Cretzschmar's Bunting update!

Forget the previous pictures, evening light is much nicer!

Cretzschmar's Bunting at Lauwersoog!

A stunning Cretzschmar's Bunting was found at Lauwersoog this afternoon. This first twitchable for NL soon gathered a large crowd, thanks and congratulations to Jeroen Breidenbach for finding this beautifull bird! (digiscopes below)

Bingo!

Dotterels in evening light at Anjumerpolder. Pininfarina could not have drawn the design of these birds, wow! Meanwhile Ezumakeeg is full of Swifts again, they are back.

(last ones are digiscopes)

another amazing garden bird

After last week's Little Owl today was again a big surprise; a Grasshopper Warbler was hiding in the back garden! It took some patience to have better views of this extreme skulker but eventually it showed, just next to the house!

I have build a nestbox for the owl and broke a whole in the wall (but haven't checked since). And the Swallows have returned again!

More spring/Lauwersmeer soon

at last, spring!!

We had to wait long for it but finally migration has really started. Only last week the first Swallows arrived here in the north but today there were 100's migrating along the coast. Also good numbers of Meadow Pipit and it was good to see the Yellow Wagtails had returned between the sheep.

On the ground there was also many action and the few bushes that remain on Eemshaven held many Robin, thrushes (including 5 Ring Ouzel) and both species of redstart. I have actually never seen such a high density of Robins!

Yesterday an early Caspian Tern was at Ezumakeeg but the best records were at home; 2 loudly calling Mediteranean Gulls migrated over the garden yesterday and today I was even more surprised to find a Little Owl inside the barn! This is a very rare species here, and I feel obliged to drill a hole in the wall and put a nestbox. Enough to do next week!

Black ice and Bananabills

Look for long-staying Yellow-billed Loons when roads are covered with ice. Today one was well-twitched at Grevelingen, in the same conditions as the previous twitchable which was as long ago as winter 1995-'96. The time that public transport was actually public transport, although the busses did not leave the garages on that day. I do not remember exactly how we got from the railstation to the Reeuwijkse Plassen but is was a combination of taxi, walking and sliding. The impressive bird showed really close sometimes and we could enjoy it's diving behaviour, slowly submerging like a submarine.

From the archives; December 1995 Reeuwijk (Nikon F801, Novoflex 600mm, Kodachrome64 and cheap slide-scanner).

Lauwersoog from above

A weekend with more flying than birding. I saw White-tailed Eagle and Bittern in Lauwersmeer but not close enough for a picture. More aerials on www.wykel.blogspot.com

Lauwersoog is an excellent spot for seawatching when winds are from Nortwest to North, I have seen Storm Petrel, many Leaches', Manx Shearwater, many many Sabines Gulls, all species of skua and Puffin from the harbour. Sardinian Warbler was here in november 1993 and Daurian Shrike in december 1996.