Michael´s Sixth Year

[michael-ibk]

73/E73.) Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) / Wanderfalke

 

Söll/Tirol, 11/3/21. Getting back home - and to Winter, bad weather and ebc territory! I very rarely see Peregrines (don´t think I had one last year) so might as well post this.

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

74/E74.) Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) / Bekassine

 

Söll/Tirol, 11/3. Their camouflage is just incredible. I flushed this bird and even though I saw where it went down I could hardly find it.

 

See it?

 

 

[michael-ibk]

75/E75.) Grey-Headed Woodpecker (Picus canus) / Grauspecht

 

Tiebelmündung/Carinthia, 13/3. Familiy matter brought me back home to Carinthia. I could steal away one morning. Lousy weather but I had two exciting sightings. Grey-Headed is one of the toughtest Woodpeckers here, I´ve only seen one in Austria before - although I do hear them from time to time.

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

76/E76.) Spotted Crake (Porzana porzana) / Tüpfelsumpfhuhn

 

Tiebelmündung/Carinthia, 13/3/21. A rarity! I had read it had been spotted here but it took some time until I found it, walked up and down and up and down and up and down until there was some movement. It did not exactly pose for me and stayed well hidden but any Spotted Crake photo is a great one IMO - I was happy enough.

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

77/E77.) Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) / Teichhuhn

 

Tiebelmündung, 11/3. I´ve mentioned before that Moorhens are actually pretty shy here (hard to believe when you´ve seen them in city parks, I know) but the birds in this area seem to become more confiding every year.

 

 

A bonus Merganser:

 

 

And I did not have a male Reed Bunting:

 

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

78/E78.) Redwing (Turdus iliacus) / Rotdrossel

 

Gaisau/Tirol, 17/3/21. As mentioned before Winter has come back here again - for the last time surely. So God knows why I went out yesterday morning, it was a really cold and miserable day. But I was rewarded with this species. A super tick for me here, I´ve only seen Redwing exactly once before. An extreme crop, and I was only sure I had one back at home in front of the PC.

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

79/E79.) Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) /Star

 

Mils/Tirol, 18/3. I declare migration officially open - lots of stuff on the fields this morning. Pipits, Stonechats, Redstarts, Buntings, lots of different Thrushes. The harsh weather keeps them from moving on. I even saw five Ruffs (very, very rarely passing through here) but will have to be pretty desperate to post that "photo". Bluethroat was also seen today by friends, might try for that tomorrow - wish me luck!

 

 

 

I seem to have a Pipit year - I had many BYs without Meadow Pipit, and now I start seeing them almost regularly. Weird.

 

 

 

Phew, all caught up!

[PeterHG]

A good run with lots of excellent photos. It must have been great to be back in Seewinkel, albeit a little early in the season. I love you video footage of the Bustard displaying!

[michael-ibk]

Thanks Peter! It was a very nice change from the pretty sombre state of things here. A bit spooky being there with everything closed though. Missed the Kardinalsschnitte! Yeah, it was great fun observing the Bustards, their mating rituals are really cool too see. 

[Galana]

All those birds and you got PAID to go there.

Well done with the Woodpecker and Crake especially.

 

I needed the 2nd Snipe photo to find it.

Edited March 18, 2021 by Galana

[michael-ibk]

Thanks for the reminder Fred, totally forgot to do my travel invoice.

[Galana]

2 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

totally forgot to do my travel invoice.

So easy to get carried away with such a haul of birds.

[shazdwn]

Well it looks like your lemonade jug is overflowing. Great selection of birds for a work trip.  How anyone ever finds that snipe is amazing, great camouflage. 

[Peter Connan]

Wonderful stuff Michael!

[xelas]

13 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

Hares were everywhere:

Not all of them ; and Seewinkel without Kardinalschnitte .... 

 

Lucky winner, having put together a nice road trip with great birding (and being paid for both ). 

[Kitsafari]

awww poor great bustard - not a single female was impressed! but i enjoyed that clip a lot.

 

a good haul for a trip that is paid!

 

[Dave Williams]

It's always amusing and interesting to compare what we consider rare and common. Great Bustard I went to Spain to see, Peregrine fly over our house almost daily! Meadow Pipits are very common, Corn Bunting a rarity and I have never seen one in the UK.(Lovely birds though, always singing!)

Seewinkel certainly sounds like a place to visit! 

[Zim Girl]

Wow, great selection of birds from your trip!

[michael-ibk]

Thanks everybody! And indeed @xelas, we missed you and Zvezda a lot!

 

On 3/18/2021 at 8:25 PM, michael-ibk said:

Bluethroat was also seen today by friends, might try for that tomorrow - wish me luck!

 

Let´s just say I had a really, really, really good day!

 

80/E80.) Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica) / Blaukehlchen

 

Flughafen Innsbruck/Tirol, 19/3/21.

 

Found it!

 

 

Well, from the opposite side of the river. But as Bluethroat sightings go I was happy. To see it at all. But then I went to the other side and just sat in that area, hoping for the best. Well, what can I say - for once the best really did happen! Going overboard now, sorry, but this was such a sensational sighting!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

what an epic 80th bird!

 

gorgeous bird! fantastic sighting! and incredible photos!

[xelas]

Overboard or not, the photos are fantastic!

[Soukous]

11 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

Going overboard now, sorry, but this was such a sensational sighting!

 

No apology necessary. Sensational and I'd have done the same.

[shazdwn]

Wow great bluethroat shots, what a little cutie. 

[PeterHG]

What a great set of Bluethroat photos!

[Kalaharikind]

Lovely shots, a lovely bird - well done on reaching 80!