Michael´s Sixth Year

[Soukous]

12 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

While I love that you all think I´m like Lucky Luke,

 

I do, but it is nothing to do with the Kestrel, it is the number of species you are nailing. I'm very envious.

[michael-ibk]

Well, I think there are two main factors. I now have a far better understanding of my hometurf and where to find what than I had before Corona - see, there´s a good side to everything. And as I´ve mentioned before in the last two years our nice little WhatsApp birding community really took off, I found a lot of stuff because I was alerted by friends. And it´s really not like you claimed in another thread, I don´t find new species whenever I step out of the house. Let me prove it. Stepping out of the house now. Nothing there at all. See? Oh wait ...oops ...

 

142/E142.) Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) / Seidenreiher

 

Gaisau/Tirol, 8/5/21. A common bird worldwide but not particularly so in Austria. Not too hard to find in our East but actually a new record for my Tirol list.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 8, 2021 by michael-ibk

[michael-ibk]

143/E143.) Garden Warbler (Sylvia borin) / Gartengrasmücke

 

Gaisau/Tirol, 8/5/21. Always glad to tick this one off. Not uncommon but a terrible skulker. Its main distinguishing feature is that it has absolutely none.

 

 

 

[Soukous]

2 minutes ago, michael-ibk said:

And it´s really not like you claimed in another thread, I don´t find new species whenever I step out of the house. Let me prove it. Stepping out of the house now. Nothing there at all. See? Oh wait ...oops ...

 

[michael-ibk]

144/E144.) Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata) / Grauschnäpper

 

Gaisau/Tirol, 8/5/21. Quite fond of this bird - always a rather late arrival in Spring. The English name really makes zero sense.

 

 

 

[Soukous]

48 minutes ago, michael-ibk said:

The English name really makes zero sense

 

there is a lot about English that makes no sense. 

[PeterHG]

Well done on the Garden Warbler! I very rarely manage even a record shot, though I hear it every year...

[Galana]

2 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

The English name really makes zero sense.

It does to me. It's a Flycatcher and it is spotted..(And you spotted it on the branch.)

[michael-ibk]

Where do you see any spots? It's striped on the head, that's all I see. "Striata" is more fitting IMO.  I'll give you the "spotted on" though - but then again every bird would be a spotted one. 🙂

Edited May 8, 2021 by michael-ibk

[Galana]

On close examination the streaks on the head are comprised of lots of spots in a line.

Maybe the guy who named it had the wrong specs on? After all read what Wikki says "The adults have grey-brown upperparts and whitish underparts, with a streaked crown and breast, giving rise to the bird's common name. Go figure that one out!

 

[Kitsafari]

13 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

The English name really makes zero sense.

 

 

 

 

 

I've long given up trying to make sense of the english language. Just accept it, move on and life will be wonderful .  

[xelas]

Ahh, Lucky Luke, the hero of my younger age. Although some would say that should be Joe .

[michael-ibk]

Well, better than Averell. 

[michael-ibk]

145/E145.) Common Firecrest (Regulus ignicapilla) / Sommergoldhähnchen

 

Niederlangkampfen/Tirol, 9/5/21. A really tiny bird - and given that they like deep forest not the easiest subject.

 

 

 

 

And a bonus Crested Tit just because they are so cool.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

146/E146.) Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius) / Schwarzspecht

 

Niederbreitenbach/Tirol, 9/5/21. Always great to see one of these impressive birds (they are huge as Woodpeckers go) and even better to get a photo - they never like to stick around.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

147/E147.) White-Backed Woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos) / Weißrückenspecht

 

Niederbreitenbach/Tirol, 9/5/21. The target for today. And he did not make it easy - we bagged him only after almost five hours. A very rare species, only relict populations left in Middle Europe. They need forests with a high amount of dead wood - not something modern forestry allows.

 

 

 

 

 

[Galana]

You did well. Woodpeckers apart I love the Firecrest and Crestie.

[Kitsafari]

excellent WIF (woodpecker in flight)!

[Soukous]

16 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

we bagged him only after almost five hours

 

now I know why you get so many more birds than me, frustration takes over and I give up after an hour 

Edited May 10, 2021 by Soukous

[Peter Connan]

And wow again!

[michael-ibk]

On 5/10/2021 at 12:16 PM, Soukous said:

now I know why you get so many more birds than me, frustration takes over and I give up after an hour 

 

Well, I wouldn´t do that everywhere, much too impatient myself. But it is a really lovely forest and there was enough other stuff to enjoy. Not only birds but also beautiful old trees and just the calmness there. A very nice day!

 

148/E148.) Icterine Warbler (Hippolais icterina) / Gelbspötter

 

Rum/Tirol, 11/5/21. A bit too distant (and too early) for a good photo but it was really lovely observing this little chap singing his heart out:

 

 

 

Edited May 11, 2021 by michael-ibk

[shazdwn]

So many wows as I catch up but for me the biggest one goes to the flying black woodpecker

[michael-ibk]

149/E149.) Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus) / Schilfrohrsänger

 

Völkermarkter Stausee/Carinthia, 13/5/21. I´m not used to see them much outside Seewinkel but this particular day they were plentiful. Probably moving through most of them, they are rare as a breeding bird in Carinthia.

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

150/E150.) Semicollared Flycatcher (Ficedula semitorquata) / Halbringschnäpper

 

Tiebelmündung/Carinthia, 13/5/21. Maybe not the most spectacular-looking bird per se but a spectacular species for Austria! This one really must have taken a wrong turn somewhere on the way back from Africa, they are at home in Bulgaria, Greece and further East to the Caspian Sea. AFAIK only the 3rd record for our country.

 

 

Probably Austria´s most twitched bird in 2021 - I think every birder went there to see it. And he made it easy, staying close to the path, and singing, singing, singing his heart out!

 

 

Poor lad, it will be tough for him to attract a female of his species - they are all a thousand kilometres away! Maybe a Pied Flycatcher lady passing through will take mercy on him - we are all cheering him on here!

 

 

He´s even already prepared a nice breeding place. Unfortunately yesterday a bully Starling reportedly kicked him out. 

 

[michael-ibk]

151/E151.) Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus) / Zwergdommel

 

Tiebelmündung/Carinthia, 13/5/21. I´ve been seeing this skulking species here for the past few years and got lucky again. Little doubt that they are breeding in the area.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 17, 2021 by michael-ibk