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.
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| Area south of Braunschweig and north of the Harz. Middle Spotted Woodpeckers are present in probably all forest areas marked. |
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| 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.
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| Middle Spotted Woodppecker - Mascherode |
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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.
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| Middle Spotted Woodpecker - Mascherode |
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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.
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| 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.
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| Rough-legged Buzzard - Groβe Bruch |
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Rough-legged Buzzard - Groβe Bruch |
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| 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.
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Rough-legged Buzzard - Groβe Bruch |
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Rough-legged Buzzard - Groβe Bruch |
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Long range Rough-legged Buzzard - Groβe Bruch |
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Rough-legged Buzzard - Groβe Bruch |
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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.
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| Hen Harrier - Groβe Bruch |
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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.
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| Great White Egret - Groβe Bruch |
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