Switzerland 2022…and all that Jazz! (2 Viewers)

[Mcnswiss2]

Happy New Year to all the Birders in Switzerland.

 

[Mcnswiss2]

I have lived in Switzerland for over 25 years and have enjoyed the birding oppertunites. Many previous reports have indicated that birding is difficult or the number of Species seen have been low, however there are some stonking birds out there. Although the country is land locked and sea birds are difficult to see, the different habitats present in this country offer great birding if you are prepared to do your homework. Over the year, I will list the great websites, provide information and any answer any questions that you may be interested in.

 

[Mcnswiss2]

Here are some of the websites I use:
Ornitho.ch
CH300
Swisss Bird Alert
The FatBirder

I hope you enjoy them. Any questions please let me know.

50 Species seen within last two days as part of the Big Year.
Best birds seen included Eagle Owl, Great Grey Shrike, Water Rails and Bramblings.

 

[Mcnswiss2]

Escapees….
Should they be included in Country list ?
What is the criteria for New Specie recognition in the Country? Is it simply number of generations breeding?
Black Swans are breeding in the wild of Switzerland for a number of years?
Bearded Vultures have been re established! How about the little Owl in the UK introduce by the Romans.
I enjoy finding these exotics, however they can have drastic effects on local.
They are listed on the Ornitho.ch site.
Most Common are the Ruddy Shelduck, Egyptian Geese, Mandarin Ducks.
Several exotic mammals also present in the country.

 

[Mcnswiss2]

Great Skua still around as well as Longtailed Duck and Tundra Bean Geese.
The Swiss Vogelwarte.ch play an important part in monitoring and researching into breeding birds in Switzerland.
Vogelwarte
There is a great publication on the status of breeding birds that is regularly updated.

 

[Michael Billerbeck]

I remember having seen Alpine Choughs in Zermatt and some Mergansers/Goosanders in Zürich.

 

[Mcnswiss2]

Hi Michael,
Alpine choughs around in flocks upto 200 strong In the mountains.
My favourite place is Engelberg and above Luzern.
Goosanders around in many places and a few of the rarer Merganser seen in Fanel, Jona, and in Noville.

 

[Mcnswiss2]

Very rare birds seen this year in Switzerland:

• Great Skua
• Great Black backed Gull
• Oriental Turtle Dove
• Siberian Chiffchaff
• Greater Flamingo

 

[Mcnswiss2]

Below is a list of Rare birds seen in Switzerland this year:

• Cattle Egrets
• Middle Spotted Woodpeckers
• Bean Geese
• Greater White fronted Geese
• Herring Gull
• Berwicks Swan
• Horned Grebe
• Common Loon
• Caspian Gull
• Jack Snipe
• Long tailed Duck
• Red Billed Chough
• Oystercatcher
• Golden Plover
• Northern Long tailed Tit

 

[Mcnswiss2]

The infamous Mike Montier (see Mallorca forum) visited us last December in Switzerland. His target was the Iconic Wallcreeper.
Best time to visit as the snow in the mountains forces the birds down.
We choose St.Ursanne in the Jura as it was a nearby site from Basel, and it has been the most successful in the region.
We spotted the bird on the rail viaduct however only distant views.
Deciding to return after lunch, we left to visit the lovely town of St.Ursanne.
The town has a wonderful church ( old monastery) and cloister. My wife mentioned that the Wallcreepers sometimes even come into the town and are seen on the Church tower….as she spoke we all spotted a second Wallcreeper on the Tower!
We photographed the bird for a few minutes before it flew off…Joined by a third Wallcreeper!!!
What a day!
You wait for one and three turn up!

 

[Mcnswiss2]

Talking of Wallcreepers, other sites that have been Successful for viewing them include:

• St.Ursanne
• Burgdorf
• Thun
• Beatenberg
• Teufelsbrucke
• Leuk ( Devils Bridge)
• Freiburg ( Cathedral St.Nicholas)
• Chamoson

 

[Mcnswiss2]

Ringed - necked Duck seen in Vaud today. These American Vagrants are quite common in Switzerland But many are likely escapes from wildfowl collections etc.

 

[Mike Montier]

What a day indeed Mike.
My most wanted bird on the planet, Wallcreeper was finally and successfully ticked on my world list.
Thank you also for your excellent hospitality and for taking us to all the hotspots. We loved every minute and will cherish moments like seeing all those lovely Alpine chough high above the mountain tops against a perfect blue sky. What a spectacle.
We loved Switzerland and hope we can return at a later date.
I went home a very happy man having also seen that mind-blowing Eagle owl and Middle-spotted woodpecker.
You are the man.
Mike

 

[Mcnswiss2]

Thanks Mike.
Talking of Woodpeckers, Switzerland has most, if not all, of the different kinds of woodpeckers in the country.
I will check later for the breeding records.
In order of possible occurance (based on my experience):

1. Great Spotted Woodpecker
2. Green Woodpecker
3. Gray Headed Woodpecker
4. Middle Spotted Woodpecker
5. Lesser Woodpecker
6. Black Woodpecker
7. Wryneck
8. Three toed Woodpecker
9. White-Backed Woodpecker
10. Syrian Woodpecker ?

Anybody disagrees with the order?

Interesting paper

Woodpeckers in Europe

 

[MJB]

Thanks Mike.
Talking of Woodpeckers, Switzerland has most, if not all, of the different kinds of woodpeckers in the country.
I will check later for the breeding records.
In order of possible occurance (based on my experience):

1. Great Spotted Woodpecker
2. Green Woodpecker
3. Gray Headed Woodpecker
4. Middle Spotted Woodpecker
5. Lesser Woodpecker
6. Black Woodpecker
7. Wryneck
8. Three toed Woodpecker
9. White-Backed Woodpecker
10. Syrian Woodpecker ?

Anybody disagrees with the order?

Interesting paper

Woodpeckers in Europe

The nearest established population to Switzerland (IUCN map) of Syrian Woodpecker appears to be that just SW of Linz, some 325km away from the Bodensee, but given the swathe of seemingly ideal habitat across the southern Bavarian hills slightly north of that straight line, future colonisation does seem possible, but the density of Great Spotted Woodpecker occurrence in the forested band is quite a hurdle to overcome! Doubtless male stragglers my turn up in Switzerland.

Your cited paper bemoans the lack of studies of the rates of change of Syrian Woodpeckers, but quite a few papers with some element of this have since been published on populations in Iran, Saratov and Lower Volga in Russia, Hungary (Gerard Gorman) and in particular, Poland.
MJB

 

[Mcnswiss2]

Thanks MJB
Good comments
The paper was rather dated but I liked the content.
My favourite site for the Syrian woodpecker was in Austria..Lake Neusiedi.Illmitz. Relatively easy to see.

 

[MJB]

Thanks MJB
Good comments
The paper was rather dated but I liked the content.
My favourite site for the Syrian woodpecker was in Austria..Lake Neusiedi.Illmitz. Relatively easy to see.

I've stayed in Illmitz about 40 times since 1979, but the pandemic has prevented us vising our friends and those we stay with enroute. Quite a few birders from Switzerland appear there each year. Some catch the night train & bring their bicycles!
MJB

 

[Mcnswiss2]

The Swiss Rareties Committee review those special species seen every year.
SRC
In November 2021, the Committee agreed the following:
” the 1st record of Steppe Eagle, the 1st record of Western Sandpiper, the 5th record of Iberian Chiffchaff, the 10th record of Rustic Bunting, the 11th record of Greenish Warbler, the 12th and 13th records of Audouin's Gull, the 15th and 16th records of Pygmy Cormorant, the 21st record of Long-legged Buzzard, the 18th record of Lesser Spotted Eagle since 1900 and the 1st record of Cinereous Vulture in category A.”
Excellent work by the observers and the Committee.

 

[Mcnswiss2]

A Black Winged Kite was reported in error recently, although they have been seen as late as December before.
This is one of my favourite birds and I have seen several in Switzerland.
Some argue that the Red Kites (Several now remain in Switzerland, while majority pass through on Migration) or the Migratory Black Kites are just as awesome…not for me!

 

[Mcnswiss2]

Owls are always great birds to see or hear. Switzerland has a nice population of several species of Owls.
My choice of possible occurrence are:

1. Tawny Owl
2. Barn Owl
3. Long eared Owl
4. Little Owl
5. Pygmy Owl
6. Eagle Owl
7. Scops Owl
8. Tengmalm Owl

Short eared Owls have also been reported.
Ornitho blocks the location of many of the sightings however the population in Switzerland seems to be stable.
Swiss Report