December 31st 2011

On the last day in 2011 I finally got out again to bird the Wedeler Marsch. I hoped for a new bird for the area or maybe even a lifer, but the result were 3 lifers and another 3 new birds for the area.

I started the day not in the Wedeler Marsch, but in Altona. There have been reported up to 3 Caspian Gulls and one Yellow-legged Gull from there, so aimed to get one of these. First I did not find anything apart from Black-headed, Herring and very few Mew Gulls. Then I spotted a Gull with white head on the other side of the Elbe 200m away. It is probably a Yellow-legged Gull, but I don't think I can be sure of this.

So I kept searching for interesting Gulls and finally was rewarded witht his second winter Caspian Gull

Then in the Marsch everything started very good as I immediately found a new bird for the area and one i hadn't seen since a few month: A Kingfisher.
Unfortunately the pics turned out horrible, as the bird was quite far away.

As I had to notice the bird station was closed today and I had to bird outside but this turned out to be great.
I soon found 2 Bearded Reedlings in the reed, were also 6 Reed buntings were feeding.
I saw as almost always in Wedel a White-tailed Eagle, that was hunting and a Greater Black-backed Gull harrassing it a bit.

I saw my lifer Water Pipit and a newbie for the area a Great Grey Shrike.

A Peregrine chased up all the Barnacle Geese and then the third lifer flew over me, a calling Tundra Swan!
Oh yes I also saw a beautiful fox, which was new tot he area aswell!

So I ended this year 2011 with a total of 250 bird species seen, 210 of those in Germany. I'm pretty happy about that, especially because almost none of them was twitched, but most were found by me.
Highlights of this year were for sure Red-breasted Goose, Ring-billed Gull, Cattle Egret and Pectoral Sandpiper in terms of rarity but also breeding Eagle-Owl, White-breasted Dipper in Hamburg, the Penduline Tit and the 65 Honey-Buzzards on one day and just every single lifer!