Michael´s Third Year

[elefromoz]

On 4/20/2018 at 12:29 AM, michael-ibk said:

a trip do the Danube Delta in Romania for one week.

@michael-ibk, a very late congrats on 100 (and the Pied Kingfisher shot), that didn't take long from a slow start. I don't think Ive ever seen a Kite with a Fish, birding is full of surprises, the Pelicans en-masse is a spectacle.

I'll be looking forward to your Danube trip, the only thing I know about the Danube is as a Cruise-boat destination for people of a certain age, guessing thats not your plan.

[Zim Girl]

Great selection of birds from Chad, Michael.

[michael-ibk]

Thank you everybody! @elefromoz, planning to do a mini Danube report very soon, stay tuned. Not much cruising indeed, I can assure that.

 

Anyway, back to Europe now. Way back on page 3 I had posted some birds from Lake Kerkini in Greece, a fantastic birding area where I racked up a respectable number of species, highlight being the Dalmatian Pelicans who posed very nicely for me. The weather was pretty bad and I would see most species again later in the year which is why I won´t post much more from there.

 

179/E43.) Cirl Bunting (Emberiza cirlus) / Zaunammer

 

Lake Kerkini, 17/3. A very rare species in Austria, they like sunny slopes. My very first one - yes, a "lifer". (Still get many of these fortunately as a novice).

 

[michael-ibk]

180/E44.) Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) / Spießente

 

Lake Kerkini, 17/3. Out of all the regular ducks we get at home this is the one which really does not seem to like me - I see them from time to time but never ever have I managed to get close enough for even a semi-decent shot.

 

[michael-ibk]

181/E45.) Black Stork (Ciconia nigra) / Schwarzstorch

 

Lake Kerkini, 17/3. A very simple but amazingly effective ebc-tip for everybody - shoot a bird which is flying about two kilometres away. Pretty sure I won´t get one of these again this year so not waiting for a better shot.

 

[michael-ibk]

182/E46.) Eastern Subalpine Warbler (Sylvia Cantillans) / Östliche Weißbart-Grasmücke

 

Lake Kerkini, 17/3. Another one which I probably won´t get again, especially since the Iberian birds apparently are now a separate species. And so the ebc-saga continues - it was almost dark, I pushed the light slider to the max. for this one in pp.

 

[michael-ibk]

-/E47.) Lesser Whitethroat (Sylvia curruca) / Klappergrasmücke

 

Lake Kerkini, 17/3. Already seen in Zakouma - actually just posted on page 10.

 

[michael-ibk]

183/E48.) Eurasian Wigeon (Anas penelope) / Pfeifente

 

Lake Kerkini, 17/3. Very common in the area but pretty shy. The German name means "Whistling Duck", the male has a clear whistle that sounds like "pjew pjew".

 

[michael-ibk]

184/E49.) Common Teal (Anas crecca) / Krickente

 

Lake Kerkini, 17/3. One I should be able to get again later in the year but they will already have lost their much more interesting breeding plumage then.

 

 

A female closer from home, Chiemsee, 14/2.

 

[michael-ibk]

185/E50.) Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) / Rosaflamingo

 

Kalochori, Greece, 16 & 18/3. This is a wetland area very close to Thessaloniki, actually technically still part of the city area. If I was living there I would go here all the time - it is perfect for photography, a road is cutting straight through the area, with water and mudlands right next to the car. One can get very close to birds here using the car as a mobile hide. Also here it was raining (heavily at times) unfortunately. The Flamingos are undoubtedly the main attraction, always great to see these beautiful birds in Europe, feels a bit like being in Africa.

 

 

As I said this is very close to the city.

 

 

A youngster, not yet pink.

 

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

186/E51.) Eurasian Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) / Austernfischer

 

Probably nothing special for our UK participants but I am always excited seeing them - I love their colours and shape, and here in Austria they are extremely rare vagrants, only seen them once here at Lake Constance.

 

 

Apparently they were collecting nesting material.

 

[michael-ibk]

187/E52.) Slender-Billed Gull (Croicocephalus genei) / Dünnschnabelmöwe

 

Kalochori, Greece, 16/3. Mainly a Mediterranean species.

 

 

[michael-ibk]

188/E53.) Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata) / Großer Brachvogel

 

Kalochori, 18/3. The largest wader in our range. Wiki tells me the English name "curlew" is imitative of the Eurasian curlew's call, but may have been influenced by the Old French corliu, "messenger", from courir , "to run".

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

189/E54.) Pygmy Cormorant (Microcarbo pygmeus) / Zwergscharbe

 

Kalochori, 16 & 18/3. A bird I had expected to see lots of later in the year in the Danube Delta which is their major stronghold in Europe. We did but they were surprisingly shy there, not a single non-ebc photo from there, so even these very rainy ones are way better. Also a breeding bird in Austria´s Seewinkel area (where I have also seen them this year).

 

 

[michael-ibk]

190/E55.) Black-Necked Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis) / Schwarzhalstaucher

 

Kalochori, 16/3. By far my best sigthing of this beautiful little diver so far. They were swimming very close to the car, must be one of the best places anywhere to take pictures of them.

 

 

 

 

Lots more species to be seen here btw, but I got almost all the others later in the year in much better light.

[michael-ibk]

A few from Lake Constance, 21/4, in the very West of Austria. One of the better birding areas of the country, although not in the league of Seewinkel (at the opposite end).

 

191/E56.) Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) / Flussseeschwalbe

 

It has become my go-to-place for Terns, there´s a sizable colony here, and close sightings are more or less guaranteed.

 

 

 

 

 

Terns in flight are easy here but stationary birds less so. Not a problem later in the year, a pair from the Danube Delta in Romania, early May.

 

[michael-ibk]

-/E57.) White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) / Bachstelze

 

Already seen in Chad. One of our most common birds in Austria.

 

 

One from Romania:

 

 

And a youngster from Mühldorf, Carinthia, end of May:

 

 

This is also the spot where I always see Dippers.

 

[michael-ibk]

192/E58.) Common Merganser (Mergus mergansus) / Gänsesäger

 

Lake Constance has become my most reliable place to see this species.

 

 

Male and female, they are distinctly dimorphic.

 

 

A closer male.

 

 

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

-/E59.) Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) / Graureiher

 

Already seen in Zakouma. Our most common Heron. Not my best or closest photo but I somehow like this image of the Heron gliding through the reed.

 

 

Another bird from later in the year in Seewinkel

 

 

And a HiF from the Danube Delta

 

[michael-ibk]

193/E60.) Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) / Habicht

 

Not from Lake Constance but Chiemsee, 19/3. A rubbish photo, very heavy crop, but I still was excited about it - my very first Goshawk. I really don´t get why the bird books claim how common this raptor is - I never see them.

 

[michael-ibk]

Back to Lake Constance:

 

194/E61.) Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) / Kormoran

 

A protected bird in Austria, their numbers are slowly recovering. Fishermen are always lobbying to raise the hunting quota for them.

 

 

A big bird but still dwarfed by Dalmatian Pelicans - here from Lake Kerkini, Greece:

 

 

Another one from the Danube Delta

 

[michael-ibk]

195/E62.) Northern Shoveller (Anas clypeata) / Löffelente

 

One of our most attractive ducks IMO. Spectacular in their breeding plumage.

 

 

One from Seewinkel later in the year.

 

 

And a Garganey double:

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

-/E63.) Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptica) / Nilgans

 

Already in the count from Zakouma. Very unusual that I get a better picture of this bird in Austria than in Africa. They are still very rare here, unlike in other European countries breeding populations are only developing slowly.

 

 

[michael-ibk]

196/E64.) Black-Crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) / Nachtreiher

 

Very excited to see this one at Lake Constance, they are very rare in Austria and this was my first sighting of one back home.

 

 

Another species which would be much easier later in the year in the Danube Delta.

 

 

[michael-ibk]

197/E65.) Black Kite (Milvus migrans) / Schwarzmilan

 

A lousy photo from midday, hope to get a better shot later in the year somewhere.