Summary of the trackings in autumn and winter 2010

I decribe below the highlights of the autumn season from August till December. You will see that some ordinary birds like the starling and first year male blackbirds are really beautiful. In the field you don't realize that, till you held them in your hand. Let's have a look. . .

Ooijse Graaf:

5 September:

First a photo of the ringing site, Fabian and Bram ringing:

Common Whitethroat, adut male

Sedge Warbler

Grasshopper Warbler,  the beautiful striped undertail coverts:

17 October
male Blackbird first year: beauty in black!

Dunnock, we catched two of them:

Starling

De Meintjes

18 August

Our first Tree Pipit in the Meintjes; we  trapped two of them in the clapnet

Fabian with the two tree Pipits

Kingfisher,  1 year female: red underbill, greenish plumage

11 September

Pied Flycatcher, 1 year

19 September  

We had some problems with  the drainage of water. After some digging it turned out that a huge eel was blocking the small water pipe.
On his way to open water he was getting stuck in the small drainage. 

25 September

Jay: we catched two of them and that is a quite good result as we don't trap them very year.

Have a look at the coverts at the wings. You see the difference between the young bird and the adult one.

first year bird

adult bird

Bird ringing can also be a rather painful hobby: Fabian's thumb is strongly grasped by the Jay. Only after some time the Jay let off.

Gerrit and Fabian with the attacking Jay

3 October

We trapped our first and only Grey Wagtail of this year.A first year bird has buffy breast and a white throat. Adult plumage is worn. This bird has a fresh plumage.

Grey Wagtail, first year

10 Ocober

After the severe winter we were glad to trap a second Kingfisher. They are back in the Meintjes. The black bill indicates that this bird is a male.

Kingfisher, male

19 December

This year we trapped for the first time in winter. There were not many birds around. We trapped only 3, but 2 of them  were trapped for fist time in the Meintjes: Skylarks.

Hans and Fabian with the 2 Skylarks

Autumn at Schiermonnikoog (25-29 October 2010)

Arrival on Monday morning at 10.15. A little bit cloudy with a strong wind (force 5). From a distance I see some people at the Waddendijk. They are probably watching the Desert Wheatear, which was discovered yesterday. Just arrived at the spot it turns out that the bird has flown into the Banckspolder. Fortunately we discover the bird sitting on a blue fence wire at a distance of 150 metres. Through the scope I see a little light brown bird balancing in the wind. We are just arrived und have already seen a rare bird.

We move on to our appartment in the centre of the village. In front of our appartment there are bushes with berries where  Waxwings had their breakfast this morning. At the moment Redwings and young male black birds are eating from the berries. These 1st year  birds are very beauriful with their dull black plumage being in contrast with the red berries. Even the bill is black.
We cycle along the yacht-harbour and the Waddendijk. In the harbour we hear and see 3 Horned larks flying over. Meanwhile it is high tide. At the "hoogwaterplaats" (small area of mud left uncovered by the sea where birds roost during high tide) beside the harbour are roosting  especially Oystercatchers, Red knots and Bar-tailed Godwits.
Some hunderd metres further along the dike I discover a red-throated diver in partial summer plumage. The grey head and the red throat are very clear to see.
The weather has become better: no clouds and the sun is shining.

Then in front of me I see a dark gull approaching me along the dike. The gull has white spots on the upper- and underwings : a Great Skua!

What a great start of our first day at Schier: a Desert Wheatear, Red-throated diver  and a Great Skua.
We cycle on. After the ferry harbour we see a Whimbrel fouraging in one of the pools beside  the cycle track. Via the "kwelderpad" and the "Johan de Jongpad" we cycle through the dunes to the Wasserman, a  German Bunker from World War 2. The dunes are full of Trushes like Blackbirds, Redwings, Song Trushes and Fieldfares. In the innerdunes Robins are producing their typical ticking call.
In the holy park "Klein Zwitserland" we are looking for the Waxwings. At the small postoffice I hear their typical call. A flock of 10 Waxwings are eating berries from a hawthorn very close to the road.. The are not shy and we can watch them in a close distance. But they don't like cars , so the birds fly away when a car is passing the bushes. The birds stay away for a couple of minutes and then return to their meal.

At the end of the afternoon I return to the "Waddendijk" hoping to see  the Desert Wheatear in a closer distance than this morning.I'm lucky: she (it is a 1st year female) is sitting on the wire alaong the ditch that runs  parallel to the cycle track. She dives to the ground frequently to look for food between the old crop.  Some metres further she lands again on the wire.
We can see the details of the bird very well: the almost black tail , fully pale beige colour of the breast, mantle and head. When the sun disappears behind some clouds I see a more greyish plumage, black greater coverts (grote dekveren), dark primaries and seconadries (hand-en armpennen) with pale shaps. No supercilium. This young female is off course. Could it be a Eastern bird? Probably yes. Desert Wheatears are mostly seen in autumn. I saw my first Desert Wheatear 10 April 2005 in the Fochtelooër Veen, my second bird on 16th November 2008 on the beach of Nordsee coast.

Before sunset a quick look at the "wad", where it is low tide. Some curlews, Bar-tailed Godwits, Shelducks and Grey Plovers are fouraging. Sometimes I hear their melancholic call. At the "jachthaven" a flock of Bramblings is fouraging in a hidden way between the seaweed. First I don't recognize the call, it isn't the typical Brambling call, but a short finchlike call. At the end of the harbour I see one spotted redshank on the wad.

It is round 6 pm and I'm getting cold and hungry. I turn back to our appartment  to cook a substantial meal. At 18.15 I get a phonecall: a bluetail has just been seen at the Monnik, a holyday park. It's already getting dark, so I decide to check the place tomorrow

Tuesday:
the day starts with sunshine. I cycle to the Monnik. The guys of the JNM have already checked the bushes and trees. No Bluetail is found..
The wind is blowing from NW, there is a no migration. I take some pictures of  Sanderlings in beautiful light on the beach of the Marlijn.

A Horned Lark is flying over the beach and lands in front of me. The bird is calling till his mate passes by. Both birds continue their flight. The clouds are coming and the the rest of the day is gloomy. On my way back to the voillage I see a hunting Merlin. Barnacle Geese are feeding on the meadows south of the village. In the afternoon it is raining.

Wednesday:
heavy clouds, no sun. We walk across the Westerstrand. Some Common Snipes and only 1 Jack Snipe are flying up.. Barnacle geese are feeding along the wet and mud places.

On our way back to the village we pass the site of the Waxwings, which are still there. Together with blackbirds they are are eating the berries .

Nearby I hear a treecreeper. Unfortunayely it is'n t the Scandinavian Treecreeper. The bird has a smaller step between the 6th and 7 primary. The certhia familiaris (the Scandinavian subspecies) has a longer step, lower flanks greyish-white to white, a prominent white supercilia, that is wide behind the eye. This bird has a clear one, but no longer step, which is distinctive.

In my opinion there are less Dark-bellied Brent Geese than in other years. I see mainly large flocks of Barnacle Geese

Thursday: After breakfast I'm sitting an hour or so in the hide at the Westerplas. It is a good site to watch the ducks.: Shovelers, Gadwalls, Common Teals and Pintails. Especially the Shovelers are coming close to the hide:

Then raptor time is starting at the Westerplan. A hunting Goshawk causes a lot of panic under the waterfowl : all the ducks are flying up. After some time a Sparrowhawk is skimming over the stretch of water , which makes less impression on the waterfowl then the Goshawk. There is no sign of panic or alarm. Around 10.00 I start to pack up my things and meanwhile I'm scanning the surroundings with result. At the left side I see a raptor approaching at full speed the hide. The bird is brown with a clear  mustache.  The immature Peregrine Falcon turns to the right and is crossing the water. Strange enough the waterfowl doesn't react to the hunting Falcon.

It is a beautifull start of the day, but rain is in the air. At 10.30 it starts raining.
In the afternoon the weather is becoming  better. I go to the jachthaven again, hoping to see Twites. I haven't seen or heard them this week yet. However, today I'm overlooking these birds again. The Red-throated Diver is still there an swimming not that far. I have my boots so I can approach the bird over the dry wad to make some photos.

Along the Waddendijk 3 Snow Buntings, in the Middle Dunes a lot of flying Siskins and Bramblings; besides the cyle track through the salt marsh 3 little egrets, Reed Buntings, Goldfinches and Meadow Pipits. At the Marlijn (Restaurant) we walk some kilometres along the dunes. In the wet parts of the beach a lot of Common Snipes, no Jack Snipes. Along the track besides the dunes a lot of Goldfinches.
At least we cycle to the Strandhotel at the end of the "Badweg". Here we see a lot of Goldfinches too. We are suprised to see a lot of Seals resting on the sandbars. The group consits of 22 animals.

We can approach them easily , as there is a stretch of water between  them and the tourists. They stay relaxed till a wife is coming closer and stepping resolutely into the water. For some seals this is the sign to leave. Fortunately the wife is recognizing the results of her behaviour and walks back. The rest of the seals stays at the sandbar.


  One white seal is resting apart from the group.

To end the day we visit, of course, the Jachthaven, to check for some unexpected stuff. There is only a first year Wheatear scratching around. In the Banckspolder a female Hen Harrier glides over the fields.

Friday 29 October: our last day at the isle. We pack our bags and leave it in the appartment. The weather is gloomy with a strong wind. Where is the promised thinny sun? We cycle to the Westerstrand first. A lot of goldfinches are feeding at thistles. Flocks of Barnacle Geese are flying from the Wad to the meadows. We make a last try to see the Twites at the Jachthaven. This time we are lucky. A flock of about 20 birds is feeding in the "drijfzandbak", a small area surrounded by a small dike, wihich contains dried mud and plants with seeds. You can see the small yellow bills very well in the scope. Some birds have the pale pink-coloured glow on their bellies. The birds are very restless: the are feeding for some minutes flying from one plant to another  then flying away across the dike, coming back again for feeding and flying away again. The 4 Horned Larks are quite easier to watch. A watery sun is shining now. We visit the hide at the Westerplas for a last view. Pintails, Shovelers, Common Teals, Wigeons are swimming close to the hide. At 13.45 we leave to the ferry and cycle on the track on the innersides of the Waddendijk hoping to see the Desert Wheatear on our way back again. She is still there, on the same spot as Monday. I take some pictures. After a suprising welcome at Schiermonnikoog now a suitable goodby by the same rare bird.

The next day, Saterday 30 October, we hear that the Desert Wheatear has left the isle. It is well-known, that Wheatears continue migrating at the end of the day, as they can orientate on the setting sun. Probably this bird did the same.

survived with a deformed bill

At 5 september a Reed Warbler with a remarkable deviation was trapped in the Ooysche Graaf. The bill of bird was deformed. Look at the picture below.

You can see that the under bill is bent to the back, probably caused by an accident. On the next photo you have a better look at the bill.

Remarkle is the fact that the bird is an adult bird in good condition. Despite this handicap the bird manages to survive and to feed .

Other interesting species trapped: a White-spotted Bluethroat and a Grasshopper Warbler. I'm always strucked by the design of the undertail coverts.

The Bluethroat at sunrise:

Aquatic Warblers: Ringing at "Castricum"

Just returned from our birding tour in Eastern Poland we could assist at the ringing station in the dunes of Castricum for a couple of days. In the begining of August they catch at this ringsite the first Aquatic Warblers . In Poland we have seen these Warblers in their habitat: the low sedge marhes of the Biebrza. Here in the dunes of the Netherlands we hope to have a close look on these birds and even hold them in the hand.
On the first day, 5 August, we arrive at 5.15 am at the site. Jan Visser has already opened  the nets. It's a quiet day, no large numbers.

Jan Visser en Fabian

Some fotos of the birds trapped on this day:



green sandpiper



Nightingale, juvenile; You can already see the typical colour of the tail

Nightingale, adult

Next day, 6 August , we arrive at 5.15 at the ringing hut. It's still dark. Jan and Hans are already there. We drink coffee before starting the first round along the nets. Shall we trap an Aquatic Warbler today?
According to the statistics the first birds should be trapped on these days.
At around 8.00 I walk along the nets of the "bridge section". The net close to the water was empty, but on my way back  I pass this net again and then I see a small bird flying into the net. I've a close look on the bird and see a sedge warbler with a yellow median crown-stripe! That must be our first Aquatic warbler! I extract the bird from the net and study all details of the feathers togehther with Fabian. Then we go back to the hut, where the bird is ringed.

Aquatic Warbler, juvenile; the median crown-stripe of this bird isn't that broad

 Birds trapped today: 138  (22 species)
 Some species+ numbers:

green sandpiper 4                           nightingale 14     
reed warbler 31                             grasshopper warbler  14
whit-spotted bluethroat  4              lesser whitethroat  5  
common whitethroat  4                  willow warbler  11


Saterday 7 August: our last day. We are lucky: a second juvenile aquatic warbler is trapped. This bird has a beautiful median crown-stripe and a broad supercilium

 Birds trapped: 101 , 22 species, among them:

 green sandpiper      7                 greenshank  1
 spotted flycatcher   1                 common whitethroat  10

 icterine warbler       1                 reed warbler   17

    

Eastern Poland : Summer 2010

From 18 July till 2 August ( 2 weeks) we visited the Biebrza marshes and Biolowieza. Greater spotted eagle, Hazel Grouse and the Tree-toed Woordpecker and bisons were the target species. We already yisited Poland 5 years ago . We stayed  in the Biebrza marshes and the Biolowieza forest too
In spring a lot of rain came down in Poland. Still in summer we could see rivers full of water and flooded meadows.We arrived on sunday at 16.30 in Brzotowo. The weather wasn't good. There was a thunderstorm above the biebrza, which didn't move at all.We were hungry and we decided to drive to Wizna and have a good meal in the Youdans Bar. Sitting outside (the temperature was pleasent) we watched the river and the slowly disappaearing thunderstorm

At 19.30 we went back to our basic campside. It was dry and we build up our tent. The water level of the B was high and reached the campsite. a lot of white-winged  terns were fouraging above the water in a close distance. A beautiful spectacle. Also a lot of calling hawfinches.

On Monday 19 July morning we awoke at 4.30 by the calls of the hunting terns along the riverside. In the red coloured  light of the rising sun it was an unforgettable moment.

At 7.30 we drove in the direction of Michy. At Loje we heard a singing ortolan bunting while driving. We stopped the car and found bird singing in a high pine tree. At Michy the water level was very high. A lot of white-winged tern were flying around .

A black stork was wheeling upstairs. We saw two species of harriers: a lot of marsh harriers and two male montagu's harriers
Other species here: kingfisher, great grey shrike, little tern.
In the afternoon we explored the surroundings of Wolka (road between Goniadz and Osowiec). Against the backlight an eagle with broad wings like a small White-tailed eagle was approaching us. The bird had a GPS tracker on his back . We identified it as a lesser spotted eagle.
In the evening we did some birding near the campsite: 1 male and two female Rosefinches. At this time of year they are difficult to find. The birds were flying around between small bushes near the river.
A crane flew over

From our watchtower at the campside we had a beautiful view over the flooded Biebrza. Cranes were passing by, 1 hunting white-tailed eagle and two resting.

At 21.30 - we just lay down in our tent to get some sleep after a intensive day - we heard a black-crowned night heron flying over.

Tuesday 20 July : first we enjoyed again the hunting terns just in front of us. A lot of them are juvenile birds.

juvenile white-winged tern

We went back to the spot of the Rosefinches. Nothing to see or hear. After a while we discovered some Rosefinches (females and juveniles) in the willow bushes. The birds are dificult to see and very restless. We could observe one juvenile very well. In comparison with female birds the young birds have a more grennish plumage and a more yellow bill. At 10.00 back on the campside. The terns were disappaeared. They hunt only in the morning and in the evening.
We packed up our tent and left to Wizna for lunch. During our lunch we had 6 gliding black storks in front of us. 
We crossed the bridge and turmed to the right and followed some kilometres the river to the south:
at least 150 great egrets, a lot of ruffs and one hunting white-tailed eagle.
In the afternoon arrival at the campside of Buddy, just in the middle of nowhere. Here we we got our  lesser spotted eagle moment"" : two birds, probably a pair were gliding above us. The male was calling and displaying with the typical rolls high in the sky.


In the evening we went to the sedge marshes south of Gugny. The sun was still shining and were attacked by .horse flies on the sunny spots and in the shadow by mosquitoes. These terrible combination of insects was there every day, especially in the alder carr woods and the marshes.
 At 19.30 had already the first singing aquatic warblers. Not that much as in late spring, but still enough to enjoy the song together with the beautifull landscape. At 20.30 the song activity was decreasing! Most of the birds remain hidden between the sedges.

Next morning we explored the area near to the campsite:
a male Grey-headed woodpecker, 2 hoopoes, hawfinches,
lesser spotted eagle hunting in the meadow in front of the campsite, later resting in a tree ,
4 cranes landing at the edge of the meadow.
Then a relaxed morning at the campsite ; we were just discussing what to do the afternoon as Tim de Boer phoned us: the GPS-tracked eagle is a greater spotted eagle!
We parked the car  at the same place we saw the eagle on Monday (Wolka). Out the corner of my eyes a saw something dark landing in the meadow. Some minutes later a big dark raptor is flying up. The bird landed in a poplar. A dark eagle with a yellow bill, it must be the greater spotted eagle. After a minute the bird flied up an started wheeling above us. We had a good view, and the light was okay!

greater spotted eagle

Meanwhile a singing corncrake in the meadows; it is 15.00 with a  temperature of 32 C! We were also rather surprised.

A black stork was passing by in this typical fly position: the neck hanging down and stretching forward.
In the evening we walked to the wooden platform, from which you overlook the lekking ground of great snipes. But it also a good site to see and hear the aquatic warblers. The weather was still very hot and at our way to the platform we were attacked by mosquitoes and horse flies.
The platform was a good place to stay: some wind and no insects.3 aquatic warblers were singing. It seems that they are singing in a close distance, till we discover one of the singing birds. He is singing in a greater distance than we espected.. In the scope with 40x  we can just see the stripes on his head and the typical pattern on the back. You can hear the song in a great distance.

Thursday 22 July: the wood behind Wolka must be exellent for White-backed woodpeckers. We started our tour at 9.00, but woodpecker-watching was very difficult because of the mosquitoes and the horse flies. The temperature was already 28 C ! We protected us with clothes and Deet. But inspite of the Deet my left hand was so swollen that you couldn't see the knuckles anymore. We saw a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and a Middle Spotted Woodpecker.At 10 we stopped birdwatching and drove to Goniadz for a swimm in the river Biebrza. Then we turned back to the woodpecker forest. At midday the insects were less active and we were more succesfull:

Back on the campsite a spend some time observing a family of red-backed shrikes



Friday 23 July: we left to the Biealowieza Forest. Target species for us : hazel grousse and Tree-toed Woodpecker and maybe the Great Snipe. In sumnmer it's difficult to see woodpeckers.We didn't see a lot of them, but we managed to see all species of the Biebrza. There was still one left: the Tree-toed Woodpecker. The bird lives in spruce forests, especially dead spruce forests. So you have to find these dead spruce forests. The estinmate population is around 150 pairs in the whole area, so it's not a common bird. We find one south of Bialowieza. And were very lucky to have a pair of them just within a short distance low near the ground on a spruce trunk.

At the famous woodpecker spot near Teramiska we saw only a Greater spotted Woodpecker and a beautiful calling Lesser Spotted Eagle resting in a tree

We found also trees with the typical feeding signs of the Tree-toed Woodpeckers in the bark

One day we visited the lake Siemianowka. The south-east side is the most interesting part. First we visited a ringing camp. The most trapped birds were Red-backed Shrikes, Great Reed Warblers and a family of Penduline Tits.

But the highlight was for us a meadow with a lot of sedge vegetation where we found 4 great snipes! The field was situated between meadows with cattle. When they fly up you see the differences between a Common Snipe very well: the obvious white feathers on both sides of the tail, the straight and strong flight (like a Woodcock) and the thicker belly.



On  Tuesday 27 July  we visted the strict reserve (only possible with a quide) very early in the morning : from 5.00 till 7. The strict reserve is not the place to see a lot of birds, although we saw a beautiful male White-backed Woodpecker and a juvenile Red-breasted Flycatcher.5 years ago we visited already the strict reserve, unfortunately with heavy rain. It was a special atmosphere, but we want to see the primeval forest on drier conditions.

It's a wet forest, in fact a kind of Amazon with moderate temperatures. But such wet conditions mean a lot of rain.The quide told us that there are 3 wolf packs in the Biolowieza National Park: one in the North, one in the Soutrh and one in the West.
After the tour a foto of us in front of the main entrance of the strict reserve:

                            from left to right: Daniel, Tjeerd, Jaap, Willem, Tammo and Fabian

After the quided tour We explored the forests of the Natioanl Park outside the strict reserve by bike searching for bisons. We found only frehs footprints and droppings. In the last years it's difficult to see the bisons in summer. There are become more shy  as 30 of them are shot every year, to keep the numbers on a stabile level.
So far we didn't see a many birds. We cycled on the long straight tracks and suddenly a flock of 5 Hazel Grouses flew up. They were feeding on the blueberries alaong the track. One male flew in a nearby tree and was sitting for some seconds on a branche.After that we could observe a female slowly disappearing in the wood.
In Kosi Most we saw a small dog-like animal with a dark mask. It must be a raccoon dog.

On Wednesday 28 July we tried to find a special and rare bird for Poland. It's a bird we have seen many times in Spain. A pair of Rollers breeds since serveral years in the very small village of Mikulicze, 50 km southwest of Hajnowka. The village has a wooden church and one klep.
The Roller was sitting on electricity wires.

On Friday 30 July we left Eastern Poland and headed West. We made a stop at a camp site near Poznan.
It was a succesfully birding tour. We have seen all target species, all woodpecker species, exept. . .  . the wryneck. There was a bird feeding on the ground near the camping entrance almost every day. Our four dutch friends saw the bird very regulary.  We didn't manage to see the bird.
To me the typical bird of Poland is the red-backed shrike.