Mfuwe's second year.

[Galana]

Awoke to temps of 28 (F) and it was frigid. Turning north tomorrow on the drive home. Two more locations to go.

Today was a Kestrel and Buzzard day so only one new score and well into EBC country. Indeed a new phrase could be "must try harder" MTH? but who knows if this is the only one I get in 2018?

 

So I give you with my usual generosity:-

350. Eurasian Jay.  Venosta. Italy.

Tomorrow we leave to pay our respects to Mad King Ludwig and the inspiration for Disney's Fairytale Castle. Hopefully there will be Wiffy. And some birds.

[Galana]

Well I did see more Jays today but nothing really to warrant another appearance.

Crossed Austria but dipped at my site for Black-necked Grebe. Just one GC and several Coot and Pochard. Lake levels well down but above me another 'sure thing' soared into my viewfinder.

Assured for this year but it might as well be sooner than later.

351. Red Kite. Schapfensee. Germany.

Nice digs which we have re-named "Cementworks View"!

 

[Dave Williams]

Sounds a charming spot Fred!

Half way to the 400 and breathing down my neck I see!

[michael-ibk]

1 hour ago, Galana said:

Crossed Austria but dipped at my site for Black-necked Grebe. Just one GC and several Coot and Pochard.

 

Which site would that be?

[Galana]

14 hours ago, Dave Williams said:

 

Half way to the 400 and breathing down my neck I see!

Happily it is not that sort of game though!We each do what we can, where and when we can...And have fun along the way.

13 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

 

Which site would that be?

Just a small 'see' by Foggensee that I visit when here. See place name on Red Kite photo 351.

No doubt there are lots more if I put my mind to it.

[PeterHG]

Great to hear about your GTG with other ST members @Galana! That’s what this community is about. Might not you buzzard be a long-legged one? Location is also not really right, of course, but the absence of a terminal ( I hesitate to use this word..)band on the tail and the rufous colour got me wondering. Size would have been a good indication, of course.

[Galana]

On 9/27/2018 at 12:29 PM, PeterHG said:

Might not you buzzard be a long-legged one?

Of course it is. That is what I thought I had wrote as it was also the bird I saw in Ladakh.

I don't know what made me write Rough-legged at the end of a long deliberation of Adult's with unbarred reddish tails and bellies darkening front to back etc., of the LLB despite it being well off piste.

I would blame the lovely Merano Red wine except I posted before dinner and am rationed to half a bottle anyway.

Thanks for creating a re-check but the numbers stay the same unless a REAL Rough Legged turns up on the drive home.

Can you arrange this near Europoort on 3rd October please? Anytime after lunch would be convenient but prior to check in/sailing.

[Galana]

I learned a new word today.

Vogelbeobachtungsturm.  This is the location of #352 on the LechWetlands in Naturparkregion Reutte. www.reutte.com  Having had a blank day yesterday if discounting the assorted armies of cyclists, Multi coloured Nordic walkers and frenetic joggers circumnavigating another of my EX favourite locations I scoured the locations of the well appointed Naturparks locally.

And near Pflach my eye noted 'the word' for a bird viewing tower.

Well I had to go and see for myself so I did.

Lots of the usual suspects but my eye just espied a strange shape emerging a tussock of reeds and I snapped of a shot before it vanished.

EBC country.

352. Water Rail. Two shots to try and get some colour into the silhouette to be certain.

Pflach Wetlands Reserve. Near Reutte, Austria.

 

Our time is up here so we say good bye to "Cement works View" ~Apartment and drive north to the Moselle where I have an appointment with a friendly Vinyard with Rooms and Elke's cooking.

And the Hunsruck is only 30 minutes drive away.

 

[PeterHG]

On 9/28/2018 at 6:32 PM, Galana said:

Can you arrange this near Europoort on 3rd October please? Anytime after lunch would be convenient but prior to check in/sailing.

I tried, I really tried.... ;). 

[Galana]

Well here we are parked on the banks of the Moselle following an excellent lunch in the afternoon sunshine. Not many new birds around.......!

Suddenly my phone rang and it was a call from those nice folks at Cornell about my suggestion for splitting Linnets into Lowland and Alpine. They were agreeable and have applied the acronym HALO (High Altitude Linnet Observations) for the research project title.

However they mentioned that this may take some years to progress as they were extremely busy splitting British birds from the European list in compliance the recent EU directive in preparation for Brexit next year.  The directive aims to enable birds migrating across the 27 States to be more clearly identified as European whereas migrant birds heading for Britain would still be dealt with by our friendly fellow Europeans in Cyprus and Malta.

Evidently the directive also states that no birds on the new Eurolist can retain British place names so birds such as Dartford Warbler and Kentish Plover must now be referred to as Deauville Warbler and Picardy (or Alexandrine) Plover. I expressed concern over the treatment of the Scottish Crossbill but was pleased to think that we will get our truly “Pied” Wagtail back along with Red Grouse.

 

Our cell phones must have triggered a “Keyword” on the EU’s cyber monitoring systems as at that point we were intercepted on a crackly line by somebody who name sounded like JC Drunker although I could not be sure.  He suggested that whilst the Pied Wagtail and Crossbill were OK with him, our Famous Red Grouse was more problematic. However he advised that both the British and Irish Red Grouse could also be split correctly on receipt of several cases of The Famous Grouse to his Luxembourg apartment with the Shipping marks “The property of the United States of Europe” prior to his retirement next year. As a stakeholder in the Scottish Whisky business I said I could arrange this quite easily.

He also asked if I knew where he could locate the Goose that lays the Golden Eggs to help out the future Budget post Brexit. He sounded very upset when I replied that this bird did not exist in the real world and began to lecture me that nothing was agreed until everything was agreed and he wanted that Goose or else the deal was off and broke the connection.

At this point I was disturbed by a loud honking close by and grabbed my camera. Perhaps he was referring to this one as a long established migrant from Sub Saharan Africa and the Nile Valley?  In any case it will do for my final bird of the latest trip.

353. Egyptian Goose. Zell am der Moselle, Germany.

Later we drove to Rotterdam for the overnight boat to England and the end of our trip.

@PeterHG Thanks. I know you did your best but it was not to be.

[PeterHG]

Brilliant story @Galana !! . How I love this thread.

[xelas]

3 hours ago, PeterHG said:

Brilliant story @Galana !! . How I love this thread.

 

More of such stories, @Galana !

[Galana]

Home now but have been stormbound despite two outings.

Nothing much moving around apart from trees and landscape.

Something had to be done to show I am still in the game so:-

First of all a very late migrant Wheatear.

We had a discussion on how the Redstart got its name in "English" on @michael-ibk's post but I am not sayiing how this bird got his.....but it is nothing to do with the eyestripe as the books suggest.

 

Then I played with a couple of hungry Blue Tits

 

before honing my EBC skills with these:-

So I am still barking at @Dave Williams 's heels with some weeks to go. Very quiet.

Plans for a short birthday trip 'across' shortly where I hope to get at least four 'in the Bank.'

 

Edited October 15, 2018 by Galana

[Peter Connan]

I remember a discussion about the origins of "wheatear" on the television program QI...

[Galana]

Another ten empty days without a score. The migrants are arriving but still no new ones for the list.

But it's good to see old friends back from their breeding grounds and hopefully among them will be some new for the list.

Meanwhile some 'improved' presentations on previous offerings..

 

All on the same site on the shingle at Point of Ayre.

37. Golden Plover. There were two flocks of around 40 each.

 

60. Ringed Plover. Lots around. Some breed here.

92. Sanderling. Two mixed with the Ringed Plovers. Looks like adult and jr.

 

So we soldier on.

Where are the Snow Buntings, Twite etc., I can't get out more!!

[TonyQ]

Some lovely photos there. We haven't seen a Golden Plover yet this year

[michael-ibk]

Neither have I, and it is getting pretty late for them.  Really like the first photo, have never managed to get that close.

[Dave Williams]

Golden Plovers  are about in North Wales but I haven't seen one yet either! Envious!

[Galana]

Thanks for the kind words everyone

3 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

Really like the first photo, have never managed to get that close.

Thanks I was quite pleased with that one myself after years of 'soft' ones..

And for those such as @michael-ibk @TonyQ and @Dave Williams who have yet to find one this year:-

Here are few you can share between you.  Generous to a fault!

They will probably stay with us til March or so.

[Galana]

Well the drought is broken.

I went out today in lovely November sunshine to seek some targets that I knew should be around. Even drove 16 miles for a Rosy Starling only to find the bird had flown and no sign of my other targets elsewhere either. Nice Hen Harrier and fantastic Sparrowhawk but this game is making me picky.

So I dismissed the Kestrel and Coal tits and Robins but did see a nice flock of the latest influx of winter Thrushes so snapped a few for the colours.

When I got home I found, shock horror, that I had been too complacent and there was no Redwings from their last visit.

So the best of today will be happy to appear as BY354 while the search goes on.

354. Redwing. Turdus iliacus. (Gaelic:- Treshlen loghlinagh  literally Scandinavian Thrush) . Thurot road Bride.

 

[xelas]

What a lovely blue sky you have, @Galana! Yes, the Redwing is lovely too.

[Galana]

Thanks everyone.

@xelas Yes it really was that colour today. Scarcely a cloud in the sky.

Here is the Hen Harrier taken about 15 minutes earlier.

Nice female but it does not count.

[Dave Williams]

There's a Rosy Starling been hanging around in the most unexpected spots just down the road from us, maybe 400m away. Still haven't bothered to go and get it for my UK list. That's dedicated twitching for you!

[Kitsafari]

what a beautiful rare sunny November day in England for your additions!

 

the golden plovers are stunning. 

[Galana]

8 hours ago, Kitsafari said:

November day in England for your additions!

Hmmmm!

Thanks anyway.