Saturday 31 August 2013

First rarity: Pacific Golden Plover

Yesterday afternoon I visited the Pacific Golden Plover that remains in Ottersaat since July. In this wetland beautiful birds like Terns (Common, Arctic and Sandwich, I think), pied avocets and Common Ringed Plovers can be seen breeding very close. Even birds were not breeding in these dates, twitching the PGP was also a delightful experience. The bird was very agressive with the Eurasian GP that were feeding near it. When this happened, it was easy to identify the main characters: lighter body and slimmer neck, that results in a big-headed look with bigger eye; slightly longer tarsus and greyish-brown armpits (no contrasting white as 1st winters of EGP). Also Black-tailed Godwits, Northern Shovelers, Ruffs, Pied Avocets, Oystercatchers, Common Ringed Plovers, Teals, Curlews,... In the surrounding fields: 300 EGP, 50 Greylag Geese, 15 Barnacle Gees, 1 Marsh Harrier adult male and 4 Northern Weathears.

Pacific Golden Plover. Adult moulting.
This morning I went to explore the southern heathlands in Moksloot and. In Mokbaai high tide made waders and gulls approaching to shore.

Waders, waders, waders...

Oystercatchers

Common Ugly Eider

Turnstones. 1st winters turnseaweeding.

Northern weathear. 1st winters.

Heathland landscape.

Meadow pipit. 

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