PeterHG's fifth attempt

[PeterHG]

Yellow Wagtail. Oostpolder, May. Already in the count, but we got some beautiful views.

 

[PeterHG]

Whiskered Tern Oostpolder, May. Another target species. Pretty rare in our country, but they do breed here. We already saw them on our day with @Peter Connan in the Marievale Bird Sanctuary, but we love to see them in their full breeding plumage.

 

[Soukous]

All very beautiful @PeterHG, especially the Black-necked Grebe. A worthwhile trip.

[xelas]

2 hours ago, PeterHG said:

Well, the trip was not wasted.

Was surely not wasted! Beautiful photos of beautiful birds, with Black-necked Grebe being my top pick!

 

Edited May 19, 2020 by xelas

[Galana]

Same from me. Very worthwhile with great results even if not all counted..

[Zim Girl]

The Black-necked Grebe is stunning!

[PeterHG]

Thank you @Soukous, @Galana @xelas, @Zim Girl

 

Two more from the trip:

 

259. White Stork. Oostpolder, May. The breeding programme some decades ago has brought the Stork bak to our country.

 

[PeterHG]

260. Common Pochard. Oostpolder, May.

 

[PeterHG]

Last night a short early evening trip to the nearby ploder.

 

261. Northern Wheatear. Arkemheen, May. Too wet an area to breed for the wheatear, but a few usually show up in spring and autumn.

 

Edited May 20, 2020 by PeterHG

[Galana]

Good news on the Storks. Nice Pochard.

[michael-ibk]

All excellent shots, but particularly like the Grebe.

[PeterHG]

262. Great Reed Warbler. Arkemheen, May. A very good find in the area. Sedge Warblers and (Eurasian) Reed Warbler are both common but the Great Reed Warbler has become quite rare in our country with probably just some 80 pairs left. I picked up its loud and characteristic call on an evening walk a few days ago and it even showed itself for a short while.

 

[PeterHG]

Last Tuesday we decided to take a trip up north, venturing further from home than in the past month. A good birding area, but not so much for photography as the birds can usually only be seen from quite distance. The telescope is a must. Still a very nice day with some 60 species and sunny weather. And I did get a few for the list.

 

263. Ruddy Shelduck. Lauwersmeer, May. One of the few reliable areas for them.

 

[PeterHG]

264. Bittern. Lauwersmeer, May. We had heard the call a few times, but suddenly it emerged from the reeds for a short flight.

 

[PeterHG]

265. White-tailed Eagle. Lauwersmeer, May. Also one of the few places this magnificent bird may be seen. Very distant, but still recognisable.

 

[PeterHG]

266. Common Ringed Plover. Lauwersmeer, May. At least this one could be observed without a telescope...;)

 

[PeterHG]

We did get some nice and close-by views of some other species, already in the count for this year.

 

Northern Shoveler

 

 

This could certainly become another #metoo case

 

 

Tufted Duck flying by.

 

 

All in all a very good day.

Edited May 28, 2020 by PeterHG

[michael-ibk]

Great to see a Bittern, and love the Shovelers. 

[Soukous]

The Tufted Duck is so cool with the tuft blowing out behind him. 

[Kitsafari]

1 hour ago, Soukous said:

The Tufted Duck is so cool with the tuft blowing out behind him. 

 

I agree!

[PeterHG]

Thank you @michael-ibk, @Soukous @Kitsafari.

 

In the middle of the country, where our big rivers are, is a wetland nature reserve, where Black Terns still breed. They are protected, du to their diminishing numbers and artificila nesting 'islands' have been created to attract them. I try to go there at least once every spring as the area also holds Purple Heron and quite a few reed warblers. The first encounter, though, was a rather common species, of which I had not managed to take a picture yet.

 

267. Common Shelduck. Zouweboezem, May

 

[PeterHG]

268. Greenfinch. Zouweboezem, May. same story here.

 

[PeterHG]

I did get to see and photograph my target bird, though numbers were lower than last year. 

 

269. Black Tern, Zouweboezem, May. This one was on its way to the nesting lake and was a comparatively easy subject against the blue sky. It's not only fish they are after.

 

 

Photography conditions at the actual nesting area itself are far more challenging. The Terns stay low and the camera struggles to lock on to the bird instead of the reed. Also the nests closer to the little viewing deck were unoccupied so most of the birds stayed farther away. I did manage to get some shots, though. I also have quite a few of perfectly sharp reed leaves.

 

 

 

At least these give you a nice impression of the habitat over there. 

[PeterHG]

270. Marsh Warbler. Zouweboezem, May. Together with the next one also a target species for the area. There was a little too much wind so the reed warblers stayed lower than I would have liked, but when I heard the song of this little bird. I waited till it became (at least partly) visible in the reed. Without the help of the song it would be very hard to tell it apart from the common Reed Warbler'

 

[PeterHG]

271. Savi's Warbler. Zouweboezem, May. Another skulker, but this one had decided on a perch in one of the little trees in between the reeds. I heard quite a few of them, but this was the only view. I counted myself very lucky!