Henk Schut

Of course there was more to be seen than only new birds. We saw over 50 species and some very nice, like this Lanner Falcon. Not an every day bird. Also found it near the Tagdilt track.

#812 Maghreb Wheatear: In the place where we found a Pharao Eagle Owl we also found our Maghreb Wheatear. It was quite cooperative as you can see from the picture. A real showy bird. It is a split from the (now Eastern) Mourning Wheatear, that can be found in the Middle East.

#811 Thick-billed Lark: On the Tagdilt track near Boumalne Dades we found around 10 Thick-billed Larks close to the village. As these birds are nomadic it is not so easy to find them and that was probably the reason I missed hem in 2022. Here they are more or less regulars.

#810 African Chaffinch
Missed it in 2022 because I simply didn't know it was a separate species from our Chaffinch. Got it today and managed a good picture. Recognizable from the green back.
Three more targets to go this week.

#809 Levaillant's Green Woodpecker
The plan was to go to Oukaimden, but snow and fog stopped us. In the nearby Ourika valley we decided to do some birding and than continue to Boumalne dades (4-5 hours...). We managed to get the original two targets. Not the most difficult birds, but missed in 2022.

In 2022 I visited Morocco to find many new birds and some amazing landscapes. Today I am returning to Marrakesh in order to find some missed species in the Atlas mountains in the coming week.
Will keep you posted. The weather looks OK for the coming week...

#808 Gyrfalcon. Yesterday this bird was found on Texel and caused the first traffic problem on the island. It was during the Dutch Birding weekend and hundreds of birders were already present. I went today and saw the bird plucking a Wigeon. Nice! Attached picture is from yesterday by Hans Tetteroo.

A few years ago I visited Iceland as there are a few WP species to be seen there. I missed one…
I did not see a Gyrfalcon. The landscapes there are spectacular so I didn’t mind having to go back for it. But after today no need to go back anymore. It was found in Holland on Texel!

#798 Bonaparte’s Gull. Yesterday I managed to see this bird that is already 10 days around foraging between Texel and Den Helder. It follows the ferry. An American species, just like the Snowy Egret that I had to delete. Picture attached from a fellow birder.

In the meantime I deleted my number 798, the Snowy Egret. Studying the pictures I came to the conclusion, also after consulting others, that the bird in question was a Little Egret. In 1st winter plumage these two species are very hard to tell apart. I will place the next new sighting on #798.

Not so easy to get to the birding spots on Corvo. When you leave the road there are few paths. Mostly you go through the fields and other vegetation. On a sunny day like today the views are as stunning as the birds. This the ‘path’ we followed this morning.

#807 Cape May Warbler, a species I only could dream about. On one of the furthest points of Corvo, the Lighthouse Valley, this bird was found by the #1 of the WP listers, Pierre-André Crochet from France. This morning we managed to refind the bird and got magnificent views. A first winter female.

And here a picture of the Common Yellowthroat by a fellow birder. A skulky little bird…

#806 Common Yellowthroat. Twice I couldn’t find it this week after it had been reported. Three time lucky I guess. A common bird in the US but rare in the WP area. On Corvo it is a yearly visitor during migration and probably the last of my trip. No picture. It was a short view and moved constantly.

#805 Black-and-white Warbler
On one of the most difficult places to get to, but after a lot of climbing and a jungle-like experience I got to the place it was seen yesterday. And indeed after an hour it showed briefly at about 20 meters. Sadly it took off quickly and before I manager a picture.

#804 Great Blue Heron. A bit of excitement at the end of the day. Had already poored my red wine... but than this bird flew over the house and landed at the seaside near the airport. Half an hour later we found eachother but he saw me first so he flew off into the distance. Saw all the features.

Today one more new species: #803 American Redstart. It was difficult to get good views as it stayed high in the canopy. It was a female and by the looks of it a 1st year bird. Didn't manage a picture but attached the drawing that one can find in the Sibley Guide to American birds. Usefull book here.

Yesterday afternoon I probably had the species of this trip. The Prothonotary Warbler, #802 on my WP list. A rarity as it is only the 3rd time it has been seen in the WP! As it was hiding in the shrubs most of the time taking a picture was a challenge. I am happy with the result and with the tick!

#801 Bobolink. Missed it yesterday evening when it was seen around our house here at Corvo. This morning it was again present just opposite of the house. A bit like a female House Sparrow but bigger and bolder and with heavier striping. It does hide well within the groups of Sparrows.

#800 Yellow Warbler. This American species is a bird of early migration, but this one did not follow the right path and ended up on Corvo. Lucky me! It took some time to find it. Look at the first picture, can you locate the bird? It likes the thickets...

#799 Semi-palmated Plover. And I didn't have to go far. This one sat right in the middle of the runway. With two planes per day apparently the safest place to be. Almost identical to our Common Ringed Plover, but it has a smaller bill and less (or no) white above the eye.

Landed on Corvo this morning. 17 km2 of birding paradise when you are looking for american species during migration. The island consists of a runway, a small village and an old vulcano. The height difference is challenging and the weather differs considerable from the village to top of the vulcano.

After a long Summer with little birding migration time is of course the best moment to renew the quest for Western Palearctic birds. Yesterday I arrived in the Azores to look for American species that drifted this way. Started with one day on San Miguel. In the picture the village Furnas.

#797 Siberian Swift: Visited Cornaiano yesterday, close to Bolzano, Italy to look for this bird. Had amazing views between 19:00 and 20:00 hours when it made courtship flights after a Common Swift. Wings up and gliding... It's a bit of a long drive but it was well worth it!

At #793, the Siberian Tit, I mentioned that I did not manage a picture. Two days later we had a breeding pair not far from Kuusamo. This time I managed to get a picture. Not a good one but after some manipulation with the light it is just recognizable.

Our search for birds in Finland ended today. Of course I have to show the omnipresent Reindeer. They roam free and you always have to keep that in mind when driving. We had one close encounter.

And #796 of my WP list is the Hazel Grouse. We had trouble finding one but after a few hours we made contact as a male reacted to our tape. The whistling answer came and soon after we had briefly eyes on the bird. Bigger than I thought and quite nice. But alas, no picture as it disappeared quickly.

#795 Willow Ptarmigan. Not as easy to find as we expected. But this bird reacted to our tape and flew in, cackling away, followed by the partner. He or she sat in this tree and was happy to be fotographed.

#794 Western Capercaillie. We saw three this morning. Two females (see picture) and one male. They are BIG! The ones we saw were foraging alongside a country road. We could get to about 20 meters but than they took off.

#793 Siberian Tit. I saw it very briefly at the feeders close to Inari. The bird was quite nervous and didn't stay around. No picture therefor. Hoping for a second chance later in the week.
#WPbirding