Michael´s Sixth Year

[PeterHG]

3 hours ago, Soukous said:

Hmm, I don't think I'll be entering this particular contest.

By no means a contest, but just interesting to read about people here who have kept scores

[Dave Williams]

I have a vague interest in knowing how many species I have seen but I haven't kept lists until it was for the purpose of avoiding duplication on my BY. Just had a quick peep at my now defunct website and that has around 1300 different entries from 9 galleries from different geographical locations around the globe. Many will be duplications as birds seen in The Gambia (243) will also appear in Europe and other African countries. My best count that is also certain is Europe with 301 but there again, I might have seen more but failed to get a photograph.

I too would love to visit South America on a birding trip but I can't see that happening really although as usual I have the blessing to go alone should I want to. I'd love to spend a couple of weeks just photographing Hummingbirds.

[Soukous]

6 minutes ago, Dave Williams said:

I too would love to visit South America on a birding trip

this has been on my back burner for quite a while

 

https://www.ecomanulodge.com/peru-rainforest-tour-manu-amazon-bird-watching

[Dave Williams]

or this one too.

https://www.eco-lodgesanjorge.com/sanjorge_thankyou.shtml

[Galana]

1 hour ago, Dave Williams said:

or this one too.

Been there done that. Fail!

[michael-ibk]

18/E18.) Eurasian Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) / Gimpel

 

Gaisau/Tirol, 4/2/21. For the first time in a while it was a nice sunny morning today so I stole two hours time from work. I wanted to get some Great or Marsh Tits or Chaffinches (hey, it´s early in the Big Year!) but bafflingly these "easy" species did not really cooperate. But I was happy to find a Bullfinch. Not a perfect poser (stubbornly refusued to come out of all these twigs) but no complaining - Winter is more or less the only time of the year I see them at all, and I had Big Years without them.

 

[michael-ibk]

19/E19.) Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos minor) / Kleinspecht

 

Gaisau/Tirol, 4/2/21. Very happy about this one. Woodpeckers are always tricky, and this one is a toughie. Tiny and always restless, I see them two or three times a year tops (though their "song" in spring is omnipresent in the Gaisau, my most-visited local patch.)

 

 

 

Never noticed, their claws are almost scary, a bit Veloceraptor-like.

 

 

[PeterHG]

Great shots of the little woodpecker!

[xelas]

Wonderful weather you have, up in Gaisau ! Enjoy it while it last.

[xelas]

It took me 3 days to count our "world birds": 1243 all dully noted and photographed in past 5 years. Thank you, Big Year !!

[Galana]

Lesser spotted Woodpecker. Now I am really envious. Only ever seen one twice in my life.

[michael-ibk]

14 hours ago, xelas said:

It took me 3 days to count our "world birds": 1243 all dully noted and photographed in past 5 years. Thank you, Big Year !!

 

Well done! Did you use an app, or just count yourself?

[michael-ibk]

20/E20.) Great Grey Shrike ((Lanius excubitor) / Raubwürger

 

Mils/Tirol, 5/2/21. I tried again to get a good photo of our special Winter guest but the Shrike had other plans. Always carefully watching from its perch this one sees you coming kilometres away and will not allow a closer approach. I will just post my heavily cropped pictures now, maybe he will be more cooperative when he senses I don´t "need him anymore.

 

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

21/E21.) Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) / Turmfalke

 

Mils/Tirol, 5/2/21. More cooperative than the Shrike.

 

 

Spring is coming, I saw two Yellowhammers and a big (30+) flock of Skylarks. Better days ahead for sure!

[Soukous]

2 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

Spring is coming, I saw two Yellowhammers and a big (30+) flock of Skylarks.

 

Skylarks are abundant here at the moment. You'll hear and see them any time you walk near the beach. And today actually felt like Spring. 10 degrees. 

 

[PeterHG]

That shrike is a very special sighting and it's good you got some shots. And certainly not bad ones, considering!

[xelas]

6 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

Well done! Did you use an app, or just count yourself?

Manual work: copied all BY entries on one spreadsheet, sorting by latin name, deleting duplicates. There might be an odd duplicate left, where the latin name for the same bird was changed between different sources. Next step will be to unify all latin and all english names. 

[Galana]

3 hours ago, xelas said:

There might be an odd duplicate left,

Don't forget the 978 Common Bulbuls you saw do have various other names.

[michael-ibk]

22/E22.) Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata) / Mandarinente

 

Ambras/Tirol, 6/2/21. Not a native of course but we do have a few self-sustaining populations in Austria for some decades now.

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

23/E23.) Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) / Eisvogel)

 

Ambras/Tirol, 6/2/21. Can only say "Yeah!!" about this one. Heard from others that one was around in this area so decided to try my luck. And there he was (a male indeed btw), love it when a plan works like that. He had found himself a good spot where he was almost completely concealed, I waited for more than an hour to try to get an angle, and only with a lot of contorted movements could I get a relatively clear shot of the head at least.

 

 

He only flew out when we were leaving to another perch, much farther away but much more open.

 

 

[Soukous]

Both very pretty additions Michael

[xelas]

Excellent photo of both male and female Mandarin. Not spooking the Kingfisher is a great achievement.

[Galana]

Great patience with the Kingfisher brought a reward. Nice Mandarin too.

[Peter Connan]

Stunning birds and shots!

[TonyQ]

Love the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (never seen one!) and the Kingfisher is beautiful.