After work we headed out birding some of the areas not too far north of Husum. Most of our birding was scanning over areas of flooded wetland or fields. In the evening light it was tricky but we had a pleasant enough evening featuring a nice array of species. Highlights included only my second and third ever White-tailed Eagle, as well as a stunning male Hen Harrier and a really smart perched up Merlin. Whooper Swan, Barnacle Geese and Spoonbills made up a pretty splendid supporting cast.
Species List: Shoveler, Mallard, Teal, Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Barnacle Goose, Greylag Goose, Wigeon, Tufted Duck, Kestrel, Merlin, Peregrine, Buzzard, Hen Harrier, White-tailed Eagle, Grey Heron, Great White Egret, Spoonbill, Lapwing, Dunlin, Common Snipe, Curlew, Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Meadow Pipit, White Wagtail, Swallow, Starling,
Saturday 29.09
For our first full day off Tim and I decided to head out to Helgoland, the famous landmark bird observatory where so many rarities are seen. Obviously the islands reputation preceded it, so we obviously had high expectations. And we were not disappointed. The first bush we looked into had a Yellow-browed Warbler in it, the first of an incredible NINE that we found across the island. Other regular migrants included Redstarts, Pied Flycatchers, Whinchats, Stonechats, Wheatears, Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs. Meadow Pipits adorned every area of lawn, all the while Chaffinches and Bramblings migrated overhead in their hundreds. The beach at the north had a Richards Pipit feeding among the Rock and Meadow Pipits, as well as five Shore Larks. The gull flock perched on the beach had a stonking 2cy Caspian Gull present. Even the boat over had goodies such as Long-tailed, Arctic and Great Skua, as well as Kittiwake and Red-throated Diver. To say that we were impressed with our first Helgoland experience would be an understatement.
-Barnacle Geese
-Caspian Gull
-Shore Lark
-Richards Pipit
Species List: Barnacle Goose, Greylag Goose, Pink-footed Goose, Wigeon, Common Scoter, Eider, Red-throated Diver, Cormorant, Gannet, Grey Heron, Kestrel, Peregrine, Sparrowhawk, Lapwing, Dunlin, Common Sandpiper, Curlew, Turnstone, Ringed Plover, Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Caspian Gull, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Kittiwake, Long-tailed Skua, Great Skua, Arctic Skua, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Shore Lark, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Tree Pipit, Richards Pipit, Grey Wagtail, White Wagtail, Swallow, Starling, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Lesser Whitethroat, Goldcrest, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Yellow-browed Warbler, Robin, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Redwing, Redstart, Whinchat, Stonechat, Wheatear, Pied Flycatcher, Spotted Flycatcher, Chaffinch, Brambling, Siskin, Greenfinch,
Sunday 30.09
As the software we were working on was being updated over Sunday morning we took a short drive to try and catch the two world ticks that were possible in the area; Black and Middle Spotted Woodpecker. The woodland was small but the birding was really good as we found ourselves surrounded by Marsh Tits whilst Hawfinches flew over. We only managed one of our Woodpecker targets; Middle Spotted Woodpecker, which Tim expertly picked out in the tops of the trees.
-Middle Spotted Woodpecker
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