Report from 11 to 13 June
In one final burst of migration, several small flocks of White Storks flew towards the north-east after a series of thunderstorms, greeted by our local storks as they passed by. The migration period of White Storks is very protracted, especially for non-breeding immatures – who are in no hurry, as they don’t have a schedule to keep to – and essentially can take place all year round, to the extent that the latest northbound individuals can cross paths with the first birds to head south.
In the Common Tern colony, a few juveniles are already flying about. Those that have not fledged yet enjoy long swims; lucky for them, large predatory fish have been removed from the lake. They are able to swim back to the nest, but occasionally end up on one of the gravel island or on a nest that’s not theirs. In any case, their parents are always able to find them, even when they are swimming in the middle of the lake. Clear evidence of this came when a thunderstorm unmoored one of the floating platforms and moved it over 50 meters away from its original position, with nest and chicks, but the two adults continued to care for their floating brood without batting an eye.
In the Common Tern colony, a few juveniles are already flying about. Those that have not fledged yet enjoy long swims; lucky for them, large predatory fish have been removed from the lake. They are able to swim back to the nest, but occasionally end up on one of the gravel island or on a nest that’s not theirs. In any case, their parents are always able to find them, even when they are swimming in the middle of the lake. Clear evidence of this came when a thunderstorm unmoored one of the floating platforms and moved it over 50 meters away from its original position, with nest and chicks, but the two adults continued to care for their floating brood without batting an eye.
Two Whiskered Terns put in an appearance as well.
Over the course of two days, the juvenile Goshawks left the nest. The strongest bird, depicted in the photo, was the first to leave, immediately followed by its sibling, and only on the next day by the smallest and weakest of the trio. They didn’t exactly fledge so much as jump from one branch to the next while flapping their wings. One brave Golden Oriole was all it took to put them on their back foot.
