On Wednesday I visited the Wedeler Marsch again and was looking for some Spring Migrants that were reported these days. So I made my trip with metro and bycicle and soon got some very nice birds. It started with numerous Teals and Wigeons. Two Mergansers were between them and two Hares on the fields ran away from me.
A few meters further a pair of Egyptian Geese was the first yearer, soon followed by many Skylarks and White Wagtails.
On the other side of the dike I soon found some lifers (well, less or more. I hadn't seen them yet since I am doing lists, but before I began I had): 27 Oystercatchers, 2 Redshanks and many Ringed Plovers searched their food in the mud. There were also 2 Dunlins and between the numerous Black-headed Gulls sat a Greater Black-backed Gull. Some Brent Geese were another yearer.
I then went to the Carl-Zeiss-birdstation, where other birders searched for birds I wanted to see aswell. Soon a Mediterranean Gull was found between the Black-heads. Another lifer I really badly wanted to find. Huge groups of Teals, Wigeons, Gadwalls, Pochards, Crested Ducks, 2 Goldeneyes and a pair of Pintails swam on the lake. Some Great Egrets fished in the background, a Crested Grebe just in front of me.
A veerry big group of barnacle goose sat in the grasslands. It must have been about 5000. Some Lapwings were displaying. Then suddenly a little falcon scared up the Gulls and Starlings and I had my first Peregrine for the year and finally quite good views on it.
Back out of the birdstation I found some Reed Buntings and another lifer, 3 Curlews in the grasslands. A few huge groups of Goldfinches passed me by and at least two Meadow Pipits searched for insects and apparently I photographed a Woodlark believing it was a Skylark. Two Muskrats sat in a canal behind the dike. The last birds I hoped for, had been seen in the last days, but wouldn't show up this day. Therfore I still need a White Stork on my year-list and still haven't seen any Shovelers in my life.
But this doesn't matter, I'll get to see them soon enough, of that I'm sure. Also was I compensated with the battle between a Hare and three Egyptian Geese, with 7 Roe Deers and also at the end of the day with a female Smew, showing quite well so that I even got good pics of it.
All in all it was a very successful day and I am very happy, because I now broke the 100 species mark for this year. 102 species to be exact. My trip on Wednesday yielded 8 yearers and 5 lifers. You can really feel the spring come, but I'm excited about was is going to come for April and May...
If any specialist would approve that the Lark in front is a Woodlark, I'd be very happy...
No comments:
Post a Comment