Biggest news is that I found out the other day that a fellow Indian PhD student at IFW Dresden just happens to also be a birder. Totally blown away! Thought I would never find another of my species over here :)
He told me about a nice location just behind our workplace where he recently found Reed Warblers. I was quite eager to discover this new spot, and find a new lifer. Today around 6pm I ventured there on my own, and discovered tree-lined fields of wild grains, wh=ith excellent views of Dresden city. When I reached the top of the hill a short 10 minute walk west revealed at least 4 singing male (Common) Whitethroats (Sylvia communis) as well as 2 singing Reed Warblers (Acrocephalus scirpaceus). That made 2 lifers, yes! The only other noteworthy sighting was a flyover Kestrel.
Other new yearbirds recently:
Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa stiata) - no joke! I was having a beer with friends in a Biergarten in the early evening, after work, and a single bird flew out of a tree for a minute to perch and call from a wire RIGHT overhead! It might have been the most odd and unplanned lifer ever! Luckily I was sober enough to ID it, without bins too because it literally was overhead, but buzzed enough to get extremely excited about it amongst nonbirder friends, who thusly became freaked-out.
White Storks - 3 spotted from the train I was on last Sunday (June 5) in Brandenburg countryside on the way back to Dresden from a visit to Berlin. I spotted 2 in flight, and the other was nearby landed in a plowed field. Still working on finding a Black Stork; one of these days!
Good birding and butterflying to all, and stay as cool as possible this summer!
nice!! :)
ReplyDeleteAugust 17, 2012
ReplyDeleteAre you or your "new" IFW birding friend still here at the IFW? I have recently arrived here on sabbatical, and would love to get some information about good birding spots in and around Dresden (i.e., within the public transportation system of Dresden). Please reply to ss23@ifw... (you know the rest). Thanks!