I've only managed to add another three species to my year list this past week; a Little Owl and Reed Bunting on the edge of Brussels, plus this distant Smew on a lake in West Flanders. Smew is yet another species which seems to be reaching Belgium in ever-decreasing numbers, with males being considerably rarer here than immatures/females. The last time I got to see an adult male in Belgium was way back in 2010!
Yesterday, temperatures remained below freezing and heavy snow was expected all afternoon so I'd decided to stay indoors, until I noticed a report of two Goldeneye on my Brussels patch, that is. The Belgian website used to report sightings gets a lot of crap reported and has far too little verification to get rid of the rubbish. I'd never seen Goldeneye on my patch before, though, the one and only sighting being some 20 years ago, so I couldn't risk not giving them a try, even though I was convinced I was sending myself on a wild duck chase. I headed out immediately and, lo and behold, arrived to find two beautiful, male Goldeneye constantly diving.
Yesterday, temperatures remained below freezing and heavy snow was expected all afternoon so I'd decided to stay indoors, until I noticed a report of two Goldeneye on my Brussels patch, that is. The Belgian website used to report sightings gets a lot of crap reported and has far too little verification to get rid of the rubbish. I'd never seen Goldeneye on my patch before, though, the one and only sighting being some 20 years ago, so I couldn't risk not giving them a try, even though I was convinced I was sending myself on a wild duck chase. I headed out immediately and, lo and behold, arrived to find two beautiful, male Goldeneye constantly diving.
It was by no means easy getting a picture with both of them above water in order to prove there were indeed two, but I eventually succeeded. I then headed home, seeing a Firecrest on the way, and got home just before the snow started to fall. Others searched in vain for them this morning, so I was really glad of my quick decision, with Goldeneye thus becoming the 110th species I've seen on my Brussels patch in the 20 or so years I've been going there.
