Latvia Day 1

I arrived in Riga mid-morning where I was greeted by Gaidis, who I would be helping with survey work over the next ten days. After a few errands and via a very vocal, but unfortunately mobile, Serin we headed out of the city and eastward towards the Russian boarder.

Along the way we made a number of stops of various species but we had limited success. Our first successful stop of was an area just inside the Gaujas National Park where we were looking for a Lesser Spotted Eagle nest. While we did not find the nest I was treated to an amazingly low flyby from one bird, while other species seen at this point included some very nice Cranes and a Goshawk.

After a couple of hours searching with no joy we headed into the nearby Mezule Forest to look for Capercallie, with a rogue individual being our target. It did not take long to find the bird, which was as demonstrative as rogue capers are. As soon as we arrived it descended from the trees and began displaying and singing around us. At first it seemed to be sizing us up, as after a while it became more aggressive and after a while we decided to leave it alone. It was still amazing to be so close to such a spectacular bird, even if it decided to strike me with its wings. Also in the same wood we had great success with Pygmy Owl, Three-toed Woodpecker and Black Woodpecker, the two prior being lifers for me.

In the evening we arrived at our campsite in the far NE of the country. It was almost dark at this point but an evening drive produced a Latvian record count of Spotted Crake, with 30+ individuals singing from a single stretch of ditch alongside a lake.

-Lesser Spotted Eagle

-Capercallie

-Eurasian Pygmy Owl

-Three-toed Woodpecker

-Capercallie

Species List:

Riga: Black-headed Gull, Common Tern, Kestrel, Hooded Crow, Serin,

Gaujas National Park: Hobby, Siskin, Green Sandpiper, Goshawk, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Crane, White Stork, Chaffinch, Great Tit, Woodpigeon, Mallard, Common Buzzard, Feral Pigeon, Jay, Pied Flycatcher, Common Redstart, Blue Tit, White Wagtail, Raven, Song Thrush, Roe Deer,

Berzkrogs: Tundra Bean Goose, White-fronted Goose, Marsh Harrier, Lapwing, Wood Sandpiper, Starling, Black-headed Gull, Mallard, Common Redstart, Hooded Crow, Jackdaw, Magpie, Coot, Chaffinch, House Sparrow,

Mezule Forest: Woodcock, Capercallie, Goldcrest, Pygmy Owl, Three-toed Woodpecker, Black Woodpecker, Blackbird, Mistle Thrush, Lapwing, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Woodpigeon, Yellowhammer,

Burtnieks: Osprey, Skylark, Northern Wheatear, Goldeneye, Common Snipe, Crane, White Stork, Woodpigeon, Water Rail, Great White Egret, Red Fox, Brown Hare,