Marsh harriers return

This week, I saw my first wing-tagged Marsh harrier of the year. The past 2 years, more than 200 juveniles have been wing-tagged in Belgium and the south of the Netherlands, and several birds were seen the past few weeks. I checked every harrier I saw, and finally, last Tuesday I could read the code of a female bird. It was tagged last summer close to where I saw it. Since most sightings of tagged birds are from birds ringed in 2011, seeing a 2nd cal year was very nice. I hope to see many more of these birds in the following weeks!

Afterwards, I was able to read 7 ringed Herring gulls, of which 2 were Dutch: 1 from R.J. Buijs (a known bird to me), and 1 metal-ringed bird. Also 1 of the regular metal-ringed Jackdaws was present.

2nd cal female Marsh harrier (A. Anselin), tagged last year and now back in Belgium!

Herring gull Arnhem 6.426.549. It should be heading to it's breeding colony soon.

Herring gull Brussel H???723, I hope to read the full code on one of my next visits...

Herring gull yellow XB (R.J. Buijs), the last time I saw this one was in August last year, so good to see it's still alive and doing well.

Heing gull blue YM.AB (E. Stienen),

Herring gull blue YX.AB (E. Stienen), a new one!

Jackdaw Brussel E337306, a regular bid in Nieuwpoort.

Guernsey Herring Gull in Belgium!

Today I checked the resting gulls in Nieuwpoort again, and immediately saw an immature Herring gull wearing a white ring. Luckily it stayed where it was, and I was able to read the code, and take some pictures as well. I recognized the code as probably belonging to Paul Veron's ringing scheme, and this was confirmed by him later this evening. It even turned out to be the first of his colour-ringed Herring gulls seen in Belgium! He ringed this bird in December in his garden, so it's not known where this bird originates from, let's hope it will be seen many times more.
Other rings were all Belgian ones, with 3 known birds seen. I also managed to read the code of one Ruddy turnstone, probably locally ringed.

2nd cal Herring gull white 0HA4 (P. Veron), my first Guernsey-ringed bird!

Ruddy turnstone Brussel 99Z23897.

ad Herring gull blue MT.AS (E. Stienen).

4th cal Herring gull blue PFA.F (E. Stienen).

2nd cal Herring gull blue YS.AX (E. Stienen)

Gulls, Jackdaws and White storks!

A short stop at the coast yesterday resulted in the reading of 5 gull-rings (all Belgians), and 3 locally-ringed Jackdaws. When I got home, I got news about 5 White storks not so far away. When I arrived there, I was pleased to see that 3 of them were ringed. I managed to read 2 of them, both were Dutch birds.

Herring gull Brussels H145683, also seen there the day before.

 

Herring gull blue YSA.C (E. Stienen), my first sighting.

3 locally ringed Jackdaws.

 

 

White stork NLA 1E679, ringed in 2011 as a juvenile on the nest in the Netherlands.

White stork Arnhem 7529, ringed in 2006 as a juvenile on the nest in the Netherlands.

 

5 White storks resting during their migration.

Gulls and unexpected waders

Yesterday I visited Nieuwpoort again, and read 2 Belgian c-rings and 3 Belgian metal gull-rings. A nice surpise however, was that I was able to read the metal ring of an Oystercatcher (also a Belgian one). Later on, close to my house, I could photograph the whole code of a metal-ringed Northern lapwing, my first ever ring-reading of this species (also this one turned out to be a Belgian one)! I am eagerly waiting for the details of these birds...

Herring gull Brussel H903016.

Herring gull blue MT.AS (E. Stienen), my previous observation of this bird dates from August 2010.

Herring gull blue SBA.R (E. Stienen), my first sighting, and the first time since 2011 that this bird is observed.

 

Oystercatcher Brussel L50784.

 

Lapwing Brussel 6T14014, my first-ever Lapwing ring-reading!

Old and new friends in Gent

Last weekend, I visited my old ring-reading patches in Gent, and I was very happy to see some birds that I have seen many times before. LBBG's were omnipresent, and in the end I was able to read 11 rings, a nice total! All of them were Dutch-ringed birds, apart from 1 with a French ring, a bird I had also seen there in June 2011.

The same day, I visited the breeding colony of Black-headed gulls of Lokeren, where I was able to read 1 ring, the now well-known hybrid female Black-headed gull x Meditteranean gull (yelow EEVY). It was too distant to take pictures, but a nice ring to read :-)

LBBG yellow 6F (RJ Buijs), my first sighting.

LBBG red 254N (P. Dubois), only 2 observations of this bird exict, both by me in Gent. Who finds this bird in winter in Spain, or in summer breeding in the Netherlands?

LBBG white D.7 (RJ Buijs), I saw this bird before in Boulogne-sur-Mer in 2009.

 

LBBG blue HF (RJ Buijs), one of the rings I read many times before.

LBBG white M.8 (RJ Buijs), again a known bird to me.

LBBG red MT( RJ Buijs), alsoa familiar bird.

LBBG white N.J (RJ Buijs), a new bird to me.

LBBG red X1 (RJ Buijs), also a new one.

LBBG red YB (RJ Buijs), the last new one.

A day at the coast.

Yesterday I was able to check a large part of the Belgian beaches for c-ringed gulls, resulting in 23 ring-readings: 21 Herrings, but also my first 2 Lesser black-backed gulls of the year. Highlights were 2 British-ringed birds (both from the North Thames Ringing Group). Frustrating was an unread red ring, most likely a French or British Herring.

Herring gull yellow 7R (R.J. Buijs), my 2 previous obervations of this bird date from 2009.

Herring gull Brussels H900501, also my third observation.

Herring gull blue F.PAD (E. Stienen), also last seen in 2009. Now at least 15 years old!

Herring gull blue LH.AL (E. Stienen), still present in the breeding colony in Zeebrugge.

Herring gull blue MHA.D (E. Stienen), my first observation.

Herring gull blue M.HAJ (E. Stienen), also present in the Zeebrugge-colony.

Herring gull blue M.MAK (E. Stienen), also the first time I see this one.

Herring gull orange RV0T. (North Thames Ringing Group), details awaited.

Herring gull blue S.BAJ (E. Stienen), also a new one.

Herring gull blue SHA.C (E. Stienen), again a new one.

Herring gull blue SZA.L (E. Stienen), present at the colony of Oostende.

Herring gull blue YS.AX (E. Stienen), still hanging around in Nieuwpoort.

Herring gull blue YVA.G (E. Stienen), my first sighting.

Herring gull blue CR.AC (E. Stienen), again a new bird to me.

LBBG blue DN.AU (E. Stienen), my first LBBG of the year.

White-tailed eagle!

Earlier this week, I went to see the White-tailed eagle which had been reported for the past few days. It was sitting in a tree at quite a distance, but off course always a very nice bird to see. And even nicer is hat it is ringed, and the c-ring was read a few days before. It appears to be a Dutch bird, born in Lauwersmeer last summer.
At the coast, Nieuwpoort had just 2 ringed birds, 2 Belgian Herrings already seen there this year. And to end this post, today I saw my first flock of migrating Black-tailed godwits of the year (75 birds), and to my surprise 1 of the birds was c-ringed, my first ring-reading of the limosa-subspecies (I have seen some islandica-birds before in the UK). Let's hope spring migration brings some more nice ring-readings!


Distant White-tailed eagle, De Blankaart (West-Vlaanderen).


Herring gull Brussel H131047, my second observation of this bird.


2nd cy Herring gull blue YS.AX (E. Stienen), my third observation, all at Nieuwpoort IJzermonding.