Another great day in the south of the region involved a leisurely meander around Dumravita fishponds, otherwise known as the Carpathian Delta. With next to no disturbance and many of the ponds in a (fantastically) unkempt state, the place was absolutely brimming with birds.
Highlights included breeding Little Bitterns, Squacco Herons and Black-crowned Night-herons, great views of White-tailed Eagle on the deck, reedbeds and scrub full of warblers, Bee-eaters, lots of Caspian Gulls, two Ruff among small number of waders, Honey-buzzards, five species of woodpecker and Hawfinches in the nearby woods, and lots more - but the dramatic thunderstorms provided the show-stealer....
... in the shape of over 300 marsh terns, which dropped out of the ether en masse (against a background of mountains and flashing lightning) and proceeded to murmurate over the ponds right in front of us.
330 Black, four White-winged and two Whiskered shimmied and swirled for a good half-hour, before deciding the conditions had improved enough to move on - and suddenly they had, as quickly as they'd arrived. A breathtaking migration spectacle!
