Michael‘s Seventh Year

[PeterHG]

Looking forward to more after seeing this beauty!

[Galana]

Waiting patiently.

Welcome home.

[pedro maia]

Countdown to #1000.

 

tic tac, tic tac…

[PeterHG]

7 minutes ago, pedro maia said:

Countdown to #1000.

As a start, surely…..

[michael-ibk]

5 hours ago, pedro maia said:

Countdown to #1000.

 

tic tac, tic tac…

 

You are an evil guy Pedro. I´m starting to crack under all this pressure. 

[pedro maia]

21 minutes ago, michael-ibk said:

 

You are an evil guy Pedro. I´m starting to crack under all this pressure. 

[lmSA84]

I hope you had a wonderful time. I'm looking forward to the push to 2000!

[shazdwn]

Gorgeous shots as always, can’t wait to see your Costa Rica offerings

[michael-ibk]

527/E188) Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis) / Zwergtaucher

 

Tiebelmündung/Carinthia, 3/9/2022. Not uncommon but very difficult to get close enough (with my lens) - they are tiny after all. Well, I really need numbers.

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

528/E189) Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) / Teichhuhn

 

Tiebelmündung/Carinthia, 3/9/2022. Super-tame in city parks but actually rather shy in more natural settings. They seem to have had a very successful breeding season - have never seen so many young ones here.

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

529/E190) Mediterranean Gull (Ichthyaetus melanocephalus) / Schwarzkopfmöwe

 

Tiebelmündung/Carinthia, 3/9/2022. A rarity in Austria, and I don´t think I´ll see it again this year, so here comes ebc-power. A young one.

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

530/E191) Little Crake (Porzana parva) / Kleines Sumpfhuhn

 

Tiebelmündung/Carinthia, 3/9/2022. Extremely rare and super-tough to see, only my second ever sighting. Was actually quite happy that I had found a Little Bittern, special enough, ...

 

 

... when I spotted something very small behind it. Very distant, so super-cropped, but still very happy with this sighting.

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

531/E192) Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) / Bekassine

 

Tiebelmündung/Carinthia, 3/9/2022. A pretty confiding individual.

 

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

On 8/22/2022 at 9:02 PM, michael-ibk said:

Will take a while until I´ll be able to sort through my photos

 

Or I might just start.

 

Normally I try to post in scientific order but this time I will rather do day by day. There are a lot of members of some families (especially Hummers and Tanagers) and it might get a bit boring if I post them in one bunch. Also, I won´t do a trip report - did not bring a landscape camera, and I guess a pure birding trip will be of little interest to anybody outside our Big Year corner. If it´s alright for everybody I will add a few general remarks about the trip, "Trip Report lite" mode.

 

This was my first "Birding Group "trip, and I´ll admit I was a bit unsure (and nervous) what to expect. My main worry was to get caught up with some serious "listers" and photog-haters - glimpse a bird, tick it off and move on. The second one was a huge group. I totally lucked out - we were five in total, and the four others (all Americans) were absolutely delightful people. We had a very good time together. One was a serious photographer, and the other three were tolerant and used bridge cameras themselves. Obviously I still did not have as much time as when I do it my style, ie. it´s not really possible to run after every bird I see until I get a photo, and sometimes quite hasty shots had to do. But I´m really grateful the others did not mind to linger a bit for many birds, and I think I can count myself really lucky. Some of the others had quite a few birding group trips under their belt, and they told me they had been on "lister focused" trips - something I´m sure I would not enjoy much.

 

I flew Iberia (Munich via Madrid) which worked well (an early morning departure, arrival in Quito in the afternoon) and met the others for our first dinner. Next morning we met our guide. Alex Luna, really excellent, he worked very hard for us and got us a lot of really cool species.

 

We started what was originally the "extension" after the main trip, the High Andes. For some reason Tropical Birding moved this section to the beginning. Not a problem since we had all signed up for that and did not really mind about the order.

 

 

We moved up from Quito to Antisana Ecological Reserve on a pretty decent road and soon were high up. Our elevation would be between 3000 and 4000 metres this day. These rocks are a known place for Condors. We did see some (and other raptors) but the birds were mostly specks in the sky or difficult to see agains the light.

 

This was the first bird here:

 

532/EC1) Tufted Tit-Tyrant (Anairetes parulus) / Meisentachurityrann

 

Antisana, 8/8/2022

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

533/EC2) Plain-Coloured Seedeater (Catamenia inornata) / Schlichtsamenfresser

 

Antisana, 8/8/2022. I know, not exactly setting the world on fire with these first sightings.

 

 

[michael-ibk]

534/EC3) Black-Winged Ground-Dove (Metriopelia melanoptera) / Weißbugtäubchen

 

Antisana, 8/8/22. A good example to showcase a (minor) problem of this trip - our van was wonderfully comfortable. But unfortunately a trend for this type of vehicle seems to be that the manufacturers seem to have decided windows that open are too old-fashioned, the AC will do. Quite frustrating for photos, and not really possible to get something unless the object you want to get is sitting right by your side and you manage to remove the lens hood. Which hardly ever is the case. Normally you get a skewed angle, and that just does not work through the car window.

 

[Galago]

Actually that Plain-coloured Seedeater shot is hilarious, it really does demand captions. "Well, when my Pilates teacher did it, it looked easy."  I'm sure others will come up with better captions. 

I've seen a good few of your photos on FB and they are superb, so I shall follow this with interest. I know what you mean about 'lister' groups. I've always managed to avoid them, but they sound 

[michael-ibk]

3 minutes ago, Galago said:

I'm sure others will come up with better captions. 

 

It´s a challenge then - a wonderful no-prize to the best one.

[michael-ibk]

 

Our second stop. As you can see we had left the treeline behind us - we were in Paramo habitat, the wide grasslands of the high Andes.

 

535/EC4) Ecuadorian Hillstar (Oreotrochilus chimborazo) / Ecuador-Andenkolibri

 

Antisana, 8/8/2022. Our first hummer. The male is spectacular, with a splendid violet head. Unfortunately we would only ever see the female. The first of two sightings. Curiously enough she seemed to live inside this old house, she went in a couple of times.

 

[michael-ibk]

536/EC5) Variable Hawk (Geranoaetus polyosoma) / Rotrückenbussard

 

Antisana, 8/8/2022. Quite a common raptor of the high Andes, we saw it several times. Never really close however - or I just forgot that we did and might stumble upon a better photo later.

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

537/EC6) Stout-Billed Cinclodes (Cinclodes excelsior) / Schuppenbrust-Uferwipper

 

Antisana, 8/8/2022. Not only a lifer (most of the birds were) but a totally new genus for me. Member of the Ovenbirds. Abundant in the high Andes.

 

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

538/EC7) Many-Striped Canastero (Asthenes flammulata) / Weißstrichelcanastero

 

Antisana, 8/8/2022. The firm rule at this altitude seems to be that all birds have to be LBJs.

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

As we moved up Mighty Antisana would grant us some glimpes.

 

 

This was really not a mammals trip (heck, we did not even see a single Llama or Guanaco!). But at least some White-Tailed Deer popped up. Not too thrilling for my American friends but a new species for me.

 

 

But we were most happy about a dead one a bit off the road. A nice number of Condors congregated there. While not really close enough for super-satisfying photos it was a great show seeing these awesome birds circling and soaring - a big trip highlight!

 

539/EC8) Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus) / Andenkondor

 

Antisana, 8/8/2022. My ebird list says we saw eight - out of less than 200 in all of Ecuador!

 

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

540/EC9) Paramo Pipit (Anthus bogotensis) / Paramopieper

 

Antisana, 8/8/2022. Hooray, Pipits! They really are everywhere to torment birders of the world. But rejoice - it´s the only Pipit in Ecuador!

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

541/EC10) Andean Ibis (Theristicus branickii) / Andenibis

 

Antisana, 8/8/2022. A pretty uncommon bird and therefore a really cool sighting. They flew over the road.