Spring slowly comes...

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...

The Duvenstedter Brook; second time

Last friday I went to the Duvenstedter Brook another time, as a Great Grey Shrike had been recorded there in the last days. And so I tried my luc and first found the 2 Whooper Swans from last time, 1 male Goldeneye and a Merganser pair. When I started my tour through the "plains" I was greated by a pair of Middle Spotted Woodpeckers, together with a pair of Greater Spotted Woodpeckers. After taking some pictures I moved on and found a group of 11 Fallow Deers and another 5 hopping away. Also was there a Roe Deer. Other interesting birds I saw were 3 Goldcrests, at least 14 Ravens, 4 Buzzards, some Rooks and some Jackdaws. And then finally I found the Great Grey Shrike sitting on top of a tree, but very far away. Therefore not much is recognizible on the picture... But I saw it and that's what counts. It even flew off its perch to hunt for mice, but as it didn't find anything it had just given me cool views of it flying...

A photographic journey with loads of cool birds

A trip around the Bramfelder Lake and the Seebek held again many interesting birds for me. Highlights for this day were 5 Mergansers, 3 Goshawks, 1 Eurasian Treecreeper, 6 Goldfinches, 16 early Starlings, 30!!! Grey Herons, at least 8 Hawfinches and the Eagle-Owl again. The day before I had seen another Little Grebe on the Alster

Just a short tour in my area

Last thursday I did just a little tour in my area and despite the Bramfelder Lake was frozen I still got some nice birds.
I got to see my first Goldfinches in this location (only the second time I see them in Germany, by the way), the first Black-headed Gulls are already changing into their summer plumage and some geese were involuntarily on the ice. The five Teals on the Seebek are still there (since 2 month already) and on my way back I got as close to a Buzzard as I have never been before. It had just caught a mouse and was feasting on it, while I could take some pictures from very close.

Second time at the Wedeler Marsch

Last Sunday I went to the Wedeler Marsch a second time, where I wanted to add some birds to my year list and also hoped for totally new birds and so I started in the morning with my bike and the metro took me there. When I arrived in Wedel, the first Jackdaws greeted me and after 10 minutes I got to the Wedeler Marsch, where the first birds where a group of 9 Greater White-fronted Geese in the very thick mist. Already the first new year birds. Some 50 metres away was a big group of Greylag Geese with a small troup of Barnacle Geese between. Second new year bird...
I passed several more troups of Greylags and got a group of 18 Mergansers. While watching them a big noise behindlet me turn around, but first I didn't see anything due to the fog. But then a big black wall of about 2000 Barnacle Geese came flying in my direction to land not very far away.
I drove on and soon arrived at the Elbe. Eventhough I was just 20 meters away I almost couldn't see. But then I finally found some birds on the water near the shore. Between another group of Greylags I saw my first Smew ever, about five minutes later I got to see my first Reed Bunting foraging in the shelf.
I then went to the Carl-Zeiss-Birdstation, a station to observe birds, where in the last days some very good birds had been reported but as only 2 days ago the night had been very cold again the seas had frozen again and all the ducks and other waterbirds had gone. The only birds I got to see were a Buzzard, a Black-headed Gull and 4 Mew Gulls. At least I met some other birders with whom I could talk a bit.
Then I drove on to find some more interesting birds. On the Elbe were 3 Dunlins "surfing" on an ice floe. Then I got to see the third absolutely new bird: A pair of Wigeons! Still the fog was too thick for good pictures.
After this I got some more good birds, like Bean Goose, Rough-legged Buzzards, a chasing White-tailed Eagle and a flyover pair of Great Egrets. I also got to hear two Water Rails and approached to 2m but I couldn't find them :(
I finally ended this very grey but still good day with five deers.
I ended the month january with a total of 76 species! Not bad, I think...

This is the only acceptable pictures from this day, cause I got quite close to the Bean Geese...