Bird watching competition „Towers fights 2013”

Bird-watching tower of Dviete floodplain participated in bird watching competition „Towers fights" already forth time. During the competition several bird-watcher teams in different bird towers of Latvia competed, which team will see and hear more bird species during 24 hours, in comparison with the mean number of bird species, observed from the same tower in previous years. This year competition took place on May 18-19, Dviete tower was allotted to the team „Dabasdati.lv” – Ieva Mārdega, Uģis Piterāns, Sandris Rabkevičs and Kristaps Vilks.

Arriving in Dviete floodplain, members of the team immediately started to watch birds not to miss any species. It is well-known in the community of bird-watchers, that Dviete tower is really good for bird watching – forest behind, waters of Skuķu lake in front, pasture-ground at the base. It is possible to see a lot here and very high mean number of bird species, observed in previous years during the competition (89 species), witnesses that. A lot of effort was needed to be put to keep this level also this year.

At the beginning everything ran smoothly - flocks of different duck species in the lake, flocks of terns and gulls above the lake, and a marsh harrier flying among them. It was not long to wait for one of the most interesting observations – whiskered terns. If everybody had seen little tern, it was really good composition of tern species in Dviete. Also completely white mallard and five black storks, calmly feeding at the cost of the lake, can be mentioned among most interesting observations. Five black storks together – it is not an usual sight, so possible in Dviete.

When the evening was closer, number of mosquitoes gradually increased, reaching the peak at the moment, when it was the time to listen for corncrakes. In spite of continuous buzzing in the ears, we succeeded. Spotted crakes and sedge warblers in the lake, a nightingale behind the tower, a woodcock above tree tops and voices of wooper swans far away – they were some of birds we heard in the darkness. Morning came with beautiful views of sunrise, and Uģis with his sunrise photo received a prize for the best Twitpicture later.

In total, during „Towers fights 2013” 86 bird species were observed from Dviete floodplain bird tower (plus four species, observed by less than three participants), thus lacked just a little to reach the mean perennial number of species. With such results it was almost impossible to get very good place (team „Dabasdati.lv” was in the 5th place out of seven teams). Still it is not so important. Most important is wonderfully spent time and new knowledge, gained from more experienced colleagues. Bird tower of Dviete floodplain really allowed to watch nature and to notice a lot of new and interesting.

Kristaps Vilks

05.06.2013.