It's that quiet time of year in between spring and autumn migrations when most birds have stopped singing and are busy raising their young, preferably out of sight of prying eyes. Nonetheless, I managed to twitch an immature Caspian Tern which lingered at a lake in Limburg for a few days. Since I rarely go there in the summer, I was surprised to hear a single Turtle Dove and several Quail singing, both also new additions to my year list. I was also pleased to see the local flock Barnacle Geese with several youngsters. Barnacle Goose is officially only a wintering visitor to Belgium yet there are several resident groups scattered throughout the country, presumably originating from escaped/released birds.
July kicked off with a visit to my Brussels patch, where a single Red-crested Pochard has returned. A small number, usually just two to four, of this species turns up each summer to moult, although nobody really knows from where, sometimes lingering well into the winter since the site obviously offers good, safe feeding for them at their most vulnerable time of the year.
BE #207 (Caspian Tern, Turtle Dove, Quail, Black Swan, Red-crested Pochard)
BRU #110 (Red-crested Pochard, Coal Tit)
