Lubana Lake and surrounding area Latvia
Covering more than 30km2, this site containing Lubana Lake and the surrounding fishfarms and marshes, farmland and forests, is one of the most important for breeding birds in Latvia. As well as the breeding species the area attracts large numbers of passage waders and waterfowl and is very important for moulting ducks.
Among the best of the many breeding species of the Lubans area are White-tailed and Lesser Spotted Eagles, Greater Spotted Eagle is also present but its breeding status is difficult to determine. Other breeders include Black Stork, Corn Crake and Spotted and Little Crakes and small numbers of Marsh Sandpiper, a recent colonist from further east. Another westward expanding species, the Terek Sandpiper has also bred here. Both bitterns and both storks, all five European breeding grebes and various species of ducks, waders, gulls and terns. The forests are home to Black, White-backed and Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers as well as Spotted Nutcracker. In passage periods Whooper Swan, Bean and White-fronted Geese occur in good numbers.
The whole area is extremely good for birds but there are some exceptional sites that are among the best birding spots in Eastern Europe. The northern end of the lake can be explored from the road south and east of Lubana to Bikava (Gaigalava). Further south and east are three groups of fishponds, the first at Idena to the east of the lake and two at Nagli to the south-east. The latter should not be missed and the fishponds lie on either side of Nagli village. Before exploring this area permission should be sought from the fishfarm offices in the centre of Nagli or the Orenisi Bird Station in the eastern group of ponds.
Birds
Birds you can see here include:
Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Black-necked Grebe, Slavonian Grebe, Great Cormorant, Great Bittern, Little Bittern, Grey Heron, Black Stork, White Stork, Mute Swan, Bewick's Swan, Whooper Swan, Tundra Bean Goose, Taiga Bean Goose, White-fronted Goose, Lesser White-fronted Goose, Eurasian Wigeon, Gadwall, Common Teal, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Garganey, Northern Shoveler, Common Pochard, Tufted Duck, Common Goldeneye, Smew, Western Honey-Buzzard, Black Kite, White-tailed Eagle, Marsh Harrier, Montagu's Harrier, Northern Goshawk, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Rough-legged Buzzard, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Greater Spotted Eagle, Osprey, Common Kestrel, Merlin, Northern Hobby, Grey Partridge, Common Quail, Water Rail, Spotted Crake, Little Crake, Corn Crake, Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Little Ringed Plover, Ringed Plover, Golden Plover, Northern Lapwing, Sanderling, Little Stint, Temminck's Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Ruff, Jack Snipe, Common Snipe, Great Snipe, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Eurasian Curlew, Spotted Redshank, Common Redshank, Marsh Sandpiper, Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Terek Sandpiper, Little Gull, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull, Caspian Tern, Common Tern, Black Tern, White-winged Black Tern, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Turtle Dove, Common Cuckoo, Short-eared Owl, European Nightjar, Common Swift, Common Kingfisher, Wryneck, Black Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, White-backed Woodpecker, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, House Martin, Tree Pipit, Meadow Pipit, Grey-headed Wagtail, Common Wren, Dunnock, Thrush Nightingale, Eurasian Robin, Bluethroat, Whinchat, Blackbird, Grasshopper Warbler, River Warbler, Savi's Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Blyth's Reed Warbler, Marsh Warbler, Reed Warbler, Icterine Warbler, Barred Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Wood Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Long-tailed Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Penduline Tit, Bearded Tit, Golden Oriole, Red-backed Shrike, Great Grey Shrike, Common Magpie, Common Starling, Chaffinch, Brambling, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Linnet, Common Rosefinch, Common Bullfinch, Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting
Content and images originally posted by Steve
