Peter B's 2024

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And this one I saw last year in "Groot Broek" which is not so far away and were I was a few days ago : 

 

88/ Mediterranean Gull ( Larus melanocephalus - Zwartkopmeeuw ) Grote Wal Baasrode 8th of April 2024 : 

   

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And for the first time this year but certainly not the last : 

89/ Common Whitethroat ( Sylvia communis - Grasmus ) Grote Wal Baasrode 8th of April 2024 : 

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And arriving I had heard a familiar sound of another local speciality but it took me a while to get a decent picture : 

 

90/ Sedge Warbler ( Acrocephalus schoenobaenus - Rietzanger ) Grote Wal Baasrode 8th of April 2024 : 

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A few more from Grote Wal : 

 

91/ Little Egret ( Egretta garzetta - Kleine Zilverreiger ) Grote Wal Baasrode 10th of April 2024 : 

 

 

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92/ Black Kite ( Milvus migrant - Zwarte Wouw ) Grote Wal Baasrode 10th of April 2024 : 

 

 

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Going through my pictures of Grote Wal another nice surprise ; heard them a lot but didn't think I had a picture  already : 

 

93/ Common Cuckoo ( Cuculus Canopus - Koekoek ) Grote Wal Baasrode 10th of April 2024 : 

   

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We had recently booked a weekend at Nieuwpoort on the coast to escape a local festival 500 meters from our house which kept us awake for two nights last year : not this time and

glad we did ! The estuary of the IJzer River is a lovely place to walk especially with the weather we had on Saturday : 

 

 

 

 

 We started to walk on the Staketsel of the Pier ( Ostend in the back ) and had a first lovely surprise ; a Northern Wheatear was sitting there and flying around ,

away from the dunes where you would normally see them : 

 

 

 

Of course I had seen him already on the 25th of March ( 69 ) in Kobbegem but here he was much more relaxed as were the next ones , new for 2024 : 

 

94/ Turnstone ( Arenaria interpres - Steenloper ) Nieuwpoort Ysermonde 13th of April 2024 : 

 

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A lot of Herring Gulls ...

But also : 

95/ Common Tern ( Sterna hirundo - Visdief ) Nieuwpoort Ysermonde 13th of April 2024 : 

 

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And even : 

96/ Sandwich Tern ( Sterna sandvicensis - Grote Stern ) Nieuwpoort Ysermonde 13th of April 2024 : 

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Continuing walking on the promenade aside the marina : 

 

97/ Avocet ( Recurvirostra avosetta - Kluut ) Nieuwpoort Ysermonde 13th of April 2024 : 

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We even saw some seals ....

 

And a few of the 17 present :

98/ Curlew ( Numenius Arquata - Wulp ) Nieuwpoort Ysermonde 13th of April 2024 : 

 

 

 

 

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In the afternoon a walk in the " Simli  Dunes " where last year I had a picture of the Nightingale ; heard him but alas couldn't take a picture for now at least and will return in May 

Quite a few Linnets ...

 

And also some close-ups of the : 

99/ Willow Warbler ( Phylloscopus trochilus - Fitis ) Nieuwpoort Simli Duinen 13th of April 2024 : 

  

 

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Sunday morning very early we went to Woumen close to Diksmuide where I had also been last year but this time with a mission : 

As some of you may know , a pair of white-tailed eagles is breeding in De Blankaart nature reserve in Woumen: a first for Belgium ! This pair of white-tailed eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) first took up residence in the De Blankaart nature reserve in West Flanders last year in April. During the autumn the couple constructed a nest, in preparation (hopefully) for laying eggs this spring. The good news is that they have. This is the first time in modern times that white-tailed eagles have bred in Belgium.

The incubation process will take approximately 38 days, so all eyes will be peeled for the end of April. It will take another two months before the chicks can move around, so sometime in July.

I was of course hoping to see one of the two birds , called Betty and Paul , not easy because the security measures are tight and you can only have a try  from more than 400 meters away : 

 

 

 

 

The romantic bridge from where I took my pictures early and late morning ... ;  is there a better way to reach my first "local Belgian" 100 for this year ? 

100/ White-tailed Eagle ( Haliaeetus albicilla - Zeearend ) Woumen De Blankaart Reservaat 14th of April 2024 : 

 

 

 

[PeterHG]

Congratulations, Peter! What a wonderful bird to celebrate the first century with. Let’s hope the breeding attempt will be successful and will lead to more eagles breeding in Belgium in the years to come.

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Thanks a lot Peter and let's be optimistic ! 

[Zim Girl]

A wonderful bird to celebrate your century!

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Along the waterline together with an Oystercatcher a group of : 

 

101/ Common Redshank ( Tringa totanus - Tureluur ) Nieuwpoort Ysermonde 13th of April 2024 : 

[Tdgraves]

Congratulations on your opening century 

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Thanks a lot @Zim Girland @Tdgravesfor your appreciation !

[TonyQ]

Well done on passing 100, and with a special bird

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Thanks Tony ; I was lucky to arrive early to see it land and stay on the nest for a while ; used my 1,4 x teleconverter to take the shot 

[michael-ibk]

A great bird for the #100 milestone!

[Peter Connan]

Congratulations! What a bird!

[xelas]

Reaching #100 is an achievement, yet you have seen them all in your country, and that counts double! Congratulations!

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Thanks a lot Michael, Peter and Alex ! At least I’m not overlapping anybody for the moment with my birds being the only Belgian birder on the BY  It has to be said that I am surprised to have arrived at that difficult milestone so early even earlier than last year because after a flying start with more than 50 in a month the weather and my obsession with woodpeckers slowed me down but the last weeks have been great ;  looking outside the rain and cold might hamper me again but as I understand my birds count double so I am in no hurry