holidays in The Netherlands

Our holidays are spent on Schiermonnikoog in The Netherlands, with some birding in other parts of the north of the country. The first weeks of July are normally quiet, no exception this time...

In the wetlands around Groningen it is nice birding in summer with lots of waders, ducks and the like. Always Spoonbills around, as well as breeding Whiskered Terns. Two Flamingos giving distant views were a nice bonus. On Tuesday the 2nd I added a Cetti's Warbler near Groningen on my old municipality-list. At Fochtelooerveen I saw two or three Short-toed Snake Eagles (distant views though), some seven or eight Hobby's and a few Cranes. Long time ago for me😊

On the island of Schiermonnikoog it is the most quiet period of the year, but nice birding with a good deal egrets, Spoonbills and the more common species. Some pictures below...

adult Whiskered Terns

Great Egret on the Westerplas, Schiermonnikoog

Greylag Goose

 female Shoveler

 male Mallard

female Mallard with grown young

House Sparrow

adult Stock Dove

Pheasant

Cranes

Spoonbill has a breeding colony on the island of Schiermonnikoog

Spoonbill

Sand Martin

BRW still present

Visited the Blyth's Reed Warbler again today. Saw it this time, but no pictures alas. It was still singing loud, but different from as last week. Hear below. At Kalandsviken a few House Martins, a lone Swift and Whinchat with food for it's young, as well as the usual suspects like Reed Bunting and Meadow Pipit

Meadow Pipit

🎤BRW

🎤BRW

Blyth's Reed Warbler at Kalandsvannet (where else)

 Yesterday a fine singing male Blyth's Reed Warbler was found at Hamre at the Kalandsvannet. I visited this morning and could make some sound recordings despite the traffic...

🎤Blyth's Reed Warbler

 🎤Blyth's Reed Warbler

another new one for Bergen: Red-backed Shrike

 There was reported a fine male Red-backed Shrike at Tausamyrene, Gullfjellet in Bergen on Tuesday by Walter Lemme. I tried it this morning (had to hire a car, because Anne needs it for a week in Sweden😏). To my astonishment, I found a female before I saw the male (a pair!!). I was joined by Frode Falkenberg shortly after. Together we watched the birds for a while. Unfotunately the battery of my camera was dead before they came closer (the other one not with me…).

The birds seemed stable in the area and the area seems good for a breeding pair. Let's hope they stay and succeed in breeding and raising young! Anyhow, bird species nr 195 for my Bergen List😊

male Red-backed Shrike

male and female together (photo Frode Falkenberg)

Common Rosefinch in Bergen

 Twitched the Common Rosefinch at Kalandsviken yesterday. A new species for Bergen for a long time. It was a 2nd year male and was singing quite well every now and then.

🎤Common Rosefinch

Quick twitch on wednesday, beautiful White-backed Woodpecker on friday

Warm and nice weather, but also working. On Wednesday Eirik Adolfsen found a subalpine warbler on Herdlevær. It was skulky, but steady. I had only a couple of hours before work and drove from Bergen. At the spot the bird was still difficult, but after some 20 minutes it showed itself. It was a pale, female bird. I studied it for some ten minutes, before I had to go home again, not knowing which species it was, but later on the day pictures showed the tail pattern with a lot of white on T5 nailing the bird to be a Eastern Subalpine Warbler Curruca cantillans. Good work , Eirik!

foto's by Stein Rune Risa

On friday I made an easy walk at Kismul, resulting in the usual suspects as Garden Warbler and Icterine Warbler, but also a showy male White-backed Woodpecker. Not often this species is showing itself like this to me!

male White-backed Woodpecker

🎤White-backed Woodpecker call

Grasshopper Warbler on Herdla

 Today after a busy work weekend, I made a trip to Herdla. It was nice spring weather with lots of singing birds. In the south west corner of the reserve I found a singing Grasshopper Warbler. Always nice to hear (and see) this species. I found out that it was only the second record for the island (one in September 2014). I made a sound recording and a record shot...

Further two Icelandic Black-tailed Godwits, a group of about hundred Golden Plovers, displaying Dunlin, noisy Long-tailed Ducks and a singing Lesser Whitethroat among others.

record shot of the Grasshopper Warbler

male Northern Wheatear

🎤 Grasshopper Warbler

🎤Long-tailed Duck

🎤Lesser Whitethroat

Black-tailed Godwit in Bergen

 Duing the last week I was a few times out in Bergen. Still cold with northern winds. Two Mandarin Ducks returned at Midtun. At Flesland two or three singing Goldfinches and at Stend a nice Black-tailed Godwit and a noisy Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. A remarkable lack of redpolls by the way. I presume they will come later...

Black-tailed Godwit (probable islandica)

darkish alba White Wagtail

around Bergen

 The day off and home alone. I took the opportunity to visit northern and eastern Bergen. I began at Sæterstølen, where to Green Woodpeckers called a lot. I didn't see them though. Here also a pair of Willow Tits (a little bit of pishing made them very curious) and a singing Hawfinch. Then I visited Garnes where a Black-headed Gull and three Velvet Scoters were present. Unneland was very quiet. At Kalandsvannet one of the two returned Red-throated Divers was present as well as a small group of Meadow Pipits. I hoped to see the Golden Eagles that usually are around Gullfjellet, so I drove the long road through Bontveitdalen without seeing them. Instead I found a Mistle Thrush at Hausdalen. I was with some other thrushes (Fieldfares and Red-winged) feeding on the fields. But it quickly disappeared in the trees, where I saw it shortly. After that I couldn't find it again. Nice anyhow. On the way home I drove along Nesttunvannet where to pairs of Teal were present...

a nice pair of Willow Tits showed very well at Sæterstølen

a cold but beautiful day

 Went for a short visit to Flesland gård. It was beautiful cloudless weather, but the northern wind made it feel quite cold. No silent birds today. All of them showed lust for life. There were 17 Greylag Geese on the fields and a few migrating birds. On the airstrips two Ringed Plovers were flying around. Further a good deal of migrating Blackbirds, Fieldfares, a Song Thrush, Meadow Pipit, heard only White Wagtail (or yarrellii) and a Goldfinch.

And a Dipper was at Fana kulturpark😊

a little bit of spring on Herdla

 Yesterday I visited Herdla for the first time this year. Nice, but cold walk around the reserve. It gave a bit of a spring feeling with all the (sometimes displaying) Lapwings, Oystercatchers, the first Ringed Plovers and singing Sky Larks. Otherwise a Greater White fronted Goose fabalis and an early Bar-tailed Godwit...

fabalis Greater White-fronted Goose

one of the 25 or so Oystercatchers

Earlier in the week I recorded a singing Hawfinch in Christieparken with the Song Meter Touch- app on my phone. The app is meant to record nature sounds. Quite good quality. It proves handy if you don't have the normal recorder with shotgun microphone with you (which is quite often...). Below you can hear the result.

🎤 Hawfinch

First twitch of the year

Three Wood Larks are present on the farm lands of Terje Håheim in Etne since November (!). This lark was not on my Hordaland list...

But this winter is a bad one. I have been busy with other things, all too often ill or the weather was too bad. Yesterday, at last, I made the three-and-a-half hour drive from Bergen. I was met by an enthusiastic Terje, who showed me around. After about  three quarters of an hour we found them back on one of the acres. The birds were shy and could not easily be approached. After a few attempts to get some images I left them alone... Terje, thanks for the coffee!