Spechte - Woodpeckers

Famous for their hammering and hole drilling, woodpeckers have a special place in the affections of bird watchers.  Their drumming and calling is often one of the harbingers of spring, a sure sign that winter's cold grip is slowly loosening.  Before trees and forests are adorned with leaf, they are often easy to observe flitting about in their arboreal overworld searching for food or excavating nesting holes with their formidable chisel shaped beaks.  Here in the Harzvorland we are blessed with at least 5 species - Black, Great, Middle, Lesser and Green, whilst the Grey-headed is rare and extremely localised and the White-backed, even rarer, can only be seen in the southern part of the Harz.  And last but not least, Wrynecks are sparsely but widely distributed.

Appelhorn former military training area north west of Goslar

Appelhorn nature reserve includes extensive areas of wonderful ancient forest ...

… and chalk grassland, home to many endangered plants

Buntspecht, or Great Spotted Woodpeckers, are ubiquitous and easy to come across almost anywhere where there is a decent covering woodland or forest.  Their smaller cousins, Mittelspecht, or Middle Spotted, have rather more refined requirements including a mature mixture of beech and oak and, providing that you look in the right kind of habitat, are relatively easy to come across.  The diminutive Kleinspecht, or Lesser Spotted, however, has even more exacting requirements needing extensive linked areas of mature mixed forest with plenty of dead wood into which they can excavate either for nesting or for food.  Like most places in Europe, these Liliputian jewels are definitely hard to come across, indeed a friend mentioned to me that he knew of some birders who had never seen one!

Great Spotted - Oberharz

Black in flight - Appelhorn

Wryneck - stock photo

Shwarzspecht, or Black Woodpeckers, are less dependent on deciduous forests and can be found almost anywhere in the region, even high up in the monotonous pine forests of the Oberharz.  The first sign of their presence is a grating but musical multisyllable 'krrri krri krii' call as they fly about their territories.  They are large crow-sized woodpeckers that seem to be more than holding their own.  Grunspecht, or Green Woodpeckers, are widely distributed and as often as not, can be seen looking for insects in sandy soil on the ground.  The closely related Grauspecht, or Grey Headed, are hard to come by north of the Harz and I know of only one location where they have been recorded breeding.

Middle - Appelhorn

Green - near Braunschweig,  Courtesy John Collins

Middle - Appelhorn

However, its the Lesser Spotted that has given me most satisfaction this early spring.  I have spent hours walking the dogs in suitable habitat looking and listening for this beautiful little woodpecker.  Its demanding and extensive habitat requirements - I have recently read that a single Lesser needs an living area equivalent to 500 Blue Tit territories - has condemned it to being unsuited to our 'parcelled' and tidy country sides and they are struggling.  So it was joy that I eventually heard its high pitched 'kee, kee, kee, kee' call and then saw one flitting amongst the top-most branches.  Patience and occasionally playing back its call, elicited wonderful views as it went about it business in its arboreal kingdom.  Long may it remain.

Lesser - Appelhorn

Lesser - Appelhorn

Late winter in Dorset.

My visit home to Dorset in February coincided with an astonishingly warm spell of weather which permeated most of western Europe.  Beguilingly warm, many birds, insects and animals were tricked into thinking spring had arrived.  Short trousers and pale legs also made an unwelcome appearance in many places.  Birding in the UK is so easy compared with Germany, mainly because there are many more birders covering the ground and because of apps like BirdGuides which allow birders to accurately report in real time species they have seen.  A quick look at one's iPhone is sufficient to see what's about. I find this a refreshing change from being in Germany where most of the time I'm looking for birds with at best, one other friend and a dog!

My 'local patch' in Dorset, SW England.  Top middle right in the Fleet Lagoon, bottom centre is Portland with the harbour to the north, whilst Weymouth is home to RSPB Radipole and Lodmoor.

Screen shot - BirdGuides App.  The 'what and where'.  The how is up to you.

One of the spectacles of Portland Bill in the winter is the Short-eared Owl roost.  Normally one is able to see 3 or 4 birds quartering the fields from the late afternoon and with patience it is sometimes possible to see them from quite close range.  These owls must be some of the most photographed birds in the UK and sometime photographers try to get too close.  Remember, the bird must always come first.  Sure enough, 3 birds were present giving a fantastic display against the ocean.

Short-eared Owl, Portland Bill

Kestrel, Portland Bill

A North American Ring-billed Duck has been present at RSPB Radipole for several months existing quite happily with its presumably quite closely related Tufted Ducks.  As the weeks have gone by it has moulted into an extremely smart plumage and therefore definitely warranted a visit even if it meant observing it from a main road!  Radipole is a wonderful reserve attracting hundreds of visitors most of whom probably contribute to the RSPB's work.

Ring-necked Duck, Radipole

Ring-necked Duck, Radipole

Lodmoor is the second RSPB reserve in Weymouth.  Often underrated, this a super place where many species can be observed from close proximity. The reserve consists of a vast area of reedbeds and scrapes containing all kinds of waders, great and small.  I was really fortunate to come across a Penduline Tit, one of 2 that seem to be hanging around Weymouth this winter.  Other highlights included the obligatory Lesser Yellowlegs and some Marsh Harriers.  Here's a selection of some of the birds.

Lapwing, Lodmoor

Bullfinch - Lodmoor

Penduline Tit - Lodmoor

Teal - Lodmoor

Black-tailed Godwit - Lodmoor

Perhaps my favourite place to watch birds is Middlebere in Poole Harbour.  The warm weather succeeded in providing quite beautiful conditions to sit patiently in the hide and wait for nature to come by.  I was really hoping to see a Merlin but was disappointed.  Nor did I see any Hen Harriers despite 3 long visits - apparently there is only 1 wintering in the harbour this year.  Notwithstanding, the array of birds to watch here was truly amazing including hundreds of Avocets, Grey Plovers, Black-tailed Godwits and some scarcer species like Spotted Redshank.

Poole Harbour

Mainly Avocet - Poole Harbour

Little Egret - Poole Harbour

Much talk here is whether the Ospreys will attempt to breed here this year.  A re-introduction scheme has been running for 2 or 3 years and they are expecting the first birds back this spring.  Spoonbills continue to stay here too through there is no evidence of them attempting to breed.

Spoonbill - Poole Harbour

Mediterranean Gull - Poole Harbour 

Common Buzzard and Red Kite - Poole Harbour

Actually, the most wonderful thing about these few days was the weather and the light, especially seen towards the end of the day.  These photographs taken from the hide in Middlebere capture a little of the beauty of the scene, something that will stay with me for a long time.

The Middlebere Channel, Poole Harbour - late afternoon

The Middlebere Channel, Poole Harbour - late aternoon

Puckle and I enjoying the view

Late winter Rough-legged Buzzards in the Groβe Bruch and Middle Spotted Woodpeckers in the Harzvorland

Central Germany is a hard place to go birding in winter.  There are few obvious inland sites at which birds will concentrate.  So it was that I hardly got my binos throughout the main part of winter.  The occasional outing yielded very little.  So, the sudden advent of glorious warm most unseasonal weather got me going, especially after a friend reported seeing Middle-spotted Woodpeckers in a wood adjacent to Mascherode south of Braunschweig.  

Area south of Braunschweig and north of the Harz.  Middle Spotted Woodpeckers are present in probably all forest areas marked.

Kleiber, Mascherode

Middle-spotted Woodpeckers occupy a niche between Greater and Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers.  They depend on a mosaic of mature mixed beech and oak and plenty of dead wood.  They are only slightly smaller than the Great Spotted Woodpeckers, but appear smaller due to their short, slender bill and more rounded, pale head. Behaviourally they prefer to feed high in the canopy, moving constantly and making prolonged observation difficult.  

Middle Spotted Woodppecker - Mascherode

Middle Spotted Woodppecker - Mascherode

Middle Spotted Woodpeckers live predominantly on a diet of insects as well as their larvae, which they locate by picking them from branches and twigs rather than hacking them from beneath the bark.  They are rarely heard drumming, and never for territorial purposes, which it asserts by song; a slow, nasal gvayk gvayk gvayk gvayk gvayk. 

Middle Spotted Woodpecker - Mascherode

Middle Spotted Woodpecker - Mascherode

Over the course of several days I searched several woods and succeeded in locating Middle Spotted Woodpeckers in all of them.  Greater Spotted are also present of course and on one occasion I heard a Lesser Spotted calling.  Middle Spotted are highly charismatic birds who will energetically respond to a short burst of their song.  I love them.

Western end of the Groβe Bruch, Sachsen-Anhalt.

Almost as an afterthought I visited the Groβe Bruch at the weekend.  As I approached I met a hunter who asked me what I was looking for.  When I explained what species could be seen here he was amazed and said he had never seen any of them.  Literally 5 minutes later I practically drove onto a Rough-legged Buzzard (Raufuβbussard) hunting in some rough grass.  I had struggled to see any of this species this winter so this was a good find and in an area I had never seen them before.

Rough-legged Buzzard - Groβe Bruch

Rough-legged Buzzard - Groβe Bruch

Rough-legged Buzzard with prey - Groβe Bruch

This was a classic bird with distinct carpal patches, breast markings, white rump and dark trailing under edges.  It spent quite a long time hovering and gliding holding its wings in a manner distinct from the ubiquitous Common Buzzard.  I am often reminded of harriers when I see them in flight - in terms of 'jizz' very different from Common Buzzard.  Definitely aquiline in nature and weith experience, quite easy to separate from their Common brethren.

Rough-legged Buzzard - Groβe Bruch

Rough-legged Buzzard - Groβe Bruch

Long range Rough-legged Buzzard - Groβe Bruch

Rough-legged Buzzard - Groβe Bruch

Rough-legged Buzzard - Groβe Bruch

Confirming that this would be a good morning, I observed a male Hen Harrier quartering the area.  In fact it flew directly past my parked car proving that I should have stayed inside!  It is not at all unusual to see Hen Harriers here, in fact they are resident winter visitors, but I have only ever seen a male twice before so this was doubly pleasing.

Hen Harrier - Groβe Bruch

Hen Harrier - Groβe Bruch

Other species seen included 200 - 300 Lapwing which represents a site record for me, 20 - 30 Common Cranes passing over and 14 Great White Egrets.

Great White Egret - Groβe Bruch