July 29, 2016

My wife, Elsie, and I had been living in Albania from the middle of October 2015 to near the end of June 2016. During those eight months, we observed some different and some familiar birds. (In just a few days we hope to return to Albania for another six months or so, God willing and my hip pain is manageable.)

Seagulls

In February while we were eating at a seaside restaurant, I captured a number of photos of what I  have identified as Black-headed Gulls in both breeding and non-breeding colorations. The black-headed version is the summer feathers while those with white heads and one or two black spots near their eyes have their winter (non-breeding) plumage.

All of these photos were taken along the Adriatic Sea just south of Lezhë (Albania) at the Brilant Restaurant on Patok Lagoon.

Seagull #1 (28-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Seagull #3 (28-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Seagull #4 (28-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Seagull #5 (28-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Seagull #6 (28-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Seagull #7 (28-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Seagull #8 (28-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

 

Seagull #9 (28-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

 

Seagull #10 (28-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

 

Seagull #11 (28-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

 

Seagull #12 (28-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

 

Seagull #13 (28-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

The identification of these seagulls was made through the use of the resources given at the end of this blog, but that does not mean I am absolutely sure of my decision. Since I did not have other gulls in the area to compare these with and I could not see any color in their bills or legs, I made my decision on their wing shape and design in comparison to other photos I located on the Internet. Other candidates would be the Mediterranean Gull, Bonaparte's Gull and the Great Black-headed Gull 

Sparrows

The cities and towns off Albania are full of House Sparrows. Here are a sampling of those I photographed in Lezhë.. 

 

Sparrow #1 (25-Jan-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

 

Sparrow #2 (29-Jan-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

 

Sparrow #3 (6-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

 

Sparrow #4 (7-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

 

Sparrow #5 (7-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

 

Sparrow #6 (7-Apr-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

 

Sparrow #7 (15-May-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

And More

As we travel around in Albania, I have been able to capture a few other kinds of birds.

One Sunday lunch after church, several of us went to a restaurant just outside of Shkodër and I captured these water birds on the labe there. 

 

Mallard Ducks and Taiga Bean Goose (presumed) on Lake Shkodër (6-Dec-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

Over New Year's Day weekend, we were in Tirana and at the Post Blok park we heard a bird talking away on a neighboring building. It was a Magpie.

 

European Magpie in Tirana, Albania (1-Jan-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Often around Lezhë we will hear a pretty sound of a bird chirping and find out it is a Goldfinch in a cage. With the number of such setups we see, the Goldfinch was be prolific in the wild where local persons can capture them.

 

European Goldfinch Captured in a Cage, Lezhë, Albania (2-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Pigeons are also prolific around town. But is this one a dove?

 

Pigeon, Lezhë, Albania (121-May-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

More Resources

There are a number of good resources on the birds one can see in Albania. Some are general or more specific for North America. But here they are with links to each.

• "A Second Look at 'Seagulls': Tips for ID" -- www.allaboutbirds.org/a-second-look-at-seagulls-tips-for-id/
• All about Birds (from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology) -- www.allaboutbirds.org/
• "List of Birds in Albania" (with links) -- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_birds_of_Albania
• Search for Specific Bird Pages in Wikipedia -- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
• Albania (Birds) -- www.world-birds.com/birds/a/albania
• Avibase - Bird Checklists of the World (Albania) -- avibase.bsc-eoc.org/checklist.jsp?region=AL
• Nature Worldwide: Birds (Allbania) -- birdlist.org/albania.htm

Wherever you live, you can find interesting birds to watch and photograph. Mny of the above resources can be changed to work for other countries. Enjoy your search!

--©2014-15, Richard L. Bowman

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