Michael´s Second Year

[michael-ibk]

59/E59.) Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) / Flussseeschwalbe

 

Lake Constance, 30/4/2017. A very widespread bird but localized. Lake Constance has one of the biggest colonies in Austria.

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

60/E60.) Black Tern (Chlidonias niger) / Trauerseeschwalbe

 

Lake Constance, 30/4/2017. A much rarer sight than the Common Tern, probably only migrating through.

 

 

[michael-ibk]

61/E61.) Eurasian Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) / Teichrohrsänger

 

Lake Constance, 30/4/2017. I find it next to impossible to tell this one apart from the extremely similar looking Marsh Warbler especially, but the latter has a slightly different habitat (not really at home in reed beds) and I do think the song was that of a Reed Warbler. The book also says that a Marsh Warbler´s head would be a bit rounder and the beak a bit shorter but I do not find these features very helpful at all. So I´m mostly saying Reed Warbler because of the habitat and my memory of its song but could very well be wrong. I do not think it´s a Great Reed Warbler. Too small, and no distinctive supercilium (which also excludes Sedge Warbler) and the tail of a Savi´s Warbler would look different.

 

 

Song of Reed Warbler:

 

http://www.xeno-canto.org/367077/embed?simple=1

[TonyQ]

@@michael-ibk

Wonderful Kite photos, and Lake Constance was very productive. And a lovely Reed Warbler - how beautiful a simple range of brown colours can be.

Edited May 2, 2017 by TonyQ

[PeterHG]

A wide range of beautiful shots and birds @@michael-ibk! I like the flight shot of the Red-crested Pochard and the Kites especially. I've never seen a Collared Flycatcher, but I hope to add it to my list during our trip to Hungary and Austria in June.

[michael-ibk]

Thank you Tony and Peter. Lake Constance was nice indeed, I have a few more. Peter, the Flycatcher was new to me as well, never saw one in Seewinkel. But they are definitely there, so I hope you will get a shot.

[michael-ibk]

62/E62.) Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides) / Rallenreiher

 

Lake Constance, 29/4/2017. A pretty familiar one in Africa, but this sighting was actually a pretty big deal, according to the bird books Austria is far (North) out of its range, and there haven´t been too many sightings of this bird in Austria so far. It´s a very rare breeding bird in Hungary and Slovakia although some experts believe it will be the next "exotic" species (after Pygmy Cormorant) which could start to breed in Seewinkel.

 

 

 

I kind of managed to sneak up to it but could only get a shot through thick vegetation with very quick manual (and therefore imprecise) focusing.

 

 

[michael-ibk]

63/E63.) Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus) / Rohrweihe

 

Lake Constance, 30/4/2017. A bird that needs extensive reed beds (and it is usually around in such habitats), the most common Harrier found in our country.

 

 

 

And here´s a female, Chiemsee, Germany, 21/4/2017

 

[michael-ibk]

64/E64.) Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) / Kuckuck - NEW

 

Lake Constance, 30/4/2017. Very much an ebc but still happy about this sighting - Cuckoos can drive one nuts, you hear them all the time but never see them (at least me). I saw this bird flying and just thought it looked somewhat different so I took a shot even though it was pretty far away - and to my surpise it turned out to be a Cuckoo. I confess I had not even been aware that the females are reddish like this.

 

In Austria we say that if you have a coin in the pocket when you hear a Cuckoo for the very first time in the year you will be lucky. So I expect to be even luckier because I did see one which must be better than hearing.

 

Edited May 3, 2017 by michael-ibk

[michael-ibk]

65/E65.) Bearded Reedling aka Bearded Tit (Panurus biarmicus) / Bartmeise

 

Lake Constance, 30/4/2017. One of the coolest birds we have at home IMO, and I found it at exactly the same spot as last year. Patience was needed, we waited almost three hours at a hide in the reeds until three birds came into photo range.

 

 

 

 

 

The female:

 

 

[TonyQ]

@@michael-ibk

Your patience paid off - the Bearded Tit is stunning!

[Peter Connan]

58/E58.) Little Grebe aka Dabchick (Tachybaptus ruficollis) / Zwergtaucher

 

Lake Constance, 30/4/2017. A pretty common water bird but difficult to get an even half-decent photo of it - they are very little indeed and shy.

 

More stunning shots and birds, and thanks again for the additional info. Your thread is so much more than a collection of sightings.

 

Something i find amazing is the seeming behavioural differences migrants seem to display at their destinations.

 

Here in SA (at least in the places i go to) the little Grebe is not especially shy, and i have in past years managed some nice close-ups of them. The Great Crested Grebe, on the other hand, is very shy indeed here. All the shots i have of them are little black dots despite having used 700mm of lens...

[Dave Williams]

Well done on the Beardies! Not one I'm expecting this year i don't think.

[elefromoz]

@@michael-ibk, the Red Kite in flight is a spectacular sight indeed, and a great shot helps. Seems the Birds the world over are all feeling the same pressures.

[michael-ibk]

66/E66.) Eurasian Hobby (Falco subbuteo) / Baumfalke - NEW

 

Chiemsee, 05/05/2017. First time I´ve (knowingly) seen this falcon species. Never hovering like Common Kestrel, they are dashing aerial acrobats and hunt birds and larger insects like dragonflys on the wing.

 

 

 

Edited May 21, 2017 by michael-ibk

[michael-ibk]

67/E67.) Common Raven (Corvus corax) / Kolkrabe

 

Münster, 21/4/2017. I find it quite difficult to tell these apart from Carrion Crows actually. Ravens are substantially larger but that only helps when you see the two species together. Their beak is a bit heavier, their tail wedge-shaped and their plumage is a bit iridescent in good light.

 

 

[michael-ibk]

68/E68.) Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca) / Nilgans

 

Brussels, 16/05/2017

 

A very familiar bird from Africa. There are many self-sustaining populations now in Europe (particularly the UK, Germany and the Netherlands) but so far they have not really "discovered" Austria though I did see one a few weeks ago at Lake Constance. In Brussels they are as common as Mallards and found in the city parks.

 

Edited May 21, 2017 by michael-ibk

[michael-ibk]

69/E69.) Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) / Kanadagans - NEW

 

Brussels, 16/05/2017. Another introduced species in Europe. They are a very successful "park species" and sometimes even considered a pest now. Apart from some vagrants not ocurring in Austria.

 

 

These two species were taken with my old powershot, I did not do any "proper" birding around Brussels and therefore did not bring my camera.

[michael-ibk]

70/E70.) European Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) / Stieglitz

 

Mühldorf, Carinthia, 7/5/2017. One of my favourites. Not an uncommon bird but not that easy to approach. We have them around the house and even bought a supposed Goldfinch-magnet called Niger seed for the feeders - but the Goldfinches are completely ignorant of the fact that they should love this stuff, so far they have never come for it.

 

 

 

[Tdgraves]

@@michael-ibk I find that they like sunflower hearts...

[michael-ibk]

Apparently our alpine Goldfinches are very picky eaters then - we do have sunflower hearts (and Tits and Greenfinches devour them) but not the Goldies.

[TonyQ]

@@michael-ibk

Our Goldfinches also love Sunflower Hearts!

[Dave Williams]

I tried niger seed to lure Goldfinch with no luck either. Very seldom seen in our garden but regulars just 100m away in a friends.

[michael-ibk]

 

 

 

No birding year would be complete without a visit to Seewinkel, Austria´s premier birding destination. We spent a few days there last week, and had a really good time. Migration time is pretty much over, and most of the waders have apparently already moved on. Also the area has very little water this year, so it´s not at its very best:

 

 

 

But still, lots of places left which provide good habitats for plenty of species, and the open landspaces and flowers are always beautiful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many of the roads are not open to cars, so bikes are a good option. And that helped rounding up a decent number of species, many already in the count, but quite a few new ones as well.

 

A few more "setting the scene" shots before I move on to the next numbers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The "Einserkanal", forming the border between Austria and Hungary here.

 

 

I had never seen Cuckoo before I finally spotted one this year at Lake Constance (already in the count) so was quite surprised to see three this time.

 

 

 

Linnets are nesting in the vineyard now.

 

 

 

Greylag Goose and their offspring are everywhere this time of the year.

 

 

 

The white donkeys of Sandeck.

 

All the following pics were taken in Seewinkel or Hansag, May 25th to May 28th.

Edited May 31, 2017 by michael-ibk

[michael-ibk]

71/E71.) Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca) / Moorente

 

A common bird in the East of Europe but a very rare - and shy - breeding duck in Middle Europe. Not that difficult to find in Seewinkel with a bit of patience.