Saturday, Febuary 6: Casp-fest

After a fruitless journey to Hoeksmeer and surroundings (no goose to be found), I again enjoyed myself with the quite huge amount of Gulls at the rubbish dump in Groningen. Amongs them, I came across an unprescendented number of at least 6 first-winter Caspian Gulls! That is...based on moult, pattern on the scapulars, tertials and coverts I was able to distinguish at least 6 different birds, but I wouldn't be surprised if one of these day it turns out that we're dealing with an even higher number. At one particular moment, no less than 4 Casps were together in one binocular-view, and there was literally not a single moment without at least one Caspian Gull on view. The birds were joined by the long-staying "intermedius" Lesser Black-backed Gull (ringed on the 31th of July 2009 in Musvaer, northern Norway, it has been seen on several locations in and around Groningen since its arrival in the beginning of december and is still surviving the harsh winter conditions), a "graellsii"-type Lesser Black-backed Gull (a bird that has obviously misinterpreted the weather conditions; we're dealing with a German winter here; just when you think it has been beaten...) and 2 first-winter Yellow-legged Gulls.
Gulls can still make my day, although I'm really longing to hear the first Chiffchaff! Pics on http://martijnbot.fotopic.net

Thursday, February 4: Gull-break

A quick look at the gulls at the Stainkoeln-rubbish dump during lunch break immediately brought my first Caspian Gull of 2010, quickly followed by a second one at literally a stone's throw away from the entrance of "my" school in the Euroborg stadium.

Monday, February 1: the first, the last

As I mentioned in my last posting: how bad could timing possibly be. Just when I was about to leave the country for at least ten days, a first for the Netherlands was discovered in the pittoresque village of Warga in the form of a Meena Oriental Turtle Dove. Not really a species that produces dirty underpants, yet a nice and instructive one that I really did want to see.
Nevertheless, when I found myself on the Canary Islands, the bird didn't really cross my mind very often. The birds I was looking at there were almost all better looking than the Wargae-dove, of course excluding the Chiffs, Tits and Robins. But when my return home came closer, I did start to feel the need to keep an eye on the recent sightings to be able to connect with it as soon as I had a possibility. For winter was still rearing its ugly head in the Netherlands (and will be doing that for some time, I'm afraid), I had good hopes.
The first possibility already came the first morning after my return on Sunday. The great disadvantage of being the last one to go and see the bird is that you have to refind it all by yourself. And that wasn't really too easy. It took over 2 hours and 241 Collared Doves before, just a moment before I really had to get back to work, the bird appeared right in front of me. It showed very well but for only 2 minutes, so the next job for me is to carefully study my/the pictures (see my website) and try to find out why exactly it is one anyway...

Friday January 22 - Sunday, January 31: Canary Islands

Just when in the Netherlands news broke about our first Oriental Turtle Dove, I was getting prepared for my ten-day-trip to Tenerife, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote. My main goals were both to visit some of my students who are doing their training period of 5 months there, as well as trying to make sure next year some more students can go and spend the winter on one of the islands. But of course in between appointments and visits, I was also looking forward to some sunshine and even more island specialties as far as birds were concerned. I've visited a lot of places throughout my favourite country, but until now I had never been to "Canarias", so there was enough to be enjoyed for me.
To cut a long story short: it was a very successful trip in all senses. The students were without exception doing a fantastic job, I've been able to obtain some more practical training places for the students to come and I've seen almost all birds I wanted and was able to see. New species included Houbara Bustard, Bolle's Pigeon, Laurel Pigeon, Tenerife Goldcrest, Tenerife Blue Tit, Tenerife Robin, Canary Island Chiffchaff, Fuerteventura Chat, Blue Chaffinch and Barbary Partridge, species to be expected but nevertheless noteworthy were for example Barbary Falcon, Trumpeter Finch, Lesser Short-toed Lark, Cory's Shearwater, Berthelot's Pipit, Cream-coloured Courser, Canary, Stone Curlew, Egyptian Vulture, Plain Swift, Pallid Swift, Southern Grey Shrike, Spectacled Warbler, Rock Sparrow and Spanish Sparrow, some of them also being new "island"-taxa.
Not a bad list at all for 10 days that were supposed to be for working purposes, but there was even more; let's call it the unexpected part of the island's avifauna. What to think about a drake Wood Duck I saw on some small pools on Tenerife? It might and probably will be just as escaped as any bird in the Netherlands, but somehow it felt better... On Fuerteventura I found a male Merlin and over 15 Ruddy Shelducks, and Lanzarote produced a Greater Flamingo, an Oystercatcher, 4 Black-necked Grebes and my best find (I guess...), a group of at least 5 Red-throated Pipits! I found the birds while vainly searching for the African Purple Swamp Hen that had been seen earlier this month on a golf court near Tias, and although the birds were very alert because of the contant "disturbance" by golf players, they showed quite well. I don't really know how rare this is, but I do know that I will probably never encounter such a group again.
Some pics of my trip (of for example the Red-throated Pipits, the Houbara's and the Wood Duck) can be found on my site http://martijnbot.fotopic.net

Saturday, january 16: Stainkoeln

Spent a few hours among the few gulls around the waste dump, and ended up a little confused but in the end a little proud too... (that's not prohibited, is it??). I saw and photographed a gull that didn't really stand out amongst the others, but did draw my attention. I have to be honest, at first I didn't really know what to think (I knew it was a Gull...), but the more I looked at it, the more I got convinced that it might be a Yellow-legged Gull. After having checked all plumage details as carefully as possible, I would, if necessary, have put my money on YLG. Some hours later, my suspicions were confirmed, it was indeed a Michahellis. I'm really glad to see that all the studying, reading articles and staring at gull pictures seems to be slowely paying off; I don't think I would have picked this fellow out (let alone recognized), let's say, a year ago. Pics of the bird at http://martijnbot.fotopic.net

Thursday, january 7: Yankee dude!

One day you talk about a false start of the year, and just four days later you find yourself eye to eye with my second ever american warbler (after the 2005 Red-eyed Vireo) in a backyard in Alkmaar. I think this is more or less what makes birds and birding so interesting and exciting! The story about the discovery is known, so I won't spend any more words on that part, but I really feel the need to (once again, I'm not the first and only one who does so) praise the incredible hospitality of the people in the neighbourhood. It's really not always self-evident that people like the fact that huge numbers of birders nose about in their streets and gardens, but the people in Ouddorp, Alkmaar, without any exception as far as I know, were the personification of hospitalty and kindness. Free entrance to backyards and even coffee and biscuits made this twitch very pleasant and memorable. May this be an example for future birding "events"! Oh, and the bird was fantastic too, by the way...!
Since I was quite close and in the winning mood, and the roads were accessible, I decided to give the Pallas's Warbler of Hoogkarspel a try. Just like his american collegue, this asian delight was also quickly found, providing beautiful and close views. Once again this bird confirmed what I already knew: they are one of the smartest birds to be found.
On the way back, 2 Woodcocks and an amazing 10.000 Greater Scaups could be added to a day list that might get me through some cold and white weeks to come. Pictures on http://martijnbot.fotopic.net

Sunday, january 3: Afsluitdijk

You can't always get what you want... A classic phrase, and more than suitable for today. Bart-Jan and I did really everything we could, from dawn 'till dusk, on the Frisian side of the Afsluitdijk as well as on the "foreign" side, but all we got were 8000 Scaups, 2 Woodcocks, 2 Red-throated Divers, 3 Peregrines and a Pale-bellied Brant. A false start of the year as far as species are concerned, but who cares... it's winter, what can you expect!?