ob 11.50 h. V tem času sem opazil dve jati sredozemskih viharnikov. Prva je štela devet (9) ptic in je letela proti jugu na razdalji dobrih sto metrov od Rta Madona. Opažena je bila ob 9.40 h. Drugo so sestavljali trije (3) viharniki, tako smer leta kot oddaljenost sta bili enaki kot pri prvi jati. To jato sem opazoval ob 10.49 h. Dne 9.12.2006 sem z istega mesta morske ptice opazoval od 10.00 do 12.15 h. Ob 11.00 h sem opazil jato devetih (9) viharnikov, ki je letela proti jugovzhodu v Piranski zaliv. Obakrat je bilo vreme na las podobno: pihal je močan jugozahodni veter, nebo pa je bilo oblačno, kar je ptice verjetno prignalo bliže k obali. V literaturi sem za slovensko morje zasledil en novembrski podatek, a nobenega decembrskega [Stipčevič, M. & Lukač, G. (2001): Status of tubenose seabirds Procellariiformes breeding in the eastern Adriatic. — Acrocephalus 22 (104/105): 9—21]. V letu 2002 so bili sredozemski viharniki opazovani 6.11.2002 (10 ptic pred Portorožem) in 5-12.2002 (24 ptic pred Izolo; I. SkORNIK, osebno). Na podlagi omenjenih opazovanj je moč domnevati, da je sredozemski viharnik v našem morju novembra in decembra pogostejši, kot se je zdelo doslej. Jurij Hanžel, Židovska ulica 1, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenija, e-mail: jurij.hanzel@gmail.com Capljica Ixobrychus minutus Little Bittern - one found on nest, with a ring on 16 Jun 2002 at Draga fsh ponds (UTM VL68, central Slovenia); it had been ringed as juvenile on the same pond on 1 Aug 2000 Gnezdenje čapljice spremljam na ribnikih v Dragi pri Igu na Ljubljanskem barju vse od leta 1980. V tem času sem našel krepko prek 50 gnezd, redno obročkal mladiče, pa tudi veliko posnel dogajanja ob in na gnezdu. Vsako leto sem skrbno opazoval odrasle na gnezdih, kajti zanimalo me je, ali ima kateri morda obroček na nogi. Leta so minevala in obročkane čapljice ni in ni bilo. Tako je prišlo tudi leto 2002, ko sem 12.6.2002 v Malem ribniku na gnezdu z mladiči snemal stare in na samčevi levi nogi zagledal obroček, kar je bilo nedvomno prvovrstno presenečenje. Ob tem gnezdu sem snemal več dni in ob podrobnejšem pregledovanju posnetkov tudi ugotovil celotno številko obročka — LJUBLJANA E 317. Iz zapiskov sem razbral, da sem tega samca obročkal kot mladiča v gnezdu prav tako v Malem ribniku, in sicer 1.8.2000. Iz podatkov lahko tako razberemo, da se capljica tudi vrača v svoj rojstni kraj in da ima mladiče že v drugem letu starosti. Ivo A. Božič, Na jami 8, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenija, e-mail: ibozic@pms-lj.si Črna štorklja Ciconia nigra Black Stork - at Zovneško jezero on 1 Aug 2007 (UTM WM02, central Slovenia) V okviru Raziskovalnega tabora študentov biologije Vransko 2007 smo po uspešnem večernem lovu kmečkih lastovk Hirundo rustica (31) v ne preveč obetavnem trstišču na Žovneškem jezeru in po nočnem predvajanju posnetka dne 1.8.2007 dopoldan ujeli sivo pastirico Motacilla cinerea (1), belo pastirico Motacilla alba (1), šmarnico Phoenicurus ochruros (1), rakarja Acrocephalus arundinaceus (2), bičje trstnice Acrocephalus schoenobaenus (11), močvirske trstnice Acrocephalus palustris (5), srpične trstnice Acrocephalus scirpaceus (9), črnoglavke Sylvia atricapilla (5), vrtno penico Sylvia borin (1), vrbja kovačka Phylloscopus collybita (2) in poljske vrabce Passer montanus (5). Zaverovani v obročkanje ter v težavno prepoznavanje trstnic smo skoraj prezrli črno štorkljo, ki je verjetno že nekaj časa krožila pred okoliškimi griči v zaledju žovneškega gradu. Hitro smo jo poiskali s teleskopom in uživali v njenem jadranju, ki ga je tu pa tam zmotil par kanj Buteo buteo, ki se je zaganjal vanjo. Kanji sta jo odgnali s pobočij z vzgornikom in prestavila se je nad jezero, kjer je nadaljevala s kroženjem. Po pripovedovanju domačinov se črna štorklja na Žovneškem jezeru redno pojavlja. Na jezeru smo opazovali še čopaste ponirke Podiceps cristatus, male ponirke Tachybaptus rufcollis, sive čaplje Ardea cinerea, velike bele čaplje Egretta alba, liske Fulica atra, malega martinca Actitis hypoleucos in mlakarice Anas platyrhynchos. Tomi Trilar, Prešernova 20, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenija, e-mail: ttrilar@pms-lj.si Aljaž Rijavec, B. Vodopivca 14, SI-5294 Dornberk, Slovenija, e-mail: aljazrijavec@yahoo.com 79 Iz ornitolo{ke bele`nice / From the ornithological notebook Zvonec Bucephala clangula Goldeneye - one individual seen at Medvedce reservoir (UTM WM53, SE of Pragersko, NE Slovenia) on 23 Jul 2006; this is an unusual summer record and a rare record for Medvedce in general Zvonec je na zadrževalniku Medvedce (UTM WM53, SV Slovenia) redek gost [KerČek, M. (2005): Ptice akumulacije Medvedce. - Diplomsko delo, Univerza v Mariboru; lastni podatki]. Razlog je v tem, da v času, ko se ta vrsta najpogosteje pojavlja v Sloveniji, ponavadi ni vode v zadrževalniku, ali pa je le ta zamrznjena. Tako sem bil zelo presenečen, ko sem sredi poletja, dne 23.7.2006, med vsemi običajnimi vodnimi pticami zagledal dva zvonca. Eden je bil samec v eklipsnem perju, drugi pa samica. Oba sta se aktivno prehranjevala in plavala precej daleč drug od drugega. Zvonci se občasno pojavljajo ali celo letujejo na velikih akumulacijah SV Slovenije (L. Božič osebno). Dejan Bordjan, Notranjski regijski park, Tabor 42, SI—1380 Cerknica, Slovenija, e-mail: dejan.bordjan@notranjski-park.si Beloglavi jastreb Gyps fiilvus Griffon Vulture — on 23 Jul 2007, 18 Griffons Vultures seen gliding over Mt Krn (2244 m a.s.L, UTM UM92, NW Slovenia) Dne 23.7.2007 smo se prijatelji odpravili z Drežniških raven pod grebenom Krnčice po plezalni poti Silva Korena na Krn (2244 m n.m.v). Ko smo se okoli 13.30 h bližali vrhu, sem zagledal veliko ujedo, ki je jadrala nad nami, in ves vesel pomislil na planinskega orla Aquila chrysaetos, ki ga kljub veliko preživetega časa v hribih v živo še nisem imel sreče opazovati. Čez čas se je ptici pridružila še ena, in ko sem že ves vesel razmišljal, kakšno srečo imam, da lahko opazujem celo par planinskih orlov, se je od nikoder pojavil še tretji ptič. Zadeva mi je postala malo sumljiva, a ob našem plezanju na vrh so se ptice izgubile in na poti do vrha sem kar malo pozabil nanje. Med malicanjem na vrhu pa so se nam začele z bohinjske strani približevati pike na nebu. V Gomiščkovem zavetišču sem si sposodil daljnogled in ves navdušen naštel 18 beloglavih jastrebov. Ves čas malice so krožili nad nami, se v minuti, dveh izgubili proti Komni in Bohinjskemu jezeru in se v neverjetno kratkem času spet prikazali nad nami. Spustili so se celo tako nizko, da so bili prav razločno vidni s prostim očesom. Pot smo nadaljevali po grebenu, po neverjetno speljani mulatjeri nad 2000 m m.n.v, čez Krnčico, Srednji vrh in Lopatnik. Ves čas so nas spremljali tudi beloglavi jastrebi, ki so se prav brez strahu približali celo jadralnim padalcem in jadralnim letalom. Kakšen veličasten občutek je moral biti to šele zanje, ko pa sem bil že jaz tako navdušen, medtem ko sem lahko opazoval enega od jastrebov, ki se je spustil pod greben, po katerem smo hodili, in sem ga lahko občudoval od zgoraj med njegovim drsenjem skozi zrak. Okoli 17 h smo prisopihali na Lopatnik, kjer so se med tropom ovac razposajeno oglašali krokarji Corpus corax. Ob našem prihodu so vzleteli in se v jadranju nad nami močno razburjali. Na mestu, kjer so bili še pred nekaj minutami krokarji, smo našli dve poginuli ovci. Od ene ni ostalo nič drugega kot gole kosti, koža in značka v ušesu, na drugi pa je bilo še tudi nekaj malega mesa. Več kot očitno sta bili kosilo beloglavih jastrebov kak dan prej. Čakal nas je še dolgočasen spust mimo planine Zapleč do Drežniških raven, kjer nas je čakal avto. Na planini me je za trenutek prešinilo, da pastirjem povem za obrani poginuli ovci, pa sem si premislil, saj iz izkušenj vem, da za poginulo žival kaj hitro najdejo nepravega krivca. Izlet za znoret, ki se najbrž v taki obliki ne bo kmalu ponovil. Jani Vidmar, Bilečanska 4, SI-1000, Ljubljana, Slovenija, e-mail: tourdozbur@gmail.com Veliki klinkač Aquila clanga & Zlata prosenka Pluvialis apricaria Greater Spotted Eagle & Golden Plover - on 18 Mar 2006, we observed the largest number so far of Lapwings Vanellus vanellus for Medvedce reservoir (UTM WM53, SE of Pragersko, NE Slovenia) and one of the largest for the country; we counted 993 individuals in total and 549 individuals in the biggest fock; Lapwings were fying in southwest-east direction, with many feeding in partly fooded felds and meadows; among Lapwings and fewer Ruffs Philomachus pugnax (36) we noticed a fock of 26 Golden Plovers, which is also the highest number for Medvedce reservoir; Golden Plover is a rare spring migrant in northeastern Slovenia; we also observed one Spotted Eagle; probably the same individual was observed on 11 Mar 2006 and it is the frst record of spring stopover for this species for Medvedce reservoir; also seen on that day were a pair of Ferruginous Ducks Aythya nyroca and a pair of Red-crested Pochards Netta rufna; both species are less common on this water reservoir during the spring months Med začetkom in sredino marca je na zadrževalniku Medvedce (UTM WM53, JV od Pragerskega, SV Slovenija) vrhunec preleta prib Vanellus vanellus, v nasprotju z Ljubljanskim barjem, kjer je vrhunec konec marca [Tome, D., Sovinc, A. & Trontelj, P. (2005): Ptice Ljubljanskega barja. - DOPPS, Ljubljana]. Zaradi mrzle in dolge zime v letu 2006 je bil ta vrhunec odložen za dva tedna. Tako sva lahko bila priči tega vrhunca 18.3.2006, ko sva v dopoldanskih urah preštela 993 osebkov, kar je največje 8c Acrocephalus 28 (133): 79-86, 2007 zabeleženo število prib na zadrževalniku doslej [Ker~ek, M. (2005): Ptice akumulacije Medvedce. - Diplomsko delo, Univerza v Mariboru; lastni podatki]. Nekoliko večje število osebkov je bilo opazovanih na Ljubljanskem barju med spomladansko selitvijo [Tome, D., Sovinc, A. & TronTELj, P. (2005): Ptice Ljubljanskega barja. - DOPPS, Ljubljana], in sicer 1500 osebkov dne 24.3.92. Več jih je bilo opazovanih tudi na akciji celodnevnega spremljanja selitvene dinamike vodnih ptičev na nižinskem območju reke Drave [Bo`i~, L. (1996): Navadna prosenka Pluvialis apricaria. -Acrocephalus 17 (78/79): 163]. Največja jata na Medvedcah je štela 549 osebkov. Pribe so priletele z jugozahoda in povečini pristajale na delno poplavljene travnike in njive vzhodno od zadrževalnika. Pribe so se nekaj časa zadrževale na teh poplavljenih površinah, nato pa so v manjših jatah odletele proti severovzhodu in vzhodu. Med pribami in 36 togotniki Philomachus pugnax, ki se tudi selijo v tem obdobju čez Medvedce, vendar v precej manjšem številu, sva opazovala jato 26 zlatih prosenk. Spet gre za največje zabeleženo število osebkov te vrste na zadrževalniku. Prav tako gre za šele drugi podatek te vrste v spomladanskem času za zadrževalnik [Ker~ek, M. (2005): Ptice akumulacije Medvedce. - Diplomsko delo, Univerza v Mariboru; lastni podatki]. V spomladanskem času so na splošno zlate prosenke redkejše v SV Sloveniji in navadno ne oblikujejo večjih jat (L. Bo`i~ osebno), kar je na primer značilno na Ljubljanskem barju, kjer največje jate dosežejo celo do 300 osebkov [Tome, D., Sovinc, A. & Trontelj, P. (2005): Ptice Ljubljanskega barja. - DOPPS, Ljubljana]. Tega dne naju je razveselil tudi veliki klinkač, ki je bil v spomladanskem času opazovan le štirikrat pred tem letom [Ker~ek, M. (2005): Ptice akumulacije Medvedce. - Diplomsko delo, Univerza v Mariboru; lastni podatki]. V tem letu pa je bil opazovan trikrat med 11.3. in 18.3.2006. Zanimivejši vrsti sta bili tudi kostanjevka Aythya nyroca in tatarska žvižgavka Netta rufna. Pri obeh vrstah je bil opazovan par. Obe vrsti sta v tem obdobju redkejši obiskovalki zadrževalnika. Dejan Bordjan, Notranjski regijski park, Tabor 42, SI—1380 Cerknica, Slovenija, e-mail: dejan.bordjan@notranjski-park.si Ana Vidmar, Polanškova 8, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenija, e-mail: ana_vidmar@ email.si Kosec Crex crex Corncrake - on 25 Sep 2006, the author observed a late Corncrake at Retje bird ringing station on Lake Cerknica (UTM VL57, C Slovenia); this is a rare autumn observation for this particular area Dne 25.9.2OO6 sem sodeloval pri obročkanju ptic v Retju na Cerkniškem jezeru pod mentorstvom dr. Tomija Trilarja. V popoldanskem času, ko se manj lovi, smo sedeli na stolih s pogledom na mreže. Čez čas mi je postala sumljiva korenina pri zadnji mreži. Skozi daljnogled sem ugotovil, da gre pravzaprav za kosca, ki se je sprehajal ob mreži in mirno izginil v visoki travi in grmovju ob mreži. Jesenska opazovanja so redka zaradi skrivnostnega življenja kosca v tem delu leta. Cerkniško jezero naj bi kosci zapustili v začetku septembra (L. Kebe osebno). Glavnina koscev se sicer seli iz Evrope v septembru, vendar se lahko posamezni osebki zadržijo do novembra. Posamezni kosci lahko celo prezimijo, vendar je to značilno predvsem za Veliko Britanijo in Sredozemlje [Cramp, S. (ur.) (1998): Handbook of the Birds of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, Vol. I: Ostrich to Ducks. - Oxford University Press, Oxford]. Kakšno uro za koscem se je na mrežo usedel še rahlo zgoden veliki srakoper Lanius excubitor, čez mrežo so leteli še veliki škurh Numenius arquata, ki je vneto iskal svoje družabnike, škrjančar Falco subbuteo in štirje mladostni rjavi lunji Circus aeruginosus na lovu. Dejan Bordjan, Notranjski regijski park, Tabor 42, SI-1380 Cerknica, Slovenija, e-mail: dejan.bordjan@notranjski-park.si Veliki {kurh Numenius arquata Curlew — a nest found on Lake Cerknica (UTM VL57, C Slovenia) on 1 Jun 1996; frst documented nesting for Lake Cerknica Daljnega leta 1996, natančneje 1.6.96, sem se potikal po Cerkniškem jezeru. Pot me je vodila od Zerovnice proti Osredku, kjer gnezdi veliko rumenih pastiric Motacilla fava in trstnih strnadov Emberiza schoeniclus. Kmalu zatem, ko se više ležeči travniki prevesijo v nižje mokrotne, je nekje iz tal zletel veliki škurh. Začel me je obletavati in se svarilno oglašati. Krožil je okoli mene in njegovi krogi so postajali vedno večji. Odletel je prek Osredka vse do Otoka in se vrnil, in to za toliko časa, dokler se nisem dovolj oddaljil od mesta, kjer sem ga splašil. Ker nisem videl natančnega mesta, s katerega je zletel, sem šel naprej po svojih opravkih. Ko sem se vračal, sem bil bolj pozoren na to, od kod bo zletel. In res je zletel, le da jaz nisem gledal škurha, ampak rastline, s katerih je zletel. Tam sem našel gnezdo v katerem sta bili dve jajci. Nato sem iz avta opazoval, kako se je škurh vrnil in usedel na jajca. Pozni datum si razlagam tako, da je bilo to nadomestno leglo. Lahko pa škurh na Cerkniškem jezeru gnezdi pozneje zaradi visoke vode. Kasnejši obisk je pokazal, da je bilo gnezdo uplenjeno. Skoda! To je prva potrjena gnezditev velikega škurha na Cerkniškem jezeru. Dare Fekonja, Triglavska 21, SI—1113 Ljubljana, Slovenija, e-mail: darko.fekonja@telemach.net 8l Iz ornitolo{ke bele`nice / From the ornithological notebook Mali skovik Glaucidium passerinum Pygmy Owl – one calling male responded to playback on 21 Sep 2007 at Smre~je, Trnovski gozd (UTM VL19, W Slovenia) Dne 21.9.2007 sem se odpravil na popis gozdnega jereba Bonasa bonasia v Trnovski gozd. Dan je bil sicer son~en, vendar je popis motil ob~asno premo~an severni veter. Popis je potekal na popisnih to~kah z metodo predvajanja posnetka ogla{anja. Po kon~anem postopku popisa gozdnega jereba sem na ve~ to~kah poskusil {e s predvajanjem posnetka ogla{anja malega skovika. V Smre~ju, pribli`no 1 km2 veliki mrazi{~ni dolinici, ki je bila pred dobrimi dvajsetimi leti razgla{ena za naravni spomenik in prepu{~ena naravnemu razvoju, sem na treh popisnih to~kah ob predvajanju posnetka ogla{anja malega skovika do`ivel buren odziv malih vrst ptic (sinice Parus sp., ta{~ica Erithacus rubecula, rumenoglavi kralji~ek Regulus regulus ter dolgoprsti plezal~ek Certhia familiaris). Toda malega skovika ni bilo na spregled. Ker sem dokaj pozno zaklju~il popis gozdnega jereba, sem sklenil, da v Smre~ju po~akam na ve~erni mrak in spet poskusim sre~o. Tako sem ob 17.50 h v neposredni bli`ini ene od prej{njih popisnih to~k in kar iz avtomobila ponovil predvajanje posnetka ogla{anja malega skovika. Spet se je ponovil koncert malih ptic pevk. Po pribli`no dveh minutah predvajanja pa se mi je zazdelo, da sli{im nekak{en odmev predvajanega posnetka. Izklju~il sem predvajalnik in zasli{al zna~ilno ogla{anje samca malega skovika v kro{njah odraslih smrek kak{nih 50 metrov pro~. Ker sem `elel, da se skovik toliko pribli`a, da bi si ga lahko ogledal, sem ponovno vklju~il posnetek. Skovik se je spreletel na drugo stran in nadaljeval z ogla{anjem. Takrat pa sem v zraku nad seboj opazil skobca Accipiter nisus, ki ga je o~itno privabilo ogla{anje malega skovika. Zato sem na hitro pospravil opremo in se odpeljal dalje, da ne bi ravno odkriti mali skovik kon~al v skob~evih krempljih. Kolikor mi je znano, gre za prvo najdbo malega skovika v Trnovskem gozdu po letu 1983, ko je bila potrjena tudi gnezditev [Geister, I. (1995): Ornitolo{ki atlas Slovenije. – DZS, Ljubljana]. Predvidevam, da se mali skovik v Trnovskem gozdu pojavlja predvsem v mrazi{~ih, kjer najdemo ve~ smrekovega gozda Piceetum, ki mu mali skovik daje prednost pred me{anim jelovo–bukovim gozdom Abieti–Fagetum dinaricum, ki sicer prevladuje v Trnovskem gozdu. Poleg Smre~ja so ve~ja mrazi{~a {e Smrekova draga, Velika lazna ter Mala lazna. Naj dodam {e naslednji podatek: 24.9.2007 popoldne sem se odpravil na Nanos (zahodni del), kjer sem vnovi~ posku{al najti malega skovika s pomo~jo predvajanja posnetka ogla{anja. Na sedmih popisnih to~kah nisem zasledil nobenega malega skovika, pa tudi kake druge ptice se niso odzivale na predvajani posnetek. Peter Kre~i~, Podraga 47, Podnanos SI-5272, Slovenija, e-mail: suzana.krecic@guest.arnes.si Alpine Swift Tachymarptis melba Planinski hudournik — opazovan 1 osebek dne 1.8.2007 pri Hruškem vrhu v Karavankah (UTM VM25, S Slovenija) On 1 Aug 2007, when butterfy monitoring on Hruški vrh in the Karavanke Mts (UTM VM25, N Slovenia), we noticed a hunting Alpine Swift. It was fying with a large flock of House Martins Delichon urbica. Alpine Swift is known to have two colonies in the Karavanke Mts on the Austrian side [Jančar, T. (2006): New breeding colony of Apine Swift Tachymarptis melba in Karavanke / Karawanken mountains (S Austria). — Acrocephalus 27 (130/131): 168]. It is highly likely that this individual was coming from nearby Rosenbach or Tržič colony. Nevertheless, there are also other suitable places for the Alpine Swift’s colonies in the Karavanke Mts. Maarten de Groot, Redelonghijeva ulica 26A, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenija, e-mail: m.degroot@rocketmail.com Primož Pirih, Neurobiophysics, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, Netherlands, e-mail: p.pirih@rug.nl Čebelar Merops apiaster Bee-eater – observed attempted nesting at Ljubljansko barje (UTM VL69, C Slovenia) on 8 Jun 2007; on 16 Jun 2007, the nest was found destroyed 82 Acrocephalus 28 (133): 79-86, 2007 Dne 7.6.2007 sem raziskoval na Ljubljanskem barju zahodno od Lavrice. Slikal sem dru`inico zelenonoge tukalice Gallinula chloropus, ki v »kanalu« [kofelj{~ica gnezdi. Zanimivo je bilo to, da je kljub majhnim mladi~em delala gnezdo. Po triurnem sedenju v avtu sem skozi okno zasli{al ogla{anje ~ebelarja, ki pa je po mojem prepri~anju pripadalo petju mo~virske trstnice Acrocephalus palustris. Ker pa se je ogla{anje nadaljevalo, sem se odlo~il, da vse skupaj razi{~em. Kakih 50 m od avta je na vrbi sedel ~ebelar. Kmalu zatem sta iz vrbe proti I`ici zletela dva. Dne 8.6.07 sem bil spet na istem mestu, vendar ~ebelarjev ni bilo. V upanju, da jih bom vendarle na{el, sem se odpravil proti I`ici. Med potjo sem sli{al peti vrtno penico Sylvia borin. Naredil sem kro`ni obhod, in ko sem se vrnil na za~etek, sta bila ~ebelarja spet tam. Na tem mestu je ena izmed parcel nasuta z gramozom, za ob~asno odlaganje gradbenega materiala in zemlje. Na njej je ve~ji kup zemlje, ob njenem robu pa manj{i nasip. V tem manj{em sem na{el gnezdilni rov. ^ebelarja sta bila opazovana {e 13.6.07 na sosednji njivi na f`olovkah. Obisk 16.6.07 pa je prinesel razo~aranje, kajti nekdo je v rov natla~il zemljo in travo. Po klepetu s kmetom s sosednje njive sem izvedel, da so bili 4 ~ebelarji na tej lokaciji `e lansko leto. Zadr`evali so se 14 dni, potem pa izginili. (foto: D. Fekonja) Dare Fekonja, Triglavska 21, SI-1113 Ljubljana, Slovenija, e-mail: darko.fekonja@telemach.net Srednji detel Dendrocopos medius Middle Spotted Woodpecker – on 12 Apr 2006, during the census for the new atlas of breeding birds of Slovenia, I heard a Middle Spotted Woodpecker in a small patch of oak forest in the village of Kamna gora on Konji{ka gora (UTM WM33, E Slovenia) Dne 12.4.2006 sem se mudil pri kraju Kamna gora pri naselju Frankolovo na Konji{ki gori. Tam sem opravljal tetradni popis za novi ornitolo{ki atlas gnezdilk. Nekje na polovici popisa sem prisopihal do majhnega gradnovega Quercus petrea sestoja, ki je bil {e nedavno verjetno ve~ji, saj je bilo na njegovem robu {e vedno opaziti znamenja se~nje in odstranjevanja korenin. Takoj ko sem stopil v ta gozdi~ek, sem zasli{al neutrudno ogla{anje srednjega detla. Ker ga nisem pri~akoval v teh krajih, sem ga za~el zasledovati. Na{el sem ga, ko se je ogla{al z gradnove veje. Dejan Bordjan, Notranjski regijski park, Tabor 42, SI-1380 Cerknica, Slovenija, e-mail: dejan.bordjan@notranjski-park.si Skalna lastovka Ptyonoprogne rupestris Eurasian Crag Martin - six individuals observed on 18 Mar 2006 in the very centre of Ljubljana (UTM VM60, central Slovenia). Dne 18.3.2006 sem pri sotočju Ljubljanice in Gradaščice okoli 16 h opazil jato šestih (6) skalnih lastovk, Id so krožile nad reko. Ptice sem si natančno ogledal z daljnogledom in tako izključil možnost zamenjave z drugimi vrstami lastovk. Predvsem velja izpostaviti bele repne pege, Id so bile vidne, kadar je katera izmed ptic razširila rep. Skalne lastovke so se postopoma premikale proti Tromostovju. Opazoval sem jih še približno eno uro, nato pa odšel domov. Skozi svoje okno, ki gleda proti Ljubljanici približno v višini Čevljarskega mostu, sem posamezne skalne lastovke, nikoli pa celotne jate, lahko opazoval še vse do večera. Skalna lastovka na Ljubljanskem barju, na robu katerega leži kraj opazovanja, še ni bila opazovana [Tome, D., Sovinc, A. & Trontelj, P. (2005): Ptice Ljubljanskega barja. — Monografja DOPPS št. 3. - DOPPS, Ljubljana]. Zanimiv je tudi čas pojavljanja, saj marčevskih opazovanj skalne lastovke zunaj primernega gnezditvenega habitata v slovenski ornitološld literaturi nisem zasledil. Jurij Hanžel, Židovska ulica 1, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenija, e-mail: Jurij. hanzel@gmail.com Skalna lastovka Ptyonoprogne rupestris Eurasian Crag Martin - one observed on 18 Mar 2006 in the very centre of Ljubljana (UTM VM60, central Slovenia). Dne 18. marca 2006 sem se v Ljubljani peljal po Zoisovi cesti proti Ljubljanici. Iz avtomobila sem v zraku zagledal tri ali {tiri rumenonoge galebe Larus cachinnans, ki so se spu{~ali na vodo. Zanimalo me je, le kaj so galebi opazili na vodi, da se tako odlo~no spu{~ajo k tlom. Ko sem parkiral in se takoj z daljnogledom napotil k Ljubljanici, sem v zraku nad seboj zagledal lastovko, ki pa je hitro izginila za prvimi vrbami. Moram priznati, da nisem bil popolnoma prepri~an, 83 Iz ornitolo{ke bele`nice / From the ornithological notebook za katero vrsto gre, vedel sem le, da ni kme~ka lastovka. Kar oddahnil sem si po prvem presene~enju, ko je ta lastovka priletela nazaj, se v krogih pomikala proti Tromostovju in se nato spet vrnila nazaj proti meni. V zraku na blizu ni bilo te`ko ugotoviti, da gre za skalno lastovko. Zelo dobro so bila videti ~rna (temna) podperutna peresa, ravni odsekani rep ter zna~ilna oblika peruti. Dalj ~asa sem jo opazoval, kako v letu lovi hrano, in uspelo mi je narediti kar nekaj dobrih digitalnih dokumentacijskih posnetkov v zraku. Glede na ~as opazovanja domnevam, da je bila ta skalna lastovka {e na spomladanskem preletu. Moje, Ljubljani najbli`je opazovanje te vrste je iz leta 2003, ko sem prav tako sredi marca nad Savo v Tacnu pri Ljubljani opazoval 3 skalne lastovke. (foto: D. Šere) Dare [ere, Langusova 10, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenija, e-mail: dsere@pms-lj.si Hribska listnica Phylloscopus bonetti Bonelli’s Warbler - on 2 and 3 May 2006, the authors of this notice heard Bonelli’s Warbler’s song on scree below Otlica in Trnovski gozd (UTM VL18, SW Slovenia); the species has not been known to breed in Trnovski gozd; they also heard and observed, during areal song display, a male Rock Thrush Monticola saxatilis; on migration they observed a male Montagu’s Harrier Circus pygargus, a female Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus and Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus (all on 2 May 2006); on that day, they also observed two Golden Eagles Aquila chrysaetos and a Goshawk Accipiter gentilis; on 3 May they watched four Honey Buzzards, three Hobbies Falco subbuteo, a male and female Red-legged Falcon Falco vespertinus and a female Montagu’s Harrier Med 2. in 3.5.2006 smo se avtorji te notice odlo~ili za po~itek pri prijateljih v naselju Predmeja v Trnovskem gozdu. Oba dneva smo izkoristili za sprehod po robu Trnovskega gozda med Predmejo in Otlico. Na meli{~ih pod robom pri Otlici smo zasli{ali preprost napev hribske listnice, ki je neutrudno razgla{ala svoj teritorij. Hribska listnica ni omenjena kot gnezdilka Trnovskega gozda [Geister, I. (1995): Ornitolo{ki atlas Slovenije. - DZS, Ljubljana], prav tako ni podatkov za novi atlas gnezdilk (T. MiheliČ osebno). Pri Otlici nas je s svojo pesmijo navdu{eval tudi srame`ljivi slegur Monticola saxatilis. Spreletaval se je s skale na skalo in pel svojo pesem. Oba dneva smo imeli prilo`nost opazovati selitev ujed, ki so se me{ale s tamkaj{njimi gnezdilkami. Dne 2.5.2006 smo nad Predmejo opazovali dva planinska orla Aquila chrysaetos, ki gnezdita nekje v bli`ini. Pod robom smo opazovali let kragulja Accipiter gentilis, preletnike pa so ta dan zastopali samec mo~virskega lunja Circus pygargus, samica rjavega lunja Circus aeruginosus in sr{enar Pernis apivorus. Naslednjega dne smo med preletniki opazovali {tiri sr{enarje, tri {krjan~arje Falco subbuteo, samca in samico rde~enoge postovke Falco vespertnus ter samico mo~virskega lunja. So pa nam tega dne pravo predstavo prikazali “doma~ini”. Med sledenjem kanji Buteo buteo smo opazili, da se je njen let iz kro`enja spremenil v hiter raven let. Razlog za to je bil planinski orel, ki jo je napadel z vso silo Kanja je pobegnila, orla pa je napadel sokol selec Falco peregrinus, pri ~emer se je vztrajno zaletaval vanj. Po umiku orla se je selca lotil krokar Corvus corax in ga kratko malo pregnal iz na{ih pogledov. Tako smo zaklju~ili, da je krokar kralj neba. Dejan Bordjan, Notranjski regijski park, Tabor 42, SI-1380 Cerknica, Slovenija, e-mail: dejan.bordjan@notranjski-park.si Ana Vidmar, Polan{kova 8, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenija, e-mail: ana_ vidmar@email.si Miha Krofel, Zavrh pri Borovnici 2, SI-1353 Borovnica, Slovenija, e-mail: lynx_mk@hotmail.com Plav~ek Parus caeruleus Blue Tit - on 12 Apr 2006, I observed an unusual Blue Tit’s nesting site; it was in a ffteen centimetre deep hole in the ground along a cart track near Kamna gora on Konji{ka gora (UTM WM33, E Slovenia); on 27 May 2006, I found another unusual Blue Tit’s nesting site; it was in a crevice in the rock wall of the @amerk quarry south of [empeter V tej bele`nici podajam opis opazovanja dveh manj obi~ajnih mest plav~kove gnezditve. Prvo gnezdo je bilo najdeno pri Kamni gori na Konji{ki gori ob blatnem kolovozu dne 12.4.2006. Na obeh straneh kolovoza so bile v hrib vrezane stene iz sprijete zemlje in kamnov. Ob urejanju stene na eni strani kolovoza je bil odstranjen kamen in za njim je ostala jamica, ki je bila deloma zaprta s prstjo. V tej luknji, kak{nih dvajset centimetrov nad kolovozom, sem zasli{al ~ebljanje in iz luknje je poletel plav~ek. Ob pogledu v luknjo sem zagledal mladi~e, natla~ene v njej. Jamica je bila globoka vsega petnajst centimetrov. Odprtina se je od zunaj zdela kot rov voluharice, in gnezda verjetno ne bi opazil, ko ne bi bil sli{al tistega ~ebljanja. Drugo gnezdo je bilo najdeno v steni opu{~enega kamnoloma pri @amerku ju`no od [entjurja dne 27.5.2006. Tam smo sicer iskali gnezdo sokola selca Falco peregrinus (ki smo ga kasneje na{li na drugi strani v naravni steni). Plav~ek je bil opa`en, ko je priletel in smuknil v {pranjico pribli`no dva metra nad tlemi kamnoloma. Dejan Bordjan, Notranjski regijski park, Tabor 42, SI-1380 Cerknica, Slovenija, e-mail: dejan.bordjan@notranjski-park.si 84 Acrocephalus 28 (133): 79-86, 2007 Hrva{ka / Croatia White Stork Ciconia ciconia Bela {torklja - boj med dvema osebkoma za gnezdi{~e v Osijeku (UTM CR14, V Slavonija, Hrva{ka) na 15 m visokem betonskem dimniku, dne 1.5.2007 On a sunny and warm 1 May 2007 morning, I observed 4 White Storks circling above my backyard in the city of Osijek (UTM CR14, E Slavonia, Croatia). This was not unusual at all, considering that a pair or two of White Storks have for years been regularly nesting in this (western) part of the city (on the chimney of the “Jelenko” Kindergarten and on the platform in the backyard of the house standing in Kolodvorska street No. 16). Sometime later, at around noon, I observed 5 White Storks while circling above my street. I saw them again at 16.00 h and I went with my son to check what was happening. At a distance of about 200 m down the street, there is a chimney approximately 15 meters high on the offce building belonging to the Croatian Post. Above this place, a struggle for the potential nesting place was taking place in the air. Of the 6 White Storks, which circled in the air, with their eyes glued on the high concrete chimney as their potential nesting place, 2 landed on the chimney and started a fght that included physical contacts with their beaks and legs. As a result, 1 White Stork was thrown down to the iron ladder, which leads from the ground to the top of the chimney. Apart from the worried partner that landed on the chimney’s margin, all other White Storks watched the struggle from the air, as well as the dark eyes of my son, who was very excited by the closeness of these large beautiful birds. Walking down the street on the following days, I noticed that the chimney was unoccupied. The storks abandoned this place, but were nesting at fve other localities in the city of Osijek (a pair in Retfala on the chimney of the kindergarten, a pair on the platform in the backyard of the house in Kolodvorska street, a pair on the inactive industrial chimney in the city centre, a pair on the house chimney in Tvr|a, and one pair on the concrete chimney downtown). Ivan~ica Jur~evi} Agi} & Jakov Agi}, Kozja~ka 88, HR-31000 Osijek, Croatia, e-mail: ivancica.ja@gmail.com Ribji orel Pandion haliaetus Osprey - one individual seen fying on 15 Sep 2003 above the road north of Karin village near Zadar (UTM WJ58, Dalmatia, Croatia) Septembra 2003 sva se avtorja mudila na po~itnicah v naselju Karin pri Zadru. Dne 15.9. sva med vo`njo s severa proti Karinu v zraku opazila ujedo v letu. Bil je ribji orel, ki je v ravni ~rti letel proti jugu in je sicer znan kot redek obiskovalec Dalmacije [Rucner, D. (1998): Ptice hrvatske obale Jadrana. - Hrvatski prirodoslovni muzej, Ministrstvo razvitka i obnove, Zagreb]. Dejan Bordjan, Notranjski regijski park, Tabor 42, SI-1380 Cerknica, Slovenija, e-mail: dejan.bordjan@notranjski-park.si Ana Vidmar, Polan{kova 8, SI-1000 Ljubljana, ana_vidmar@email.si Črna čigra Chidonias niger Black Tern - on 30 Apr 2006, we observed intensely migrating Black Terns in the Neretva delta (UTM YH16, S Dalmatia, Croatia); it was estimated that at least 5,000 of them passed through delta within three hours; among them were also Yellow Wagtails Motacilla fava, Sand Martins Riparia riparia, Barn Swallows Hirundo rustica and a few Red-rumped Swallows Hirundo daurica Na poti s {tudentskega biolo{kega tabora Ekosistemi Jadrana 2006 na Pelje{cu smo se 30.4. 2006 Ana Vidmar, Miha Krofel, Nastja Pajk in jaz kljub nenehnemu de`ju odlo~ili za postanek na delti Neretve (UTM YH16, J Dalmacija, Hrva{ka). Na blatnih polojih smo opazovali dva velika {kurha Numenius arquata, pet ~rnih prosenk Pluvialis squatarola, pet spremenljivih prodnikov Calidris alpina, petnajst zelenonogih martincev Tringa nebularia, sedem {koljkaric Haemantopus ostralegus in {tiri polojnike Himantopus himantopus. Med njimi so se sprehajale sive Ardea cinerea in velike bele ~aplje Egretta alba ter {tiri `li~arke Phitalea lencorodia. Dvajset kri~avih ~iger Sterna sandvicensis pa je letalo s polojev proti morju lovit hrano. Zanimivo je bilo tudi proti odprtemu morju, kjer smo videli nekaj zimskih zamudnikov: pet belolisk Mehinitta fusca, rde~egrlega slapnika Gavia stellata in sedemnajst ~rnovratih ponirkov Podiceps nigricollis. Ves ~as opazovanja smo opazovali ~rne ~igre. [ele ~ez ~as smo opazili, da je ~rnih ~iger zares veliko in da iz megle na morju znova in znova prihajajo nove jate, velike od nekaj deset do nekaj sto osebkov. Jate, ki so bile `e tam, pa so se po~asi odpravljale po toku Neretve navzgor. Ocenjujem, da je v ~asu treh ur delto preletelo vsaj pet tiso~ ~rnih ~iger. Sliko mno`i~ne selitve je dopolnilo ve~ sto rumenih pastiric Motacilla fava in kakih tiso~ lastovk. Med temi so prevladovale kme~ke lastovke Hirundo rustica in breguljke Riparia riparia, mednje se je prime{alo tudi nekaj rde~ih lastovk Hirundo daurica. Dejan Bordjan, Notranjski regijski park, Tabor 42, SI-1380 Cerknica, Slovenija, e-mail: dejan.bordjan@notranjski-park.si 85 Iz ornitolo{ke bele`nice / From the ornithological notebook Pheasant Phasianus colchicus Fazan - na otoku [olti (UTM XJ00, Dalmacija, Hrva{ka) opa`eno 6-7 osebkov, omamljenih zaradi prehranjevanja s fermentiranimi fgami, dne 27.10.2007 The Pheasant is an introduced, permanent, quite frequent species on the island of [olta, nesting in the felds and in the maquis [Sušič, G., Pallaoro, A., Radovič, D. & Stipčevič, M. (1990): Ptice otoka [olte. Pp. 107–111. In: Mihovilovič, M.A. et al. (eds): Otok [olta: monografja. – Mladost, Zagreb]. During the days we spent on the island between 24 and 27 Oct 2007, a couple of specimens often appeared, mostly cocks, and their calls could be heard almost everywhere. In the “[oltansko polje” feld, we observed Pheasants pecking at grapes several times. On the road section between Grohote and Donje Selo (XJ00), we observed, each day, focks of Serins Serinus serinus and one or two Pheasants fushing from below the Fig trees Ficus carica along the road. We noted that a large amount of rotting fgs accumulated under the trees, and this is what the birds were feeding on. In the afternoon of 27 October, it was on the same road section that a couple of Pheasant cocks tottered in front of our slowly moving car from below the roadside fgs. They were completely confused, not even wanting to turn off the road. An hour later we returned and found another 6-7 Pheasant cocks on the road. They made a staggering attempt to run a few metres in front of the approaching car, then stood aside and waited for us to pass. Most probably, the Pheasants had eaten the fermenting fgs, which in fact caused their strange behaviour. Jenô J. Purger, University of Pécs, Institute of Biology, Ifjúság útja 6, H-7624 Pécs, Hungary, e-mail: purger@ttk.pte.hu Jasmina Mu`ini}, Institute for Ornithology CASA, Gunduli}eva 24, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia, e-mail: jasmina@hazu.hr Spanish Sparrow Passer hispaniolensis Travniški vrabec - dne 24.10.2007 opa`en 1 osebek v dru`bi z dvema doma~ima vrabcema na otoku [olti (UTM XJ00, Dalmacija, Hrva{ka) The plumage of Spanish Sparrows changes in autumn, making it easy for the observer to confuse them with House Sparrows Passer domesticus. In the central and southern areas of Dalmatia, they can join House Sparrow focks and overwinter together [LukaČ, G. (2004): About the widening of the range and the status of the Spanish Sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis) in Croatia at the beginning of the 21st century. – Pakleni~ki zbornik 2: 113–122]. We observed House Sparrows in varying numbers in all human settlement on the island of [olta, between 24 and 27 Oct 2007. They were present in higher numbers especially at Gornje Selo and 86 Grohote, Srednje Selo and near Donje Selo, on the edge of “[oltansko polje” feld. On 24 Oct 2007, we approached the cistern in the “[oltansko polje” feld from the graveyard of Donje Selo (XJ00), and saw a male Spanish Sparrow in the roadside thicket, in the company of two House Sparrows. This individual was not seen during the subsequent days. There had been no earlier data on the occurrence of Spanish Sparrow on the island of [olta [Sušič, G., Pallaoro, A., Radovič, D. & Stipčevič, M. (1990): Ptice otoka [olte. Pp. 107–111. In: Mihovilovič, M.A. et al. (eds): Otok [olta: monografja. – Mladost, Zagreb]. Moreover, an observation in October is important in that the recorded bird could be an overwintering individual. Jasmina Mu`ini}, Institute for Ornithology CASA, Gunduli}eva 24, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia, e-mail: jasmina@hazu.hr Jenô J. Purger, University of Pécs, Institute of Biology, Ifjúság útja 6, H-7624 Pécs, Hungary, e-mail: purger@ttk.pte.hu 87 oj Mobi. Moje darilo. mobi Včasih se želje uresničijo! Ne, ne šalim se, včasih se želje res uresničijo. Hm, že nekaj časa sem si želela nov Mobipaket. Saj veste, po dveh letih se toliko stvari spremeni ... Hm ... In potem sem na božično jutro ostrmela. Ne vem, ali sem svoje želje govorila na glas ali pa morda oči in mami bereta moje misli ... eeeee ... raje ne :) ... kakorkoli že, pod jelko me je čakal ličen novoletni Mobipaket s povsem novim mobitelom! Točno takšnim, kot sem si ga želela, pa še kakšno funkcijo več ima. No, zdaj sem glavna, pa še torbico imam vedno preko rame! 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