Jump to content

Peter B's Second Big Year 2023


BRACQUENE

Recommended Posts

Well done on the Cetti's and happy easter to you, too!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

michael-ibk

Great Bluethroat again! Happy Easter. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I may have been silent for a good week but far from inactive if you forget about last Monday and Wednesday when the weather was a bummer ; on a glorious Easter Sunday before going to see my mother with my wife and two sons ( instead of Monday) I had a very early walk in Vogelenzang my "second home" to find a good friend 

749E4700-2459-4487-B47A-2121B22AB531_1_201_a.jpeg.e2325c88f537fd254eb41a641bcb5bd0.jpeg

And an active Chiffchaff 

52BE9DBD-C5B0-47A1-A139-113B782AC8CE_1_201_a.jpeg.32efde7b2e5a108f1b9690fadf9eabaf.jpeg

But alas not the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker that's on my bucket list for so long now ...

On Tuesday I had set my mind on the area called "Kalkense Meersen - Donkmeer" below on the map which proved to be far too ambitious for the six hours I disposed of :(1047677603_Schermafbeelding2023-04-16om08_27_16.png.be82caf595f326c1ccafdea9ca853191.png

I first did a walk in the so called Paardeweide next to the river Schelde with a lake and lots of ducks, geese, gulls, waders and even Great Bittern , if you are lucky : again the problem a bit like in Blankaart is the distance to the birds even with a long 600 mm lens and the picture below gives you an idea of that :

7BD645F5-B8DA-4242-8136-8CDB0DB4301D_1_201_a.jpeg.94569d86c127375ee8b527a576b2464d.jpeg

Sunny indeed but with a bitterly cold wind it was challenging to find something new , even if it's always nice to spot the Avocet I had seen in Zeeland early March

this time swimming 

EDAF7E67-B915-4CC1-9DBF-DF392A8CE99E_1_201_a.jpeg.28efddf103cab8dc27a10fe3e3dd38ed.jpeg

So perhaps it was better to stay closer and stick to what has become something of an Hercules speciality as Fred @Galana would say ...

7BC74DDA-3CF0-42CA-83EF-E3AEC299D52F_1_201_a.jpeg.5c80b9f49833198b8e2af38c4f8d83aa.jpeg

Finding another Cetti's Warbler and immortalize it :lol:

F328EE5B-4F0F-4657-8973-A5622D6DAE78_1_201_a.jpeg.3be615260f99701608761d2d54113677.jpeg

I had lost a lot of time before reaching the lake and could have parked my car much closer by and then again had a problem to arrive at Bergenmeersen :

next year there are elections in Belgium and that's the reason you find road works in almost every village to make GPS unusable for the moment and life of a dedicated birder a hell 

0D489A5E-66A6-4976-96C2-AE46D8B251CB_1_201_a.jpeg.3d2765175bfd49c7606ed7126ea7eaa3.jpeg

But I was rewarded with a beautiful walk first close to the river Schelde and then on a wooden path between the reed 

817B5FFF-18A8-47B7-B899-8C75DEC0CAB4_1_201_a.jpeg.91574fbdb9114d95f49a3f996d3f5f09.jpeg

 

52A1ADBF-5813-4B61-9AB3-71BD6B6D04C2_1_201_a.jpeg.b584e70a686de4e6a37151e19932e9d6.jpeg

 

AEAE9E72-A59C-4F9C-9795-9429ADCF2C15_1_201_a.jpeg.4c88eb527bb9b451051cf5c16395c3af.jpeg

Whilst eating a sandwich for lunch I met a lady birder who had recently changed gear and bought my Sony RX 10 IV and told me she had read handling was great and she desperately wanted to have a picture of the Cetti's with her new toy  I thought by myself this might be her lucky day ; the intriguing sound was everywhere around us and a few minutes later she could add the Cetti's to her list :D

85705943-B387-4B20-AC8C-7893EBE4805C_1_201_a.jpeg.5a915c8b96eb842916a828ff7b6515e7.jpeg

On Thursday and Friday morning I went to the village of Kobbegem and the "Trektelpost Relegem Kruiskouter", located in a landscape of open meadows and fields between the villages of Kobbegem and Relegem. Especially in spring it is said to be a fantastic place to spot meadow and field birds. Birds you can see or hear include Common Quail, Grey Partridge, European Stonechat, Skylark, Greater and Lesser Whitethroat, Northern Lapwing, Whinchat and Northern Wheatear. For some of those it might be a bit early but I wanted to have a try 

735026203_Schermafbeelding2023-04-16om11_13_47.png.ab8a75b5a0570a609a042c4c4704399d.png

Kobbegem may be very close to Brussels and easy to reach for me ( I remember that my oldest son had a friend who lived there ) but it is a lovely place that has kept much of his authenticity 

D4403FDB-B40C-4AFB-874F-B4E7A065E815_1_201_a.jpeg.379ec4993f1275b98ace159a10ce53bd.jpeg

Has a famous brewery :

0A434530-B976-4F45-9AE7-B8F8577CA2D8_1_201_a.jpeg.30e8dbcd2719f66ec2bf39ced97ae2e1.jpeg

 

910795C6-FE37-4CA9-B987-7856AAB7A749_1_201_a.jpeg.81bb413a4548e64b25fa2dd53e29073a.jpeg

And an old farm from 1754 : 

11095C36-D19C-4750-9705-4910F86A95D0_1_201_a.jpeg.e7fc56afdf37338d63986eafa6eee141.jpeg

But it was for the birds and not for the beer that I was there and on the church walls I noticed a lot of Common Starlings : 

917E4FDE-E38D-44FC-8B3C-A165705F33DE_1_201_a.jpeg.b0b72af23c27f4330d6cc4f068624d03.jpeg

And then walked to the Bird Migration Point on the hill : the construction wasn't very impressive when I came close and went upstairs ;

37F5E7B5-EDC8-426B-B132-881AEECE3341_1_201_a.jpeg.287fdded71c8ad67617506f1f37e5f74.jpeg

 

CF08F58D-2D04-407B-985F-6873AE27B0B2_1_201_a.jpeg.2955700d6080dd2709de4bad93f3e77c.jpeg

But walking in the area I was at last successful in spotting a new one ( several times in two days ) that @Tdgravesif I am correct saw recently as well : 

89° Sky Lark (Alauda arvensis - Veldleeuwerik) Kobbegem 13th and 14th of April 2023 : 

6E6333D6-F354-4DA4-8111-E18D07028042_1_201_a.jpeg.7f9f144544c504852761007d8ee51204.jpeg

 

60420806-9DD8-4878-981B-D0B0501D82BA_1_201_a.jpeg.3c84e8c48ea6b217d3b0960aff34bacc.jpeg

And on the second day this one : 

90° Corn Bunting ( Miliaria calandra - Grauwe Gors ) Kobbegem 14th of April 2023 : 

6B4EBD2B-C7E9-44BA-A17A-F777536C2509_1_201_a.jpeg.a15eabe9e059e35f81c015d2c6681276.jpeg

 

F5FC7CBE-C54A-43A9-A7EC-A0C8A0B28656_1_201_a.jpeg.058d90edbde9a4967a4d8556f4a86c6e.jpeg

 

And in the fields a lot of these birds after seeing the Grey Wagtail on two occasions in Anderlecht Neerpede and the Central Dender Valley : 

91° Yellow Wagtail ( Motacilla flava - Gele Kwikstaart ) Kobbegem 14th of April 2023 : 

6D36284E-F472-4942-A8CC-45723944377D_1_201_a.jpeg.ed0f73d5a542005e1d0f446019a2688a.jpeg

 

1F999C8D-1DBE-4DD9-9239-FDAE69EA6C03_1_201_a.jpeg.323f8138aee8932adc6ce8c5817418bb.jpeg

 

Lovely walk and stunning area , a new favorite of mine but yesterday after some early rain showers the sun came out and so did the birds in Ganshoren Marsh and one I 

hoped to see in Kobbegem , I saw to my delight in Brussels :

 

92° Lesser Whitethroat ( Sylvia curruca- Braamsluiper) Moeras van Ganshoren 16th of April 2023   

B37BA4AD-52A1-492A-B60D-EFF8B376870E_1_201_a.jpeg.4123e54ebc582aed2e2e3818e1282c36.jpeg

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

24 minutes ago, BRACQUENE said:

alas not the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker that's on my bucket list for so long now

More a case of the wrong name. It should be the Less spotted Woodpecker.

Nice collection.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You are one dedicated birder ! Great new additions.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice walk and weather and great birds! I think your active Chiffchaff might be a Willow Warbler (see the colour of the legs).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks @ Galana @PeterHGand @xelasand looking again it is a Willow Warbler which is already in my collection this year  : with al those Chiffchaff around you may get confused 

Sorry for my late reaction but going as usual to visit my mother on Monday I found her on the ground where she presumably had been for a day : she is now in hospital and doing reasonably well ! I visit her every day but as you will see soon still had some time to go birding 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry to hear about your mother. It must have been quite a shock to find her like that. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

michael-ibk

All the best for your mother Peter! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yesterday I went back to the Paardeweide In Berlare where I had been on Tuesday the 11th of April and the area is part of the Kalkense Meersen - Donkmeer  ; my visit then was too short and I hadn't done the complete walk around the lake due to the cold windy weather 

1362615849_Schermafbeelding2023-04-20om11_43_20.png.6df0501c554c328766e01a76267b15c3.png

 

3947E9D6-D92B-4D44-9FEF-E281F705D7A0_1_201_a.jpeg.ee9e9d4767e7d48d9573bc2cdf831772.jpeg

 

EBB6353A-93BE-4190-A7A6-5B574D989AE0_1_201_a.jpeg.445d6237b1c3985c56f4f9f0ac88be65.jpeg

 

90A2E095-6D10-4314-A02C-5FEFC727841A_1_201_a.jpeg.f088e2117e136faacb8d4cfcc006d793.jpeg

 

1E06F84B-8835-403C-8355-05C4D67EF1A7_1_201_a.jpeg.dc3cbded363404caf8bb5553a0e7c8c5.jpeg

 

71BA0883-AD3C-4BA0-BDED-BC58719FB31C_1_201_a.jpeg.45eb1504e8c37a5590d3b87c301843b3.jpeg

 

5FACC493-36EB-4A42-BB3D-6F69B1A4D339_1_201_a.jpeg.53b8aa4125262002479f130c7aef01e0.jpeg

 

5C600D2B-8D60-469D-9F8E-153F26D4172C_1_201_a.jpeg.ffb7104430d3d4e9fe595f0bc8de4884.jpeg

 

3C5279B9-A67E-4E2F-A4D2-5747204605ED_1_201_a.jpeg.afe30f7f179c42d79b4a29ed569774d8.jpeg

Spoonbill and Avocet were present and a Marsh Harrier flew in , but I had come with the intention of having a better view of the Black-tailed Godwit than in the Blikken on the 5th of March and find some of the Warblers that are now starting to arrive ; the walk was pleasant and reminded me a bit of my Central Dender Valley adventure in February :

1D97AE5D-DD44-4632-A5D5-B774A0C02DD9_1_201_a.jpeg.4aff79b986cec7f33c2f5ec0a38baf84.jpeg

 

02844A12-CC31-477F-90D6-792A4CDB7DCC_1_201_a.jpeg.b2973c9ec6be954b3f839841aca9f2b7.jpeg

But the reed was the place to look for warblers and I even neglected  the omnipresent Cetti's who always tries to drown out the other birds :(

C10D5D36-5235-4DB6-8F3F-5CAD87D08E6A_1_201_a.jpeg.6a821e86197e27c5068f99e4e1f84e4c.jpeg

It took me some time to have my first new one :

93° Sedge Warbler ( Acrocephalus schoenobaenus - Rietzanger) Paardeweide Berlare 19th of April 2023

029899E0-8E67-427E-97B1-06BC7AF60777_1_201_a.jpeg.daa6263a5b64d187e9205af15afde299.jpeg

 

F7DF9658-5BA7-40AF-A6D1-2013981B6BEC_1_201_a.jpeg.ae66fe4fcee156a8541f28d1a47e8112.jpeg

 

And then more than an hour , despite the fact that the sound was omnipresent , to get a glimpse in three stages of the ...

94° Reed Warbler ( Acrocephalus scirpaceus- Kleine Karekiet ) Paardeweide Berlare 19th of April 2023 : 

B39F4846-2B97-468B-AED7-B3803114A038_1_201_a.jpeg.fff06d8db3aea129cf533d0fa037751f.jpeg

 

9A4B9870-1D53-4D36-9779-450589FFD51C_1_201_a.jpeg.ba3dc43a601d630f032c5b83a0ca8f19.jpeg

 

F897FF5F-20EF-4B23-90C0-1925D61C6F18_1_201_a.jpeg.0231cee4009d89af3e6252e490defe45.jpeg

It was much easier to get a picture of the Reed Bunting sitting in the same area : 

DEC3034E-8367-48F7-A432-0819F62C8260_1_201_a.jpeg.7b0e66fe27924281ea8faa709949a6f2.jpeg

And then early afternoon after hearing my first Common Cuckoo this year ( no picture for now)  , I saw in the distance the arrival of the Black-tailed Godwit ...

3D48784F-53D3-4F29-99CB-1DC35B17571B_1_201_a.jpeg.18090fa837b5953b9fe5dc19df8d2a8a.jpeg

 

DEDD633E-148E-4418-ADBA-A38ED5A6495D_1_201_a.jpeg.52561bca5c96eec6471b2a0f5ba58acc.jpeg

 

43588DA0-D8AC-4BEE-BFF3-E8751B5BE3AB_1_201_a.jpeg.48f7d31b9df14636a04390d879a97303.jpeg

 

4D5C2AA0-2A5B-4A2A-91EF-9595076C8A7A_1_201_a.jpeg.0e7c57784bdac08c8d003a7c33b01111.jpeg

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry to hear the news of your Mother and hope all goes well with her.

Good to relax with some birds as a a diversion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hope your mother get’s well soon, Peter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

hope your mum is on the mend and recovering quickly and fully. 

 

you've been so lucky with the Cetti's! One thing I've noticed through all your photos is the beautiful light - is that because it is spring or is the light always so lovely? because we are at the equator, the light over here can be very harsh from mid-morning 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Peter Connan

Best wishes for your mother Peter!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks everybody to sympathize in these difficult circumstances : the good news is that she is recovering well and getting better every day !  

As for the light @Kitsafari March was particularly bad but now in April we had some lovely days and I try to use it to my advantage ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, BRACQUENE said:

Thanks everybody to sympathize in these difficult circumstances : the good news is that she is recovering well and getting better every day !  

 

 that's excellent news. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A visit to Kobbegem again yesterday before going to visit my mother and it was a beautiful spring morning after Thursday's rain and before today's miserable weather 

223DB11D-0BF6-4D19-8F0A-167980827E52.jpeg.8886a66bcdf0b35107b2b45e70cfa4fc.jpeg

 

FDFE99D2-B827-4542-B2A4-68D2B4E8955B.jpeg.934f04c4d8239410c37fed19a11c2d0c.jpeg

 

6887B4B8-E10F-4F2E-B7B4-4B5894D74E7B_1_201_a.jpeg.044b42e6aa07a4c279b214bde85ee9c8.jpeg

You could even see the top of the Heysel Atomium in Brussels from the Bird Migration Spot 

B8E2AADA-EB4A-4CF7-B6B9-F31F8C22E47E_1_201_a.jpeg.a02214408bb54c922b75de4cc1aafae5.jpeg

 

ED18AFB2-EBFE-4373-A574-42CA42BBCE2B_1_201_a.jpeg.bb22399345d177f04cfd49cd15df5085.jpeg

Sky Larks everywhere of course and Yellow Wagtail as well 

896DFF77-58BF-40BC-A8BD-6D76551D9FFE_1_201_a.jpeg.88fbd6d4618636ff1ab62ec588d00261.jpeg

 

But also this fellow : 

95° Common Whitethroat ( Sylvia communis - Grasmus) Kobbegem 21th of April 2023 : 

C2663645-E95F-442F-A89C-776C18FC0548_1_201_a.jpeg.7cd65810019fc608a3b311544a26a5a4.jpeg

 

And not far away from that spot birds that are notoriously difficult to distinguish except by their sound , especially the two species that follow , and I am aware of that but studied my pictures for a long time so the first one even if we don't see the legs and the long toe has clearly the same heavily streaked upper parts and flanks whilst the second one is only heavily streaked on the breast and some minor streaking below on the flanks ; the tree pipit moreover has clearly pink legs and curved nails and I am not taking into account that the bird was actually sitting in a tree !

Habitat can be the same in this time of the year so it was not unusual to see both close to one another ...

 

 

96° Meadow Pipit ( Anthus pratensis - Graspieper ) Kobbegem 21th of April 2023 : 

29D938CB-C744-4FB7-9E82-5FCA5CA50AA2_1_201_a.jpeg.562a1d4592a6d9fa2ef17294f7312d72.jpeg

 

97° Tree Pipit ( Anthus trivialis- Boompieper ) Kobbegem 21th of April 2023 : 

99EF65B2-F246-4389-9AD1-E8468137B5D9_1_201_a.jpeg.a1f4a12f85bb547344eb0f44d2cbcea7.jpeg

And leaving this lovely area I noticed this pamphlet " Save our Farmers'" in protest against the recent nitrogen agreement the Flemish Government has reached a few weeks ago !

 

94F86D27-2372-40C8-BC9E-344E9D2D8958.jpeg.5d8f4f77b39344c7a248bbe11a12a0da.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sunday morning I usually spend in Anderlecht Vogelenzangbeek reserve but this morning after a good night sleep I had other ideas : it had been a while since I did a local walk and looking at what birders had seen recently it was not a bad idea to spend some time in my neighborhood and the first picture of the day was not a bird :D

8E5033F7-7241-46CA-A5D8-083791683E92_1_201_a.jpeg.b6272978d6a18a8c354e473bde611012.jpeg

But a few minutes later high above me a bird I had been chasing from day 1 of this BY but never seen , the biggest of the parakeets present in Belgium with a distinctive big massive red beak and a super long tail , one of the birds that had been spotted yesterday !!

98° Alexandrine parakeet ( Psittacula eupatria - Grote Alexanderparkiet ) Itterbeek Dilbeek 23th of April 2023 : 

DC4044FA-2EE3-4E55-8009-D588E80EDEEC_1_201_a.jpeg.3e9555fa9ce34d07a68f1e8a7093caef.jpeg

My heart was starting to beat fast : could this be my lucky day ? Close to Itterbeek church , where I used to walk daily during the covid years , at 10 past 10 I found another 

bird spotted yesterday in the area ...

AB376783-4857-4729-BE8C-9F90557FFF82_1_201_a.jpeg.ca2372b4591b84403bd3281a93e48b81.jpeg

99° Black Redstart ( Phoenicurus ochruros- Zwarte Roodstaart ) Itterbeek Dilbeek 23th of April 2023 : 

 

98702D4F-B03E-4C71-A297-85A40F862180_1_201_a.jpeg.09012c19fcd0e1fb3aed2f40e442fb2a.jpeg

 

3D15837F-5D3A-4458-939E-8D050D121D1E_1_201_a.jpeg.cedd40c853900cf98e8a933ed5810b94.jpeg

I took a road I had done a hundred of times in the past close to Sint-Anna-Pede , were the famous painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder lived in the 16th century and suddenly heard a familiar sound in this field and a bit later the bird was settling down in the bush : 

F4F3E87D-B777-43A5-B149-8291D807996C_1_201_a.jpeg.140b3a2c41b965b275cc9b9475f74749.jpeg

100° Grasshopper Warbler ( Locustella naevia - Sprinkhaanzanger ) Itterbeek Dilbeek 23th of April 2023 : 

952BF147-C06E-4609-A4B9-1C5E71D9C416_1_201_a.jpeg.7ccee639f3e55dc1b7b446278d003c00.jpeg

 

9A6A0A66-F75C-460D-9DFE-F354246C2A95_1_201_a.jpeg.8f17c9eccb27434cb244dee5a7f9cb49.jpeg

I didn't expect to find this one today , but it is I think the perfect one for my century which I dedicate to my mother ! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

michael-ibk

Congratulations, Grasshopper Warbler is an incredible tough one to get a photo of, a good one for your first century! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Congrats Peter!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Congratulations and how nice to dedicate it to your Mother after her illness. 100 not out!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Congrats on the century and both a wonderful bird and a wonderful thought to celebrate it with!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks @Tdgraves@xelas @michael-ibk@pedro maia @Galanaand @PeterHGfor the congratulations ;

I am honestly proud of this one because it is a local one obtained in not ideal conditions to say the least like today , without forgetting of course the ten birds seen in the beginning of March in Zeeland just across the border , part of the Netherlands that I like a lot ( I will return to Cadzand in June ) The Grasshopper Warbler was surely a coincidence but it seems that I am more lucky with Warblers than with Kingfishers or Lesser spotted Woodpecker..

Thanks Fred for reminding me of one of my favorite sports we rarely play in Belgium  : I will continue to bat until my first safari which is more than three months away :D 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Safaritalk uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By using Safaritalk you agree to our use of cookies. If you wish to refuse the setting of cookies you can change settings on your browser to clear and block cookies. However, by doing so, Safaritalk may not work properly and you may not be able to access all areas. If you are happy to accept cookies and haven't adjusted browser settings to refuse cookies, Safaritalk will issue cookies when you log on to our site. Please also take a moment to read the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy: Terms of Use l Privacy Policy