Peter B's Second Big Year 2023

February 1, 2023

Let's start were we left off with the Hedge Accentor and this much better picture taken yesterday in Watermaal Brussels is dedicated to Fred @Galanawho is on his

way to Tanzania and I wish him of course a fantastic safari

A new week and I visited two new areas starting with Watermaal-Bosvoorde close to Rood Klooster Oudergem and the Lake over there and surroundings which look promising but sadly the most interesting part was closed and is only open on Saturday so I'll have return soon : some impressions...

So I decided to go late morning yesterday to a birding place I wasn't aware off in Anderlecht without too many expectations !

Close to a road with heavy traffic I found this reserve called "Vogelzang " and after exactly two minutes I saw my first bird of prey of 2023 :

44° Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus- Torenvalk) Vogelzangreservaat Anderlecht 31th of January 2023 :

45° Gadwall ( Mareca strepera - Krakeend) Vogelzangreservaat Anderlecht 31th of January 2023 :

And as it started to drizzle I decided to return the day after especially after seeing that the protector of this reserve is my namesake ..

This morning the sun was shining and I went to the reserve with higher expectations than yesterday !

And then I thought I had found another species of Parakeet but alas the Rose-ringed are not all emerald green

But then another bird of prey flew over and landed in a tree far away but just enough zooming in to identify a :

46° Common Buzzard ( Buteo Buteo- Buizerd ) Vogelzangreservaat Anderlecht 1st of February 2023 :

February 1, 2023

A much better Hedge Sparrow. Well done.

From my Hotel at Manchester airport ready for dinner and a flight to DAR tomorrow.

More excellent birds at your reserve.

February 1, 2023

Another beautiful walk with many good species!

February 2, 2023

Thanks Peter : it is , I must be honest , a big task I am imposing myself at the start of this year visiting all the interesting birding places in my close neighborhood meaning Brussels and surroundings.

Since the 23th of January when I visited Rietbeemd close to where my mother lives I walked more than 100km taking into account I stayed at home three days but walking with a purpose and the sound of birds is even more rewarding than walking with music and a headphone which I used to do

There are 14 reserves or interesting birdingsplaces I will try to visit in the next weeks and months , four done ten to go and of course you will all be informed of my progress ...

February 3, 2023

Yesterday morning I visited the Ganshoren marsh in Northwest Brussels , a nature reserve with an alternation of moist meadows and bushes wetland with a high biodiversity.

More than 65 bird species have been observed in this 11 hectare area which as you can see below is completely surrounded by habitation and railways .

But again I was pleasantly surprised that there are still areas in Brussels that have resisted the growing urbanization and are now protected to our delight

Of course I will have to return sooner or later in spring to see more different species but for the moment I was admiring my usuals

Until I finally spotted a new one for this season ...

47° Green Woodpecker ( Picus viridis- Groene Specht) Ganshoren Marsh 2nd of February 2023:

And in Dilbeek today ...

48° Collared Dove ( Streptopelia decaocto-Turkse Tortel ) Dilbeek Westland 3th of February 2023 :

February 10, 2023

We had at last some glorious sunshine this week in and around Brussels but the first two mornings were misty and frosty : on Monday before visiting my mother I went to the

Liedekerke-and Hertigemforest reserve in Flemish Brabant not at least because I read that in late winter early spring there are a possible 4 or 5 woodpecker species to be found

I parked my car in the " Edward Schelfoutstraat " but realized immediately that it would be difficult or even impossible to make good pictures in these conditions

But was lucky anyway to see this one :

49° Northern Goshawk ( Accipiter gentiles-Havik) Liedekerke Forest 6th of February 2023 :

I returned the day after and again it took a while before the sun came out

But then suddenly the local ( ? ) wildlife could be seen in full glory !

And then for the half century a :

50° Middle Spotted Woodpecker ( Dendrocopos medius - Middelste Bonte Specht ) Liedekerke Forest 7th of February 2023 :

Some might perhaps think this is a juvenile Great Spotted who also has a red crown but I made my homework and the red crown has no narrow black sides and

moreover they are not connected so .. ; will return soon to find the other species .

On Wednesday a return to the frozen Ganshoren Marsh :

And a very close encounter with one of my favorites and some others :

And yesterday morning a visit to Tervuren Park where you can visit the Africa Museum but also walk in the Sonian Forest

Despite the frosty conditions some pounds were still open and this are new ones for me this year :

51° Northern Shoveler ( Anas clypeata - Slobeend ) Tervuren Park 9th of February 2023 :

February 10, 2023

Congratulations on the 50 Peter!

February 11, 2023

Only a determind birder can pass by #50 during the winter within Europe. Congratulations!

February 11, 2023

Well done on reaching 50 !

February 16, 2023

As promised I continued my discovery of interesting birding places in and around Brussels not before returning last Sunday to the Vogelzangreservaat in Anderlecht already one of my favorite spots where I saw my first birds of prey lately : I wasn't spoiled by the grey weather but high on a tree I found these ones :

52° Goldfinch ( Carduelis Carduelis- Putter ) Vogelzangreservaat Anderlecht 12th of February 2023 :

As some of you might know this bird was made famous by a painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Carel Fabritius of a life-sized chained goldfinch. Signed and dated 1654, it is now in the collection of the Mauritshuis in The Hague, Netherlands ; it was lost for more than two centuries before its rediscovery in 1859 in Brussels and also plays a central role in the Pulitzer Prize–winning novel The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt.

On Friday the 10th I was impressed by a short visit to the Tenboschpark in the centre of Brussels ( Elsene-Ixelles) where I will return in spring for sure !

It is a fairly small place, rather dense with bushes and plants, and as the park is crossed by many paths, the birds are used to the human presence.

This week started again sunny with some mist early morning but less dense than last week so another area I didn't know of close to the E40 called "Wellemeersen ".

By car you can easily reach the area coming from the higway E40, west of Brussels, exit Aalst. You can park your car at Wellemeersenstraat or Zavelputstraat.; it is a marshy area formed by the river Dender. It mainly consists of wet meadows, Alder-and Willowswamps, Poplar stands and smallish ponds.

The first bird I saw in front of me crossing the road when entering the area was a :

53° Common Pheasant ( Phasianus colchicus - Fazant ) Wellemeersen 13th of February 2023 :

And his lady not far away a bit later ...

Some others I met before this year :

Again this was of course only a first visit and as it is a large area were Kingfishers are very common I was told luck might be on my side the next time ...

February 23, 2023

Despite the less than ideal weather conditions for birding lately I continued my daily walks and revisited some of my favorite spots ; the 15th of February was the last day with some sunshine and what a better way to spend it than in the red cloister on the edge of the Sonian Forest ...

Most of the birds over there are very relaxed , used to people and pose nicely before the camera :

Others were hiding like this Bramling I saw in my garden early January

No Mandarine Ducks this time or other new waterbirds but of course I will return regularly ; the weekend was grey , windy with some periods of rain and my return to Watermaal -Bosvoorde on Saturday because most of the Park is closed in the week ( God knows why ) was not very successful apart from seeing these creatures and hardly any visitors at all due to the weather

Sunday for the third time in a row I visited the Vogelzangbeek nature reserve in Anderlecht to see my Common Kestrel again

And on Tuesday I had to do some shopping in Brussels and why not revisit that little treasure of a city Park " Tenbosch" in search for the two smallest birds in Europe that

are amongst the Top 5 birds of the site : Regulus regulus and Regulus ignicapillus

And then on the highest part of the Park ....

54° Goldcrest ( Regulus regulus - Goudhaan) Tenbosch Park Elsene 21th of February 2023 :

I met a fellow local birder and asked him he had seen the Firecrest recently but he told me it had been a few weeks so I was leaving the place with a double feeling ...

Yesterday I went for a walk in my " Wolfsputten" not expecting to see much with the overcast sky

But close to this little fellow and in bad light sorry for that :

55° Firecrest ( Reulus ignicapillus- Vuurgoudhaan ) Wolfsputten Dilbeek 22th of February 2023 :

February 23, 2023

The Goldcrest and The Firecrest … A Fabulous Duo!

February 23, 2023

Great shots of the two 'crests.

And congratulations on the half century.

February 24, 2023

I love the gold and the fire! they are the cutest littlest but most testy flighty birds.

February 24, 2023

Well done getting pictures of those two little birds. I have yet to see a Firecrest.

February 25, 2023

A return to the Red Cloister today and a couple of Mandarine Ducks when arriving early morning :

And then after seeing numerous Marsh Tits lately one of the species I have been looking for the last weeks be it sitting in a far distance : differences are minor and not always clear but the Willow Tit for instance has a larger swathe of white curving up behind the eye and sweeping back across the cheeks to the nape.

56° Willow Tit ( Parus montanus - Matkop ) Rood Klooster Oudergem 25th of February 2023 :

February 26, 2023

Great shots of the Firecrest. I've seen them but never been able to photograph them

February 27, 2023

Really great sightings on your walks Peter!

February 28, 2023

An interesting walk yesterday in glorious sunshine but still with a cold breeze ; I visited my mother on Sunday for her 90th Birthday so I had more time than usual on Monday and visited the Central Dendervalley :

The area mainly consists of wet meadows/marshes situated on the right bank of the river Dender. These attract waterbirds mainly during winter and spring. I parked my

car in Teralfene and went all the way downstream to the border of Ninove

And spotted a Bed & Breakfast that helped you not to get lost !

As for the birds , this one was trying to escape but sat down a bit further to my delight :

57° Grey Wagtail ( Motacilla cinerea - Grote Gele Kwikstaart ) - Dendervallei Okegem 27th of February 2023 :

Another view of one of my favorites :

But then on a lake that used to be accessible to the public but now private ( not the best of pictures obviously ) close to where I started and finished my walk :

58° Barnacle Goose ( Branta leucopsis- Brandgans) Teralfene 27th of February 2023

59° Eurasian Wigeon ( Mareca penelope-Smient ) Teralfene 27th of February 2023 :

60° Greylag Goose ( Anser anser - Grauwe Gans ) Teralfene 27th of February 2023 :

March 2, 2023

A visit to my mother first and then a very short one to the Gavers in Geraardsbergen where I should return later but enough to see :

61° Yellow-legged Gull ( Larus michahellis- Geelpootmeeuw) - Gavers 2nd of March 2023 :

March 3, 2023

Congratulations on your mother’s special birthday! You take many beautiful walks and consequently you see a lot of very good birds. I love the fact that you add photos of the locations you visit. Keep them coming!

March 3, 2023

1 hour ago, PeterHG said:

Keep them coming!

This weekend I am staying in Cadzand and had a walk today with Anne in Waterdunen reserve close by so you can expect something soon

March 4, 2023

You've been very active Peter, well done. Love the two Crests, they are really difficult to get good shots of, Bravo!

March 5, 2023

Just came back from a weekendtrip to Cadzand in the Netherlands close to the border with Belgium and the well known "Het Zwin" ; it was planned already in November last year and at the origin more of a gastronomic thing offered by friends and relatives for my wife's birthday in a well known local hotel with three restaurants but of course you can imagine that the area inspired me to do some birding ; only thing we couldn't plan was the weather and apart from a reasonable Friday afternoon conditions were not ideal to say the least so the quality of the pictures is far from stellar

Before checking in at the hotel we visited Waterdunen , a new landscaped nature reserve connected to the Westerschelde

One of the walks , the orange bird route (5.5 km) leads over decking paths, past bird hides and screens via the sea but as there were big works going on part of it was closed and to me it looked a bit artificial ; the area has an ever-changing mix of resident birds and migrants and is located on the transition from land and sea but must be more attractive in spring and autumn.