Drumming male Three-toed Woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus) from the #Dinaric forest of mount #Snežnik in early April, before the cold front hit us and covered the mountains in snow. #wildslovenia #threetoedwoodpecker #birding #woodpeckers

Counting farmland birds today in the dry #limestone #grasslands , in the SW corner of the #Karst . Lots of #Skylarks , Corn Buntings & Red-backed Shrikes + also several #Hoopoes , 2 Rufous-tailed Rock Thrushes, Golden Eagle & Montagu's Harrier! #birding #ornithology #wildslovenia

Otter (Lutra lutra) resting in the reedbed at lake Cerknica some days ago. Not an everyday sight here. In fact it's only the 2nd time I see it in #Slovenia ! Although present at the lake, it's elusive and mostly active by night. #lutra #otter #wildslovenia Notranjski park

Large old trees such as this #beech (Fagus sylvatica), found in a karstic #doline , are very important nesting habitats for Black #Woodpeckers (Dryocopus martius) in the 'classical' #Karst . Many of the pairs I know nest in dolines because tree diameters are larger there.

Wild Garlic/Ramsons (Allium ursinum) in full bloom in a #dolina close to home, where also #beech (Fagus sylvatica) is found as a consequence of temperature inversion. Both species otherwise virtually absent from the 'classical' #Karst (it's too warm for them). #wildslovenia

In spring, when point-counting birds in the #Karst 's scrubland, it's very easy to get distracted by the shoots of Wild Asparagus (Asparagus acutifolius). At the end of the census there are just enough for lunch! #ornithology #asparagus #wildslovenia

Spring fieldwork in the #Dinaric forests featuring Three-toed Woodpecker, Omphalodes verna, Ural Owl & Brown Bear's footprint! #wildslovenia #birding #Snežnik

Crazy #spring days in the #forest continue: Three-toed Woodpecker census on Natura 2000 site #Snežnik with 4 Three-toeds & 2 White-backed Woodpeckers, 4 Pygmy Owls heard (+ a pair seen) & a pair of Ural Owls! #wildslovenia #birding #owls #woodpeckers

The other day, in the #Dinaric forests of #Snežnik , we witnessed copulation & prey-exchange of a pair of Pygmy Owls (Glaucidium passerinum). The birds seemed to meet humans for the first time and even flew closer, down to 3 metres, to investigate us! #pygmyowl #wildslovenia

Pale-flowered #Orchid (Orchis pallens), a scarce species in #Slovenia . I'm lucky to have a site with +30 plants some 10 minutes walk from home, here in the #Karst . They're said to be the earliest blooming orchid in Slovenia, but this year Anacamptis morio have beaten them.

One of those crazy #spring days here in the #Karst . Juv Golden Eagle, Redstarts, Wrynecks, Swallows, Southern Festoons, Nettle-tree Butterflies & Orange Tips. Also found a Middle Spotted Woodpecker's nest &... cherry on a cake: Red Deer's antler! #wildslovenia

Early #spring in the #Karst - an exciting time to be outside! Erythronium dens-canis, Black #Woodpeckers making nest-holes, 1st Short-toed Eagle of the season & Primula auricula on the #limestone cliffs at Škocjanske jame. #wildslovenia Park Škocjanske jame

They're out! Nemoral flowers in the #flysch hills at the edge of the #Karst : Dog's-tooth Violets (Erythronium dens-canis), Hacquetia epipactis, carpets of Spring Heather (Erica carnea) & even the odd Toothwort (Lathraea squamaria). #botany #wildslovenia #flowers #spring

A pair of Black #Woodpeckers (Dryocopus martius) excavating a nest hole in a mature Tree of heaven ( #Ailanthus altissima), perhaps the most #invasive (alien) plant in this corner of Europe. So far I've never seen any birds making any use of this tree. #Karst #Slovenia

Crazy #spring weather with light rain & sun at the same time, creating a wonderful #rainbow , followed by a surreal #sunset . It was sunny but in the end I was soaked! All in the most wonderful & wild corner of the #Karst . #wildslovenia

A busy weekend is behind us! 2nd year of Eagle Owl group census in the trans-border #Karst of Slovenia & Italy: a tot. of 18 territories confirmed, followed by talks on the species' conservation & ecology. Organised by BirdLife International partners #DOPPS & #LIPU . #bubobubo #eagleowl

It's Eagle Owl fever here in the #Karst ! The other evening I was out at dusk, checking a breeding territory in a wonderful collapse dolina. The pair was singing in duet - volume up to hear the male hooting in this video. #bubobubo #eagleowl #wildslovenia

Early March evenings are spent outside, listening to Eagle Owls (Bubo bubo) marking their breeding territories. Here in the #Karst I'm lucky to be 'surrounded' by 3 different pairs, all within easy reach from home. #wildslovenia #eagleowl #bubobubo

Middle Spotted #Woodpecker has spread quite recently to the #Karst , in the span of cca 10 years. In Feb 2014 we saw our first Middle Spot in this region. Then we began with targeted censuses in SW #Slovenia . Today the species is relatively widespread wherever there's mature #oaks

Helping #ringing after a looong time at Škocjanski zatok NR. A good morning catch in the #reedbed : female Bearded Tit (Panurus biarmicus) & pair of Penduline Tits (Remiz pendulinus). The former is a rare winter visitor in recent years. Pics Maks Sešlar. #birding #beardedtit