Latvia Day 6

Unfortunately our second day at Kolka was just as quiet as the first, with very little vis-mig and only a scattering of migrants in the bushes. The day started at the headland but with fewer birds than the previous day, we did not stay long and had soon moved away. The undoubted highlight was a flyover summer plumage White-billed Diver. Unaware of how rare it was, I announced it rather casually, but it is only the sixth Latvian record. It vanished behind the trees before Gaidis saw it, or before I was able to get any photos of it.

The bushes were a bit livelier than the previous day; a Wryneck was nice, as was the Hoopoe that was feeding away on one of the lawns. At least one other Hoopoe could also be heard calling from the village but I was not able to find it. There were a few nice Grey-headed and Blue-headed Wagtails, as well as a new in Ring Ouzel, not a common bird in Latvia at all. There was a fascinating chase between a Coal Tit and Hobby as well, with the Hobby taking maybe ten swoops at the tit over the sea, before the tit safely reached the forest.

During the day I made regular visits to the beach to check in on a rather close Long-tailed Duck. First noticed in the morning, I made two more visits during the day and was able to get some really intimate photos of this moulting drake. I would be surprised if I am ever able to get a better view of a Long-tailed Duck than this.

During the afternoon we took a drive into the nearby forest. On the whole the sites we went to were fairly quiet, although a cracking Swallowtail Butterfly did not go amiss. We also revisited some of the sites from the previous day and finally got lucky with Spotted Nutcracker, when a single individual flew in to the spruce trees adjacent to the road. It did not stay long before heading back into the forest, but I was more than pleased with the views, given that I had only expected to ever see a flyby at best. I also paid another visit to the Ural Owl nest. The female could still be seen and it flew off in the early evening.

-Green Hairstreak

-White Wagtail

-Lesser Whitethroat

-Spotted Nutcracker

-Long-tailed Duck

Species List:

Kolka: Caspian Tern, Long-tailed Duck, Hobby, Common Buzzard, Starling, White Wagtail, Goosander, Red-breasted Merganser, Chaffinch, Brambling, Hooded Crow, Herring Gull, Common Gull, Black-headed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Caspian Gull, Velvet Scoter, Common Sandpiper, Cormorant, Ural Owl, Sparrowhawk, Feral Pigeon, Woodpigeon, Magpie, Siskin, Jackdaw, White-billed Diver, Black-throated Diver, Eider, Wryneck, Hoopoe, Ring Ouzel, Hawfinch, Crossbill, Pied Flycatcher, Common Redstart, Black Redstart, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Barn Swallow, Raven, Tree Pipit, Meadow Pipit, Fieldfare, Jay, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Blackbird, Spotted Nutcracker, Robin, Greenfinch, Linnet, Grey-headed Wagtail, Blue-headed Wagtail, White Wagtail, Goldfinch, Reed Bunting, Lesser Whitethroat, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Whinchat, Wheatear, Woodlark, House Martin, Wren, White Stork, Mute Swan, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Green Hairstreak, Swallowtail, Brimstone, Orange Tip, Roe Deer, Red Fox, Hedgehog