Berry Xmas!

Christmas came early for me during a short visit to Oslo last week.  I'm sure all of you have heard all about the unprecedented invasion of Pine Grosbeaks into southern Scandinavia this autumn, with record numbers reaching Denmark and Dutch birders especially expecting one or two overshoots.  There was a bumper crop of rowan berries in southern Norway, however, so the birds have stayed put.  I thus thought, if the birds won't come to me, then I'll go to them, so I headed out for a lightning visit and hired fellow expat bird-guide Simon Rix to take me straight to the birds.
He certainly knew how to keep things exciting, with his local flock dwindling to just five birds and him confidently predicting the berries would only last a few more days at the start of the week.  We started the day in the dark looking for a Great Grey Owl, which Simon had discovered a few days previously, but to no avail so we moved on to a nearby car park where a pair of Pine Grosbeaks fed happily right above us and gave us a sample of their various calls.  We then relocated to another fearless flock next to a petrol station which contained sixteeen birds, with passers by walking right underneath them.  Simon had obviously done his homework as at one point, the birds took off, but he knew exactly where they were heading and we soon found them again, all feeding in one tree.

Very pleased with my first and second encounters of these wonderful visitors from the far north, we then headed out of the slushy suburbs of Oslo into a winter wonderland looking for Three-toed Woodpecker, a species I've only ever seen briefly in Finland.  The forest was very quiet and the only birds we saw were a group of Parrot Crossbills right at the end of the walk, exhibiting their distinctive behaviour of picking off a spruce cone and flying up to another branch to feed on it.  Simon then dropped me back in Oslo where I had a short walk around the botanical gardens and enjoyed watching Brambling, Hawfinch, the very pale, northern race of Nuthatch and masses of Fieldfares before it got dark again all too quickly and it was time to head home.

Ode-vent Day 24

Although I didn't get to go back to the Amazon this year, I originally had the idea of an online advent calendar to showcase some of the pictures I'd taken there each summer.  For the final day, I thus have a small selection of just some of the odonata I have photographed in the rainforest over the years, starting with one of the helicopter damselflies.  These are extremely large, long-bodied damselflies which rotate their way slowly through the understory and never fail to impress the guests, no matter what they are interested in.  Happy holidays!

Ode-vent Day 23

The other seven (!) darters regularly occurring in Belgium all have orange to red abdomens and are notoriously difficult to tell apart.  The main features to concentrate on are the pterostigmata, markings on the thorax, leg colour, amount of black on the face, and both colour and shape of the abdomen.

Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum), is indeed one of our commonest dragonflies and can be found virtually anywhere.  It is, therefore, the default species when encountering any darter and so it is a good idea to familiarise yourself with it before trying to tackle the scarcer species.  Thankfully, the males have two distinct, greenish-yellow, diagonal stripes on the thorax, making identification realtively straightforward.  Note also the thin yellow lines extending along the predominantly black legs.

Ruddy Darter (Sympetrum sanguineum) has, as its latin name implies a much deeper, blood-red abdomen, which is also more waisted, ie narrowing at the base, than Common Darter.  Its thorax is plain brown, lacking the coloured stripes, and the legs are entirely black.

Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) is a formerly Mediterranean species which has colonised Brussels within the past few years and is now just as common as Ruddy Darter.  Males are very brightly coloured with a pale pterostigma, yellow patches at the base of the wings and the tell-tale red venation along the leading edge of the wings.

Ode-vent Day 22

And so we come to the Sympetrum darters, the biggest, commonest and most confusing genus of dragonflies in Belgium!  Females and immatures are virtually impossible to tell apart without examining their genitalia, while even the males of some species can be difficult to identify.  Yet another species mainly found on heathlands, this Black Darter (Sympetrum danae) is the exception to the rule since it is the only species with a black body.

Ode-vent Day 21

A male Yellow-spotted Whiteface (Leucorrhinia pectoralis) is pretty unmistakable thanks to the big yellow spot from which it gets its name.  At the western edge of its range in Belgium and thus quite rare, I actually took this picture in Poland, where it is more widespread.

Ode-vent Day 20

The genus Leucorrhinia, or whitefaces, is represented by three species in Belgium, all of which have red-and-black bodies.  They generally prefer heathland and are thus extremely rare in Brussels.  This is Northern White-faced Darter (Leucorrhinia rubicunda), which is mainly found along the Dutch border.  It can be told from White-faced Darter by its larger size, broader and more heavily-spotted abdomen, and red instead of black pterostigma.

Ode-vent Day 19

Superficially similar to the Scarce Chaser, Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthertrum cancellatum) is actually in a different genus, of which three species occur in Belgium.  It can be told apart by its longer, more narrow body and emerald eyes.  Keeled Skimmer is yet another formerly scarce species which seems to be rapidly colonising Brussels, whilst Southern Skimmer is still a rarity found only in the very south of the country.

Ode-vent Day 18

Belgium's third Libellula species is Scarce Chaser (Libellula fulva), which, as its name suggests, is the rarest of the three.  It seems to have undergone a rapid range expansion, however, and is now regularly found at several sites within Brussels.  The glassy blue eyes of the male are diagnostic while both sexes show small, dark smudges at the tips of the wings.

Ode-vent Day 17

Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula fulva) is easily recognised by its extremely broad abdomen and the dark brown patches at the base of each wing.  Females are coloured like the Four-spotted Chaser while mature males are this wonderful pale blue.  It is a widespread species found throughout Belgium.

Ode-vent Day 16

I had hoped to include Downy Emerald (Cordulia aenea) here, a medium-sized dragonfly with a metallic green body and bright green eyes.  It is quite common in Brussels, especially in the Sonian Forest, but is always constantly patrolling to and fro and never seems to rest, so that I've never managed to photograph one.
Moving swiftly on to the archetypal dragonflies, the genus Libellula, therefore, it is the turn of Four-spotted Chaser (Libellula quadrimaculata).  Another widespread species, it is especially common on heathlands but can also be found at a few well-vegetated waters in Brussels.  It gets its name from the distinctive, dark spots on each wing and is one of our most photogenic species.

Ode-vent Day 15

The clubtails are generally scarce and quite shy, with only two species found throughout Belgium but with a southerly bias, and another two extremely localised species.  They are all predominantly yellow and black or lime-green and black, but can be told apart by the pattern of the markings on the abdomen and thorax.  This is a Western Clubtail (Gomphus pulchellus).

Ode-vent Day 14

The Hairy Hawker (Brachytron pratense) is quite a scarce species in Belgium and another one which could be confused with the aeshnids.  It is smaller, however, and can be told apart by the pattern of blue on the abdomen as well as the distinct black lines on the green thorax.

Ode-vent Day 13

The Emperor Dragonfly (Anax imperator) is one of our largest species, superficially resembling a large aeshnid.  Males are distingushed by their green eyes, solid green thorax, and predominantly blue abdomen.  It is another widespread species and can be found constantly patrolling above the surface of most waterbodies.

Ode-vent Day 12

A rather nondescript hawker, the Norfolk Hawker (Aeshna isoceles) is restricted to a few sites in Brussels but easily recognised by its bright-green eyes, which contrast strongly with the very plain, cigar-like body.  Note also the tiny yellow nail at the base of the abdomen which is present in both sexes.

Ode-vent Day 11

And so we move on to the true dragonflies, starting with the genus Aeshna, or hawkers.  At least eight species regularly occur in Belgium of which the Migrant Hawker, Aeshna mixta, is probably the most common, especially in September.  Most hawkers can be identified by the mosaic pattern of predominantly blue and green spots along the abdomen, in combination with eye colour, and the presence or otherwise of coloured stripes on the side of the thorax.

Ode-vent Day 10

Of the three European featherlegs, only the White-legged Damselfly (Platycnemis pennipes) occurs in Belgium.  It is another early-flying species, appearing from May onwards, and is easily recognised by its broad, white legs.

Ode-vent Day 9

There are also two red damselflies and, again, the larger species is the commoner of the two.  This Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) is one of our earliest species to appear, in April and May, the peak time for the much scarcer Small Red Damselfly, which has an all-red body, being July and August.

Ode-vent Day 8

The two redeyes are easily recognised by their bright red, bulbous eyes and best told apart by size, as well as the shape and amount of blue on the abdomen.  This is the commoner Red-eyed Damselfly (Erythromma najas), which is generally on the wing a month or two earlier than the daintier Small Red-eyed Damselfly.  Both species are most often found perching on waterlilies and other floating vegetation.

Ode-vent Day 7

There are several bluets in the genus Coenagrion, but all of them have a different-shaped black pattern at the base of the abdomen.  In Azure Damselfly (C.puella), by far our commonest species, this takes the form of an elongated U, somewhat resembling a rugby goalpost.  Other, much rarer and localised species, have markings bearing resemblance to a chalice, a spearhead or even a spider.

Eilat day 5

I just had a few hours on my final morning before heading back to the airport for my early afternoon flight.  After the exertions of the previous day, it was hard to motivate myself to do anything since I didn't really expect to find any new birds.  There had been a very strong southerly wind the previous evening, however, which was whipping the sea into a frenzy more typical of Ostend than Eilat, so I visited North Beach once again, where this Striated Heron was calmly hunting its way along the row of buoys.  On the way there, 3 Common Mynah were feeding in Ofira Park, another species I'd not seen the previous days and which seems to have colonised the whole of Israel since my last visit, when it was only found in the north of the country.  An immature Armenian Gull was the third new species of the morning, thus taking my short holiday list to 77 species in 4 days.  I was also pleased to spot this lionfish loafing around the rocks within the harbour, before returning to the airport and the grey skies of Belgium.

Ode-vent Day 6

The Common Blue Damselfy (Enallagma cyathigerum) is another widespread and abundant species and the only European representative of a mainly North American family.  It is best told from the similar bluets by the distinctive mushroom-shaped black mark at the base of the abdomen.

Ode-vent Day 5

The bluetails are probably the best known of our damselflies with their distinctive 'tail-lights'.  The bicoloured pterostigma also helps tell them apart from other bluets.  Only two species occur in Belgium and most of Europe, the blue being closer to the tail tip on Scarce Bluetail.  This Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans) is one of our commonest and most abundant species and easily found wherever there is some standing water.

Eilat day 4

Spurred on by my success of the previous day, I took the early (06h30) bus to Uvda valley, an extremely remote and extensive wadi which potentially held at least five more lifers for me.  Before arriving in Eilat, I had no idea this area could even be reached by public transport but Noam's excellent directions convinced me to give it a go, especially since I was told there were lots of Temminck's Larks around.  I was thus hopeful of finding at least one new species but, once there, the plain seemed totally devoid of life, as is often the case in the desert.  The first bird I saw was a Hoopoe Lark, a highly sought-after species I'd only seen once before, although it took me quite a while to work out what it was in the early morning light.  I then found a swath of green stretching across the valley which was alive with wagtails, Stonechats, Desert Larks and Mourning Wheatears. Here, I spotted a small, black wheatear perched atop a bush and immediately noticed a more compact profile, more rounded head and shorter bill compared to the more elongated, almost Blue Rock Thrush-like profile of the many immature White-crowned Black Wheatears I'd seen over the past two days.  It soon dropped down from the bush and flashed white at the bases of the primaries, leaving me in doubt that I was watching a Basalt Wheatear!  This is an extremely rare and little-known taxon with an estimated population of just a few hundred pairs restricted to the basalt desert of southern Syria and northern Jordan, a very small percentage of which (probably less than 10 individuals) overwinters in a few scattered and isolated localities in southern Israel.  It is currently considered a subspecies of Mourning Wheatear but may well be raised to species status soon, so was a semi-lifer.  As exciting as it was, I still hadn't found any of my target species and it was already very hot out on the exposed plain so I pressed on, conscious of the need to get to somewhere with shade as the temperature rapidly approached 30°C.  Despite the reports, however, the only larks I could find were Desert and lots of Crested, so I reluctantly headed back to Eilat, where I could only muster the energy for a short visit to North Beach in the late afternoon, finally managing to identify some of the gulls as Heuglin's.  This is another taxon in limbo since it is either a distinct species or a Siberian subspecies of Lesser Black-backed Gull, depending on which authority one follows.

A desert in the desert; female Desert Wheatear which took me far too long to identify!

Ode-vent Day 4

Willow Emerald Damselfly (Chalcolestes viridis), is by far the commonest spreadwing and easily recognised by its cream-coloured pterostigma.  It prefers ponds surrounded by trees and hundreds of them can be found during late summer in places such as Rouge-Cloître/Roodklooster and the Sonian Forest.

Ode-vent Day 3

The Lestes, or spreadwings, are, as their name suggests, the exception among the damselflies since they perch with their wings open.  Not particularly common or easy to see, some of the five species occurring in Belgium are difficult to tell apart, with the amount and shape of the blue markings on males as well as the shape of the appendages at the tip of the abdomen being diagnostic.  Another very important feature for all odonata is the pterostigma, the coloured patch along the leading edge of the wings, which is dark in this Emerald Damselfly or Common Spreadwing (Lestes sponsa).

Eilat day 3

For my second full day, I headed up the Arava valley to Kibbutz Samar, which, I was told, was the place to find Black Scrub-Robin.  Sure enough, as soon as I got to the horse enclosure at the far end of the kibbutz, a beautiful Black Scrub-Robin perched out in the open before I'd even had a chance to get my camera out of my bag!  I didn't manage any decent pictures, therefore, even though I saw it two more times over the next hour or so but was very happy with my first, and probably most wanted, lifer of the trip.  Little Green Bee-Eaters (above) were feeding along the perimeter fence and I also photographed this butterfly which turned out to be a Desert White, another new species for me.
I then crossed the road to visit the kibbutz's sewage ponds, which held a Temminck's Stint and at least three Bluethroat, with a couple of Siberian Stonechats, a Hooded Wheatear and this Southern Grey Shrike of the local, aucheri subspecies along the way.

After that, I headed back into Eilat and returned to Wadi Shachamon to try and photograph some more butterflies since I didn't really have much time the previous day. The birds were pretty much the same as the day before and I only managed to get pictures of one new butterfly, this African Babul Blue.

On the way back, however, I noticed a big V-formation of birds in the distance and first though they had to be Cormorants, until I got my binoculars on them and realised it was around 40 Common Cranes, which proceeded to pass right above me on their way into Egypt!

Ode-vent Day 2

Beautiful Demoiselle (Calopteryx virgo) is the only other Calopteryx found in Belgium and most common in Wallonia, although a few individuals were found in Brussels this year, possibly indicating a northwards range expansion.  Males are told from the Banded Demoiselle by their solid black wings, while the wings of females are brownish.

Ode-vent Day 1

I'ts time for another online advent calendar!  Since I didn't go to the Amazon this year, and the 2015 edition featured Belgian butterflies, I decided to focus on Belgian odonata this year.  Odonata, or odes, as they are sometimes referred to, is the family comprising damselflies and dragonflies.  Many birders turn to butterflies during the summer months, which tend to be quieter for birds, yet are daunted by the thought of trying to identify the odonata due to the many similar-looking species.  With a bit of patience, however, knowing where to look for the distinguishing features, and a decent photo, one can identify most of the species which are likely to be encountered in Western Europe.

First of all, which is which?  Damselflies tend to hold their wings closed when at rest (although there are exceptions) and are generally smaller and dainter than the more robust dragonflies, which almost always rest with their wings outstretched.

Calopteryx splendens, or Banded Demoiselle, is common throughout Belgium, including Brussels, where it can be most easily seen in Woluwe Park.  Unlike most other damselflies, this family prefers running water and so is mainly found along streams.  It gets its name from the distinctive, dark band on the wings which is only present in males, the females having plain, greenish-tinted wings.

Eilat day 2 (part 2)

I then headed back to Eilat along the drainage canal, seeing plenty of immature gulls I couldn't identify as well as Black Stork and Caspian Tern, before heading up into the hills and Wadi Shachamon.  This wadi contains typical desert habitat right on the edge of town and used to be a regular wintering site for Pallid Scops Owl.  There have been no reports so far this winter but Noam was confident they should be back already and told me how to look for them so I was pretty confident I would find one if it was there.  It wasn't, of course, but I thoroughly enjoyed my first taste of desert birding in seven years, with White-crowned Black-Wheatear singing within sight of Eilat's last apartment blocks, Blackstart (above), one of my absolute favourites, everywhere, Palestine Sunbird, two Desert Larks feeding at my feet, and a pair of Scrub Warblers showing exceptionally well.

There was also a flowering bush covered in butterflies but, in my rush to check every acacia tree for the owl, I only took pictures of one species.  It turns out to be an African species which is rapidly colonising the eastern Mediterranean and has the wonderful name of Pomegranate Playboy (Deudorix livia).

Eilat day 2 (part 1)

Having already been to Israel, and Eilat, 4 times, this holiday was more about relaxed birding and regularly working my temporary patch than chasing after the few highly localised and difficult species I've still not seen.  So, after an early morning walk around Ofira Park with much the same birds as the previous day as well as a noticeable arrival of Chiffchaffs, I headed to the IBRCE, where I met with its director Noam Weiss.  He was extremely helpful and gave me all sorts of tips and directions to find some lifers so that I decided to give some of them a go after all.  I spent the rest of the morning around the reserve, which was rather quiet but nonetheless provided Little Green Bee-Eater, Graceful Prinia and one or two Marsh Sandpipers, and enjoyed watching a mixed flock of winter-plumaged Dunlin and Little Stints feeding right in front of one of the hides.

Eilat day 1

Eilat is one of my favourite places in the world to go birding.  Being at the junction of three continents, there is a wonderful mix of European, Arabian and African species, supplemented twice a year by the millions of migrants passing through on their way to or from their wintering grounds in Africa.  As such, there is always a feeling of excitment to birding around Eilat, not quite knowing what could turn up next, together with a myriad of non-breeding plumages to keep even the most experienced birders on their toes.  With just a week's holiday to take this year and only a short weekend in Dublin since I started my new job back in May, it didn't take me long to decide where to spend it once I found out about the ridiculously cheap flights Transavia are offering from Amsterdam to Eilat this winter.
When arriving into a new country, I always wonder what will be the first bird I encounter, and the new Ramon International Airport, located out in the desert, didn't disappoint as the very first birds I saw were a pair of Brown-necked Ravens playing with a stick.  Once in Eilat, having spotted some Greater Flamingoes from the bus, I was pleased to find my room looked out over Ofira Park.  This city park is perhaps my favourite place within Eilat as, during spring migration, it has been so full of migrants you are almost kicking the Wrynecks out of the way!  This was the end of November, however, with migration seemingly over.  Still, my first short walk around the park provided lots of wintering White Wagtails, a juvenile Masked Shrike, plenty of House Crows and a mixed flock of both House and Spanish Sparrows, not bad for my first twenty minutes or so.
I then headed towards the infamous North Beach and was amazed to see Tristram's Grackle at the marina.  This used to be a truly desert species for which one had to travel all the way up to the Dead Sea in order to have a reasonable chance of seeing, but seems to have expanded its range and now hangs around the hotel balconies in downtown Eilat!

The seafront gardens provided another desert species which seems to have moved into town, namely Rock Martin, while North Beach itself was quiet other than a single Common Sandpiper and lots of White-eyed Gulls coming in from Jordan to roost at dusk.  Nevertheless, I was very happy with my first afternoon's birding and full of anticipation as to what the next few days would bring.

Like lightning

It has gotten cold this week so, yesterday afternoon, I hung a bag of peanuts out on my balcony for the first time since March.  I've written before about how quick my local birds react to me resuming my winter feeding but, yesterday, they smashed all records as I had both Great Tit and Blue Tit feeding within ten minutes!  How is that possible?  It's almost as if they've been sitting there waiting for me to get my act together since autumn began.  My local park has been devoid of Chiffchaffs for a few weeks now although I did find one in some waterside willows elsewhere in Brussels last weekend.  More unexpected, though, was a group of around 20 Lesser Black-backed Gulls.  We usually have one or two overwintering along the canal somewhere but mid-November is very late for such a large group this far inland.  Other lingerers making the most of the sun were some Sympetrum dragonflies and a couple of Clouded Yellow butterflies, which are scarce in Brussels in general but almost unheard of in November.