PeterHG’s sixth. Wherever it may take us.

[Kitsafari]

a stunning shot of the grebe!

 

[PeterHG]

13 hours ago, Galana said:

Looks good to me. As I often remark 'what else could it be?'

That tail is a good mark even thought the moult has not finished hence the white line between primaries and coverts.

Your number should be 19/3 surely.

 

Beisbosch looks very convenient for a traveller coming to catch the Hull Ferry later that night and needing somewhere interesting to spend a few hours rather than wander the reclaimed lands around Europoort as is his habit. Thanks.

Thank you very much for your input. As always, much appreciated. I had entered the sighting as a rough-legged into the Dutch sightings website and when I added the photo the online database gave 100% for a Rough-legged Buzzard. I received an email from one of the guys over there, stating that it was considered a Common Buzzard. As I do value and respect their expertise I changed my entry and asked on what grounds they reached that conclusion. I haven't received an answer yet and as so many people enter sightings daily, I probably won't get one. I went back to my photos and noticed that I had also got a shot (from even farther away) from the underside. I must say this rather confirms their conclusion. I only shows how hard it can be sometimes to tell them apart (well, for me that is...;)). And of course you are right about the date. I'll change it

[Galana]

Well it's your call and having looked up pale morph Common Buzzards I still have my doubts.

First and foremost is the white tail and black band. Pale morph CB don't have that. Pale morphs also have white "shoulders" on top views and I don't see that. Of course any ID is only as good as the illustration in the Field guide which reads "these pale birds often have large white wing patches above".

I will be interested in any reply if one comes.

[PeterHG]

1 hour ago, Galana said:

I will be interested in any reply if one comes.

In spite of the fact that l sort of understood their point, when looking at the second photo,I still have my doubts, too and I'll be sure to let you know if I get a reply.

[PeterHG]

92 / NL92. Mistle Thrush. Leusden, 24/3. Very distant, but we don't get to see them very often, so I'd better use this one.

 

[PeterHG]

As some sunny weather was predicted we went for a short trip to Flevoland. The forecast proved completely wrong; it was grey, foggy with intermittent rain, but we enjoyed the outing anyway. We had heard the Chiffchaff before but not seen it. I do hope to get some better shots, but here's the first one anyway.

93 / NL93. Common Chiffchaff. Flevoland, 25/3

 

 

[PeterHG]

94 /NL 94. Cetti's Warbler. Flevoland, 25/3. Only a decade ago this was a rare bird in our country, but now you can hear their song in many places, even in winter. Seeing them, or even photographing them is usually quite another matter, so I was happy to get a shot today. Taken from one of the public hides, which we had to ourselves most of the time.

 

 

Edited March 25, 2021 by PeterHG

[PeterHG]

Someone entering the hide a little later kindly alerted us to the presence of a Pied Wagtail only a few minutes' drive from where we were. As this is a very uncommon bird over here we drove to the location and actually managed to find it. There is some debate about this being either a subspecies of the white wagtail or a separate species and I have firmly joined the group supporting the latter view

 

95 /NL 95. Pied Wagtail. Flevoland, 25/3

 

From the hide I had also managed to get a shot of the White Wagtail, so here it is for comparison:

 

 

 

[Soukous]

24 minutes ago, PeterHG said:

From the hide I had also managed to get a shot of the White Wagtail, so here it is for comparison:

 

very similar and easily mixed up 

[Dave Williams]

The Wagtails look identical to me Peter!

I see you have had Chiffchaff arrive too..excellent!

You are almost at the 100 too!

 

[Galana]

4 hours ago, PeterHG said:

I have firmly joined the group supporting the latter view

Welcome!

They are identical in most respects so it is easy to be confused but the male yarellii has a white chin and smaller bib in winter. Perhaps it is an early moulter.

[PeterHG]

3 hours ago, Dave Williams said:

The Wagtails look identical to me Peter!

I see you have had Chiffchaff arrive too..excellent!

You are almost at the 100 too!

 

I'll show you the same two individuals, but both in a different pose (the Pied Wagtail also a different perch). Different lighting, so telling them apart may be easier. The Pied Wagtail clearly has a much darker back than the White Wagtail. The rainy first shot of the White Wagtail made the difference less noticable.

 

 

 

[Dave Williams]

I see it now, thanks Peter!

[Soukous]

and there was me thinking it was the difference in the primaries & tertials. 

[elefromoz]

 

On 3/19/2021 at 12:20 AM, PeterHG said:

but I also found some birds that I had omitted to post.... I do hope the upcoming vaccination will do wonders for the brain, too 

what luck finding 6 new ones!

Looks like the Wagtails need to be added to the tricky list, along with Pipits and Thrushes.

I really hope everyone over there gets to see their "grandies" soon....

[Galana]

2 hours ago, Soukous said:

me thinking it was the difference in the primaries & tertials. 

That's a secondary consideration.

[PeterHG]

I went to my local patch for an hour or so when the sun was out. Still plenty of Godwits about, although not as many as two weeks ago. Fortunately some of them were making sure there will be Godwits to watch next year.

 

 

 

There were also two new additions:

 

96 /NL 96. Lesser Black-backed Gull. Arkemheen, 26/3. The yellow legs are not visible here, but they do have them...;)

 

 

97 /NL97. Common Ringed Plover. Arkemheen, 26/3

 

 

It is actually less common in this area that its cousin the Little Ringed Plover, which was also present this morning (but already counted).

[Galana]

That photo of the flying Godwit has to be one of the best I have seen. That Bill is outstanding and I am not making a pun.

Looking forward to seeing what the next three bring.

[Peter Connan]

I agree with Fred, that is an incredible shot!

[Kitsafari]

Lovely shots of the new additions!

[shazdwn]

I love seeing the godwits in their breeding plumage. They are much less colourful in my patch. 

[PeterHG]

98 /NL 98. Blue Tit. Amersfoort, 28/3. We do get them in the garden, but this was in the local park.

 

[PeterHG]

99 / NL 99. Dunnock. Amersfoort 28/3. Quite common, but somehow I did not manage a photo last year.

 

[Galana]

You cannot stop there!! 100??

[Dave Williams]

A Dunnock at 99....after all the other species you have seen? They can't be rare in Holland surely!

Superb Godwit flight shot btw.

 

I wonder what you have up your sleeve for 100!