Walking to the IFW for some afternoon studying, and moreover to check on a running experiment, I passed a patch of thin deciduous trees when a thin, high-pitched, ethereal trill sounded; it was 2 Eurasian Treecreepers. Actually I didn't have my bins on me (naughty as usual), not expecting to come across much interesting I guess, and there would not have been any chance to distinguish by naked eye which specie of treecreeper it was, if it hadn't called. I am learning the songs slowly through xeno-canto, an excellent, fastly growing birder-shared database of uploaded bird vocalizations (it would be nice though to have a "Stokes Guide to European Bird Songs!").
By the way, Short-toed Treecreeper must take the award for the "Bird named for the Most Discrete Field Marking"! According to Birds of Europe (2nd ed. Svensson, Mullarney, Zetterstroem), the Short-toed is more likely at lower elevations (range map does show extensive coverage over most of continental Europe, except the tallest areas such as the Alps and Transylvania.) and often is found in parks and gardens in towns...but I am quite sure it sounded more like the plain (eurasian) Treecreeper. Well, it also is winter so they are all over searching for food! I will however have my bins on me tomorrow on the way to work, in case I have another chance to observe them, at which time I will check plumage details (pattern of wing-bar edges on folded wing, the presence of spots on the primary tips, relative bill length, etc...but toe length will be last for sure!) for a confirmation of my hypothesis. Good birding all! And let this be a lesson: don't ever leave home without some decent optics on your person :)
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Saturday, January 15, 2011
8 Yearbirds...in the city park!
Finally, today was partly sunny and unseasonably warm (~9C) and almost all the snow has melted...I had to see what was flying about! I went to the Grosser Garten (Dresden's Central Park) and took a leisurely 2-hour stroll to check out what was happening, and I was surprised a couple of times!
First there was a beautifully perched first-of-the-year (FOY) male Eurasian Sparrowhawk, with lovely rufous cheeks and breast, only shortly after discovering it, a Hooded Crow chased him away. But at least I had a nice opportunity to observe it fly, which is very sharp, quick bursts of wing beats between short periods of gliding; more reminiscent of a small Cooper's Hawk (or pigeon), than a sharpie I thought. Next surprise was a calling, and then found, FOY Green Woodpecker. She (its mustache did not have a red center) was all the way at the top of a leafless deciduous tree. I wasn't previously familiar with the Green Woodpecker's call before today, as I actually have only come across a few, but at first I thought it might have been some hawk; in fact it didn't sound completely unlike a Cooper's Hawk...a loud, startling at first, "kyu-kyu-kyuck". Then, a few moments later, a cacophony sounded as an adult Common Buzzard flew out almost eye-level, being chased by crows...these Dresden Crows were relentless today!
I learned, after initial surprise, that the bill (and eye-ring evidently) of the Common Blackbird "darken" in the winter...which I suppose means they become redder, especially at the bill base, as seen in the individual male in the above picture (click to enlarge).
Interesting also are the winter flocks of Long-tailed Tits. First of all I love these guys; they remind me of miniature Scissor-tailed Flycatchers...the most adorable birds I've seen so far! Most of the birds are actually the Northern European caudatus race, with a clean, pure white face. But today there was one Central European europaeus race, with the black nape extending in a black band across side of crown, over the eye but stopping short of the forehead (white). This is interesting because Dresden IS Central Europe, but about 99% of the birds I have seen thus far (in the past 2 weeks) have been of the northern race, and this specie is generally believed not to be migratory...hm.
Other FOY birds included: 2 pairs of Goosander (Eurasian Common Mergansers), Wood Pigeons, Great spotted Woodpecker, a male Chaffinch, and a flock of Greenfinches. The following is a full, annotated list of the species seen today:
Total number of species: 22
2011 Year list for Germany: 27
2011 Year list for Europe: 30
2011 Year list (total): 95
Mandarin Duck: 20+
Wood Duck: 1 drake, probably escape from Zoo's collection.
Mallard: x
Goosander: 2 pairs
Common Buzzard: 1
Eurasian Sparrowhawk: 1 male
Rock Pigeon: x
(Common) Wood Pigeon: 2
Great Spotted Woodpecker: 1 male, drumming
Green Woodpecker: 3+, 1 female seen.
Eurasian Magpie: 4+
Rook: x
Carrion Crow: x
Hooded Crow: x
Great Tit: x
Eurasian Blue Tit: x
Long-tailed Tit: 5-10 caudatus race, 1+ europaeus race.
Eurasian Nuthatch: x
Eurasian Blackbird: x
Common Chaffinch: 1 male
European Greenfinch: 4+
House Sparrow: x
Misses of the Day: Mute Swan, Starling, Jay, Jackdaw, Goldfinch, Robin.
Misses this year so far: Mute Swan, Ducks, Geese (Greylag even!), Jackdaw!, European Robin!!!, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Hawfinch, Eurasian Tree Sparrow...need to kick it up a notch before March!
First there was a beautifully perched first-of-the-year (FOY) male Eurasian Sparrowhawk, with lovely rufous cheeks and breast, only shortly after discovering it, a Hooded Crow chased him away. But at least I had a nice opportunity to observe it fly, which is very sharp, quick bursts of wing beats between short periods of gliding; more reminiscent of a small Cooper's Hawk (or pigeon), than a sharpie I thought. Next surprise was a calling, and then found, FOY Green Woodpecker. She (its mustache did not have a red center) was all the way at the top of a leafless deciduous tree. I wasn't previously familiar with the Green Woodpecker's call before today, as I actually have only come across a few, but at first I thought it might have been some hawk; in fact it didn't sound completely unlike a Cooper's Hawk...a loud, startling at first, "kyu-kyu-kyuck". Then, a few moments later, a cacophony sounded as an adult Common Buzzard flew out almost eye-level, being chased by crows...these Dresden Crows were relentless today!
I learned, after initial surprise, that the bill (and eye-ring evidently) of the Common Blackbird "darken" in the winter...which I suppose means they become redder, especially at the bill base, as seen in the individual male in the above picture (click to enlarge).
Interesting also are the winter flocks of Long-tailed Tits. First of all I love these guys; they remind me of miniature Scissor-tailed Flycatchers...the most adorable birds I've seen so far! Most of the birds are actually the Northern European caudatus race, with a clean, pure white face. But today there was one Central European europaeus race, with the black nape extending in a black band across side of crown, over the eye but stopping short of the forehead (white). This is interesting because Dresden IS Central Europe, but about 99% of the birds I have seen thus far (in the past 2 weeks) have been of the northern race, and this specie is generally believed not to be migratory...hm.
Other FOY birds included: 2 pairs of Goosander (Eurasian Common Mergansers), Wood Pigeons, Great spotted Woodpecker, a male Chaffinch, and a flock of Greenfinches. The following is a full, annotated list of the species seen today:
Total number of species: 22
2011 Year list for Germany: 27
2011 Year list for Europe: 30
2011 Year list (total): 95
Mandarin Duck: 20+
Wood Duck: 1 drake, probably escape from Zoo's collection.
Mallard: x
Goosander: 2 pairs
Common Buzzard: 1
Eurasian Sparrowhawk: 1 male
Rock Pigeon: x
(Common) Wood Pigeon: 2
Great Spotted Woodpecker: 1 male, drumming
Green Woodpecker: 3+, 1 female seen.
Eurasian Magpie: 4+
Rook: x
Carrion Crow: x
Hooded Crow: x
Great Tit: x
Eurasian Blue Tit: x
Long-tailed Tit: 5-10 caudatus race, 1+ europaeus race.
Eurasian Nuthatch: x
Eurasian Blackbird: x
Common Chaffinch: 1 male
European Greenfinch: 4+
House Sparrow: x
Misses of the Day: Mute Swan, Starling, Jay, Jackdaw, Goldfinch, Robin.
Misses this year so far: Mute Swan, Ducks, Geese (Greylag even!), Jackdaw!, European Robin!!!, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Hawfinch, Eurasian Tree Sparrow...need to kick it up a notch before March!
 |
| Nice looking Spruces in Grosser Garten; life continues in winter. |
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Bohemian Waxwings - Another Lifer!
I had my second lifer in 2 days, well sort of...
A few years back I had gone for an individual Bohemian Waxwing discovered on Sandy Hook, New Jersey with my bud Tom Reed. He saw the bird, but I only heard it call (distinctive) and saw a bird flying from a perch deeper into the woods that was probably him, but I didn't get a good enough look to feel confident about counting it as a lifer.
Yesterday, while walking to work in the morning (late morning, due to jetlag issues), I heard a cacophony of high trilly notes, waxwing-like, and so I looked up and back a bit from the direction I was heading in, and sure enough...a flock of 40-45 Bohemian Waxwings were perched in the canopy of a tall, leafless tree. If I had my bins, and was diligent, I should have checked the flock for a vagrant Cedar Waxwing :)
Winter flocks around here have also noticeably grew in size and thus simultaneously decreased in numbers (conservation of energy/mass). These consist of mostly Great Tits, then Long-tailed Tits, and a smattering each of Blue Tits, Nuthatches ("Kleiber" in German) and Chaffinches.
Weather is looking great for the coming weekend, so I expect to get out in the field a bit for some real observations; stay tuned!
A few years back I had gone for an individual Bohemian Waxwing discovered on Sandy Hook, New Jersey with my bud Tom Reed. He saw the bird, but I only heard it call (distinctive) and saw a bird flying from a perch deeper into the woods that was probably him, but I didn't get a good enough look to feel confident about counting it as a lifer.
Yesterday, while walking to work in the morning (late morning, due to jetlag issues), I heard a cacophony of high trilly notes, waxwing-like, and so I looked up and back a bit from the direction I was heading in, and sure enough...a flock of 40-45 Bohemian Waxwings were perched in the canopy of a tall, leafless tree. If I had my bins, and was diligent, I should have checked the flock for a vagrant Cedar Waxwing :)
Winter flocks around here have also noticeably grew in size and thus simultaneously decreased in numbers (conservation of energy/mass). These consist of mostly Great Tits, then Long-tailed Tits, and a smattering each of Blue Tits, Nuthatches ("Kleiber" in German) and Chaffinches.
Weather is looking great for the coming weekend, so I expect to get out in the field a bit for some real observations; stay tuned!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Zurich - Tufted Ducks!
On my journey back to Dresden I was stuck in Zurich, Switzerland for 9 hours before the connecting flight between the hours of 11:00 and 20:00 roughly...so naturally I had to do some sightseeing. I walked around the old town on both the east and west sides of the Limmat River. On the River towards the southern end, near the Fraumünster and Grossmünster churches (on the west and east sides, respectively), where flocks of Black-headed Gulls and a lifer: Tufted Duck! Here are a few pics, not great but close enough to ID without my bins (though I wish I had them with me instead of the locker at the train station!). Happy new year to all, and many lifers in 2011!
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