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things got out
OYSTERCATCHER
When we first visited Scotland (South Uist), we came upon (Eurasian) oystercatchers within minutes of leaving the Benbecula airport. We got rather excited over the beautiful black and white bird with the orange eye and beak. Within a day or two we realized that oystercatchers are an integral part of the Scottish islands. Seeing one JULY | 2019 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND For millennia, the powerful have sought to get rich, and the rich to get powerful. Often, those power struggles affected only a few. The only guy interested in who has the biggest yacht is the guy who has the biggest yacht, and the guy who used to have the biggest yacht. BEAT AROUND THE BUSHNELL Last November, I got a Bushnell "Aggressor Trophy Cam HD", the kind of wildlife camera you can put out somewhere and later go check. (image from vildmarken.se) While we now have a great insight into the nocturnal wildlife in and around our garden, there were some bumps getting there. Power It was clear that we'd be DIGISCOPING WITH A HUAWEI P30 The Huawei P30 – like many phones nowadays – has multiple cameras. The specs of the Leica Triple Camera: 16 MP (17mm, f/2.2) / wide. The top-most lens is the 3x zoom, the middle one the “wide” lens, and the bottom one the standard 1x lens. Below the lenses is the dual-LED dual-tone flash. The camera software supports optical “wide MAY | 2017 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND For once, a birding day’s highlight turned out to be not a bird, but a small cute mammal. While observing the lapwings at Wauwiler Moos, we happened to catch a glimpse of a small, brownish mammal scurry past.A few minutes later, the weasel came back the other, only to return moments later carrying the next mouse. BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND For millennia, the powerful have sought to get rich, and the rich to get powerful. Often, those power struggles affected only a few. The only guy interested in who has the biggest yacht is the guy who has the biggest yacht, and the guy who used to have the biggest yacht. ABOUT | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND My name is Simon Niederberger, I work as a software developer. Aside from programming, one of my early interests has been observing wildlife, especially birds. RARITY OF GODWITS IN SWITZERLAND For the third time ever, we saw a black-tailed godwit in Switzerland today. Reporting it, I was surprised to see that a black-tailed godwit in Switzerland ranks as a "rare" migrant, but seen regularly, while a bar-tailed godwit would be "very rare". For 2019, ornitho.ch lists 489 sightings for black-tailed godwit, versus 186 sightings of ACTNOW | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND Posts about ActNow written by Simon. Every morning I walk 20 minutes to the train station. Part of that walk takes me along a diverse hedgerow, which is always rich with bird song. FOR THE BENEFIT OF A FEW For millennia, the powerful have sought to get rich, and the rich to get powerful. Often, those power struggles affected only a few. The only guy interested in who has the biggest yacht is the guy who has the biggest yacht, and the guy who used to have the biggest yacht. Ifthings got out
RARITY OF GODWITS IN SWITZERLAND For the third time ever, we saw a black-tailed godwit in Switzerland today. Reporting it, I was surprised to see that a black-tailed godwit in Switzerland ranks as a "rare" migrant, but seen regularly, while a bar-tailed godwit would be "very rare". For 2019, ornitho.ch lists 489 sightings for black-tailed godwit, versus 186 sightings of CONTACT | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please feel free to use the contact form below. MARCH | 2019 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND The RSPB site Troup Head has a name for hosting the largest gannetry on the British mainland (the largest overall being Bass Rock). Fulmar start occupying cliff sites in January, and gannets start returning to the cliffs towards end of January. We visited a few times, and while the area was beautiful to visit and very peaceful, in terms of birding it was rather uneventful. AUGUST | 2017 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND The spotted redshank is comparatively rarely seen in Switzerland, passing through in August and September. They breed in the open taiga of north Sweden and Finland. Adults moult completely between July and October. In spring, the body plumage is moulted between March and May. Juveniles have a partial moult between August and February. MAY | 2019 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND While we’ve visited the West of Scotland several times, we’ve hardly seen the East, and have never been to Edinburgh. Middle of May, we went to Edinburgh with plans to stay just outside of the city at Musselburgh, and visit the Isle of May. OCTOBER | 2017 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND October 11, 2017. / Simon. / Leave a comment. Today we decided to walk up Val Minger, a hike we’ve done several times in the past. The valley always proved to be very peaceful, often completely silent, and quite rich with red deer and the occasional chamois. Today, however, was the first time we went during the fall holidays. BEAT AROUND THE BUSHNELL Last November, I got a Bushnell "Aggressor Trophy Cam HD", the kind of wildlife camera you can put out somewhere and later go check. (image from vildmarken.se) While we now have a great insight into the nocturnal wildlife in and around our garden, there were some bumps getting there. Power It was clear that we'd be AUGUST | 2016 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND We’ve been to the Neeracher Ried before, it’s a wonderful place to observe waders. Now that the migration south has started, we were hoping to get some nice results. Apart from all kinds of sandpipers (common sandpiper, wood sandpiper and dunlins), two greenshank werepresent.
OCTOBER | 2016 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND Spotted crake, Klingnau. October 2, 2016. October 3, 2016 / Simon. / Leave a comment. The spotted crake is a fairly rare bird in Switzerland (listed ‘vulnerable’), and pretty secretive. It lives among reeds and moors which provide plenty of cover. This one SEPTEMBER | 2016 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND The natural reserve at Cudrefin is – together with the adjacent Fanel natural reserve – a habitat of international importance to bird life. It offers a wide variety of habitats for migrating, but also wintering birds. As lots of birds are currently on their way south, we decided to take the extended drive, hoping to catch a goodnumber of waders.
BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND For millennia, the powerful have sought to get rich, and the rich to get powerful. Often, those power struggles affected only a few. The only guy interested in who has the biggest yacht is the guy who has the biggest yacht, and the guy who used to have the biggest yacht. ABOUT | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND My name is Simon Niederberger, I work as a software developer. Aside from programming, one of my early interests has been observing wildlife, especially birds. RARITY OF GODWITS IN SWITZERLAND For the third time ever, we saw a black-tailed godwit in Switzerland today. Reporting it, I was surprised to see that a black-tailed godwit in Switzerland ranks as a "rare" migrant, but seen regularly, while a bar-tailed godwit would be "very rare". For 2019, ornitho.ch lists 489 sightings for black-tailed godwit, versus 186 sightings of ACTNOW | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND Posts about ActNow written by Simon. Every morning I walk 20 minutes to the train station. Part of that walk takes me along a diverse hedgerow, which is always rich with bird song. FOR THE BENEFIT OF A FEW For millennia, the powerful have sought to get rich, and the rich to get powerful. Often, those power struggles affected only a few. The only guy interested in who has the biggest yacht is the guy who has the biggest yacht, and the guy who used to have the biggest yacht. Ifthings got out
OYSTERCATCHER
When we first visited Scotland (South Uist), we came upon (Eurasian) oystercatchers within minutes of leaving the Benbecula airport. We got rather excited over the beautiful black and white bird with the orange eye and beak. Within a day or two we realized that oystercatchers are an integral part of the Scottish islands. Seeing one JULY | 2019 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND For millennia, the powerful have sought to get rich, and the rich to get powerful. Often, those power struggles affected only a few. The only guy interested in who has the biggest yacht is the guy who has the biggest yacht, and the guy who used to have the biggest yacht. BEAT AROUND THE BUSHNELL Last November, I got a Bushnell "Aggressor Trophy Cam HD", the kind of wildlife camera you can put out somewhere and later go check. (image from vildmarken.se) While we now have a great insight into the nocturnal wildlife in and around our garden, there were some bumps getting there. Power It was clear that we'd be DIGISCOPING WITH A HUAWEI P30 The Huawei P30 – like many phones nowadays – has multiple cameras. The specs of the Leica Triple Camera: 16 MP (17mm, f/2.2) / wide. The top-most lens is the 3x zoom, the middle one the “wide” lens, and the bottom one the standard 1x lens. Below the lenses is the dual-LED dual-tone flash. The camera software supports optical “wide MAY | 2017 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND For once, a birding day’s highlight turned out to be not a bird, but a small cute mammal. While observing the lapwings at Wauwiler Moos, we happened to catch a glimpse of a small, brownish mammal scurry past.A few minutes later, the weasel came back the other, only to return moments later carrying the next mouse. BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND For millennia, the powerful have sought to get rich, and the rich to get powerful. Often, those power struggles affected only a few. The only guy interested in who has the biggest yacht is the guy who has the biggest yacht, and the guy who used to have the biggest yacht. ABOUT | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND My name is Simon Niederberger, I work as a software developer. Aside from programming, one of my early interests has been observing wildlife, especially birds. RARITY OF GODWITS IN SWITZERLAND For the third time ever, we saw a black-tailed godwit in Switzerland today. Reporting it, I was surprised to see that a black-tailed godwit in Switzerland ranks as a "rare" migrant, but seen regularly, while a bar-tailed godwit would be "very rare". For 2019, ornitho.ch lists 489 sightings for black-tailed godwit, versus 186 sightings of ACTNOW | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND Posts about ActNow written by Simon. Every morning I walk 20 minutes to the train station. Part of that walk takes me along a diverse hedgerow, which is always rich with bird song. FOR THE BENEFIT OF A FEW For millennia, the powerful have sought to get rich, and the rich to get powerful. Often, those power struggles affected only a few. The only guy interested in who has the biggest yacht is the guy who has the biggest yacht, and the guy who used to have the biggest yacht. Ifthings got out
OYSTERCATCHER
When we first visited Scotland (South Uist), we came upon (Eurasian) oystercatchers within minutes of leaving the Benbecula airport. We got rather excited over the beautiful black and white bird with the orange eye and beak. Within a day or two we realized that oystercatchers are an integral part of the Scottish islands. Seeing one JULY | 2019 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND For millennia, the powerful have sought to get rich, and the rich to get powerful. Often, those power struggles affected only a few. The only guy interested in who has the biggest yacht is the guy who has the biggest yacht, and the guy who used to have the biggest yacht. BEAT AROUND THE BUSHNELL Last November, I got a Bushnell "Aggressor Trophy Cam HD", the kind of wildlife camera you can put out somewhere and later go check. (image from vildmarken.se) While we now have a great insight into the nocturnal wildlife in and around our garden, there were some bumps getting there. Power It was clear that we'd be DIGISCOPING WITH A HUAWEI P30 The Huawei P30 – like many phones nowadays – has multiple cameras. The specs of the Leica Triple Camera: 16 MP (17mm, f/2.2) / wide. The top-most lens is the 3x zoom, the middle one the “wide” lens, and the bottom one the standard 1x lens. Below the lenses is the dual-LED dual-tone flash. The camera software supports optical “wide MAY | 2017 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND For once, a birding day’s highlight turned out to be not a bird, but a small cute mammal. While observing the lapwings at Wauwiler Moos, we happened to catch a glimpse of a small, brownish mammal scurry past.A few minutes later, the weasel came back the other, only to return moments later carrying the next mouse. RARITY OF GODWITS IN SWITZERLAND For the third time ever, we saw a black-tailed godwit in Switzerland today. Reporting it, I was surprised to see that a black-tailed godwit in Switzerland ranks as a "rare" migrant, but seen regularly, while a bar-tailed godwit would be "very rare". For 2019, ornitho.ch lists 489 sightings for black-tailed godwit, versus 186 sightings of CONTACT | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please feel free to use the contact form below. MARCH | 2019 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND The RSPB site Troup Head has a name for hosting the largest gannetry on the British mainland (the largest overall being Bass Rock). Fulmar start occupying cliff sites in January, and gannets start returning to the cliffs towards end of January. We visited a few times, and while the area was beautiful to visit and very peaceful, in terms of birding it was rather uneventful. MAY | 2017 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND For once, a birding day’s highlight turned out to be not a bird, but a small cute mammal. While observing the lapwings at Wauwiler Moos, we happened to catch a glimpse of a small, brownish mammal scurry past.A few minutes later, the weasel came back the other, only to return moments later carrying the next mouse. OCTOBER | 2016 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND Spotted crake, Klingnau. October 2, 2016. October 3, 2016 / Simon. / Leave a comment. The spotted crake is a fairly rare bird in Switzerland (listed ‘vulnerable’), and pretty secretive. It lives among reeds and moors which provide plenty of cover. This one MAY | 2019 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND While we’ve visited the West of Scotland several times, we’ve hardly seen the East, and have never been to Edinburgh. Middle of May, we went to Edinburgh with plans to stay just outside of the city at Musselburgh, and visit the Isle of May. BUSHNELL | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND Last November, I got a Bushnell “Aggressor Trophy Cam HD”, the kind of wildlife camera you can put out somewhere and later go check. (image from vildmarken.se) While we now have a great insight into the nocturnal wildlife in and around our garden, there were some bumpsgetting there.
AUGUST | 2016 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND We’ve been to the Neeracher Ried before, it’s a wonderful place to observe waders. Now that the migration south has started, we were hoping to get some nice results. Apart from all kinds of sandpipers (common sandpiper, wood sandpiper and dunlins), two greenshank werepresent.
OCTOBER | 2017 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND October 11, 2017. / Simon. / Leave a comment. Today we decided to walk up Val Minger, a hike we’ve done several times in the past. The valley always proved to be very peaceful, often completely silent, and quite rich with red deer and the occasional chamois. Today, however, was the first time we went during the fall holidays. JULY | 2016 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND 2 posts published by Simon during July 2016. Citril finches live in mountain forests, usually just below the treeline. BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND For millennia, the powerful have sought to get rich, and the rich to get powerful. Often, those power struggles affected only a few. The only guy interested in who has the biggest yacht is the guy who has the biggest yacht, and the guy who used to have the biggest yacht. ABOUT | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND My name is Simon Niederberger, I work as a software developer. Aside from programming, one of my early interests has been observing wildlife, especially birds. RARITY OF GODWITS IN SWITZERLAND For the third time ever, we saw a black-tailed godwit in Switzerland today. Reporting it, I was surprised to see that a black-tailed godwit in Switzerland ranks as a "rare" migrant, but seen regularly, while a bar-tailed godwit would be "very rare". For 2019, ornitho.ch lists 489 sightings for black-tailed godwit, versus 186 sightings of BIRDING | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND .. while down at the shore of the loch we found Redshank, Greenshank, more Common Sandpipers, Canada Geese, Greylag Geese, Meadow Pipit, Goosanders, and a very distant Lesser Redpoll.. The day after arriving on Mull, we ran some errands and drove around the island. In addition to previously mentioned species, we saw Robin, Wren, Goldfinches, Mistle Thrush, Northern Wheathear, what mightWELCOME TO MY BLOG
For a while now my wife and I have been on local birdwatching trips. The purchase of a new camera has triggered the idea of putting some pictures out there, along with a few nuggets of information we find useful and/or intriguing. We both have very good Zeiss binoculars(10x42 and
WHITE-TAILED EAGLES
One of the birds we were hoping to see on the Isle of Skye was a white-tailed eagle. We saw one of those commanding, beautiful birds two years ago (South Uist), and it was a memorable experience. We visited various sites which had reports of white-tailed eagles, but were disappointed time and again. Today, we setCOMMON WOOD PIGEON
I'm not sure why, but pigeons don't strike me as terribly interesting birds. Maybe it's the abundance of feral pigeons seen everywhere. Today I saw a common wood pigeon in our back yard, and the bird's features stood out. It seems almost unreal, but definitely not much less attractive than eg. a cuckoo. We also see DIGISCOPING WITH A HUAWEI P30 I've started dabbling in digiscoping, and thought I'd share some of the experience. Huawei P30 camera(s) The Huawei P30 - like many phones nowadays - has multiple cameras. The specs of the Leica Triple Camera: 8 MP (80mm, f/2.4) / 3x16 MP (17mm, f/2.2) / wide 40 MP (27mm, f/1.8)/
AUGUST | 2017 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND Our last day of vacation, with a wonderful display of what summer on the Hebrides can be like. Strong winds, occasional rain, about 15°C. And yet, I love the wind and the ocean waves crashing against thecliffs.
APRIL | 2017 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND For the last 16 months, I’ve been taking pictures using a Nikon Coolpix P900. The reason originally for buying that specific make and model was the reasonable price (always comparing to the insane prices of those super-lenses some birders use), and the incredible opticalzoom.
BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND For millennia, the powerful have sought to get rich, and the rich to get powerful. Often, those power struggles affected only a few. The only guy interested in who has the biggest yacht is the guy who has the biggest yacht, and the guy who used to have the biggest yacht. ABOUT | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND My name is Simon Niederberger, I work as a software developer. Aside from programming, one of my early interests has been observing wildlife, especially birds. RARITY OF GODWITS IN SWITZERLAND For the third time ever, we saw a black-tailed godwit in Switzerland today. Reporting it, I was surprised to see that a black-tailed godwit in Switzerland ranks as a "rare" migrant, but seen regularly, while a bar-tailed godwit would be "very rare". For 2019, ornitho.ch lists 489 sightings for black-tailed godwit, versus 186 sightings of BIRDING | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND .. while down at the shore of the loch we found Redshank, Greenshank, more Common Sandpipers, Canada Geese, Greylag Geese, Meadow Pipit, Goosanders, and a very distant Lesser Redpoll.. The day after arriving on Mull, we ran some errands and drove around the island. In addition to previously mentioned species, we saw Robin, Wren, Goldfinches, Mistle Thrush, Northern Wheathear, what mightWELCOME TO MY BLOG
For a while now my wife and I have been on local birdwatching trips. The purchase of a new camera has triggered the idea of putting some pictures out there, along with a few nuggets of information we find useful and/or intriguing. We both have very good Zeiss binoculars(10x42 and
WHITE-TAILED EAGLES
One of the birds we were hoping to see on the Isle of Skye was a white-tailed eagle. We saw one of those commanding, beautiful birds two years ago (South Uist), and it was a memorable experience. We visited various sites which had reports of white-tailed eagles, but were disappointed time and again. Today, we setCOMMON WOOD PIGEON
I'm not sure why, but pigeons don't strike me as terribly interesting birds. Maybe it's the abundance of feral pigeons seen everywhere. Today I saw a common wood pigeon in our back yard, and the bird's features stood out. It seems almost unreal, but definitely not much less attractive than eg. a cuckoo. We also see DIGISCOPING WITH A HUAWEI P30 I've started dabbling in digiscoping, and thought I'd share some of the experience. Huawei P30 camera(s) The Huawei P30 - like many phones nowadays - has multiple cameras. The specs of the Leica Triple Camera: 8 MP (80mm, f/2.4) / 3x16 MP (17mm, f/2.2) / wide 40 MP (27mm, f/1.8)/
AUGUST | 2017 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND Our last day of vacation, with a wonderful display of what summer on the Hebrides can be like. Strong winds, occasional rain, about 15°C. And yet, I love the wind and the ocean waves crashing against thecliffs.
APRIL | 2017 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND For the last 16 months, I’ve been taking pictures using a Nikon Coolpix P900. The reason originally for buying that specific make and model was the reasonable price (always comparing to the insane prices of those super-lenses some birders use), and the incredible opticalzoom.
WELCOME TO MY BLOG
For a while now my wife and I have been on local birdwatching trips. The purchase of a new camera has triggered the idea of putting some pictures out there, along with a few nuggets of information we find useful and/or intriguing. We both have very good Zeiss binoculars(10x42 and
CONTACT | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please feel free to use the contact form below. LOTHIAN | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND While we’ve visited the West of Scotland several times, we’ve hardly seen the East, and have never been to Edinburgh. Middle of May, we went to Edinburgh with plans to stay just outside of the city at Musselburgh, and visit the Isle of May.VISITING LOTHIAN
While we've visited the West of Scotland several times, we've hardly seen the East, and have never been to Edinburgh. Middle of May, we went to Edinburgh with plans to stay just outside of the city at Musselburgh, and visit the Isle of May. The Musselburgh Lagoons are at FOR THE BENEFIT OF A FEW For millennia, the powerful have sought to get rich, and the rich to get powerful. Often, those power struggles affected only a few. The only guy interested in who has the biggest yacht is the guy who has the biggest yacht, and the guy who used to have the biggest yacht. Ifthings got out
WHITE-TAILED EAGLES
One of the birds we were hoping to see on the Isle of Skye was a white-tailed eagle. We saw one of those commanding, beautiful birds two years ago (South Uist), and it was a memorable experience. We visited various sites which had reports of white-tailed eagles, but were disappointed time and again. Today, we set SHORT TRIP TO ISLE OF MULL While it was a very short stay, we did enjoy spending 3 days on the Isle of Mull last weekend (not travelling primarily for birding, though). The ferry at Oban was already busy, we hadn't expected such a crowd end of May (I admit we never checked the UK school schedule). Nevertheless, we managed to JANUARY | 2017 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND Living in Switzerland, gull names are pretty much proof there is some secret society of slightly sadistic ornithologists. The black-headed gull is not the same as the Schwarzkopfmöwe. The latter’s English name is “Mediterranean Gull”, not the same as the Mittelmeermöwe, of course. And while there is a Laughing Gull – not the same as the Lachmöwe – that one is not seen in Europe OCTOBER | 2017 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND Today we took the train to Guarda, and then walked back to Ftan. I’m happy to report we didn’t see a single family on the way. The first few kilometers were rather quiet, with only some goldfinches occasionally disturbing the silence. FEBRUARY | 2017 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND 3 posts published by Simon during February 2017. There used to be two kinds of shrike breeding in Switzerland: the great grey shrike, and the red-backed shrike. BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND For millennia, the powerful have sought to get rich, and the rich to get powerful. Often, those power struggles affected only a few. The only guy interested in who has the biggest yacht is the guy who has the biggest yacht, and the guy who used to have the biggest yacht. ABOUT | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND My name is Simon Niederberger, I work as a software developer. Aside from programming, one of my early interests has been observing wildlife, especially birds. RARITY OF GODWITS IN SWITZERLAND For the third time ever, we saw a black-tailed godwit in Switzerland today. Reporting it, I was surprised to see that a black-tailed godwit in Switzerland ranks as a "rare" migrant, but seen regularly, while a bar-tailed godwit would be "very rare". For 2019, ornitho.ch lists 489 sightings for black-tailed godwit, versus 186 sightings of ACTNOW | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND Posts about ActNow written by Simon. Every morning I walk 20 minutes to the train station. Part of that walk takes me along a diverse hedgerow, which is always rich with bird song. FOR THE BENEFIT OF A FEW For millennia, the powerful have sought to get rich, and the rich to get powerful. Often, those power struggles affected only a few. The only guy interested in who has the biggest yacht is the guy who has the biggest yacht, and the guy who used to have the biggest yacht. Ifthings got out
OYSTERCATCHER
When we first visited Scotland (South Uist), we came upon (Eurasian) oystercatchers within minutes of leaving the Benbecula airport. We got rather excited over the beautiful black and white bird with the orange eye and beak. Within a day or two we realized that oystercatchers are an integral part of the Scottish islands. Seeing one BEAT AROUND THE BUSHNELL Last November, I got a Bushnell "Aggressor Trophy Cam HD", the kind of wildlife camera you can put out somewhere and later go check. (image from vildmarken.se) While we now have a great insight into the nocturnal wildlife in and around our garden, there were some bumps getting there. Power It was clear that we'd be JULY | 2019 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND For millennia, the powerful have sought to get rich, and the rich to get powerful. Often, those power struggles affected only a few. The only guy interested in who has the biggest yacht is the guy who has the biggest yacht, and the guy who used to have the biggest yacht. DIGISCOPING WITH A HUAWEI P30 The Huawei P30 – like many phones nowadays – has multiple cameras. The specs of the Leica Triple Camera: 16 MP (17mm, f/2.2) / wide. The top-most lens is the 3x zoom, the middle one the “wide” lens, and the bottom one the standard 1x lens. Below the lenses is the dual-LED dual-tone flash. The camera software supports optical “wide OCTOBER | 2016 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND Spotted crake, Klingnau. October 2, 2016. October 3, 2016 / Simon. / Leave a comment. The spotted crake is a fairly rare bird in Switzerland (listed ‘vulnerable’), and pretty secretive. It lives among reeds and moors which provide plenty of cover. This one BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND For millennia, the powerful have sought to get rich, and the rich to get powerful. Often, those power struggles affected only a few. The only guy interested in who has the biggest yacht is the guy who has the biggest yacht, and the guy who used to have the biggest yacht. ABOUT | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND My name is Simon Niederberger, I work as a software developer. Aside from programming, one of my early interests has been observing wildlife, especially birds. RARITY OF GODWITS IN SWITZERLAND For the third time ever, we saw a black-tailed godwit in Switzerland today. Reporting it, I was surprised to see that a black-tailed godwit in Switzerland ranks as a "rare" migrant, but seen regularly, while a bar-tailed godwit would be "very rare". For 2019, ornitho.ch lists 489 sightings for black-tailed godwit, versus 186 sightings of ACTNOW | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND Posts about ActNow written by Simon. Every morning I walk 20 minutes to the train station. Part of that walk takes me along a diverse hedgerow, which is always rich with bird song. FOR THE BENEFIT OF A FEW For millennia, the powerful have sought to get rich, and the rich to get powerful. Often, those power struggles affected only a few. The only guy interested in who has the biggest yacht is the guy who has the biggest yacht, and the guy who used to have the biggest yacht. Ifthings got out
OYSTERCATCHER
When we first visited Scotland (South Uist), we came upon (Eurasian) oystercatchers within minutes of leaving the Benbecula airport. We got rather excited over the beautiful black and white bird with the orange eye and beak. Within a day or two we realized that oystercatchers are an integral part of the Scottish islands. Seeing one BEAT AROUND THE BUSHNELL Last November, I got a Bushnell "Aggressor Trophy Cam HD", the kind of wildlife camera you can put out somewhere and later go check. (image from vildmarken.se) While we now have a great insight into the nocturnal wildlife in and around our garden, there were some bumps getting there. Power It was clear that we'd be JULY | 2019 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND For millennia, the powerful have sought to get rich, and the rich to get powerful. Often, those power struggles affected only a few. The only guy interested in who has the biggest yacht is the guy who has the biggest yacht, and the guy who used to have the biggest yacht. DIGISCOPING WITH A HUAWEI P30 The Huawei P30 – like many phones nowadays – has multiple cameras. The specs of the Leica Triple Camera: 16 MP (17mm, f/2.2) / wide. The top-most lens is the 3x zoom, the middle one the “wide” lens, and the bottom one the standard 1x lens. Below the lenses is the dual-LED dual-tone flash. The camera software supports optical “wide OCTOBER | 2016 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND Spotted crake, Klingnau. October 2, 2016. October 3, 2016 / Simon. / Leave a comment. The spotted crake is a fairly rare bird in Switzerland (listed ‘vulnerable’), and pretty secretive. It lives among reeds and moors which provide plenty of cover. This one CONTACT | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please feel free to use the contact form below. RARITY OF GODWITS IN SWITZERLAND For the third time ever, we saw a black-tailed godwit in Switzerland today. Reporting it, I was surprised to see that a black-tailed godwit in Switzerland ranks as a "rare" migrant, but seen regularly, while a bar-tailed godwit would be "very rare". For 2019, ornitho.ch lists 489 sightings for black-tailed godwit, versus 186 sightings of MARCH | 2019 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND The RSPB site Troup Head has a name for hosting the largest gannetry on the British mainland (the largest overall being Bass Rock). Fulmar start occupying cliff sites in January, and gannets start returning to the cliffs towards end of January. We visited a few times, and while the area was beautiful to visit and very peaceful, in terms of birding it was rather uneventful. BUSHNELL | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND Last November, I got a Bushnell “Aggressor Trophy Cam HD”, the kind of wildlife camera you can put out somewhere and later go check. (image from vildmarken.se) While we now have a great insight into the nocturnal wildlife in and around our garden, there were some bumpsgetting there.
MAY | 2019 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND While we’ve visited the West of Scotland several times, we’ve hardly seen the East, and have never been to Edinburgh. Middle of May, we went to Edinburgh with plans to stay just outside of the city at Musselburgh, and visit the Isle of May. MAY | 2017 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND For once, a birding day’s highlight turned out to be not a bird, but a small cute mammal. While observing the lapwings at Wauwiler Moos, we happened to catch a glimpse of a small, brownish mammal scurry past.A few minutes later, the weasel came back the other, only to return moments later carrying the next mouse. OCTOBER | 2017 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND October 11, 2017. / Simon. / Leave a comment. Today we decided to walk up Val Minger, a hike we’ve done several times in the past. The valley always proved to be very peaceful, often completely silent, and quite rich with red deer and the occasional chamois. Today, however, was the first time we went during the fall holidays. OCTOBER | 2016 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND Spotted crake, Klingnau. October 2, 2016. October 3, 2016 / Simon. / Leave a comment. The spotted crake is a fairly rare bird in Switzerland (listed ‘vulnerable’), and pretty secretive. It lives among reeds and moors which provide plenty of cover. This one AUGUST | 2016 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND We’ve been to the Neeracher Ried before, it’s a wonderful place to observe waders. Now that the migration south has started, we were hoping to get some nice results. Apart from all kinds of sandpipers (common sandpiper, wood sandpiper and dunlins), two greenshank werepresent.
JULY | 2016 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND 2 posts published by Simon during July 2016. Citril finches live in mountain forests, usually just below the treeline. BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND For millennia, the powerful have sought to get rich, and the rich to get powerful. Often, those power struggles affected only a few. The only guy interested in who has the biggest yacht is the guy who has the biggest yacht, and the guy who used to have the biggest yacht. ABOUT | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND My name is Simon Niederberger, I work as a software developer. Aside from programming, one of my early interests has been observing wildlife, especially birds.ABERDEENSHIRE
The RSPB site Troup Head has a name for hosting the largest gannetry on the British mainland (the largest overall being Bass Rock). Fulmar start occupying cliff sites in January, and gannets start returning to the cliffs towards end of January. We visited a few times, and while the area was beautiful to visit and very peaceful, in terms of birding it was rather uneventful.OYSTERCATCHER
When we first visited Scotland (South Uist), we came upon (Eurasian) oystercatchers within minutes of leaving the Benbecula airport. We got rather excited over the beautiful black and white bird with the orange eye and beak. Within a day or two we realized that oystercatchers are an integral part of the Scottish islands. Seeing one AUGUST | 2017 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND The spotted redshank is comparatively rarely seen in Switzerland, passing through in August and September. They breed in the open taiga of north Sweden and Finland. Adults moult completely between July and October. In spring, the body plumage is moulted between March and May. Juveniles have a partial moult between August and February. BUSHNELL | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND Last November, I got a Bushnell “Aggressor Trophy Cam HD”, the kind of wildlife camera you can put out somewhere and later go check. (image from vildmarken.se) While we now have a great insight into the nocturnal wildlife in and around our garden, there were some bumpsgetting there.
DIGISCOPING WITH A HUAWEI P30 The Huawei P30 – like many phones nowadays – has multiple cameras. The specs of the Leica Triple Camera: 16 MP (17mm, f/2.2) / wide. The top-most lens is the 3x zoom, the middle one the “wide” lens, and the bottom one the standard 1x lens. Below the lenses is the dual-LED dual-tone flash. The camera software supports optical “wide SIMON | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND | PAGE 3 A different bird however really enjoyed the wind. From past visits, I had learned to watch the shoreline for white-tailed eagle, and the skyfor golden eagles.
APRIL | 2017 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND For the last 16 months, I’ve been taking pictures using a Nikon Coolpix P900. The reason originally for buying that specific make and model was the reasonable price (always comparing to the insane prices of those super-lenses some birders use), and the incredible opticalzoom.
AUGUST | 2016 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND We’ve been to the Neeracher Ried before, it’s a wonderful place to observe waders. Now that the migration south has started, we were hoping to get some nice results. Apart from all kinds of sandpipers (common sandpiper, wood sandpiper and dunlins), two greenshank werepresent.
BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND For millennia, the powerful have sought to get rich, and the rich to get powerful. Often, those power struggles affected only a few. The only guy interested in who has the biggest yacht is the guy who has the biggest yacht, and the guy who used to have the biggest yacht. ABOUT | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND My name is Simon Niederberger, I work as a software developer. Aside from programming, one of my early interests has been observing wildlife, especially birds.ABERDEENSHIRE
The RSPB site Troup Head has a name for hosting the largest gannetry on the British mainland (the largest overall being Bass Rock). Fulmar start occupying cliff sites in January, and gannets start returning to the cliffs towards end of January. We visited a few times, and while the area was beautiful to visit and very peaceful, in terms of birding it was rather uneventful.OYSTERCATCHER
When we first visited Scotland (South Uist), we came upon (Eurasian) oystercatchers within minutes of leaving the Benbecula airport. We got rather excited over the beautiful black and white bird with the orange eye and beak. Within a day or two we realized that oystercatchers are an integral part of the Scottish islands. Seeing one AUGUST | 2017 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND The spotted redshank is comparatively rarely seen in Switzerland, passing through in August and September. They breed in the open taiga of north Sweden and Finland. Adults moult completely between July and October. In spring, the body plumage is moulted between March and May. Juveniles have a partial moult between August and February. BUSHNELL | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND Last November, I got a Bushnell “Aggressor Trophy Cam HD”, the kind of wildlife camera you can put out somewhere and later go check. (image from vildmarken.se) While we now have a great insight into the nocturnal wildlife in and around our garden, there were some bumpsgetting there.
DIGISCOPING WITH A HUAWEI P30 The Huawei P30 – like many phones nowadays – has multiple cameras. The specs of the Leica Triple Camera: 16 MP (17mm, f/2.2) / wide. The top-most lens is the 3x zoom, the middle one the “wide” lens, and the bottom one the standard 1x lens. Below the lenses is the dual-LED dual-tone flash. The camera software supports optical “wide SIMON | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND | PAGE 3 A different bird however really enjoyed the wind. From past visits, I had learned to watch the shoreline for white-tailed eagle, and the skyfor golden eagles.
APRIL | 2017 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND For the last 16 months, I’ve been taking pictures using a Nikon Coolpix P900. The reason originally for buying that specific make and model was the reasonable price (always comparing to the insane prices of those super-lenses some birders use), and the incredible opticalzoom.
AUGUST | 2016 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND We’ve been to the Neeracher Ried before, it’s a wonderful place to observe waders. Now that the migration south has started, we were hoping to get some nice results. Apart from all kinds of sandpipers (common sandpiper, wood sandpiper and dunlins), two greenshank werepresent.
VISITING LOTHIAN
While we've visited the West of Scotland several times, we've hardly seen the East, and have never been to Edinburgh. Middle of May, we went to Edinburgh with plans to stay just outside of the city at Musselburgh, and visit the Isle of May. The Musselburgh Lagoons are at FOR THE BENEFIT OF A FEW For millennia, the powerful have sought to get rich, and the rich to get powerful. Often, those power struggles affected only a few. The only guy interested in who has the biggest yacht is the guy who has the biggest yacht, and the guy who used to have the biggest yacht. Ifthings got out
ISLE OF HARRIS
Our last day of vacation, with a wonderful display of what summer on the Hebrides can be like. Strong winds, occasional rain, about 15°C. And yet, I love the wind and the ocean waves crashing against thecliffs.
MAY | 2019 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND While we’ve visited the West of Scotland several times, we’ve hardly seen the East, and have never been to Edinburgh. Middle of May, we went to Edinburgh with plans to stay just outside of the city at Musselburgh, and visit the Isle of May. JANUARY | 2017 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND The gulls commonly seen in Switzerland are the Common Gull ( ger. Sturmmöwe), the Black-Headed Gull ( ger. Lachmöwe) and the Yellow-legged Gull ( ger. Mittelmeermöwe). The common gull is a bit larger than a pigeon, with pale yellowish legs. The black-headed gull has red bill and legs, and – in the summer – a black head. JANUARY BIRDING IN ABERDEENSHIRE The RSPB site Troup Head has a name for hosting the largest gannetry on the British mainland (the largest overall being Bass Rock). Fulmar start occupying cliff sites in January, and gannets start returning to the cliffs towards end of January. We visited a few times, and while the area was beautiful to visit and very peaceful, in terms of birding it was rather uneventful. FEBRUARY | 2017 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND 3 posts published by Simon during February 2017. There used to be two kinds of shrike breeding in Switzerland: the great grey shrike, and the red-backed shrike. JUNE | 2016 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND June 26, 2016. / Simon. / Leave a comment. Today we visited the Wauwilermoos. In Switzerland, an area called “Moos” is a swampy area, similar to a “moor”. The Wauwilermoos is close to the Mauensee, and is a closed off habitat. There are two hides, one of which is not public at all, and the other one is usually locked (keyscan be picked
JULY | 2017 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND We’re on our way to the Isle of Harris for a 14 day treat of rugged landscapes, interesting weather and, hopefully, lots of great birding. After having visited South Uist a few years back, and the Isle of Skye last year, this year we chose the largest of the Outer Hebridesislands.
MAY | 2016 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND What a beautiful, sunny holiday! We walked to Zug, along the lake we spotted the usual coots, great crested grebes and mallards. Also, one common pochard and four red-crested pochards, which came as a bit of a surprise, this late in the year. BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND For millennia, the powerful have sought to get rich, and the rich to get powerful. Often, those power struggles affected only a few. The only guy interested in who has the biggest yacht is the guy who has the biggest yacht, and the guy who used to have the biggest yacht. ABOUT | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND My name is Simon Niederberger, I work as a software developer. Aside from programming, one of my early interests has been observing wildlife, especially birds.ABERDEENSHIRE
The RSPB site Troup Head has a name for hosting the largest gannetry on the British mainland (the largest overall being Bass Rock). Fulmar start occupying cliff sites in January, and gannets start returning to the cliffs towards end of January. We visited a few times, and while the area was beautiful to visit and very peaceful, in terms of birding it was rather uneventful.OYSTERCATCHER
When we first visited Scotland (South Uist), we came upon (Eurasian) oystercatchers within minutes of leaving the Benbecula airport. We got rather excited over the beautiful black and white bird with the orange eye and beak. Within a day or two we realized that oystercatchers are an integral part of the Scottish islands. Seeing one AUGUST | 2017 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND The spotted redshank is comparatively rarely seen in Switzerland, passing through in August and September. They breed in the open taiga of north Sweden and Finland. Adults moult completely between July and October. In spring, the body plumage is moulted between March and May. Juveniles have a partial moult between August and February. BUSHNELL | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND Last November, I got a Bushnell “Aggressor Trophy Cam HD”, the kind of wildlife camera you can put out somewhere and later go check. (image from vildmarken.se) While we now have a great insight into the nocturnal wildlife in and around our garden, there were some bumpsgetting there.
DIGISCOPING WITH A HUAWEI P30 The Huawei P30 – like many phones nowadays – has multiple cameras. The specs of the Leica Triple Camera: 16 MP (17mm, f/2.2) / wide. The top-most lens is the 3x zoom, the middle one the “wide” lens, and the bottom one the standard 1x lens. Below the lenses is the dual-LED dual-tone flash. The camera software supports optical “wide SIMON | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND | PAGE 3 A different bird however really enjoyed the wind. From past visits, I had learned to watch the shoreline for white-tailed eagle, and the skyfor golden eagles.
APRIL | 2017 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND For the last 16 months, I’ve been taking pictures using a Nikon Coolpix P900. The reason originally for buying that specific make and model was the reasonable price (always comparing to the insane prices of those super-lenses some birders use), and the incredible opticalzoom.
AUGUST | 2016 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND We’ve been to the Neeracher Ried before, it’s a wonderful place to observe waders. Now that the migration south has started, we were hoping to get some nice results. Apart from all kinds of sandpipers (common sandpiper, wood sandpiper and dunlins), two greenshank werepresent.
BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND For millennia, the powerful have sought to get rich, and the rich to get powerful. Often, those power struggles affected only a few. The only guy interested in who has the biggest yacht is the guy who has the biggest yacht, and the guy who used to have the biggest yacht. ABOUT | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND My name is Simon Niederberger, I work as a software developer. Aside from programming, one of my early interests has been observing wildlife, especially birds.ABERDEENSHIRE
The RSPB site Troup Head has a name for hosting the largest gannetry on the British mainland (the largest overall being Bass Rock). Fulmar start occupying cliff sites in January, and gannets start returning to the cliffs towards end of January. We visited a few times, and while the area was beautiful to visit and very peaceful, in terms of birding it was rather uneventful.OYSTERCATCHER
When we first visited Scotland (South Uist), we came upon (Eurasian) oystercatchers within minutes of leaving the Benbecula airport. We got rather excited over the beautiful black and white bird with the orange eye and beak. Within a day or two we realized that oystercatchers are an integral part of the Scottish islands. Seeing one AUGUST | 2017 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND The spotted redshank is comparatively rarely seen in Switzerland, passing through in August and September. They breed in the open taiga of north Sweden and Finland. Adults moult completely between July and October. In spring, the body plumage is moulted between March and May. Juveniles have a partial moult between August and February. BUSHNELL | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND Last November, I got a Bushnell “Aggressor Trophy Cam HD”, the kind of wildlife camera you can put out somewhere and later go check. (image from vildmarken.se) While we now have a great insight into the nocturnal wildlife in and around our garden, there were some bumpsgetting there.
DIGISCOPING WITH A HUAWEI P30 The Huawei P30 – like many phones nowadays – has multiple cameras. The specs of the Leica Triple Camera: 16 MP (17mm, f/2.2) / wide. The top-most lens is the 3x zoom, the middle one the “wide” lens, and the bottom one the standard 1x lens. Below the lenses is the dual-LED dual-tone flash. The camera software supports optical “wide SIMON | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND | PAGE 3 A different bird however really enjoyed the wind. From past visits, I had learned to watch the shoreline for white-tailed eagle, and the skyfor golden eagles.
APRIL | 2017 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND For the last 16 months, I’ve been taking pictures using a Nikon Coolpix P900. The reason originally for buying that specific make and model was the reasonable price (always comparing to the insane prices of those super-lenses some birders use), and the incredible opticalzoom.
AUGUST | 2016 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND We’ve been to the Neeracher Ried before, it’s a wonderful place to observe waders. Now that the migration south has started, we were hoping to get some nice results. Apart from all kinds of sandpipers (common sandpiper, wood sandpiper and dunlins), two greenshank werepresent.
VISITING LOTHIAN
While we've visited the West of Scotland several times, we've hardly seen the East, and have never been to Edinburgh. Middle of May, we went to Edinburgh with plans to stay just outside of the city at Musselburgh, and visit the Isle of May. The Musselburgh Lagoons are at FOR THE BENEFIT OF A FEW For millennia, the powerful have sought to get rich, and the rich to get powerful. Often, those power struggles affected only a few. The only guy interested in who has the biggest yacht is the guy who has the biggest yacht, and the guy who used to have the biggest yacht. Ifthings got out
ISLE OF HARRIS
Our last day of vacation, with a wonderful display of what summer on the Hebrides can be like. Strong winds, occasional rain, about 15°C. And yet, I love the wind and the ocean waves crashing against thecliffs.
MAY | 2019 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND While we’ve visited the West of Scotland several times, we’ve hardly seen the East, and have never been to Edinburgh. Middle of May, we went to Edinburgh with plans to stay just outside of the city at Musselburgh, and visit the Isle of May. JANUARY | 2017 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND The gulls commonly seen in Switzerland are the Common Gull ( ger. Sturmmöwe), the Black-Headed Gull ( ger. Lachmöwe) and the Yellow-legged Gull ( ger. Mittelmeermöwe). The common gull is a bit larger than a pigeon, with pale yellowish legs. The black-headed gull has red bill and legs, and – in the summer – a black head. JANUARY BIRDING IN ABERDEENSHIRE The RSPB site Troup Head has a name for hosting the largest gannetry on the British mainland (the largest overall being Bass Rock). Fulmar start occupying cliff sites in January, and gannets start returning to the cliffs towards end of January. We visited a few times, and while the area was beautiful to visit and very peaceful, in terms of birding it was rather uneventful. FEBRUARY | 2017 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND 3 posts published by Simon during February 2017. There used to be two kinds of shrike breeding in Switzerland: the great grey shrike, and the red-backed shrike. JUNE | 2016 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND June 26, 2016. / Simon. / Leave a comment. Today we visited the Wauwilermoos. In Switzerland, an area called “Moos” is a swampy area, similar to a “moor”. The Wauwilermoos is close to the Mauensee, and is a closed off habitat. There are two hides, one of which is not public at all, and the other one is usually locked (keyscan be picked
JULY | 2017 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND We’re on our way to the Isle of Harris for a 14 day treat of rugged landscapes, interesting weather and, hopefully, lots of great birding. After having visited South Uist a few years back, and the Isle of Skye last year, this year we chose the largest of the Outer Hebridesislands.
MAY | 2016 | BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND What a beautiful, sunny holiday! We walked to Zug, along the lake we spotted the usual coots, great crested grebes and mallards. Also, one common pochard and four red-crested pochards, which came as a bit of a surprise, this late in the year. BIRDS AND WILDLIFE IN SWITZERLAND BIRDWATCHING IN SWITZERLAND (AND ABROAD) AS WELL AS SOME OTHER WILDLIFE OBSERVATIONS Menu Skip to content* Home
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DIGISCOPING WITH A HUAWEI P30 July 22, 2019August 17, 2019/ Simon / Leave a
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I’ve started dabbling in digiscoping, and thought I’d share someof the experience.
HUAWEI P30 CAMERA(S) The Huawei P30 – like many phones nowadays – has multiple cameras. The specs of the Leica Triple Camera: * 8 MP (80mm, f/2.4) / 3x * 16 MP (17mm, f/2.2) / wide * 40 MP (27mm, f/1.8) / 1x The top-most lens is the 3x zoom, the middle one the “wide” lens, and the bottom one the standard 1x lens. Below the lenses is the dual-LED dual-tone flash. The camera software supports optical “wide”, 1x and 3x, as well as hybrid 5x, and digital zoom up to 30x. Doing a simple series with a wide, 1x, 3x and 5x of a towel rack shows that the 3x zoom is not necessarily put to use the way you’d expect:*
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Notice how all but the “wide” image show a f/1.8 5.58mm exif? Thus 1x, 3x and 5x were all taken with the standard lens. It’s quite common that a camera will use the standard lens in low-lightconditions.
CROPPING
Consider an image taken with the standard 1x lens, yielding a 40MP image. Cropping this image by a factor of three would reduce the size to 4.5MP, while the 3x optical lens would generate an 8MP image. SWAROVSKI VARIABLE PHONE ADAPTER (VPA) The Swarovski VPA is pretty cool as it fits on pretty much any modern smartphone (I’m sure there’s a compatibility list somewhere). So far adapters were often only available for iPhones and a few select Androids, and getting a new phone meant the adapter was obsolete.Report this ad
However, the Swarovski VPA is rather flimsy. Especially given the rather generous price, I expected something more solid. There are three adjustment levers, and two of those three regularly come loose, meaning I constantly need to re-adjust the adapter to my phone. The third lever is usually solid, but is terribly inaccessible once the scope adapter has been screwed on. From swarovskioptik.com The bottom adjuster comes lose frequently, the middle right one ever now and then, and the top left one is solid. FORCING OPTICAL ZOOM An issue I’ve had was to get my phone to use the 3x optical zoom when on the VPA. I’m guessing the light sensor is (partially) blocked by the VPA, and thus assumed a low-light situation. In these conditions, Huawei will favor the 1x optical lens and use digital zoom (see above). I found that zooming in all the way (digitally, to 30x) forced the phone to switch to the 3x lens. I could then go back to 3x zoom and remain on that lens. It’s a bit tedious to have to do this every time I switch back to the phone camera, but for now this seems the only way. Maybe eventually there will be a camera app which allows for manually locking in on a given lens. (I expect Open Camerato be there soon)
The image on the left was taken with a Canon DSLR, 400mm with 1.4x extender. The one on the right is digiscoped using the 3x optical lens on my Huawei P30. The saturation is strikingly different, the left more closely resembles the actual conditions (early overcast morning). But overall, the digiscoped image is pretty good. I’ll keep at it…
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FOR THE BENEFIT OF A FEW July 13, 2019July 13, 2019/
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For millennia, the powerful have sought to get rich, and the rich to get powerful. Often, those power struggles affected only a few. The only guy interested in who has the biggest yacht is the guy who has the biggest yacht, and the guy who used to have the biggest yacht. If things got out of hand, there was a revolution and the king’s headgot chopped off.
In current times, our politicians continue to strive for power, and often also for wealth. Sometimes, their plans don’t just affect a few. Sometimes, their plans are to destroy our natural environment, for the benefit of a few. The VJOSA RIVER is one of the last free-flowing rivers in Europe. ALBANIAN’S GOVERNMENT wants to grant permissions to build HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANTS, which would destroy the natural wildlife, but surely financially benefit a few. Shinzo Abe not only supports SLAUGHTERING WHALES of endangered species, but his original district is Shimonoseki, where the factory ship for scientific whaling was based. Benefit of a few. Comhairle nan Eilean Siar is the local government council for the OUTER HEBRIDES. The area is a jewel of natural beauty, where many endangered species are still regularly observed. Now the council proposes BUILDING A SPACEPORT: > This is a critical strategic investment for the Comhairle and the > North Uist community. The economic benefits that would flow from > this project are immense and we are delighted to offer it our full> backing.
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> When it comes to fruition the proposal will create between 50 and 70 > jobs and a range of wider and longer term economic benefits. > https://www.cne-siar.gov.uk/news/2019/june/plans-for-uk-s-first-space-port/ There is no mention of the jobs destroyed by such a spaceport. No mention of the destruction of the natural habitat. Benefit of a few. If you want to object to the spaceport, check out https://www.northuistconservation.org/how-to-object . To get you started, I’m posting my letter here:VISITING LOTHIAN
May 26, 2019August 27, 2019/ Simon
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While we’ve visited the West of Scotland several times, we’ve hardly seen the East, and have never been to Edinburgh. Middle of May, we went to Edinburgh with plans to stay just outside of the city at Musselburgh, and visit the Isle of May. The Musselburgh Lagoons are at the outskirts of the town. While it’s a Ramsar Site, SSSI and SPA, it does get its share of dog walkers, with all the usual conflicts. There are – as the name indicates – a few ponds around, some with the apparent purpose of swimming your dog, some more protected and even with a hide nearby. For us, though, the best part was the views towards the sea.*
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There was an abundance of common and velvet scoter, a handful of surf scoter, and apparently even an American white-winged scoter somewhere (maybe we saw it, maybe not, our scoter-skills aren’t sufficient to tell). And every now and then an eider or shelduck flies past, or a sandwich tern, or a flock of oystercatchers. Well, mainlyoystercatchers.
One of the “must visits” of this trip was the Isle of May > The island is free from predators such as foxes and rats, and thus > provides a safe breeding site compared to the mainland. At the > height of the breeding season the Isle of May can host around > 200,000 seabirds > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isle_of_May And the trip to the island can be a memorable experience in its ownright.
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On the way back from the Isle of May, a common place to slow down the boat is Bass Rock, an uninhabited rock giving name to the “Basstölpel”, German for gannet. What at first glance seems a slightly uneven, pale landscape, turns out be thousands and thousandsof gannets.
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It was a short stay in Scotland, but especially visiting the Isle of May is a trip we’ll always remember.BOTSWANA
April 30, 2019August 18, 2019/ Simon
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In April, my son and I spent 10 days traveling to Botswana for a unique wildlife experience.OKAVANGO DELTA
The Okavango Delta is part of an endorheic basin region. Straight fromWikipedia:
> The Okavango River drains the summer (January–February) rainfall > from the Angola highlands > and the surge flows 1,200 km (750 mi) in around one month. The > waters then spread over the 250 by 150 km (155 by 93 mi) area of > the delta over the next four months (March–June). The high > temperature of the delta causes rapid transpiration and evaporation, > resulting in a cycle of rising and falling water level that was not > fully understood until the early 20th century. The flood peaks > between June and August, during Botswana > ’s dry winter months, when > the delta swells to three times its permanent size, attracting > animals from kilometres around and creating one of Africa’s > greatest concentrations of wildlife> .
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okavango_Delta#Geography Botswana has a mix of national parks and private concessions in the area. The latter boomed during the time of trophy hunting. In 2014, the government banned all trophy hunting, pushing the concession owners into taking a more wildlife-friendly approach. The current “low volume, high revenue” policy might be highly capitalistic, but it does tremendously help conservation of the area. However: > Shortly after coming into office in April 2018, President Mokgweetsi > Masisi asked ministers to review the hunting ban which was > implemented by his predecessor Ian Khama in 2014. > https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-47330414 End of May 2019, the government has decided to allow sports hunting ofelephants.
SHINDE RESERVE (NG21) The Shinde Reserve is a private concession, and thus the camps in the reserve can offer some activities which are not available in the national parks, such as wildlife walks or night drives.Bradt Travel Guides
has a
nice overview of camps in the Shinde Reserve. Our camp was situated right by a lagoon, and the camp area was so rich with wildlife that I spent quite a few happy hours just strolling around the camp grounds. White-fronted bee-eaterswere abundant,
often perching just a few meters from the balcony. Other residents included black-collared barbet, dark-capped
bulbub , swamp
boubou and Holub’sgolden weaver
(among many, many others). * Holub’s golden weaver * White-fronted bee-eater * Black-collared barbet * Dark-capped bulbul* Swamp boubou
* Holub’s golden weaver * White-fronted bee-eater Black-collared barbetReport this ad
We spent our first afternoon on a mokoro, admiring the landscape and the bird life (don’t expect mammals on a mokoro trip). Malachite kingfisher and pied kingfisher are commonly seen in the reeds. The next morning we went on a wildlife walk (something typically not possible in government reserves). Walking among red lechwe, baboons and a plethora of birds was an incredible experience, topped by a brief and rather close encounter with a lion (sleeping, peaceful, completely safe). The walk also gave us a good overview of the common herbivores of the area.*
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If you’re wondering about the rifle: this is a last-resort protection. If a guide is forced to shoot an animal, something went terribly wrong beforehand (for getting too close), and there is usually a thorough inquiry if the kill was really necessary. We spent the rest of our stay in the Shinde Reserve with boat trips and game drives. Both were great for water-bound birds, simply giving different perspectives. On the game drives we saw plenty of herbivores, with elephant, warthog, giraffe, zebra, red lechwe, reedbuck and buffalo being fairly common, while tsessebe, roan antelope, sable antelope, sitatunga, bushbuck and steenbok were rare.*
* Kori bustard
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* Wattled cranes
* Buffalo with yellow-billed oxpeckers * White-browed robin-chat* Sitatunga
* Steenbok
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* Kori bustard
Kori bustard
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The notable absentees in the Shinde Reserve were the carnivores. They were present, though. Apart from seeing the one lion and a side-striped jackal, we heard hyenas several times (eg. while eating dinner out in the bush), and once a leopard in the distance. In private reserves, no self-driving tourists are allowed to enter, and there are only few camps. Thus, if your guide can’t track an animal, you won’t see it. In our next camp, things were a bit different.MOREMI GAME RESERVE
The Moremi Game Reserve is a hot-spot for safaris in Botswana (and, for that matter, Africa). It is a government reserve, and as such there are very strict guidelines as to the activities that can take place (no wildlife walks here). It is also one of the few areas where self-driving is allowed. The comparatively large number of camps in the reserve, along with the self-drivers means there’s quite a few parties on the lookout. And they’re connected via radio. Thus, if your guide can’t track an animal, he just needs to listen to the radio (and drive fast). We had a fast-driving guide. On the very first game-drive (after arriving around lunchtime) we got close-up views of two lazy lions, some roaming African wild dogs and a very brief glimpse of a leopard.*
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The lions would remain an integral part of almost every drive, and we also came across the African wild dogs two more times. The next morning was the most impressive of those encounters, as the pack had killed an impala earlier and were feeding.*
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Impala and waterbuck were commonly seen herbivores, replacing the red lechwe and reedbuck of the more swampy Shinde Reserve. For a more experienced safari tourist, the sighting of a pangolin would most likely have been the highlight of the entire trip. We were actually more hoping to get another look at a leopard or cheetah (but still thrilled to see such a rare animal). The following day we visited Third Bridge, an open area where there’s a better chance to see cheetah. While we didn’t get lucky on the cheetah, there were plenty of wonderful experiences, among them watching a large group of vultures (white-back, hooded and lappet-faced) feeding on a carcass, with a supporting cast of two huge marabou stork and a black-backed jackal.*
* Yellow-billed hornbill * Red-crested korhaan* Kudu
* Black-backed jackal*
* Yellow-billed hornbillRed-crested korhaan
Finally it was time for our last game drive before leaving for the airport. Well, maybe you can guess what happened.*
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The last image is of a second leopard, spotted just minutes after leaving the site of where the first one was stalking among the reeds. ANY ANIMALS NOT YET MENTIONED Gnu, ostrich, crocodile, African fish eagle, bataleur, swallow-tailed bee-eater, green bee-eater, little bee-eater, baboon, vervet monkey, monitor lizard, slaty egret, squacco heron, goliath heron, African spoonbill, openbill stork, hammerkop, grez hornbill, red-billed hornbill, green wood hoopoe, African hoopoe, black-headed oriole, nightjar, long-billed crombec, whiskered tern, African darter, reed cormorant, purple heron, African jacana, black-crowned night heron, green-backed heron, sacred ibis, glossy ibis, four kinds of woodpeckers, all kinds of kingfishers, plovers, lapwings … It was an amazing, overwhelming, memorable experience. AND WHAT ABOUT THE FOOTPRINT? We flew about 9’000 km, from Zurich via Johannesburg to Maun (and then another 9’000 km back). That’s 7.2 tons of CO2, just for the two us, (according to https://co2.myclimate.org ), surpassing our household footprint for the entire year (according to https://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx). Game drives and inter-camp flights added to the sizable footprint of this trip. There is an argument that visiting places like the Okavango Delta help preserve it. There’s also a pretty good argument that flying should be avoided whenever possible. I’m not sure what to think of it, but the environmental impact isn’t lost on me. JANUARY BIRDING IN ABERDEENSHIREMarch 17, 2019
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We spent January 2019 in the small town of Pennan in the north of Aberdeenshire. Not necessarily a “mark your calendar”-month for birding, but January still offers some interesting encounters.PLACES
Pretty much anywhere along the coast can be great to see sea ducks such as eider or scoters, and the inland fields are often good for wintering geese. There are a few areas, though, which stood out: ROSEHEARTY BEACH was our favorite place to watch waders. The beach there was regulary full of dunlin, redshank, turnstone, ringed plovers, purple sandpipers, and once also a lonely bar-tailed godwit. The RSPB site LOCH OF STRATHBEG is simply a place of tranquility. There’s plenty of water fowl, but also a good place to see hen harrier or whooper swans. The RSPB site TROUP HEAD has a name for hosting the largest gannetry on the British mainland (the largest overall being Bass Rock). Fulmar start occupying cliff sites in January, and gannets start returning to the cliffs towards end of January. We visited a few times, and while the area was beautiful to visit and very peaceful, in terms of birding it was rather uneventful. (The RSPB website states for autumn: _Enjoy the peace as the birds depart for the winter_. And for winter: _Look out for the first gannets and fulmars returning in mid-January_. Now you know when to visit.) Some further areas which could be interesting, but which we found to be pretty quiet in January:* Burghead
* Findhorn Bay
(has a big
name, but having visited twice, we only ever saw very distant waders, and a few commoners like redshank or wigeon)* Spey Bay
(again, well-known, and yet we found it to be rather quiet)COMMONERS
Visiting another country always brings with it the nice experience of re-visiting the notion of what is common and what is rare. Some birds we were very happy to see and have rarely or never seen inSwitzerland:
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And yet all of these are common birds in Aberdeenshire. Godwits spend the winter in the UK, with highest numbers between November and February. Long-tailed ducks are commonly seen off the coast, arriving at UK coast after October, and leaving around March. Pink-footed geese spend about the same time-frame in the UK and can be seen in flocks of thousands grazing the fields.NOTEWORTHY
Among the rather common of the noteworthy were the red-throated divers, occasionally seen off the coast. Around March or April they’ll start moving inland a bit to look for suitable breeding areas at freshwater lochs.Report this ad
A species which used to be abundant in the UK, but now brings a smile to most birders is the corn bunting. One of those plentiful victims of habitat loss, they are still fairly often seen at the RSPB site Lochof Strathbeg.
Having seen pink-footed geese for the first time during this trip, we would have never been able to distinguish the taiga bean goose from its similar-looking relative. This individual stayed at RSPB Loch of Strathbeg for a few days and was most likely the main attraction. Finally, the bird which is only recorded a handful of times per year. The bird which the local recorded found most noteworthy in our observation list. The black redstart. A beautiful example that what is locally seen as “common” might be rare somewhere else, and that really each bird and each species deserves appreciation.Report this ad
WHY WOULD A WHITE-TAILED EAGLE VISIT SWITZERLANDOctober 21, 2018
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We’ve visited Scotland several times, and one of the most impressive birds we’ve seen there quite regularly is the white-tailed eagle. White-tailed eagle at Loch Laich, Scotland The story of the Scottish sea eagles is a uplifting one. Pretty much all sea eagles were persecuted around the turn of the 20th century, and in Scotland the last known surviving eagle was shot in Shetland. Reintroduction was started in 1975 on the Isle of Rum, with birds from Norway. 10 years later, the first chick hatched on the Isle of Mull. In 2015, the number of breeding pairs in Scotland reached 100. Apart from Scotland, sea eagle breed along the coast of Scandinavia, but also Denmark, German (North and East), Austria (recolonized recently), Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic. The breeding area closest to Switzerland might be northern Croatia. So why would a sea eagle ever show up in Switzerland? The first few years, sea eagles move around quite a bit. Furthermore, some sea eagles move to wintering grounds, with some small pockets eg. at Etang de Lindre (France), near Strasbourg or west-central Italy.
Birds seen in Switzerland occur typically between October and March, with only a handful of sightings outside of that time frame. White-tailed eagle (with red kite) at Flachsee, SwitzerlandReport this ad
So, typically birds seen in Switzerland are immature, and either moving towards one of the few wintering sites South of Switzerland, or simply roaming around (as teenagers like to do). But with typically one or two birds seen annually, every sighting is truly special. TWO SEPTEMBER WEEKS IN ARGYLLSeptember 29, 2018
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We just spent two weeks in Mid-Argyll, based on the remote Craignish peninsula. While this wasn’t a dedicated birding vacation, we did have our binoculars with us at all times. But it’s worth noting, the proximity to historical areas such as the Kilmartin Glen was very nice. At Loch Laich, for example, one can spot plenty of waders with the iconic Castle Stalker looming in the background. _There is indeed a greenshank just about visible in the foreground_ It took us a bit to gather local information pertinent to birding, so I’ve compiled that here. QUANTITY AND QUALITY First, it’s important to realize that Argyll, as is common for mainland Scotland, typically doesn’t boast the bird numbers which can be expected from the islands. There can be incidents where westerly winds might push hundreds of waders towards the mainland, but normally it’ll be two godwits here, three greenshank there. In terms of species diversity, however, Argyll can easily stand its ground, especially with plenty of woodland species rarely seen on the islands.AREAS
The MOINE MHOR is an NNR, with most of the birds around the Add estuary. There are some good view points from Bellanoch bridge or the hide nearby, as well as from Crinan Ferry. There’s also a walk along the canal which offers good views of the estuary. Typically, though, birds will be distant. Thanks to the surrounding moorland, there’s a chance for seeing not just water birds (stonechats, bullfinch, goldfinch, reed bunting, peregrine, osprey, harriers etc) LOCH GILP is another large estuary, this one pretty much restricted to water birds (due to settlements all around the loch). As for the Add estuary, birds are often distant (but it’s still worth to approachcarefully)
_Black-tailed godwit just behind the wall next to the Kilmory GuestHouse_
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We found LOCH LAICH (a bit further North) to be excellent, with a path leading around the area allowing for good views while not disturbing the birds. Beware that this is not a nature reserve, and so at any time the ignorant dog walker might let his/her pet flush whatever you were just observing. The TAYNISH PENINSULA is renowned for warblers and other woodland birds. I must confess that during our visit, it was frustratingly quiet (probably telling that a treecreeper was the highlight). For sea birds, driving down KINTYRE PENINSULA seems the best bet, withstops at
* Port Tarbert might give closest views ever for redshank, which wade around just below the pier.Confiding redshank
* the Kennacraig ferry terminal* Sound of Gigha
HIDES
I’m sure there are plenty more in the area, but we’ve found birdhides:
* About 300m West of Bellanoch, between Crinan Canal and the Add estuary. Birds are often distant (take your scope), and the afternoonhas better light
View from hide at Bellanoch * At the North-East end of Loch Barnluasgan is a hide which – according to the panel there – offers a good chance to see beavers (visit after 7pm or early morning) * Machrihanish Observatorynear
Campbeltown is probably the best bet for sea birds * On the South side of Loch Laich, by the parking for the Jubilee Bridge, there’s a small hide facing NorthReport this ad
Many thanks to Jim Dickson (the local RSPB recorder), who provided great insights, it was a pleasure meeting him!HEDGE TRIMMING
July 28, 2018
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Every morning I walk 20 minutes to the train station. Part of that walk takes me along a diverse hedgerow, which is always rich with bird song. The wrens I usually only hear, blackcaps mark their territory, fieldfares complain about my presence. The sparrows flit back and forth, same for the robins, tits and blackbirds. Sometimes there’s a small group of goldfinches taking a rest. On June 4th, the “Werkdienst” (public maintenance services) of the community decided it’s a good time to cut back the hedges along the streets. It looked and felt as if a wrecking ball had taken off the top third of your house. I was furious. It took a while for the Werkdienst to reply to my inquiry, but their response was (using my own words here): > We decidedly take fauna into consideration, as nature is very > important to us. (verbatim: Bestimmt nehmen wir Rücksicht auf die > Fauna, da uns die Natur am Herzen liegt.) Alas, there are other factors which are also important. If branches, possibly even thorny ones, stick out onto the sidewalk, the Werkdienst will receive complaints. There are regulations. But, nothing to worryabout, because
> We make sure the first brood has fledged. Also, all nests are > located deep within the hedges, and we only cut on the one side. > Finally, the department for woods and meadows confirms that not more > than 10% of all nests will still be occupied in June. Interestingly, the local newspaper Zuger Woche had picked up the story (I cc’d them). They checked with the Werkdienst, heard that all was in order (regulations, department for woods and whatnot, not more than 10%),and that was that.
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After checking with BirdLifeand vogelwarte.ch
(thank you to both for replying so quickly), the facts are quiteplain:
* HEDGEROWS SHOULD NOT BE CUT BETWEEN MARCH AND NOVEMBER. Yes, that does mean that when you cut in winter, you’ll have to account for that growth spurt. I’m sure the Werkdienst has the experience and qualification to do that. * BIRDS ARE DEFINITELY BREEDING IN EARLY JUNE. They might be on their second brood, they might be later after having failed at a first attempt, or they might be late due to the Beast from the East. The statement from that department is ludicrous. * SWISS LAW actually protects nesting birds. Regulation 922.0 (Jagdgesetz) Abs. 7, Art. 17b states that it is illegal to disturb breeding birds deliberately andwithout cause.
I’m not a lawyer, and I’m sure the Werkdienst can easily argue that some other regulation gave them due cause. But it does mean that they prioritize pre-emptive cutting to prevent any sidewalk disturbance over the needs of our wildlife. So much for “_nature is very important to us_“. As I couldn’t let this go, I kept nagging and will now discuss the issue with the Werkdienst this fall. I’m really curios to see how far that commitment to nature and fauna goes. The bigger picture is, as so often, way more important. On social media we keep pointing our finger at the government, our farmers, the multi-nationals, and complain. Demand action. It’s not wrong to complain, demand, and point. But then, get off the couch and do something about it. SHORT TRIP TO ISLE OF MULL May 28, 2018May 29, 2018/ Simon / Leave a
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While it was a very short stay, we did enjoy spending 3 days on the Isle of Mull last weekend (not travelling primarily for birding, though). The ferry at Oban was already busy, we hadn’t expected such a crowd end of May (I admit we never checked the UK school schedule). Nevertheless, we managed to get a spot on the ferry, and enjoyed our first few COMMON GUILLEMOTS, BLACK GUILLEMOTS, along with HERRING GULLS and an occasional CORMORANT. Having arrived on Mull, literally the first two birds which grabbed our attention were two WHITE-TAILED EAGLES soaring overhead. We were aware that Mull has the highest density of nesting White-Tails in the UK, but didn’t expect to see any so quickly. Along the shore there were a few GREY HERONS, the ubiquitous OYSTERCATCHERS, more Herring Gulls, COMMON GULLS, plus a few GREATER BLACK-BACKED GULLS (and maybe Lesser Black-Backed, we’re not too good at telling those apart). This COMMON SANDPIPER was presenting itself nicely. While driving to the hotel we also spotted HOODED CROWS, COLLARED DOVE, FERAL PIGEON (or Rock Pigeon). We stayed at the Bellachroy Hotel, the oldest inn on Mull, situated in the cute little village Dervaig. Around the hotel were the typical SONG THRUSH, DUNNOCK, GREENFINCH, TREE SPARROW, GREAT TIT, BARN SWALLOW, BLACKBIRDS .. .. while down at the shore of the loch we found REDSHANK, GREENSHANK, more Common Sandpipers, CANADA GEESE, GREYLAG GEESE, MEADOW PIPIT, GOOSANDERS, and a very distant LESSER REDPOLL. The day after arriving on Mull, we ran some errands and drove around the island. In addition to previously mentioned species, we saw ROBIN, WREN, GOLDFINCHES, MISTLE THRUSH, NORTHERN WHEATHEAR, what might have been a SEDGE WARBLER (only a fleeting glimpse), RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, EIDER, MALLARD, LITTLE GREBE, CURLEW, and another White-Tailed Eagle (I know, already mentioned it, but theseare special).
A personal highlight was seeing my first white-winged gull, this one most likely being an ICELANDIC GULL.Report this ad
Driving home with a setting sun, we saw a COMMON BUZZARD hovering like a kestrel, something I’ve never seen before. The next day it was already time to head home. We definitely hope to return to the island soon to do some proper birding. ORTSPLANUNGSREVISION BAARMarch 10, 2018
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Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren Leider ist es mir nicht möglich am Workshop vom 24. März teilzunehmen, ich möchte daher in dieser Form einen Diskussionsbeitrag leisten: Inzwischen wurden fünf “Grundhaltungen” definiert, welche nun im Austausch mit der Bevölkerung diskutiert werden sollen: * Zukünftige Entwicklung * Baar wird Stadt und bleibt Dorf * Bauen mit Qualität * Identität bewahren sowie Neues schaffen * Frei- und Erholungsräume * Wo verdichtet wird, sollen Freiräume Ausgleich schaffen* Mobilität
* Verkehrsnetze planen * Fuss- und Radverkehr * Fokus Kernentwicklung * Neue Nutzung harmoniert mit bisheriger Geschichte * Bahnhof und Ortskern wachsen zusammen Die einzelnen Punkte sind hier nur grob umrissen, damit klar wird worauf sich die Ortsplanung bisher fokussiert: den Menschen, uneingeschränkt. Die Natur, die Umwelt, die Fauna und Flora haben da nichts zu suchen. Wird hier verkannt dass wir eine gesunde Umwelt brauchen, damit wir uns an einem Ort wohl fühlen? Oder herrscht der Glaube dass man dass dann so nebenbei erledigt, sprich wenn dann die neuen Überbauungen und die Strassen geplant sind, prüft man noch wo es eine kleine Ecke für ein “Naturreservat” gibt? ES IST HÖCHSTE ZEIT DASS WIR UNSERER UMWELT DIE NÖTIGE SORGE TRAGEN, UND DESHALB BRAUCHT DIE ORTSPLANUNGSREVISION WEITERE “GRUNDHALTUNGEN”:* BIODIVERSITÄT
* Bei allen Bauprojekten (Tief- und Hochbau) wird darauf geachtet dass die baulichen Massnahmen zu einer erhöhten Biodiversität führen. Bauprojekte welche die Biodiversität lediglich erhalten oder gar vermindern sind abzulehnen. Die Bevölkerung will wieder mehr Schmetterlinge, mehr Vögel, mehr Libellen, vielleicht auch mal einBaummarder.
* NATURNAHE FLÄCHEN/UMGEBUNGSFLÄCHEN IN SIEDLUNGEN * Es ist bekannt dass die Sicht ins Grüne den Menschen hilft. Kleinstrukturen und naturnahe Flächen müssen integrierter Teil des Gestaltungsprozesses sein. * ERHALTUNG DER WILDTIERKORRIDORE * Der Wildtierkorridor vom Lorzentobel – Höllgrotten – Baarburg/Deinikon – Büessikon darf nicht weiter verbaut werden. Werden dennoch Strassen in diesem Bereich gebaut oder saniert, müssen Über- oder Unterführungen für Wildtiere gebaut werden * ERHALTUNG DER NATURLANDSCHAFT * Bestehende, grössere unverbaute Landschaften sollen als solche erhalten bleiben. Mehrbedarf an Wohnfläche soll durch verdichtetes Bauen in den bestehenden Ortschaften abgefangen werden. Die Ortsplanungsrevision ist eine Chance für die Bevölkerung von Baar, um ihre Ortschaft weiterzuentwickeln und gleichzeitig zu erhalten. Es ist aber auch eine Chance nicht nur von Naturschutz zu reden, sondern durch entsprechende Richtlinien beizutragen dass auch unsere Grosskinder im Garten den Ruf des Gartenrotschwanz hörenkönnen.
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Ich bitte Sie diese Chance wahrzunehmen.Freundliche Grüsse
Simon Niederberger
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