Michael‘s Seventh Year

[PeterHG]

14 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

And the area is not entirely unappealing.

No, it isn’t !

[michael-ibk]

513/E173) Ring Ouzel (Turdus torquatus) / Ringdrossel

 

Dobratsch/Carinthia/Austria, 17/6/2022. Next day it was time to get some specials. This area is really good for montane stuff, and one can drive up far up the mountain. It´s a very popular place which attracts hundreds of people on a sunny weekend day so important to get up there early.

 

 

 

And a bonus Water Pipit - very common in the mountains but rarely possible to get close. This one must have had a nest close by since it was warning all the time. Not a good spot and this must be tiresome for this poor fella - people walk by here all the time.

 

 

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

514/E174) Alpine Accentor (Prunella collaris) / Alpenbraunelle

 

Dobratsch/Carinthia/Austria, 17/6/2022. Not as easy as the Ring Ouzel but we ultimately found two at the summit:

 

 

 

 

We had managed to beat the crowds - top of the mountain to ourselves! On the way down lots of people were hiking upwards.

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

-/E175) Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) / Steinschmätzer

 

Dobratsch/Carinthia/Austria, 17/6/2022.  Already seen in Uganda. Another fairly common breeder high up in the Alps. The German name translates to "Stonechat".

 

 

Dobratsch is my go-to-place for Citril Finch, a very rare bird. Already have them this year (from Tirol) but they were posing really nicely here:

 

 

Chamois are also common on this mountain:

 

 

And a Mountain Hare (Schneehase=Snowhare in German) - not sure I´ve ever seen one before:

 

[michael-ibk]

515/E176) Alpine Swift (Tachymarptis melba) / Alpensegler

 

Dobratsch/Carinthia/Austria, 17/6/2022. Another rare bird in Austria. They have one of the few known colonies here:

 

 

They did not give me much of an opportunity - but hey, ebc!

 

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

516/E177) Eurasian Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) / Zaunkönig

 

Dösental, NP Hohe Tauern/Carinthia/Austria,  18/6/2022. Another really beautiful hike next day. Not too prolific birding-wise but one new addition:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[pedro maia]

Beautiful, I love the Alps!

[michael-ibk]

26 minutes ago, pedro maia said:

Beautiful, I love the Alps!

Come visit! 🙂

[xelas]

On 6/21/2022 at 8:47 PM, michael-ibk said:

On the way down lots of people were hiking upwards.

 

Hiking?! No cable car there??

[Galana]

2 hours ago, pedro maia said:

Beautiful, I love the Alps!

Me too.

[PeterHG]

Stunning scenery! 

[pedro maia]

3 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

Come visit! 🙂

I will, just don’t know when.

[Kitsafari]

I enjoyed the hikes with you and @AndMic and the beautiful sceneries around us and felt rejuvenated in the cool air, while seated in hot humid SIngapore. 

[michael-ibk]

517/E178) White-Winged Snowfinch (Montifringilla nivalis) / Schneesperling

 

Großglockner Pass Road/Carinthia/Austria, 19/6/2022. This is one of Austria´s most scenic Alpine roads, only open in summer, leading up to 2571 m above sea level. Popular with cars, bikes and (very sportive) bikers.

 

 

Marmots are very common here:

 

 

 

 

Snowfinch is a specialty up here - not guaranteed but not too hard either. I was delighted to find an active nest:

 

 

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

518/E179) Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus) / Gänsegeier

 

Großglockner Pass Road/Carinthia/Austria, 19/6/2022. We don´t have any breeders but every year about 20 to 40 birds spend the summer here in the Alps. Mostly they are just specks in the sky but I was lucky this time - four birds were flying quite low at one point.

 

 

We have a few breeding Bearded Vultures (will try again for them, at least I hope to), and occassionally Cinereous and Egyptian Vultures can also be found here, but one needs to be very lucky for them.

 

[michael-ibk]

22 hours ago, xelas said:

Hiking?! No cable car there??

 

No, but as mentioned you can drive up pretty far. And you can get many of the specials (Citril Finch, Ring Ouzel, Crossbill) without walking far from the parking lot. Also a very good lek place for Black Grouse but missed them this year, too late for them mid-June.

[Galana]

Excellent Snowfinch and memories of the Grossglockner road. We often used to stay at Lucknerhutte abo e Kals and walked the trails. 

[Soukous]

15 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

Snowfinch is a specialty up here - not guaranteed but not too hard either. I was delighted to find an active nest:

 

 

I've never seen a Snowfinch 

[PeterHG]

15 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

And you can get many of the specials (Citril Finch, Ring Ouzel, Crossbill) without walking far from the parking lot

Ah, that sounds like my kind of hike! 

8 minutes ago, Soukous said:

I've never seen a Snowfinch 

Neither have I

[michael-ibk]

11 minutes ago, Soukous said:

've never seen a Snowfinch

 

With a bit of luck you'll get one on Monday. 🙂

[Soukous]

18 minutes ago, michael-ibk said:

 

With a bit of luck you'll get one on Monday. 🙂

 

that, of course, is what I was hoping you'd say 

[michael-ibk]

519/E180) Common Firecrest (Regulus ignicapilla) / Sommergoldhähnchen

 

Mariastein/Tirol/Austria, 25/5/2022. A quick search for White-Backed Woodpecker was a failure - but this was the consolation price. Our smallest bird.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 26, 2022 by michael-ibk

[michael-ibk]

520/E181) Eurasian Treecreeper (Certhia familiaris) / Waldbaumläufer

 

Mariastein/Tirol/Austria, 25/5/2022. Always quite a toughie.

 

 

[michael-ibk]

521/E182) White-Throated Dipper (Cinclus cinclus) / Wasseramsel

 

Kundler Klamm/Tirol/Austria, 26/6/2022. A really nice sighting today so excuse me for going a bit overboard with photos.

 

 

 

Mum here had a chick!

 

 

A really voracious one!

 

 

 

She was working non-stop but the little one could never get enough.

 

 

"Go get me more!"

 

[michael-ibk]

522/E183) Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria) / Mauerläufer

 

Kundler Klamm/Tirol/Austria, 26/6/2022. The main target today. Found - as so often - when I had given up on finding it. A bit too distant but I´m happy enough - always a super-special bird to see.